What is Hajime No Ippo About
Hajime No Ippo has got to be the best boxing manga to be released to the public. I recently caught up to it, and man, it’s just…amazing. It’s made me want to go outside and try things I haven’t done before. Like shadowbox while waiting for my next set. Or practicing weaving imaginary punches in the corner of my room. So before I lay it down on you…pause, let’s discuss what it’s about.
This manga is what I believe is a shonen, which is a genre of Japanese comics that’s targeted to the male audience, typically young males. George Morikawa, the author, has been pumping out chapters since 1989 (absolutely nuts). It also has a whopping 1465 chapters and counting. This little fact is crazy because it’s even longer than One Piece. The craziest part is how I read it all in about 2 months.
You’re probably wondering why. Well it is pretty simple actually, it’s just PEAK. Like if you like watching boxing, or even just fights, you’re gonna enjoy this. The fact that I read that many chapters are enough to tell you it is a comic/manga worth reading. I’d say it’s rather contagious. Anyway, this is what the story is primarily about.
The Intro To Hajime No Ippo
The conflict of most of this manga is, of course, our lovely (sometimes annoying) main character climbing the ranks of the boxing world. The intense training that comes along with it, the building up of fights, and many other things contribute to the story.
The main character’s name is Ippo, who is your typical high school student who unfortunately gets bullied by, well you know, bullies. This pro boxer, named Takamura, sees this terrible scenery of Ippo being jumped. Takamura swiftly takes care of the bullies, and Ippo is amazed. He was so amazed that he ultimately decided to flip his life around and pursue boxing. Ultimately to seek out the answer to a difficult question, just what does it mean to be strong?
Just a heads up, this is merely a review of Hajime No Ippo. If you want a summary, you can check it out here.
Post-Read Results of Hajime No Ippo
Honestly, this manga has given me lots of motivation to get up and pave my path forward. Many times our main character is failing, on the brink of defeat, bruised and battered…BUT. He always gets back on his feet and tries again. Ippo is constantly training and working hard, and most importantly looking forward. Moriwaka frequently highlights the ups and downs that life tends to throw at you, making the characters so relatable. Even when the characters face downfalls, something occurs, something causes changes, leading to growth.
Hajime No Ippo has a repeated theme that goes on in the story, which is the spirit. In many fights, especially ones that should have been lost, the spirit in the characters we cheerlead them to win. In other words, it’s drive. How much drive do you have to tough it out? How bad do you want to win, how bad do you want to change, how bad do you want to achieve that goal?
It all comes down to spirit/drive, and once you’re out of it, game over. Thankfully our main character has a lot of it. Truly when I see especially harsh scenes, and the fighter pulls through, it motivates me so much to do something beneficial with my life. Like tugging a yacht across the beach, preventing a helicopter from leaving the ground, or even asking that one girl out (Okay maybe that last one is stretching it). I’m just kidding of course…mostly.
More Feelings
Continuing, there are so many times I’ve laughed while reading Hajime No Ippo. There’s plenty of gags, ridiculous jokes, and sometimes just plain comedy. Just when you think you expect something, it becomes entirely different than predicted. Sure some jokes miss, but for the most part, I’ve chuckled plenty. For example, there’s this romance (more like a situationship) between the main character and this girl. So many times their relationship is given a chance to bloom, but the girl’s brother magically appears at the most unexpected moment, and chaos just ensues.
Of course, when it comes to happiness, there’s always sadness. George knows how to tug on the strings of the heart with his creative storytelling. I can’t exactly describe this or else it’ll be spoiled but, let’s see if I can make this as general as possible. One of the characters is in an extremely important match, things are looking great. Sure it’s been a rough fight, but the final blow is about to be struck on the enemy.
Then here comes the shock, the pain, the agony. A complete reversal and a brutal loss on the character’s record. Let me tell you this, I was at work and my draw dropped when I saw it happen. I went through the whole five stages of grief okay? Truly couldn’t believe what occurred, “THERE’S NO WAY HIS COULD HAPPEN”! I eventually accepted the loss, but still, at that moment, I was completely feeling despair. Truly excellent writing on Moriwaka’s part.
The Ups And The Downs
Ups
- The character cast is awesome. There’s lots of fun banter between them and it’s always great to see their interactions and inner thoughts. Each of them has a unique personality, which helps differentiate them from others. I feel that most of the cast can contribute value to the story.
- The plot is fantastic. It makes you want to read more, and impatiently wait for the next chapter to be released. Throughout the story, characters are expanded on, and given more depth. You’ll want to be invested in the story and stay curious about where the adventure will take them.
- The fights will always have you on the edge of your seat. I’m always wondering what’s going to happen next, or what’s he going to do now. The panels are drawn beautifully and you can just feel the emotions radiating from the characters.
Downs
- Sometimes, the pacing can get slow in and out of the ring. Usually, I just end up speed-reading until it starts picking up again. Sometimes things are dragged out, and I feel like certain fights could be shorter.
- The romance between Ippo and Kumi (mentioned previously). I get that it’s not the focus of the story, and more like side content, BUT! PLEASE JUST KISS ALREADY DAMN. Gotta be the longest situation known to man, like it’s hard to make a move sure, but that’s taking way too long.
- Character development for Ippo kinda sucks, in a mental way at least. I mean like, sometimes he shows that he’s matured and grown, but most of the time it is frustrating. For all the work that he puts in during the series, a person observing him would still think he’s weak and timid like before.
Wrapping It Up
Overall, Hajime No Ippo slaps, and you should give this a read. Many of the fights are great, and the story will always keep you entertained for the most part. I’ve read other sports manga/comics, and this one is by far my favorite. It’s easy to sit down and just binge a good chunk of it and not get bored. Seeing Ippo and the characters alongside him grow and become stronger is just so motivating. It makes you want to get up and move, accomplish some things, and work hard towards your goals.
Oh and if you’re not a fan of reading, check out the adapted show, they have that too.
I give this series a 9.8 out of 10. ABSOLUTE BANGER.
