Ashita no Joe

Ashita no Joe is a anime that aired in the 1970's and is arguably one of the founders of sports anime as a whole. But calling this series just a sports anime would not be doing it justice. While yes the story does mainly focus around Joe's boxing career, intermixed with this is fantastic drama, superb character development, and absolutely gripping suspense.

The biggest selling point for this series has to be its characters and plot. A lot of shows have tried to make the arrogant asshole lead work but to no avail, but Joe is one of those rare exceptions. Joe's massive over confidence, seeming indifference, and his arrogant attitude just seem to work.

I constantly went between cheering him on as he fought to wanting to reach into the screen and smack some sense into him. Watching Joe grow is a wild ride, but well worth it. And the supporting characters are all well fleshed out too. Every character feels like they fit into the world with real problems, relationships, and goals.

Ashita no Joe is not a story where the main character experiences nothing but victory. Joe suffers humiliating defeats and struggles with real issues. Because of this there are some parts of the story that are frustrating for the viewer as Joe enters a slump. But at no point is a episode wasted. These bitter defeats Joe suffer make victory all the more sweet and we see Joe develop as a person and a boxer through these slumps.

The issues this anime suffers from are direct results of its age. While the animation and sound is certainly great for its time period, it just cant compare with modern standards. But while it may not be as smooth as modern anime, once you get used to it you will find the rough gritty art style fits the nature of the anime perfectly.

Ashita no Joe is a absolute classic with a story as or even more epic than Rocky. If you have even a passing interest in sports anime I urge you to give this show a shot. If you can get past the dated art style you may just find a real gem.

It really is a shame how tiny attention people give it these days, although I suppose that's inevitable. Not to sound up myself, but most people tend to only watch series that started in the 00s and after. I hope that more people broaden their horizons and search for some old but gold series.

I did not watch the first season of Ashita no Jo, as I was not able to find it through my usual means of accessing Anime. After having watched Ashita no Jo 2, I can confidently say that you do not need to watch the first season to enjoy the second. It does reference the first season a number of times, but in such a way that it fills the blanks while doing so.

Ashita no Jo 2 is a special anime. The show does not try to convince you to have a certain perspective about the protaganist and his flaws, it simply takes you on a journey where some of the most powerful and inspiring aspects of human nature can also represent the most heart-breaking and disappointing results.

AJ2 seemed like it was going to be one thing as I ventured into the first half of the show, but it became something that held more depth, pain and within those qualities, beauty - than I imagined it would.

I believe that we as viewers are most drawn to characters in movies/books/tv that convincingly represent human traits and flaws in their more extreme places on the spectrum. Jo Yabuki is the epitome of finding fulfilment in the simplicity of one's passion, at cost to all other things, if necessary. The people around him represent balanced desire, normalcy, without this being portrayed as negative. He is what many wish to be, but fear being. Passion, in it's purest, most undiluted form. How beautiful, how tragic.

Don't be discouraged by the production date. This review is penned in 2024 and to be honest there are some pretty interesting things happening in modern anime. And, it follows that a lot of the older series simply cannot compete, pound for pound, with new product? Joe is not merely an exception to the rule, it is THE exception. First of all, the animation style. It was unique in 1971 and it remains unique today. If you do the research, you will find the closest analog was the baseline cartoon style from the 1940s and 1950s, in the popular comic books, a style that was considered lost to the world. Until JOE appeared two decades later. The writing and story lines are excellent. Many episodes touch the heart. Highly recommended. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

Ashita no joe is nothing like average shounen, in fact it's not even like average sports anime like hajime no ippo or blue lock, ashita no joe is very realistic anime that doesn't require gruesome scenes or extreme dark themes, it doesn't try to be dark or mind blowing, it's hard to explain in words but there is almost an emotional mature aspect to it, which you can just feel it by watching and reading the art itself.

The journey of joe from being arrogant to being mature is just peak fiction.

It's been more than 50 years and no fiction of media has topped ashita no joe for me. Greatest piece of fiction no doubt about it. Everything about it is beautiful, I love the midnight blues as well.

Ashita no Joe anime is an incredibly old work, and at first I was quite skeptical about it. But after watching it the whole way through, I can only say that I am amazed. This is without any doubt one of the greatest anime in history, which influenced an entire generation of Japanese and confidently passed the test of time, because its main drawback is the art, but most people get used to it quite fast.

Ashita no Joe set the highest bar for anime storytelling quality. Such cast of characters, their in-depth exploration, development is almost impossible to find. All the characters, even the ordinary drunks, are memorable here. The main character has one of the best character developments that I've ever seen across all serialized stories.

The fact is that the vast majority of sports works are built according to one hackneyed scheme. The main character is a genius with a hidden talent in his sport. He meets a stern trainer who helps and trains the hero. Then there is a meeting with the main enemy in which the hero loses. After this, through overcoming, quarrels with the coach, loss of motivation (optional), overcoming some kind of physical injury (if any), they come to the final rival, at first loses in the fight, but miraculously turns the situation around and wins. In this regard, Joe is capable of surprising (watch the first season and you'll understand what I'm talking about). It is the plot that is the strongest side of "Ashita no Joe", and also the excellent musical accompaniment (the second theme by Rikiishi Toru and undoubtedly Midnight blues will forever be in my heart). But also the background music, music for combat and in tense moments is of the highest level (especially in the second season, the music of the first will appeal to those who love the classics of the seventies). Also excellent openings (my personal favorites are the first and fourth).

I highly recommend this anime to everyone who enjoy following well-written stories and are not prejudiced against old artstyle.