Megalo Box, a 50 year commemoration for the manga Ashita no Joe a fresh breath of air in the world of action anime for different reasons I'll definitely delve into later. The show will air 13 episodes and is currently only subtitled. It contains scenes of violence throughout the series via the boxing the show is premised on, but nothing of the gratuitous variety.
The show takes place in a futuristic world where well-off citizens with ID's live in fantastic cities, unregistered citizens live in slums. And in this world (much like ours) there is little opportunity to elevate oneself within the guidelines of being legal or moral. But none of that matters to a boxer who ever goes by his ring name: Junk Dog. With his manager and trainer Gansaku Nanbu, he throws fight in an underground fighting gambling den. This futuristic world has taken boxing to the next level, with equipment simply called Gear; it enhances the fighter's strength and/or speed beyond that of a normal person.
Junk Dog could beat any of the guys he pretends to lose to, but because of his hand-to-mouth lifestyle he continues to throws matches until, through a series of events, comes toe-to-toe with Yuri; the reigning champ of Megalo Boxing. Being an experienced fighter and wielding cutting-edge Gear, Yuri gives Junk Dog the first legitimate loss of his life. But he surprisingly can stand up afterwards and wants to fight him again. And the only way to do that is to fight him at Megalonia, a world wide tournament to find out who's the best boxer on the planet.
Now if he wants to fight the champ again, he'll have to get into the rankings, get into the final four and beat all the other exceptional fighters to get a shot at him. The only way to get enough popularity for any of that to happen, Junk Dog will have to do something that takes a lot of guts or a complete lack of common sense. This stray dog will blur that line as he tries to meet the champ again.
Visually speaking this anime is interesting, it's drawn as if it's from the 80's. It makes sense when you keep in mind it's a commemoration for an old (not to be mean but it is) manga.
the ol' one twohttps://theblackmegadeus.tumblr.com/post/172664934059
look how shook he ishttps://theblackmegadeus.tumblr.com/post/172664934059
saved by the bellhttps://theblackmegadeus.tumblr.com/post/172664934059
I feel that the high gloss style of most modern animes would've taken away from the overall experience and clear fluidity of action sequences.
The show stays grounded, no ridiculous named moves that the protagonist yells out before delivering the final blow, no high brow metaphors (there are metaphors throughout but they're not pretentious), and nothing too cheesy. It's an action show through and through. Not to say there isn't any emotional depth to it, quite the contrary; Junk Dog trying to show the world what he's made of is an idea that many people can relate to. And without giving anything away, the risks he takes getting a shot at the champ can only make you respect his bravado. The show also explores the things people are willing to do and compromise on when they struggle to eat on a day-to-day basis and, of course, those who exploit them. Honor and pride can't feed an empty stomach.
Megalo Box is truly an awesome anime and I highly recommend you watch it. You can find it on Crunchyroll, VRV or any anime streaming site you use. I hope you enjoy it!
