The fifth volume of Fighting Spirit finishes up the first third of this long series.  With the show being released over fifteen volumes, I was afraid that it would start dragging about this point but it happily it hasn't.  Each new boxing bout presents new challenges for Ippo and the matches have not become routine; just the opposite.  As the series progresses, I've become more and more enamored of Ippo and his dream of becoming a world class professional boxer.

In case you've missed the previous volumes, Ippo Makunouchi is a high school student who is constantly harassed by a group of bullies.  When a professional boxer, Takamura, saves him from a beating Ippo decides that he wants to be a boxer too.  Spending just about all of his time doing manual labor at his families boat rental company, Ippo is already quite strong but untrained and awkward in the ring.  He's taken under Takamura's wing though, and it is soon discovered that Ippo has a good amount of natural talent and the stamina that is needed to become a great boxer.

In the course of his training, Ippo gets a rival, the up and coming star Ichiro Miyata.  They are both strong fighters, and promise each other that they'll meet in the final round of the Eastern Japan Rookie Championship Tournament to determine who is really the best.

As this volume opens Ippo is about to fight in the semi-final round of the tournament, but he has a strong opponent to get through before he can make it to the finals.  Hayami Ryuchi is a favorite in the boxing community.  Not only is he very handsome, insuring that he always has a large group of female fans attending his bouts, but he also has developed the 'shotgun attack': a series of rapid fire punches the leave opponents unable to close or counter attack.  With Ippo being a close fighter, his match against Hayami has him worried.
 
Ippo isn't the only one to have problems though.  The other semi-final match is between Ippo's rival Ichiro Miyata and Ryo Mashiba, an antisocial misanthrope who even scares the trainers in his own corner.  Ryo doesn't try to beat his opponents or even just pummel them, he want to totally humiliate them.  He's tall and strong, and has an incredible reach.  Miyata is a better boxer of course, but the overwhelming fury that Ryo keeps buried inside more than makes up for his lack of finesse.
 
This volume has two good matches in it.  The first one between Ippo and Hayami was exciting, but deep down I knew who would win.  After all, this is Ippo show.  I was much more wrapped up in the second semi-final round where Miyata fights Ryo.  This battle went back and forth with each fighter having the advantage at different points.  I really wasn't sure who would win this battle since a lose for Miyata would create a good story line for future episodes.  The director did a good job of keeping the audience guessing on this one.
 
I don't think I've ever watched an entire boxing match, and the sport really doesn't interest me, but I am really enjoying this series.  I find this series gets up on top of the pile when ever a new volume is released.  For boxing novices like myself, the series does an excellent job of explaining the strategy and tactics of the sport.  The show does this in a very succinct manner so that the narrative doesn't get bogged down, and the story continues to flow smoothly.

Fighting Spirit continues to be a solidly entertaining show.  Like an extended version of Rocky, they show an underdog who climbs up the ranks one match at a time, and there is a lot of drama in that.  The program also has a lot of humor in it, including several running gags that add a lot to the show.  It is surprising how easy it is to get into Ippo's corner and root for him.  I'm already looking forward to the next volume.

This volume includes an ample five episodes on a single sided DVD.

Audio:

I viewed this DVD while listening to both the English stereo dub and the original stereo Japanese soundtrack. I preferred the original track, but only slightly. The dub was very good, with the voice actors not overplaying their rolls as they often do when dubbing anime. Both audio tracks sounded a little thin, but otherwise very nice. There was limited use made of the soundstage, but when there were directional effects they were very effective. Hiss and distortion were nonexistent, making this a pleasure to listen to.   There was also a Spanish dub in stereo.

Video:

The full frame image was very clean and clear. The colors were bright and varied. The picture has a good amount of detail with the lines being tight and clean. Digital defects were minimal, though there was some light aliasing.  A very good-looking DVD.

Extras:

Unfortunately, this disc doesn't have any extras on it aside from a few previews.  I really wish they had included a blooper reel like the first two volumes had.

Final Thoughts:

Fighting Spirit is a show that hasn't gotten a lot of buzz, and it really deserves it.  The show is funny and exciting, and has a good amount of drama though it is never sappy.  This is a long series, but the show is still going strong five volumes into it.  If you liked Princess Nine, a sleeper hit from a couple of years ago, this would be a great series to check out.  Highly Recommended.