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One Pound Gospel is an anime about gluttony and why learning from mistakes is something important.

The story begins with a guy named Kosaku, which is a regular boxer. He's a really great boxer with a KO punch that could end the match in one round. His only problem is that he thinks about food too much. Whether he's running, practicing in the gym, or just resting, all he thinks about is one thing...FOOD. Even his trainer gets too irritated that he wants to fire him on the spot, or just plain quit as his trainer. Kosaku gets a preaching from his coach every now and ... then, but the guy just lets those words flow through one ear and out the other. One day, he saw a nun by the church while doing his daily run, then started to talk to her to get to know her. When they went inside her place at the monastery, he saw FOOD! He ate as much as he can not knowing that his next fight is about to happen sooner than he thought. By the time the fight came, it was total failure...well obviously. The remaining matches that were shown in this OVA was up to his decision to quit and sacrifice eating too much, with the help of the nun and his trainer.

Aired in the late '80's, the art style is good knowing that it's an old anime. It's grainy and all, but that's what any typical old anime would deliver anyways. The story takes place most likely in Japan, with the neon lights and the side stores and all, along with the church area. The art is really simple and reminds me of Inuyasha and Ranma, which is made by the same creator that made this OVA. There's nothing really special with the place this anime took place, even the boxing ring. It's there, that's all you have to know.

The sound is not as I wanted it to be. I guess the voice actors did a fair job, but it just doesn't add up to be a 'great' anime with great sound effects. As I recall, the ending music was of a popular American song that I don't know the name, but hear alot, or was it the opening? Either way, I just didn't think that the music fits it, so I'm not a big fan of the music and sounds involved on this one that much. I've heard better music, and this is just not one of them.

The characters are also really straight-forward concerning their personalities. There are no characters that are really that ominous (except maybe for that one guy Kosaku accidentally punched in the ally way, which you would know the identity if you've watched it or going to watch it). The trainer had the personality of the typical one, all aggrevated and mad all the time. The nun was the usual none (except for the fact that she drinks alcohol o_O). Kosaku is just strange, on the other hand. For a pro-boxer, why would he not worry about being at top of his shape before each match? Might as well become some world-record hot dog eater or something (maybe surpass that dude that wins those kinds of contests like crazy haha), ya know what I'm sayin'?

The fun level of watching this show wasn't all that great. It was more of like "Hey...I watch Hajime no Ippo, why not this?" kind of a feeling. I'd have to admit I watched this show since I was currently watching Hajime no Ippo at the time and accidentally stumbled on this page seeing a picture of a guy holding his boxing gloves. I was really pumped to watch One Pound Gospel, but unfortunately, it wasn't as great as I expected. But don't get me wrong, it was a good watch. I wouldn't say I wasted my time watching it. I learned a lesson that learning your lesson is a fantastic moral lesson (wa? three 'lesson' in one sentence? maybe a new tongue twister?).

One Pound Gospel have something to say. It's that staying focused on something will make you finish the job easier and efficiently. Swerving for a detour that leads to a cliff isn't worth the short cut. That's basically the lesson of this anime. I say check it out if you want to pass some time when you're bored.

Classical music really does have some good stuff with it.

Gauche the Cellist is a movie that tells the story of a guy named Goshu that just tries his best to be a better cellist player. His hopes are put down by the conductor that's managing the orchestra. Surely, this was a big downer for Goshu. Being bad already and out of tune at playing his instrument, he doesn't get any support from anyone at all. He then decides to practice harder back at his cabin so he can prove his master wrong. As he does, random animals appears out of nowhere. That's where the fun ... starts. The plot is really very straightforward, until those talking animals just showed up mysteriously.

The movie's animation, I'd have to admit, isn't all that great. Considering that it's made back in the '80s, I consider the bad quality of the animation. I wouldn't be too generous giving it a higher mark, but below a 'fair' score would also be too harsh, with the account that it is an old movie. There's nothing much really to talk about concerning the art. The setting takes place for a short time at the school building where the conductor and other students were, and most of the movie focuses on his cabin, where most of the story happens. The cabin is in the middle of a rice field, and maybe on the outskirts of a jungle just across a bridge. But it's really nice to see a view of that place, which reminds me of how a simple life should be lived as back then. Even dragonflies are focused by the animators flying around, along with other insects/birds that usually just get ignored.

The sound was good. Gauche the Cellist focuses on classical music obviously, since a cello is part of the title in the first place. If you appreciate this kind of music, then this will surely be a good movie to watch. I'd say the voice acting could have been done better though, since some parts of the movie I can't even hardly hear the voices at all (it just lowers all of a sudden sometimes). But again, an old movie, so I gave it some considerations. The playing of the cello by Goshu was also enjoyable for me, and when he actually got better at it, which was really a good listen.

The characters are mainly a person, then a bunch of animal creatures. Each of those animals seemed to teach Goshu about something that he has yet to discover for himself. It's like one of those stories with moral lessons where animals talk. Exactly just like that. Those animals really got the smarts to pull off helping out a guy in need. Even the conductor back at where Goshu performs have that angry-looking face that just makes one wants to punch him right on the face. He's that irritating that I laugh it out for being irritated at that guy. Really unique characters, with added flavor, making animals do the work.

As I said, if classical music doesn't bother you, then this movie is worth checking out. Despite the old animation, it's really a movie that I enjoyed. Nodame Cantabile was also a fun series that focuses in classical music, and this movie should just be added to anyone's collection if they're into that.

I really recommend Gauche the Cellist mostly to music enthusiasts, specifically to Nodame Cantabile fans that watched the show because of the music as part of their reason. I can see why this movie isn't all that popular, but I really recommend it to anyone that likes something new to watch, something different.

Hajime no Ippo is a series that was very inspiring to me.

The plot begins with a regular, average high school student that's just trying to get through with life and school while trying to help out his mom with their family-owned business. Almost everyday, punks in school always bullies him after school. That changed one day when a pro-boxer came and saved him from receiving more punches and kicks from these punks. From that, Ippo (the main character) strives to become a pro-boxer just like that guy. He suddenly becomes motivated to be a boxer in the future. Throughout this series, he constantly trains and ... do 'roadwork' in order to maintain his physical strength and stamina. Every now and then, a boxer from a different gym (or a different country) arrives and challenges Ippo to a match. So all those 'roadwork' really does help out alot. The story is great, which fulfills what I think a sports anime should be in the first place. It basically explains how anyone can achieve their goals by working hard to get it.

The art on this one was also different from the typical anime that I've seen. The world on Hajime no Ippo rotates around the boxing gym where Ippo and the crew trains, his house where their family-owned business is also located, and the boxing ring itself. The thing that I can say right off the bat are the FIGHTS themselves. How awesome was it when I see smoke coming out behind the back of the boxer that just got owned by a gut punch? VERY. It's like watching an atomic bomb go off several times, but this time behind someone's back. Seeing their faces get pounded is also something, and you might start thinking that I'm a sadist (hey it's boxing, that's what it's about). Every fight on this show was really exciting to watch, and the animators also did a great job putting detailed environments. Hajime no Ippo have that old-school feel to it where the city is one that's just any other one, except that it has the boxing gym and the stadium where all hell breaks loose. Another thing that really caught my attention was the huge setting sun behind Ippo, which shows how determined this guy is on becoming what he wants to be, a better boxer.

The three opening songs on this series were all great, and somewhat hilarious too. Understar always makes me laugh for some reason. Inner light, on the other hand, is really one that's inspiring. That's what I listen to everytime I do my own 'roadwork' running around the neighborhood. 'Tumbling Dice' was also great, even though it didn't really have lyrics accompanying it. The ending music were also great. I have to say that they were also good ones. Now, with the voice actors... Ippo's voice is really something. His verbal stutters every now and then is really funny. It's like he's always unsure about what he's doing. The voice acting really did a nice job in Hajime no Ippo. Kohei did a very nice job with Ippo's voice, that's for sure. Takamura's voice along with the rest of the crew were also good, and had the humor in them. Even the drumroll that separates the first half of the show to the last half was something that's worth mentioning. Those electric guitar parts where Ippo's pumped up about the next fight are also great. The sound effects comes just at the right time.

And then there are the characters... Hajime no Ippo is composed of people that varies in personalities. Maybe all animes have those also, but this series really emphasizes on each one's character. Mashiba is this scary-looking guy that always seem to scare Ippo in every way and every time he thinks about him. There's Takamura and his over-confidence about himself that makes him the 'boss' of the gym. Ippo himself portrays an average guy that leads a simple life. His funny actions and wimpy attitude changes drastically ones he's on the ring. His true strength really shows in that ring, while outside, he's a very humble person. He doesn't show off like other people would (Takamura, yea you!). All of the characters in this series are really memorable. One just can't forget about them.

With all the excitement that this show offers makes the enjoyment of watching it over the top. After each fight, I would anticipate to see the next fight even before a new challenger (notice the pun for the new season here hehe) appears again. Even when the crew is not fighting, just doing roadwork, it's really fun to watch. It really motivated me to run myself. I usually enjoy playing basketball at the park, but when I watched and finished this show, I even started to have fun running as well. Seeing my little sister doing jump ropes, I borrowed it from her so I can try it out too. Hajime no Ippo really made me like new stuff that I would just ignore in the past. That jump rope is an example.

In the end, this show is really worth watching. 76 episodes seemed long at first when I started it, but all 76, movie, and an OVA went by as if it was just a 12-episode show. It makes me wanting more. The new season is out, so I have something to be busy over again. Hajime no Ippo is something I would recommend to sports enthusiasts, as well as people that are into action animes. This show will surely deliver punches that will make you stand up just so you can also cheer for Ippo as he tries to climb to the top!

Mushishi is really one of those series that's very unique and mysterious.

The story starts off with a Mushi-shi named Ginko, which throughout his journey, encounters different kinds of people that are in strange situations that are caused by these creatures called "mushi." They exist to somehow help out people that are afflicted by the mushis, so they act like medical doctors that's wandering about from place to place. The people he encounters are really unique, and their problems symbolize diseases in the real world, at least as I see it. Ginko appears in the villages where these peoples are and try to relieve them ... of these mushis, or just to try to help them out somehow. The mushis could be infesting inside the person, or exist outside their surrounding environment that could even affect an entire village. Either way, they cause something that makes their victims act strange. The story line is very episodic, but it really does fit the plot since each episode depicts Ginko being faced by a different problem each time.

The art in Mushishi is really something that's worth appreciating. The vivid forests that Ginko travels through, the ocean that's constantly shown in the story, and the villages themselves are all very detailed and are just great just staring at them. Right when the first episode started off, I was thrilled by the details the people behind this anime put their backs into. The fog and mist surrounding the forests and the village makes me think of going outside on an early morning and breath in the crisp morning air while the birds chirp on the trees. That laid back feeling is really something. This could be a recent series that was first aired only two or three years ago, but I totally appreciate the animation and art on this one.

The sounds involved in Mushishi are also great. The opening song just resembles one or two of my all-time favorite bands. The slow and mellow flow of the music is just laid back, and it just fits what the story is all about. Even the ending is very unique for an anime. Every episode ends with a different ending music, along with a different piece of art to show with it. With other anime, I usually just watch the opening and ending once, then the rest of the series I just skip them and go directly to what I'm supposed to be watching. But Mushishi is different. Every episode, I watch (or maybe just listen) the entire opening just for the music, then watch the whole ending for each one too. It's that great. The voice actors, specially the one doing Ginko's voice (in Japanese of course) really did a great job, so I give kudos to him for that. The sounds just come in at the right time, especially that bell or chime that rings out of nowhere, but fits the scene.

Mushishi's characters are also great. There's the doctor that buys all of Ginko's weird collection, then the people that are afflicted by Mushis themselves. I kind of felt like there was a shortage of main characters though, but I think that making Ginko the character that everyone revolves around fits this anime anyways. That's because he travels around, and that's the only way of fitting all the pieces to the puzzle. Ginko's history also depicts someone that makes him what he is today. The people on this series also somewhat felt like they have the same faces, well at least mostly everyone, with a few that's just different. It felt like they have the same ancestors from way, way back then that just shows just now. But, that's just something weird that I had to add. But back to the discussion, I say the characters that Ginko meets on his travels are very mysterious as if they're ominous or something. But in the end, they're just regular people.

This series is really something that I have enjoyed. It's something that persuades me to travel myself. No, it MAKES me want to travel. I really like shows where the main character travels to different places, and Mushishi just took the word "Adventure" to the next floor upstairs. I really had fun watching the series, and it's a show where everyone will find something to enjoy. The creators really need to start thinking of making a sequel that covers the last half of the manga. PLS!

Overall, this anime is my top favorite all time anime that even surpassed Cowboy Bebop. I'm really into action animes like Bebop and hilarious ones like GTO, but Mushishi got that humble feel to it that just makes one feel good about something. This work is truly a masterpiece, and I recommend it to anyone who's reading this review.