Hajime no Ippo: New Challenger - Iron Brian The battle of Hawk is getting intense, and it’s still not over by any means. But this episode was a pivotal one, finally bringing us the iconic shot from the OP credits (manga version above) animated in the ring. In characteristic Ippo fashion the first few rounds of this epic deathmatch have played out via a series of turnarounds. Takamura went down twice but put Hawk on the mat once and is currently ahead in a brawling exchange - though by the looks of next week’s preview we can expect another turnaround or two before the fight’s over. Obvz. After all that build-up did you think it would be easy? The relationship between Takamura and Coach Kamogawa has been a major focus of the Hawk arc so far and that finally gets some resolution here, with Takamura proving that Kamogawa’s boxing style is effective at the world level. Of course he’s still not the true inheritor of Kamogawa’s fists (that role belongs to Ippo, duh) so after dropping Hawk with the jab Kamogawa taught him, Takamura begins to let his natural talent and brawling instinct come to the fore. Interesting though kind of silly from a North American perspective is the emphasis this fight has been putting on national identity. Takamura is the bearer of a profound Japanese national pride and expectation that feels a bit out of place in the world of pro boxing - although I guess it has some real life parallels, when you think of how the Phillipines consider Manny Pacquiao a national hero for putting their country on the map. With relatively few Japanese world title-holders it makes sense for the country to rally behind Takamura, but what I feel is a bit silly is how Hawk’s national identity is similarly constructed. His trainer appeals to him in his corner to “remember the city you grew up in”, prompting a flashback to the “streets of New York” ripped right out of West Side Story. I had to stifle a laugh when Hawk said “My town…” in wistful Japanese accented English. It seems like the manga-ka based Hawk on the backstory of somebody like Mike Tyson - a fighter with prodigious natural talent but a seriously troubled background growing up poor in Brooklyn (not to mention his problematic relationship to women) - but processed this backstory through a decidedly Japanese lens. I’m actually kind of fascinated by Hawk as a complicated representation of American culture from a Japanese perspective now.
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Screens:   Summary:   The Battle of Hawk begins, and Takamura and Hawk are sizing each other up. The coach is thinking that Takamura should use the first round to observe the champion and get a grasp on his fighting style; he’s also concerned about the champion’s second Miguel Zail. Hawk suddenly takes a slouched stance and begins swaying [...]
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Screens: Summary: In the aftermath of Ippo’s 3rd title defense, the crowd is going wild over his overwhelming 1 round KO victory. Ippo tells the coach he won using his style while smiling, but the coach tells him his style is using compact precise blows and quick step-ins to take the pace. He tells him he’ll lecture [...]
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Hajime no Ippo: New Challenger - It Begins I’ve been blogging a lot of “my POV as a chick” stuff lately so it’s about time we get back to THE FIGHTING. If only they’d let us - the build-up to this Hawk v. Takamura fight has been dragging on for ages. At least they can’t hold off on it any longer because the starting bell rang in the last five seconds of this episode, haha. I couldn’t believe they could spend another entire episode getting us hyped for the fight but they managed it - by bringing in every boxer from Miyata to Date to Sendo to the Japanese national champs of every weight class to lay their hopes on Takamura. Our senshu also got a private moment with every member of the Kamogawa gym AND a sentimental flashback of his entire career as a boxer. Hard to believe there was still time to fit in the opening theatrics for both Takamura and Hawk’s entrances and even some friction in the ring before the bell. This fight is LONG AWAITED. Makes me wonder if they’re planning on stretching it to go the whole next 4 episodes, taking us to the end of the season. I mean, of course they will. But I hope they’ll announce another season in that case cuz there really hasn’t been enough of Ippo himself in this one. Major fight arcs for Miyata, Date and now Takamura, while all Ippo pulled off was an easy title-defence or two - disappointing!
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Screens:   Summary:   The coach is observing Bryan Hawk spar at a local gym along with the press, but it turns out to be unfruitful as Hawk isn’t taking the spar seriously and letting his opponent hit him. However, as soon as the coach leaves the gym, a loud gasp comes from the gym. The coach rushes back [...]
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Screens:     Summary:  Takamura’s fight posters have arrived at the gym and going by the poster it seems Ippo will be fighting Yi Yonsu, who’s a foreign boxer that’s ranked 5th,  in the semi-finals. Takamura comes, looks at the poster and comments that he can already see himself with the belt. As they’re talking about how hard the [...]
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Hajime no Ippo: New Challenger - THE GRUDGE Another training-focused episode as Takamura struggles with weight control leading up to his world title fight with Brian Hawk. I don’t even know what to say about Hawk’s revolting, fat-tongued case of yellow fever - who is getting the worse end of that racist depiction? Hawk for being a disgusting monster of a gaijin or the xenophobic Japanese men feeling emasculated by Hawk’s consumption of their women? - so yeah, let’s not even get into that. It’s good to see Takamura getting riled up by it though. The main focus of the past few episodes has been Takamura of course - his delinquent past, his wealthy but fractured family, his reasons for boxing and his extreme weight control (dropping 20 FREAKING KILOS to make super middleweight? Willing suspension of disbelief…) This episode was more of the same and offered a few sweet moments of Takamura bonding (both with the coach, as seen above, and with the younger boxers), some of the usual Ippo humour (at Aoki’s expense in other words), and a lot of Takamura’s excruciating struggle to drop weight. I always get a weird feeling from weight control oriented episodes of Ippo because of the almost painful vibe. The skeletal way the boxers are drawn with their cheeks sucked in and their dry, wrinkled skin makes me feel like I’m watching horror rather than sports genre. Especially at the end of this episode, where a corpse-like Takamura swears his revenge upon Hawk for causing his agony…. THE GRUDGE!!! I guess Ippo does a good job representing the frustration and suffering of severe weight control because these episodes always make me cringe. I really hate these arcs - a few of Miyata’s also come to mind - but hey, way to make the viewer really LIVE it. The quality of this show never fails to astound me.
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Hanazakari no Kimitachi e © Nakajo Hisaya/Hakusensha Published in Indonesia by Level Comics [Cover provided by Level Comics] Level Comics editor Lenny-san came through again for me, providing the 19 May manga release list in advance. I owe her (as well as Aryaguna-san, who originally approached me about Level schedules way back) lots. Thanks and ganbatte, ne, Level team! I already mentioned the
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Screens:   Summary:   After hearing Hawk’s comments of tasting Japanese women and asking for a handshake in a cocky manner; Takamura gets pissed and tries to punch Brian Hawk with Ippo, Kimura, and Aoki holding him back. Even with the three of them holding him back, Takamura is able to still get to Hawk; though Hawk catches Takamura’s [...]
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Screens:     Summary:   The crowd is shocked to see Takamura so dehydrated and  decrypt looking and it seems painfully obvious that Takamura failed at weight-gaining after the weigh-in. Takamura’s opponent this time is Filipino middleweight champion, Morris West; the gong sounds and Takamura staggers to the center of the ring. He comments to himself that his strength won’t come, [...]
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Screens:     Summary:   The gym is getting full of excitement with Takamura’s upcoming World Title match, Ippo’s upcoming title defense, Itagaki’s debut match, and even Kimura has a match coming up; with Kimura and Itagaki’s debut match opening for Takamura. Ippo’s match is set as the semi-final before Takamura’s Title match; though they haven’t found a challenger yet, [...]
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Screens:   Summary:   While Aoki is eating half of the okonomiyaki unsure if he has the half with the sea roach in it, Itagaki asks Ippo for a serious spar. Takamura is Itagaki’s second, and Aoki is Ippo’s; Aoki advises Ippo not to make any mistakes as Takamura is his second. Ippo and Itagaki enter the center of [...]
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Screens:     Summary:   Ippo has recovered from his wounds from his last fight when he hears Wanpo whimpering outside. It turns out that Takamura is taking Wanpo with him, Kimura, and Itagaki on their training camp at the beach. Ippo wants to go along to as he lost his chance the last time, but Takamura reminds him that [...]
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Hajime no Ippo: New Challenger 13 WTF, is my blog is turning into a Hajime no Ippo fanblog or something? Oh wait, I should have pretended it was for real, as an April Fools Joke. On a side note, I hate April Fools. But I loved this episode! Obviously the highlight for me was Ippo’s attempted confession of his love for Kumi - thwarted as usual, because she passes out drunk and misses the whole thing. But it was done in a very cute way, with Ippo making boxing analogies inside his head the whole time. Like opening with a jab (an anecdote to lead up to the confession) instead of going straight in with a power punch. And the fact that he’s far more scared of little Kumi than he is of Date and Sendou’s powerful punches (above) was adorable. I honestly laughed out loud when he was racking his brain over what to say and Coach Kamogawa popped up telling him to “JAB!”. Besides the Kumi x Ippo cuteness, there were a lot of funny moments this episode thanks to the three stooges, Takamura, Aoki and Kimura. Takamura’s pervertedness seems to know no bounds, and Aoki’s attempt at revenge on Takamura for groping his girlfriend backfires hilariously as expected. The funniest part of the episode for me though was when Takamura freaks out alone, thinking he’s being attacked by ghosts in the water (foreshadowed by Ippo’s ghost story) and ends up beating Nekota to a pulp accidentally. Okay, maybe the world middleweight contender beating up a poor old man isn’t really very funny but watching Takamura’s reaction was hysterical.
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Screens:   Summary:   Nao is on the attack with Ippo only able to guard; Nao pulls on Ippo’s arm breaking his guard and lands a Solar Plexus blow on him. Ippo describes the feeling as being similar to being electrically shocked and he can’t move his feet. Nao continues aiming for body blows while Ippo continues boxing; up [...]
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Hajime no Ippo: New Challenger 12 Aw, what a nice shot of the whole gang celebrating Ippo’s win - minus Geromichi of course, who is hiding around the corner smiling contently with his coach. Kind of creepy. Cutest moment of the episode was Ippo’s KO combo: he knocked Geromichi unconscious on his feet with a pretty heavy combination, then reached out with his arms to try to catch him as he bounced off the ropes and fell forward (the ref stepped in and caught him, luckily). Ippo says that knowing what it feels like to lose will make Geromichi stronger - comparing it to his own defeat by Date - and Geromichi decides not to retire as he had planned after all. What did you expect, really? I’m honestly more excited for next week’s episode because it’s a BEACH EPISODE and it looks like Kumi will make her first actual New Challenger appearance! Yesss! I am SOOO looking forward to some cute Ippo X Kumi moments! And just in time, this season has an urgent need for some testosterone offsetting, stat.
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Iryuu -Team Medical Dragon- © Nogizaka Taro and Nagai Akira/Shogakukan Ireally should get over my hospital squeamishness and get into Team Medical Dragon. The seinen drama starring the loose cannon surgeon Asada Ryutaro always ends up being the most popular pick—no matter who the other contenders are (in this Level release, boxers Makunouchi Ippo and Suzuki Hiroshi from Yamamoto Yasuhito-sensei's
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Screens: Summary: The title match starts, and Itagaki comments that Ippo looks ready. Takamura though wonders if he’ll be able to hit Nao, and Kitamura comments they’ll have their answer soon enough. Fuji comments that the odds say that Ippo will get an easy win, but Mari wonders if it’ll work out like that. The match starts [...]
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Screens:   Summary:   Along a river bank at night,  Mari is conversing with Ippo on his match against Nao.  Ippo expresses his hesitation to fight Nao; Mari reminds him that 3000 people didn’t pay to see a Sempai and Kohai match, but Ippo still feels conflicted and Mari asks him if he knows what anKamase Inu is. Mari [...]
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Screens: Summary: After visiting Date, Ippo is at river bank discussing the matter with  Takamura, Kimura, and Aoki. Ippo feels like he won’t be able to take Date’s place leading younger boxers and Aoki and Kimura agree with him and Kimura says he wouldn’t want to follow him. After talking about how Ippo is at his 2nd [...]
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