![]() ![]() In North America, the first series, including the television film, was licensed by Geneon in 2003, which released it under the name Fighting Spirit. ![]() A third series Hajime no Ippo: Rising aired from October 2013 to March 2014. A second series titled Hajime no Ippo: New Challenger aired from January to June 2009. A television film and an original video animation (OVA) were released in 2003. It follows the story of high school student Makunouchi Ippo, as he begins his career in boxing and over time obtains many titles and defeats various opponents.Ī 76-episode anime adaptation produced by Madhouse aired on Nippon TV from October 2000 to March 2002. It has been serialized by Kodansha in Weekly Shōnen Magazine since October 1989 and collected into 132 tankōbon volumes as of September 2021. "The First Step") is a Japanese boxing-themed manga series written and illustrated by George Morikawa. But for as dangerous as football is (and it absolutely is), there is a fairly large list of boxers who died either in the ring or as a direct result of their injuries.Hajime no Ippo ( はじめの一歩, lit. The risk of constant concussions and bone-breaking tackles isn’t really addressed in the comic except as a short-term fear. As a creator, you can choose not to engage with that risk of crippling injury Eyeshield 21 by Riichiro Inagaki and Yusuke Murata follows a group of American Football players in high school, but the tone is more fantastical than serious. A busted knee can bring down someone’s football or tennis aspirations, but boxing, American football… sports like these are leagues more dangerous. ![]() I’ll still do my best not to over-spoil.Īll sports have an inherent risk of injury, but certain sports are objectively more dangerous than others. The nail-biting tension is as real for the comic as it is for genuine sporting matches, and I would hate to ruin that for anyone who hasn’t experienced it for themselves, so make sure you know that you’ll be trading that experience by reading below. When a character enters a ring swearing to retire if he loses while his opponent enters with the understanding that a loss would ruin his ability to compete on the world’s stage, you want so desperately for them both to win. Predominantly though, the thrill of the comic is in not knowing what choices author George Morikawa will make in writing these fights. In short, punches in Hajime No Ippo look more impressive than just about any punch I’ve seen on the printed page in my life. The way the boxers move across the page shows a mastery of the comics form and a genuinely impressive understanding of anatomy. The artistic prowess on display, too, is amazing. When a character finally wins, you thrill at their perseverance against what seems like fate. When a character announces their retirement, you can’t help but grimace knowing how hard they worked. There are no secondary characters in Hajime No Ippo, just those with less talent who work as hard as everyone else and come up wanting. The boxers in Hajime No Ippo almost painfully understand that their careers are short and that the levels that they operate at are unlikely to take them to the heights of fame and fortune that might occur for those more gifted. It’s a fairly standard hook for a sports comic, but there’s much more to it than that. The series follows Makunouchi Ippo as he finds confidence and friendship in boxing, rising through the ranks of the world’s best boxers. It’s one of the few comics that I’ve read that acknowledges a wider world beyond the subject matter itself. Second, Hajime No Ippo is absolutely worth a read. I’d encourage anyone reading this to ask Kodansha Comics to publish the series legally in English. It’s one of the most well-drawn and emotional comics that I’ve ever read, and the longevity of the series absolutely contributes to the emotional investment you feel for the characters. I’m going to go ahead and spoil a weekly comic that’s been running for 25 years after the jump, so, before I do…įirst, yes, Hajime No Ippo isn’t translated legally into English and that’s a damn shame. Instead, it’s one of the most brilliant use of long-form storytelling that I’ve ever seen, utilizing its 25–year-long publication history and decades of genre tropes to craft an emotional twist that was completely earned. Recently, George Morikawa’s long-running boxing comic, Hajime No Ippo completely shocked fans with a plot development, one that seemingly came out of nowhere. The best artists are able to follow that intuitive sense, giving themselves permission to improvise and change things, even if they run against audience expectations or tried-and-true tropes. The ending that you plan at the beginning of your magnum opus might not ring true as you continue to work on it. Storytelling is rarely a static process it changes with your mentality, your audience, and the cult ure surrounding your work in the first place. ![]()
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