Hajime no Ippo: A thorough review of a story of boxing passion and growth

A comprehensive review and recommendation of Hajime no Ippo

■ Public Media

TV anime series

■ Original Media

comics

■ Broadcast period

October 3, 2000 - March 26, 2002

• Nippon Television, Miyagi Television, Kumamoto Prefectural Television / October 3, 2000 to September 25, 2001, Tuesdays from 24:50, October 2, 2001 to March 26, 2002, Tuesdays from 24:45
• Chukyo TV / March 6, 2001 to August 20, 2002 Tuesdays 25:28
• Sapporo Television / April 2001 to September 2002, Sundays from 6:00
• Iwate Television / April 2001 to December 2002, Tuesdays from 15:55
• Fukushima Chuo Television / April 2001 to September 2002 Mondays from 24:50
• Fukuoka Broadcasting System / April 2001 to September 2002 Friday 25:20
• Shikoku Broadcasting / July 2001 to March 2003 Saturday 26:15
• Yamagata Broadcasting / April 2002 to September 2003 Mondays from 25:20
• Hiroshima Television / July 2003 to December 2004, Wednesdays from 25:28
• Family Theatre / 2004-2006
• Teletama / August 2009 to February 2011 Tuesdays from 18:00
• Animax / August 2010 to November 2010 Monday to Friday 19:30 to 20:00
• Sun Television / November 2010 to March 2011 Monday to Friday 7:00

■Broadcasting station

Nippon Television

■Frequencies

half an hour

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 76

■Original Story

George Morikawa

■ Director

Satoshi Nishimura

■ Production

• Animation Production: Madhouse
• Produced by VAP

■Works

©Morikawa George/Kodansha, VAP, NTV

■ Story

The protagonist, Makunouchi Ippo, is a bullied boy from a single-parent household who runs a fishing boat shop with his parents. After meeting professional boxer Takamura Mamoru, he enrolls in the Kamogawa Boxing Gym. In search of the answer to the question, "What does it mean to be strong?", the story follows his growth as a professional boxer and as a person through his interactions with those around him and his battles with rivals.

■Explanation

This is an anime based on a manga by Shoji Morikawa, with a focus on boxing. It is notable for the detailed depiction of not only the main character, but also the fights of his supporting characters, friends and rivals, and the author has commented that "all the characters are the main characters." Many of the characters are based on real fighters who have made their mark on the history of boxing.

■Cast

• Makunouchi Ippo/Kiyasu Kohei
• Mamoru Takamura/Rikiya Koyama
• Ichiro Miyata/Tomokazu Seki
• Genji Kamogawa/Kenji Utsumi
• Haruhiko Yagi/Asahiko Nakajima
• Masaru Aoki/Wataru Takagi
• Tatsuya Kimura/Keiji Fujiwara
• Naomichi Yamada/Daisuke Sakaguchi
• Kumi Mashiba/Sanae Kobayashi
• Hiroko Makunouchi/Yorie Terauchi

■ Main staff

• Planning: Kazuaki Ito, Umeo Ito
• Original author: George Morikawa
• Series Composition: Tatsuhiko Urahata
• Music by Tsuneo Imahori
• Character design: Koji Sugiura
• Chief animation director: Hiroshi Kojina, Masanori Shino
• Animation producers: Satoshi Yoshimoto, Masao Morosawa
• Planning cooperation: Masahiro Nouchi, Yosuke Imanishi
• Director: Satoshi Nishimura
• Producers: Hiroshi Yamashita, Mitsuru Oshima, Manabu Tamura, Masao Maruyama
• Animation Production: Madhouse
• Planning and production: Nippon Television Network
• Production copyright: VAP

■ Main Characters

• Makunouchi Ippo is a clumsy boy who is often bullied, but he is a kind and hardworking high school student who helps out at his fishing boat business every day. He is the son of an only child, but he discovers boxing and grows strong through his hard work.
• Takamura Mamoru is a middleweight professional boxer belonging to the Kamogawa Boxing Gym. With his natural strength and unrivaled toughness, he has been undefeated since his debut. His personality can be summed up in a few words as "bossy," "unreasonable," and "perverted." He has a personality like a child who has grown up, and he plays pranks without thinking about the trouble it causes to others, so be careful.
• Ichiro Miyata is a high school student like Ippo and the hope of Kamogawa Gym. He is an elite hunter who is good at counter attacks and leaves Kamogawa Gym after fighting Ippo, but becomes Ippo's eternal rival.
• Genji Kamogawa is the owner of the Kamogawa Gym, which has the Japanese champion in its ranks. The training is extremely strict, but he sees the potential in Ippo and Takamura, helps them improve their skills, and guides them to the top with precise guidance.
• Haruhiko Yagi is the famous manager of Kamogawa Gym. He has a gentle personality and is the supportive role of the strict chairman. He likes fishing.
• A senior boxer of Aoki Katsuho. He works at a ramen shop while boxing. He is the mood maker at Kamogawa Gym.
• Tatsuya Kimura is a senior at Kamogawa Gym, always calm and encouraging Ippo behind the scenes. He is Aoki's best friend and rival.
• Naomichi Yamada joined the Kamogawa Gym because he admired Ippo. He had to transfer schools many times due to his parents' work, and because of that, he was bullied just like Ippo, but he didn't give up on the tough entrance exam and stayed until the end. "Gero-do" was the nickname that Takamura gave him at that time.
• Kumi Mashiba: A girl who Ippo fell in love with at first sight after witnessing the Miyata vs. Mashiba match. Ippo mistook her for a Miyata fan, but she was actually the younger sister of Ryo Mashiba, his opponent in the East Japan Rookie King finals.
• Hiroko Makunouchi is Ippo's mother, who runs the fishing boat Makunouchi on her own. She is a good supporter of Ippo, who is devoted to boxing.

■Subtitle

• Round 1/The First Step
• Round 2: The fruits of hard work
• Round 3/Tears of joy
• Round 4/Shadow Boxing
• Round 5 / 3 months to the counter
• Round 6 / The rematch gong
• Round 7/1cm of destructive power
• Round 8 / Promise of Reunion
• Round 9 / C-class license
• Round 10/Debut match
• Round 11 / Determination to win
• Round 12: Rough Friend Declaration
• Round 13/Opening, East Japan Rookie of the Year match
• Round 14: Strong arms! Hook vs. uppercut!
• Round 15: Endurance Test
• Round 16: A fierce battle awaits
• Round 17/Ippo on the Beach
• Round 18 – Clinch
• Round 19 / Dream of KO
• Round 20 / Shotgun Threat
• Round 21: The genius's strategy
• Round 22/Forward! Forward!
• Round 23 / Another Semi-Final
• Round 24/To the Promised Place...
• Round 25 / Each person's thoughts
• Round 26 / Distance Battle
• Round 27: Deadly Battle
• Round 28 / Results
• Round 29 / Rocky of Naniwa
• Round 30 / Enemy Territory
• Round 31 / Traces of the fierce battle
• Round 32/Hit right!
• Round 33 / Smash Intimidation
• Round 34/Rookie of the Year
• Round 35 / Further Journeys
• Round 36 / Meeting the Champion
• Round 37 / Aims
• Round 38 / Two Rookie of the Years
• Round 39: A challenge in a foreign country
• Round 40: A counter beyond a counter
• Round 41: Battle of the Vomit Road
• Round 42 / Empathy for dreams
• Round 43 / THE SPEED STAR
• Round 44 / Blind Spot in the Ring
• Round 45 / Wolf's White Fang
• Round 46/Become a Kamoshika!
• Round 47 / Hidden Fighting Spirit
• Round48/Red Wolf
• Round 49 / The courage to trust
• Round 50/What I want to say
• Round 51/Group date
• Round 52/Challenger
• Round 53 / For me to be me
• Round 54 / Champion's Fist
• Round 55 / Japan Featherweight Championship
• Round 56 / The Power Standing in the Way
• Round 57 / Decision
• Round 58: Heartbroken
• Round 59 / Determined Gaze
• Round 60 / Rival
• Round 61 / Concerns about recovery
• Round 62 / Resurrection
• Round 63 / Fiery Youth
• Round64/Enthusiast
• Round 65 / Summer of the Kamogawa Corps
• Round 66 / Takamura's Tears
• Round 67 / Kamogawa Gym is back on track
• Round 68 / President's Crisis
• Round 69 / Southpaw's Trap
• Round 70 / Gontakure
• Round 71 / The Final Line
• Round 72 / LALLAPALLOOZA
• Round 73 / Go Beyond That Time
• Round74/Mix-up
• Round 75 / Another step
• Round 76 / Boxer's Fist

■ Related works

• DVD-BOX VOL. 1
  Episodes 1 to 38 included Price: ¥26,250 (tax included)
  Recording time: 912 minutes Product number: VPBY-13964
  Specifications: Color, stereo, Dolby Digital, dual-layer, 4:3, 8-disc set [Bonus]
  ・Vol.1 & Vol.2 storage box included ・Luxurious booklet included
• DVD-BOX VOL. 2
  Episodes 39 to 76 included Release date: Wednesday, March 18, 2009
  Price: ￥26,250 (incl. tax)
  Recording time: 912 minutes Product number: VPBY-13965
  Specifications: Color, stereo, Dolby Digital, dual-layer, 4:3, 8-disc set [Bonus]
  ・Luxurious booklet included
• DVD
  Vol. 1-25
• CD
  Original Soundtrack "FIRST KO", "FINAL ROUND"

■ Theme songs and music

• OP1
  Round 1 to Round 25
  "Under Star"
• OP2
  Round 26 to Round 52
  "Inner Light"
  Song: Shocking Lemon
• OP3
  Round 53 to Round 75
  "TUMBLING DICE" (Instrumental)
  Composer: Tsuneo Imahori
• ED1
  Round 1 to Round 25
  "Paper airplane in the evening sky"
• ED2
  Round 26 to Round 52, Round 75
  "360°"
  Vocals: Mori Naoya
• ED3
  Round 53 to Round 74
  "ETERNAL LOOP"
  Song: SABER TIGER

A comprehensive review and recommendation of Hajime no Ippo

"Hajime no Ippo" is a TV anime series based on the original manga by George Morikawa, and was broadcast on Nippon Television and other stations from 2000 to 2002. The story is set in the sport of boxing and depicts the growth and human drama of the main character, Makunouchi Ippo. Below, we will explain in detail the appeal, evaluation, and recommended points of this work.

Story and Characters

The story of "Hajime no Ippo" begins when Makunouchi Ippo, who grew up in a single-parent household and was bullied, meets professional boxer Takamura Mamoru and enters the world of boxing. Ippo joins the Kamogawa Boxing Gym, and together with the friends and rivals he meets there, he embarks on his path to becoming a professional boxer. His growth is depicted not only in terms of his boxing skills, but also as a person, leaving viewers deeply moved.

The main character, Ippo, is known for his hard work and kind personality. His growth conveys the message to viewers that "efforts will always be rewarded." In addition, the unique characters such as Takamura Mamoru, Miyata Ichiro, and Kamogawa Genji are also appealing, and the interactions and confrontations with them add excitement to the story. In particular, his rivalry with Miyata Ichiro is an important element that symbolizes Ippo's growth.

Animation and performance

MADHOUSE, the animation studio, has succeeded in depicting the boxing match scenes realistically. The tension of the match and the movements of the fighters are reproduced in detail, making the viewer feel as if they are at the ringside. Director Nishimura Satoshi has also succeeded in carefully portraying the emotions and drama of the characters, allowing the viewer to empathize with them.

The character designs are by Koji Sugiura, and they faithfully recreate the atmosphere of the original work. In particular, Ippo's facial expressions and movements during the match capture the hearts of viewers. The teamwork between the chief animation directors Hiroshi Kamishina and Masanori Shino is also excellent, raising the overall quality.

Music and theme song

The music was composed by Tsuneo Imahori, and effectively brings out the tension of the matches and the emotions of the characters. The background music in the match scenes in particular has the power to draw the viewers in. The theme songs also match the atmosphere of the work, and the opening theme "Under Star," the opening theme "Inner Light," and the ending theme "Paper Plane in the Evening Sky" are memorable masterpieces that viewers will never forget.

Evaluation and recommendation points

"Hajime no Ippo" is a work that depicts hard work, growth, friendship and rivalry through the sport of boxing. Its realistic match scenes and character growth stories have touched many viewers. In addition, while firmly inheriting the charm of the original work, the production and music unique to anime add even more depth.

The recommended points are as follows:

• Realistic Fight Scenes : Madhouse's animation technology brings boxing matches to life, bringing every inch of tension and fighter movement to life in minute detail, putting viewers at the edge of the ring.
• Character Growth : The growth of the characters, including the main character Ippo, is carefully depicted. In particular, Ippo's efforts and growth deeply move the viewers. Also, do not miss his interactions and confrontations with Takamura Mamoru and Miyata Ichiro.
• Music and theme song : Tsuneo Imahori's music and theme song enhance the atmosphere of the work. In particular, the background music during the match scenes and the theme song have the power to draw the viewers in.
• Human drama : It's not just about boxing, but the human drama of the characters is also depicted. Friendships, rivalries, family ties, and more will resonate with viewers.

"Hajime no Ippo" is not only an excellent sports anime, but also an excellent human drama. It is recommended not only for those who are interested in boxing, but also for those who like stories about effort, growth, friendship and rivalry. Please watch this work and experience the growth and moving story of Makunouchi Ippo.