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---------------------------------------- Nothing to see here, just a dad educating his son.
And is that dude with head tats a reference to Iron Mike?
One of the best buildups to a fight, accompanied by Mohammad Alai's trolls.
Damn do people really think Baki is the underdog here? Unbelievable. Anyway, Muhhammad Alai is weird as fuck bro when he makes that ridiculous face and what a dad he is lol
I don't like the way they did to muhammad alai. They copy the person but not his character. What a shame, i want to drop this series but there are a couple episode left. If there would be s3 i won't risk it anymore
Anime is like Nikotin, once consumed its difficult to let go.
Anime is like Caffeine, once consumed its difficult to sleep.
Guess another season should be coming then if the climatic fight is gonna be Alai Jr Vs Baki as it's looking like we won't see Baki Vs Yujiro despite the teasing of them being in the same tournament haha
I have a third testicle that gives me psychic powers
So ... they expect Alai to win vs. Baki. Yeah that was my guess as well: While he lost to the others he grew stronger incorporating some of their techniques into his own style.
If not for Baki's condition to fight, I honestly would have expected him to face Junior whose on his death bed caused by getting beaten up a few more times. So they're trying to hype up Junior again by letting everyone say he is most likely to win, not falling for this again after the last time they hyped him.
Wow, Baki is the very namesake of the show and yet he's one of the least prevalent (main) characters. At this point, the entire arc is about Alai, Jr. I'm not complaining though. This is a unique show with unique circumstances. The show is about Baki in away, but in an indirect way. Heck, I can't even say the show evolved around Baki. Not only that, but the characters that aren't Baki are interesting, have their own motives, and can be fleshed out enough to drive the plot forward. I like Alai, Jr. I like his strange motives. I like his perseverance in the face of all the losses. In a way, the show really does promote perseverance and overcoming adversity.
Side note... I don't know if Alai is a protagonist, deuteragonist, tritagonist, primary/secondary antagonist, or anti-hero. Although I'm compelled to allot him to the latter role. He definitely exhibits anti-hero traits, in that he's trying to steal the protagonist's girlfriend and is challenging more ethical characters (Doppo and glasses guy) to fights. WHATEVER the case, like HxH's Hisoka, Alai is an anti-hero people obviously like. I know I do.
But the point I'm trying to make: Alai, Jr. is black. Think about that. This is an anime. Recurring black characters are rare enough, as are black supporting characters. Black main characters are an all-time rare -- nearly unheard of. We're looking at an African-American anime character who is practically the focal point for the end of Baki: Season 2. I never would've guessed (when going into this franchise) that at one point, the main character would be a black guy. I think it's really cool. I'm not an SJW or activist or anything, I'm not trying to talk about or promote diversity or inclusivity or anything atm. But from an objective and observational standpoint, it's intriguing. Heck, this might even be a first (as far as I know of atm). This is technically an anime about a black guy. Coming from Japan, a place that has always made media featuring predominately if not exclusively Asian and/or pale-skinned characters -- a targeted towards their native demographic. It's cool that they're utilizing other ethnicities for the point of a plot. And they've really made Alai and his father likable and/or interesting characters.
Although I have noticed that a lot of 2020 anime are beginning to feature dark-skinned characters regularly. I.e. The Great Pretender. I have a feeling other races will start to become more and more present. But unlike America, where the inclusivity in animations/cartoons are to make social statements ... the way anime executes the phenomenon is purely for plot purposes. As if to say they're genuinely interested in incorporating other ethnicities into their stories, as opposed to being activists.
Also, Alai isn't just black for the sake of being black. He and his father parody the IRL Muhammad Ali. Which is a very appropriate 'celebrity cameo' for the subject matter of this show.
Actually, looking past race, it's interesting that a Japanese anime is stepping outside of the boundaries of martial arts and incorporating MIXED martial arts and Americanized BOXING into the plot. Not only that, but they're making American culture FORMIDABLE adversaries. Japan has always been known to target and appeal to their own (Asian) demographics, so naturally Japanese audiences would be rooting for Kenpo over boxing, per se. But instead of swiftly denouncing Americanized fighting -- as inferior -- the folks of Baki have done their research and have devoted an entire arc to the art of American boxing, centered on an American character. It's insane! All the more reason to love anime and the Baki franchise.
Alai Jr's finally taking things seriously and I like that. He's no Baki but at least he's putting in an effort when it comes to preparing for his big fight.
Muhammad Ali is so weird in this show, not to mention Junior with his Kozue obsession, I just hope that Baki will win against him so everyone will shut up after that xD
