A non-citizen competes to be the world’s top boxer.

I didn’t expect to like this at all. My regular readers will not be surprised to learn that I am not a sports fan. Furthermore, I firmly believe that boxing is the dumbest of all sports. I don’t have any respect for boxers. I think it is unbelievably stupid. I can’t believe there are people who would do boxing.

But, this show was great. Absolutely superb animation and music. The highlight of the show for me was when the little kid started rapping. Like most things, this would have been better as a musical.

The character development is top notch. Joe is good, Joe’s main rival is good, the kid is good, but by far the one who steals the show is the old guy, Joe’s coach. If anyone grew over the course of the show it’s him. He’s definitely a big factor in what made this show so interesting.

I also enjoyed the show’s treatment of citizenship and poverty (I always appreciate when an anime attempts to tackle these topics, which are exceedingly rare) as well as the ideas around relying on technology and what you’re willing to give to achieve your dreams.

Was blown away by this and highly recommend it.

• Storytelling – A – Fabulous.
• Voice – A – What style!
• Characters – A – Great, especially the coach.
• Attention Grab – A – Kept me riveted.
• Production – A – Wow.
• Overall – A-

Recommendations – Redline, Samurai Champloo