CCIV: "Hajime No Ippo"

Hajime no Ippo, known also as The Fighting! or Fighting Spirit, is an anime that dwells in the boxing genre, unlike similar titles like Baki the Grappler from the 55th review (that dealt with mixed martial arts instead of one specific discipline.) Alongside Ayane's High Kick, it stands as one of the titles that instantly pops up when boxing is involved.

The protagonist Makunouchi Ippo is the titular character, who is a rather shy and didn't make much friends since he takes priority in helping his mother in the fishing charter business the family runs. When he is picked on and beaten badly, a middle-weight boxer intervenes and takes the injured hero into a gym owned by a retired pro boxer. Venting out his anger on a sandbag, people captured a glimpse at the latent talent Ippo had for boxing. While initially scolded and doubted, Ippo thought long and hard,until he made his decision to pursue a career in boxing, and even undergoes training for it. Potential alone does not make a great boxer, but for Ippo, it serves as a foothold for a man destined to be champion. Will Ippo step into glory by prevailing every match, or will it be too much for him, and prove that his talent was nothing but built up steam? Stand ready Ippo, the bell has rung!

Hajime no Ippo saw two anime series, 2 animated films, and 8 video games, three of which made it to the US for the Sony PlayStation 2 (2) and Nintendo Wii (1). The anime and films were all licensed under Geneon entertainment, and were made in the Madhouse studio, so they retain their visuals constantly. The premier anime, Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting!, saw 2 seasons, bearing a total of 76 episodes. From there, the most recognized fight would be the Ippo vs. Sendo match, which would be revisited in one of the films. This title ran between September of 2000 and March of 2002. A New Challenger was the surname for the second Hajime no Ippo anime, and it was much shorter, since it lasted for 26 episodes, running between January and June of 2009. The two films, both debuting in 2003, were named Hajime no Ippo: Champion Road and Hajime no Ippo: Kimura vs. Mashiba. The manga Fighting Spirit, which debuted in 1990, is still ongoing, so if desired, there may be new material to write from, but this is purely speculation. Ippo is voiced by Steve Staley, who also voiced the lead role of Buso Renkin's Kazuki Muto.

Since then, it has gotten the Youtube Poop treatment with various videos taking that one clip from the show (or Champion Road) and spawning everywhere, or better yet, having its audio paired up with characters that do the same move: the Dempsey Roll. This is such a case for Capcom's Dudley of Super Street Fighter IV, and Namco Bandai's Steve Fox from the recently put out Street Fighter X Tekken. Hajime no Ippo storms a great 8 of 10 overall, and with his punches, he sure delivers some entertainment.