Ippo finally makes it to the finals in the Eastern Japan Rookie Championship Tournament in the seventh volume of Fighting Spirit. Like the volumes that preceded it, this is a really exciting set of shows, with a lot of fights and a good amount of humor too. A show that quickly grows on you, this program a lot of people are missing out on.

Series Synopsis:

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. 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.

This volume:

After a clip episode that brings people up to speed who may have missed an episode or two, the story picks up again. Ippo has made it to the rookie of the year finals, but in the process has broken his right hand. His injury has mended pretty well, but unfortunately it isn't totally healed and is still causing him a lot of pain. This discomfort is throwing off his timing and he doesn't have power in his right punches that he used to.

The day of the featherweight finals arrives and his hand is still giving him a lot of trouble. His coach wants to forfeit the match, but Takamura comes up with a brilliant idea: if Ippo can put everything he has into one punch with his injured right hand and knock out his opponent, that would end the fight quickly. Makunouchi is willing to give it a try, but the person that he's fighting didn't get to the finals by being laid low by a single blow.

After the title bout, life still goes on. Win or loose, Ippo still has to look to the future. He graduates from high school and has decided not to go to college. He's going to be a professional boxer. That means that his fights will no longer be against other rookies though, he'll be facing boxers who are much older and have much more experience than he has.

Ippo also picks up a budding boxer to teach. His student, Naomichi Yamada, isn't very vocal and looks pretty goofy, but he has a lot of stamina and really admires his teacher.

This is a solidly entertaining show, and I really look forward to each new volume. In the past I've talked about the inherent drama in sports that translates well into this anime show, but another one of the show's strengths are the characters. Each of the main and supporting characters are very likeable, and their interaction really brings the show to life. Ippo is an incredibly talented boxer, but he doesn't let it go to his head. He always pushing himself to excel and has an infectious good attitude. The other members of the gym all have their own distinct personalities and they often lighten the tone, but aren't just comic reliefs. I'm interested to see how they develop the new character, Naomichi. In his first episode he's mainly played for laughs. He throws up on Ippo's shoes after a long jog which earns him the nick-name "barf-michi" but I'm sure they'll evolve his character soon.

Another nice aspect is that you don't have to be a boxing fan to enjoy the program. It takes the time to explain the fine points of the sport of boxing. These explanations are short and concise so they don't become monotonous, but they are easy to understand even for someone who doesn't know anything about the sport like myself.

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:

This is probably the best anime show that is currently being released that you aren't watching. There's a lot of suspense and tension, a good amount of humor and some surprises thrown in too. A very enjoyable show that deserves to seen more widely. Highly Recommended.