Story (10): A common trope in anime that I've learnt to tolerate in most forms of anime are heavily monologues and dragged out stories that take a while to get rolling. Thankfully, Nomad is very expressive in it's themes through its striking visuals (no pun intended) and raw emotions. If it could be summed up, season 1: fight to prove your worth and season 2: be content with what you have/gained and live for it.
Art (9): Just from looking at the poster alone, you can still see the retro look still hasn't failed us; the characters still look as great as they did in previous season. While not as overly-dynamic as Hajime no Ippo in terms of its fights and movement, you can still feel the impact and tension in fights through the character's emotions and the the good directing of key frames.
Sound (10): I don't know how he does it, but mabanua outdid himself on this soundtrack, be it the reprisal of Saicho's theme, the epic vocals of the opening or the haunting but strangely peaceful serenity that comes of the ending song. It is certainly an aspect of the series that cannot be overlooked.
Character (10): Nomad does something special in my eyes, it regresses the characters but makes it feel so natural that I still vouched for them and hoped they could overcome these flaws of theirs and once more come out on top. It made them feel more complex as I couldn't always decide who was right and who was wrong, which makes the drama and build up to the fights feel more tense. As opposed to somewhat formulaic underdog story of the first season.
Enjoyment (10): If you thought the conclusion to the first was heart warming and inspiring, Nomad takes you on an even more thought-provoking journey that you could never think possible. It gives us the sort of life lessons and motivation we come to associate with boxing movies in Hollywood and the timeless themes of Ashita no Joe truly come through in this re-telling of a classic.
Overall: 10/10. Anime's answer to Rocky and Rocky II.
