Ashita no Joe, Takarajima Recommendations
May seem like a weird pair of anime to compare to each other, but there's more in common here than you might expect, besides the obvious "Oh hey, Dezaki is at it again with his god-tier anime"
While slightly more lighthearted than Ashita no Joe, Takarajima has that same indescribable vibe that AnJ pulled off so well, quaint living, same ability to swing from dramatic and tense to slow and cozy. Both are pretty damn good for 70's anime, and both are able to pull in an audience that otherwise wouldn't bat an eye at sports and piratey anime. The series are both focused more on
the characters than the actual "objective" of each anime.
Characters feel realistic and consistent, Jim being a 13 year old, acts irrationally and without sense of self preservation, and Joe being a street urchin living with nothing his whole life, is a delinquent who has a really messed up moral compass, both improve and develop rapidly throughout the series.
Ashita no Joe tries to feel as realistic and visceral as possible, whereas Takarajima is okay with bending reality a tiny bit, though neither of them hesitate to put you through some emotional hardship, with how they make you love the characters, then put them through absolute hell. I've cried watching both, which ain't easy to do to me, so I feel that's also worth mentioning.
Without delving into sequels (Or speaking in enough detail to spoil anything), I liked the endings for both, it made me feel like I had watched a once in a lifetime type of anime. Both are absolute masterpieces, and with both of them having really good quality fansubs (And proper HD remasters), you shouldn't sleep on either of them.
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