Really this anime has such a simple cliché plot, I mean who hasn't heard of the story of a boy getting bullied who then turns into a beast. Yet the producers were able to tell the story in a such a captivating and motivational way. The story has heavy use of the power of "determination" and "will power". But who doesn't love that?, it really gives you a great adrenaline rush when you see a character backed into a corner then suddenly through realization that he cannot lose the match wins with sheer will power. We also learn a lot about boxing, the training he goes through, the hardships, the reward and the sport in itself how its not always the strong who make it to the top.
The art of this anime was really well done, the characters were very realistic. Usually the protagonist in most shounen animes consist of a spiky headed bishounen whos extremely powerful at the start, add a mega hot romantic interest to keep the main character fighting and you've got a typical shounen. However this is not the case for Hajime no Ippo, hes just your average high school boy, there are no woman falling for him at first sight and he is not an extreme force to be reckoned with at the start either. The actual action in boxing matches was exciting to watch, it wasn't TOO unrealistic with fire coming off the fists and didn't have characters emitting super saiyan auras, but they animated good boxing movements showing both the importance of footwork and hand speed. The way they portray shadow boxing is also very realistic, as I too know the feeling when you first start shadow boxing, it looks like shit and its hard to get at first, but as you do it more it looks more fluid and cool.
The sound of this anime oh my gawd, I even use the music in this anime to motivate me in training. The OST's in this anime fill you with emotion, we feel the motivation as we see the characters training hard with montage music playing and we feel the despair as the main character is backed against the ropes as melancholic music plays in the background. The OP is very fast paced and suits the anime well, great for pumping the last reps in your workout :D.
Characters, this is where the anime truly shines. The amount of character development Ippo goes through is just phenomenal, from a kid bullied his entire school life to a professional boxer, surrounded with great friends and fans, he is taken on a journey on what it means to be strong. Also the friends he makes are just hilarious. Takamura, Aoki and Kimura are at the centre of all the comedy in this series. They each have their own absurdly humorous personalities, their pasts are both inspiring and ridiculously fun to watch, but I cannot spoil you'll have to watch it yourself.
I thoroughly enjoyed this anime, its probably not for everyone, especially women who want a bishounen to fan girl over, as well as the constant use of dick humor (yeah you'll have to watch to understand that), if you're a real man you'll enjoy this anime as much as I did.
This anime really is one of the best ones I've seen, offering a perfect blend of sport, drama, comedy and an inspiration plot. I really can't wait for the third season.
What are you doing, stop reading and watch this anime NAOW >;O
