Hajime no Ippo Rising First Impressions

Well, MY anime season is certainly getting more energetic. This (along with Gundam Build Fighters) is the first time in years I've actually decided to watch an anime as it was airing (the last time being Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's). I love Hajime no Ippo and even follow the manga's 1000+ chapters (even though I tend to enjoy my series shorter, I read Ippo religiously). So, what's a fanboy of Ippo think of the new series based on its first episode?

I'm always itching for more Takamura.

For starters, it seems to be following the manga well and, like all seasons, cuts most of the fat. By the first episode we've covered what was at least a dozen or so chapters of content in the Shimabukuro fight. This series is set to include some great fights from the manga (Aoki vs. Imae, Takamura vs. Eagle, and Ippo vs. Sawamura) so it's only going to get better as it moves forward.

Under the Sea, Under the Sea. We certainly got here quickly.

The animation and art is nice and smooth, as expected of a mainstream Shonen anime. What I find interesting is that the direction seems to be about halfway between the realistic style of the original anime and the slightly more exaggerated and stylized art of New Challenger. All in all, though, it emulates the manga's art really well. REALLY well. The action scenes certainly have that "oomph", but I'm just a teensy bit concerned that they might be taking too many cues from the manga. The combat was a bit sluggish at times, with the commentator belting out the play-by-play in each shot. I don't have a problem like that in the manga, since the commentator is necessary for a medium without animation, but in an anime you can get away with more "show, don't tell" style. It isn't that the action is bad so much as that it seems to feel a bit too much like a manga rather than an anime.

I love the coloring. Just FYI.

When it comes to the voice acting, I can honestly say that I found the original cast of Ippo's anime to be perfect. Adding more characters means that the voice director is going to have a lot on his plate. So far, Shimabukuro is being voiced by Hisao Egawa (or, as I would say, "GOLDYMARG") who so far is doing a bang-up job. Shoko Iizuka is a decent replacement for the late Kenji Utsumi (may he rest in peace), but I'll still say, "Utsumi-san is the only Coach Kamogawa!" The one problem I think I had with the voice cast was that the commentator's voice is different and not NEARLY as awesome as the original.

Of course, it's a different guy, so I hope for "hot-blooded glasses commentator" returning.

I don't find the opening to be particularly great, but that's me grading on a curve. When the first two seasons of Ippo had such great openings, it sort of sets my expectations about it. On the flipside, the ending animation is a solid minute and a half of awesomeness. All in all, Hajime no Ippo Rising is shaping up to be a cool series. Probably not as well made as the original Ippo anime, but not many things are. When it gets right down to it, it's Ippo. I'm ecstatic to see a new season hitting the air!

Had the guts, got the glory, went the distance, now we're not gonna stop.