Rikudou

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As always, the vultures are already reviewing and trying to kill any interest towards this series.-

To counter these underated reviews, i shall post my own opinion that favors this series.

One should notice that instead of "unneccessary shock value", this manga is flooding with hope and kindness. The kid indeed has a sad life during the start, but you can already see stuff happening for him, and as you read forward you have unexplainable desire to know what happens next in this thorny and long path of Rikudo.

As of writing these, there has already been at least 3 noteworthy characters for the story and I can't ... wait to see how it develops between them.

Dont judge the book by it's cover (or the reviews), but instead read it yourself.

One of the best boxing manga I've seen in ages.It shows an impeccable history and scenes of very good fights like a good manga should be.
I believe by having a heavier theme , being seinein , does not attract much readers , but the way the story unfolds leaves the person involved in the plot.
A reading that I'm really enjoying it and recommend it. For now I'm in the waiting more chapters.

If you found Rikudou after reading a different boxing series you have probably realized from the synopsis that Rikudou is going to be dark.

And if you are now reading reviews, wondering whether or not you should read Rikudou, first consider what you're expecting from this series.

Are you looking for a boxing manga that has the same "Give it everything you've got" feeling like in Hajime no Ippo or maybe something like Ashita no Joe? If you are, then you need to understand that Rikudou is going to be a little bit different from them.

The first thing to understand about Rikudou is that ... it is not a Shounen, it's a Seinen. To be safe I'll explain that the difference between these two is that Shounen's target a younger male audience while Seinen's target men ages 18 to 40.

That said, Rikudou is going to be more mature than a Shounen manga but more importantly it's going to feel different than the Shounen action/sports/boxing mangas which you may or may not be familiar with.


STORY

This story of this manga is about Riku Azami, a boy born into an abusive environment and after the death of his father, he experienced greater traumas. His past is the reason he became a boxer. The powerlessness he felt as a child is his motivation in and out of the ring to become stronger.

I believe that the reason Riku chooses to fight as a boxer isn't that he loves the sport, but because he can only find comfort by constantly proving to himself that he's growing stronger.

However his boxing career doesn't bring him complete peace of mind. It may distract him from his past, but it forces him to make difficult choices. Beating other boxers, possibly ending the careers of fighters who are trying to escape their darkness or feed their family means victory comes with a sense of guilt. But to keep his past behind him Riku has to win whether or not he wants to beat the man standing in front of him.

Both victory and defeat have their consequences. And that makes the fighting in this different from other boxing manga you may have read.

In many ways this is a story about a broken child trying to overcome his past, and keep himself from falling apart, through professional boxing.

However at first glance this series may seem like it's just trying to be edgy, but I believe that it goes deeper than that by surrounding itself with the psychological conflicts of Riku Azami and his attempt to find solace from his painful memories.


ART

I want to talk about the Art in Rikudou. I actually really like the author's art style but what I think is worth mentioning is how well it suits this manga. The story and art sync with each other so well that I wanted to go over both of them in this review.

The way the characters and backgrounds are drawn is expressive and sets the mood of the story. The shading is very present which might make it look less "clean" than what you're used to, and without thinking about it some people may dislike this about this manga, but I believe that the shading adds to the overall atmosphere of Rikudou.

Out of curiosity and slight boredom I've gone through some pages and edited out a lot of the shading, but not so much that it looked unnatural, and I found that the mood changes slightly when you take away Rikudou's shaded atmosphere.

Maybe I've read too much into it, but I think that the heavy shading is more than just this author's art style, but intentionally done to emphasize the story and tone of the manga.


A WARNING

Given the nature of the story, this manga may make you feel uncomfortable at times but if you are able to read things like this, you will probably find this series enjoyable just as I have.

Rikudou, for the most part, does its job as a respectable boxing manga in the sense that there is boxing and there are also long monologues during the boxing. The gimmick that sets Rikudou apart from other boxing manga is that the main character Riku has killed in self-defense using his fists when he was a child. The first chapter also introduces the gimmick that Riku can target vital points with accuracy, but this is never used as the story progresses.

At face value, Rikudou is a solid read that is comfortably an 8/10 manga with explosive, well-drawn fights and plenty of character drama (both internal ... and external) to carry the plot along between the highlights. Unfortunately, if you start paying attention this facade breaks down quickly to reveal that Rikudou functions primarily on the rule-of-cool with a healthy side of edginess to keep readers engaged. Let me elaborate:
- The fights might look cool but they're also very messy, poorly explained, and quite difficult to follow. Compared to the gold standard of Hajime no Ippo, the fights in Rikudou are borderline incomprehensible.
- Character motivations generally don't have much logic to them, usually just having characters proclaim one-liners at the end of chapters without any build-up. With the exception of the core cast, the arcs of characters are very two-dimensional and feel forced in a way that services the plot rather than having genuine character development.
- The plot is borderline non-existent, in the sense that it's just Riku taking fights to progress to his goal (the OPBF championship belt) and not much else. There should've been a healthy character-driven subplot with Riku and the people supporting him, but unfortunately (as mentioned) the character work in Rikudou is shoddy at best and having Riku be a distressed lone-wolf the whole time is certainly the edgier option that can look cool on the page but doesn't help the story at all.
- Between the fights, characters, and the plot, the pacing is somehow really slow and really fast, in that barely anything happens for a reason, so you have lots of things happening but also nothing meaningful happening.
- And as for the edginess, I can only describe it as being unnecessary. Some standout examples are; Riku's friend Naeshiro touching herself while thinking about him without any follow-up in future chapters (the romance stays the same afterwards), a side-character being a lesbian and sexually assaulting Naeshiro (but with negligible impact on the plot or characters afterwards), Riku kills a fellow boxer in the ring and feels sad for about 3 chapters before getting on with it, and numerous sexually explicit scenes that attempt to colour characters as villains but don't succeed because those characters are given no context whatsoever.

The reason why I'm bashing on Rikudou this much is because these downsides aren't that obvious and only really contribute to the manga feeling 'off' and 'empty' as you read it, and even I didn't think I would score Rikudou this low until I actually thought about it.

If you've read a lot of series and are looking for more depth, I would recommend skipping Rikudou.
On the other hand, if you're looking for an entertaining read that isn't too complex, then Rikudou should satisfy.

Art - 8/10
Characters - 6/10
Story - 6/10
Pacing - 5/10

Overall - 6/10

Oh boy, the people have spoken. This series is edgy and bad right? Well no. This series is truly a hidden gem; overshadowed by another boxing manga: Hajime no Ippo. While I do admit the series have some similarities; they're really different series. While Ippo focuses more on the heroic/shounen-ish side of boxing, Rikudo focuses on the more realistic and brutal side to boxing.
Story 9/10
The story is great. It showcases a backstory and daily hardships of a boxing champion and the consequences that each fight has on the mental and physical state of a boxer. The over the top violence never felt unjustified or "edgy". ... You're either gonna love it or you're gonna hate it.
Art 8/10
The art is also really good; it has great attention to detail and fits the story very well. The only problem I have with it is that it sometimes has a bit of loss of detail.
Character 10/10
This is my favourite part of the story. The story of the main character Riku is one that is very well constructed and believable. From being a puny little orphan barely able to land a punch to being a hardened boxing champion and how every little fight makes someone more and more tough is a great way to convey the story. The relationships between the main characters is also very well constructed especially between Riku and his love interest.
Overall 9/10
Rikudou is a recipe for a great and violent manga, without necessarily being "edgy". Some action, drama, moments that make us think and just a hint of romance for good measure is why this manga is among my favorites.

This manga is a new favourite and love of mine, it's gritty and emotional with sports at the heart and a pinch of ecchi. Don't let that throw you off though, it's this gritty double punch and quick ecchi jab that really make this story feel real.

Everything isn't rosy in this manga much like life. Strong Hands, their own hands that's all they have to get back up on there feet and that's what makes this manga feel real and gives us that emotional pull of something we can all relate to in some way shape or form.

Yes it does have some typical ... tropes but overall the main thing that makes this manga so great is the characters development, (much like fruits basket) you get to see these characters develop, grow, overcome and deal with their emotional baggage through the sport of boxing of course.

Definitely give it a read and i would 100% recommend. Best boxing manga in a long while

Before I begin this review I think its really important to say I been only reading Manga and watching anime recently I started back in November of 2017 so my review might be meaningless to you because I have only been reading a few Manga but lets begin the review. lets start with the story I really enjoyed the story the story follows a main character named Riku Azami who had a really tragic childhood after his father killed himself and his mother was a drug addicted he was send to a orphanage when a guy named Kyousuke Tokorozawa taught him how to punch thats ... the story without giving to much away. now the characters were alright this is the one time I am willing to forgive the main character for being completely emotionless because after a childhood like that would anybody really feel anything anymore. now the best part of the manga is the fighting. The fighting is amazing this manga is very detailed and had me on the edge of your seats so to speak which brings me into my next point the art. the art is really good the best art I have seen so far which isnt really saying much because I have only read a few manga but really good art. now the last thing is I see very little romance potential in this story I mean little but thats not a real part in the story. Overall great Manga so far definitely a true hidden gem so to speak I definitely recommend it you wont be disappointed.

I am surprised that not as many people read manga as I thought. Every manga that I have read so far had all of the scans but it turns out that working on these scans are quite the feat. There are some manga that I want to have finished, such as Rikudou.

This journey that Riku goes through it very tough and it is all about how he is searching for "strength" and how he is trying to get "stronger." This manga gave me Hajime no Ippo vibes as there is clear progression within the story and I'm a sucker for progression as a whole. As ... I feel as if I am not qualified to talk about manga, I feel as if its important to share this underrated manga.

This manga throws a lot at you, and the scenes themselves are amazing. There are also a lot of life lessons which is always an added bonus. I hope this gets you off of the cusp of whether or not to read this manga.

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Story - 7
Art - 9
Character - 8
Enjoyment - 8
Overall - 8
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Sorry if this review isn't the best, new to manga as a whole and I'm still working on it :)

The classy sport of boxing holds many entertaining merits for the average viewer, exhibiting technical precision amongst the most primal physical activity, effectively casting a shiny aesthetic over devastating injuries and sacrifice. Rikudou, like many sports media, attempts the delicate balance between violence and what one could argue is an art form. The manga follows Riku Azami, a boy from a tragic background, who discovers a light of salvation in the combat sport. In his search for purpose, there lie trials and tribulations, but more importantly, Matsubara contains the dramatization within tenets of real-world struggles. While some of it may be telegraphed around coincidence, the ... bulk of it is indeed character growth through stimulating masculine desires. The very idea of pummeling an opponent's face seems like savagery, yet the trained eye will notice beautiful combinations of fluidity, which is depicted here in impressive detail. There is elegance in spilling blood on the canvas under the limitations of merely being allowed your two hands.

As a character study, the series excels in creating consistent parallels across multiple deuteragonists. The intersecting paths to glory is a recurring theme, and Matsubara emphasizes the element of achievement. Unfortunately, it's also occasionally a detriment given the number of boxers introduced, where one will remember a face merely because of a one-liner. Nonetheless, the major takeaway from Rikudou is successful in emanating why athletes even bother staking their lives, and it's noteworthy that the idea of keeping one's fight record clean is discarded early on. Initially, it spends a fair bit of time exploring the middle ground of Riku's past and how he can harness those experiences, although, after the shaky beginnings, the narrative settles into stronger points of archetypes, simultaneously rejecting talent or even hard work as what dictates the direction of a fight. The fights have their fair share of predictability, but ultimately, the outcomes intend to carry personal weight.

Matsubara's visual style has all the right traits for action, be it exaggerated movement or distinct impact shots. The musculature and metaphoric imagery combined with dotted shading make for solid blacked-out X-ray effects. Admittedly, his paneling is not friendly for newcomers to either the medium or the sport, and that's partly due to the terminology not being supported by ample context. There is a lack of exposition that may create varying levels of understanding among readers, specifically during quieter sequences, where techniques like feints and defense are simply implied without the sweet science behind them. My knowledge of the sport compensated for anything the storytelling lacked in clarity, however, I'm willing to acknowledge that targeting Riku's training more attentively might have given the series a better impression in its premature stages. Rikudou intentionally contains itself in the hungriest challenger mindset, perpetually encouraging those who dare to be great.