It's hard to believe that Fighting Spirit is on its tenth volume, but it is. It seems like just a short while ago that Ippo Makunouchi was being picked on by some bullies at school and took up boxing. I was expecting the show to become stale and a little boring by the time the first 50 episodes had past, but I was wrong. This show is still as fun and exciting as when it first started.

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.

Over the course of the last few volumes, Ippo has trained, honed his natural talent and turned pro. Entering the rookie tournament, Ippo doesn't seem like a contender, but he ends up winning not only the tournament but also wins the MVP award. He's now ranked 10th in the country, but his career has only started.

This volume:

As the disc starts, Ippo's friends, Kimura and Aoki have to win one more match to get a title bout. They've been working four years for that chance, and one win is all that separates them from their goals.

As for Makunouchi, he's in the next to last match of the Level A Boxer Tournament. His opponent is a Russian who's been tearing up the amateur circuits in his homeland, Volg. This powerhouse is a fearsome fighter, so Chief Kamogawa reaches into his bag of tricks and teaches the fighter a little known attack, the Gazelle Punch. This springing attack from below means that Ippo has to build up his leg muscles for it to work effectively. The young man works hard, enduring some gut-wenching training to prepare for the fight.

When the bout finally arrives, Ippo starts out strong, but he's out boxed by his Russian competitor. Volg comes on strong and pushes his opponent to the edge of his endurance. Ippo gives about as good as he takes of course, but this time he's fighting someone who also has a lot of inner strength. Makunouchi's won nine straight matches so far...has his winning streak come to an end?

It's strange, but even though the series has settled into a pattern, it is still very entertaining and fun. It hasn't gotten old at the least, just the opposite in fact. The fight between Volg and Ippo was the most exciting yet, and they managed to throw some unexpected twists into the bout that kept me on the edge of my seat. After 50 episodes, this show is still going strong.

Part of the reason for that is the show strives to make all of the fighters well rounded characters. They give Ippo's opponents a background story. Each of the men he fights has a strong reason for winning, sometimes even stronger than Ippo's. Most of the fighters have the "fighting spirit" and the fact that both opponents are hungry adds a lot of excitement to the show. Ippo gets his chance to shine too. In this volume there is a very touching scene after the third round of the fight. It's those scenes that make this show so enjoyable.

I'm not a boxing fan, but this show really holds my interest. It does a great job of not only communicating the strategy and techniques of boxing, but also the excitement that fans of the sport feel. A fun show that even non-sports fans should check out.

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:

After 10 volumes, it's hard to come up with something new to say about this very enjoyable show. About the highest praise I can give the program is to relate the fact that when I get a box of anime in to review this is always the first disc that gets popped into the player. My son's and I get a big kick out of routing for Ippo and his pals. Highly Recommended.