Not being a fan of sports in general, and seeing how old the animation is, getting into Ippo was a hard task. However, despite all that, I couldn't resist the urge to start it due to some of my friends' hyping it and here I am writing a review about it telling you to go watch it. Why, you ask? Well, continue reading.
The story of Hajime no ippo is as straightforward as it gets and starts of quite cliche. A boy named Ippo is constantly getting bullied by 3 of his classmates. Despite this being a beginning we've all seen many times before
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its executed perfectly by making you sympathize with him, due to his hardworking and cheerful personality. As you might've expected, the bullies decide to take this to the next level because they can't stand how Ippo won't even be slightly saddened by what they do to him, even though he just hides his emotions very well.
Enter Takamura, a boxxing genius who observes the situation and decides to act. The bullies stop, forever, and Ippo, after being shocked for a few minutes, asks Takamura if he can grow stronger. And then the story takes off. With a pacing that never gets tiresome and fights animated by Studio Madhouse, even in 2001 you can expect it to be top notch. The artstyle is somewhat outdated but not something that will annoy you since you get used to it quickly.
From what you've read, the rating on MAL seems unjustifiable, but that's only because the best part of it is yet to come.
If you're going in this show only for a number of jabs and you decide to skip the story you'll be unbelievably disappointed. Part of what makes these fights so special is the feelings put in every single punch. You get to meet the antagonist, his struggle and backbone and believe me when I say they're unbelievably well written, all of them. Their personalitties are realistic and not forgotten throughout the 77 episode period. They form friendships with our main character and get to develop even further, you'll find yourself rooting against Ippo sometimes during the series.
The main character cast is formed by the forementioned Takamura, who's talent and charisma exceeds expectations, and his personality as well as his comedic moments accompanied by Aoki and Kimura are gold. Ippo's coach, Genji is a person you get to meet throughout the series, while you see him struggle with his trainees for the best possible result, living through every single moment as if he is the person fighting in the ring. The rival of the series known as Ichiro is also fleshed out very well. His way of acting seems realistic, and his matches are a sight to behold while his respect for Ippo is mutual and the usual comedy surrounding it will make you crack a smile numerous times throughout the series. And finally, our main character. While his motivations to fight are somewhat weak, and his personallity is kind of cliche, (just like any sports' series MC I've seen up to now) he's done RIGHT. His love for the sport drives him to achieve great heights and even romance shows up later on. His development as a person is subtle while he's boxxing skills are being acknowledged by most. Which brings me to another point; his development as a boxxer is so fast paced that some of his wins almost seem unfair. However the writer knows exactly when to make him lose giving him even more depth and development.
Overall, this series is so well directed and paced you hardly understand the time passed so quickly. Every single fight is filled with contradicting emotions and never feels dragged out. The comedy is incredible and if it wasn't for some cliches this would be rated a lot higher. The OST that accompanies the matches pumps you up every single time and fits well to the mood.
It has a fair share amount of everything and you will almost undoubtedly enjoy it to the max.
Story 7/10 (Done well, but somewhat cliche. - sports duh.)
Art 6/10 (Outdated, you get used to it quickly.)
Animation 7/10 (Consistent, great, especially for its time.)
Characters 8.5/10 (Almost everyone gets developed and nobody is ever forgotten.)
Sound 8/10 (Fits to the mood perfectly well, not THAT memorable.)
Overall 8/10 (Very good, incredibly enjoyable, kinda cliche.)
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Dec 29, 2013
Hajime no Ippo
(Anime)
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Not being a fan of sports in general, and seeing how old the animation is, getting into Ippo was a hard task. However, despite all that, I couldn't resist the urge to start it due to some of my friends' hyping it and here I am writing a review about it telling you to go watch it. Why, you ask? Well, continue reading.
The story of Hajime no ippo is as straightforward as it gets and starts of quite cliche. A boy named Ippo is constantly getting bullied by 3 of his classmates. Despite this being a beginning we've all seen many times before ... 
Apr 19, 2013
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