Hajime no Ippo: Mashiba vs. Kimura

What can I say? I loved it. This is what Hajime no Ippo's all about. Boxing isn't just some uncivil sport; it's physically and mentally challenging, everyone has their own reasons for doing it, and it takes some serious dedication and guts. When I saw Mashiba's name in the title, I thought it would just be some hilarious spin-off with Kimura getting beaten up by that crazy SOB, but the story was quite intense and touching. The animation was smooth and stuff. There were maybe a few recycled fighting sequences, but this series always does it in a tasteful way, unlike DBZ. I love that aboutHajime no Ippo; you can actually see their attacks and the intensity behind them, it's not some cheap battle anime where half of the fight is explosions, smoke, and mountains crumbling whilst the other half is characters warping around, shooting energy blasts at each other, and having casual conversations mid-battle. THIS is good battle anime. The fight isn't dragged on, pointless, or dull to watch; every bit of it is meaningful and exciting. There was some small amount of 3D during the fight where the ring was kinda circling, Mashiba and Kimura were still 2D; I thought it was well done and looked really cool, and that's coming from someone who normally hates 3D in anime. The music was fitting and knew how to make the battle even more intense. The character development was great. Mashiba's the same fearless, anti-social psychopath as usual, but we get a look at his desires, he almost seems like he's warmed up a little at his workplace, and we see that even he can lose his confidence at times. Kimura's always been serious about boxing and has loved it, but in this OVA his attitude becomes a little more like Ippo's. He's always had his dreams, but now he's got a chance to go for it, so he becomes more determined and pushes himself to his limits. The OVA looks back on Kimura's past a little bit, though most of it is sorta a refresher of what we learned from the series. It didn't feel like filler or anything like that to me, though, and I think it helps this OVA stand alone better so that even people who haven't watched Hajime no Ippo before can enjoy this. We also learn a little bit more about Kimura than we knew before, making you that much more attached to his character. Whether you've seen Hajime no Ippo before or not, I'm sure you'll be able to enjoy this as long as you like intense fighting action and are not obsessed with garbage like fan service. Overall, I found this amazing and at some parts it had me almost feeling some tears coming. I was absorbed in it the entire time. It's just an hour long, so I thought there wasn't even enough time for me to dislike something. It also leaves nothing to be desired since the conclusion is satisfying and wrapped up well.

Hajime no Ippo - Mashiba vs. Kimura Approx. 60 minuets Age Rating: 12+ (Violence, Blood, Mild Profanity) Genres: Sports (Boxing) Story - 7/10 - Good The story is really nothing to write home about, it really just serves as a device to get to the fighting scenes. The movie is about 40% plot, and 60% action, so it will not fail to disappoint. The story has some good twists and turns and will keep you on edge the entire time, and is generally captivating for a sports anime. Art - 9/10 - Great Very detailed art, I was impressed. Each individual character is detailed very nicely, and the all the muscles andbattle damage on the boxers is done very realistically and is convincing. The environments are lush and colorful, and serve their purpose well. Considering this is a pre-2005 anime, I would say the art is wonderful. Sound - ??/?? I have no sound on my computer, which is where I watched it. Sorry. Character - 8/10 - Very Good The characters, for the most part, are well developed, and seeing how this is really an extension of the original series, the expected audience already knows all the characters, so little explanation is given, but the explanation that is given is quality. Each character has their own fighting style and things that motivate them, and each of them are unique. Enjoyment - 10/10 - Outstanding I really enjoyed this movie. I have not seen the original series, but if the series is like this movie is, I will definitely watch it. This is entertaining from the beginning to the end, and when it ends, you will be begging for more. Thank goodness there is a sequel. Overall - 9/10 - Great This is a classic. Go out and watch it right now - you won't be disappointed.

Great, this episode deserves a 9 and I don't know why it only averages 8, I am surprised that Champion Road has a better MAL rating than this special that is way better. It is the episode that has moved me the most so far (I am in progress with the second season). I barely held back the tears by identifying with Kimura. I liked it a lot especially because it was finally given importance to this character primarily as a boxer, but also as a character in himself, this episode has shown his potential, and I wonder why in the series he is seenor treated as a poor boxer, when the numbers of the victories and Miyata himself, say that he is a high-level boxer. I hope that the character will be treated better and that he can become champion too, he deserves it. We also saw even more the bond between Kimura and Aoki.Then I ask myself: the coach trains Ippo heavily, explaining him the tricks and improving his weaknesses for his opponents ... but with Kimura and Aoki he doesn't? It seems they have been training alone for 5 years, and I find it unfair, because they have a lot of potential. Maybe we just don't see it (I hope) but if the coach had followed Kimura as follows Ippo, would he have come out the potential we saw against Mashiba much earlier? Kimura said he wasn't very determined before, but I think the coach should push him more. Thanks to this episode I enjoyed Kimura much more, even if I liked him before ❤

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