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Hajime no Ippo: New Challenger

First thing I want to say right off the bat:

FINALLY! MORE IPPO!

As you all can tell its been almost half a decade since it the Ippo film and OVA's and when I first heard news of a new series in the manga scantalations I was overjoyed and on the brink of tears. With this series being my second favourite shounen series of all time you can only imagine that I have been looking forward to its release in January.

And now it is here and it does not disappoint.

The opening animation albeit shorter than the usual minute and thirty seconds was still enjoyable including the 1st person view facing Ippo before it ends. Hikareki by Last Alliance works well as this series' opening theme, however it would have been nice if they had used Under Star just one last time for fans of the original series.

As for the episode itself it picks off right when the series left off with Ippo's 1st title defense against Sanada and though short it was entertaining. After that the story continues with the usual Kamogawa Gym antics including my favourite gag with Ippo's giant penis. Even after half a decade Studio Madhouse did not abandon the gag and I thank them for it.

The rest of the episode was a nice build up for next week's episode which is Arnie vs. Miyata for the OPBF Title.

All in all a great 1st episode for fans who have been dying in wait for this contiuation.

For new fans just starting it up, its not as if this is an entirely bad episode however there are a few things that people won't pick up right away.

However since it has been awhile since I saw the original series, ova and movie I'm not to sure about the state of the VA's for the characters.

I know for sure that Ippo has the same VA, however other characters don't quite sound the same, especially Coach Kamogawa. Now it could be a result of it being 5 years since the last Ippo, however could anyone confirm if there have been VA changes with the 1st series?

I took the liberty of adding the Encyc. entry to your opener. All the voices are the same.

However, the change in director and music composer are kind of a shock to me. Jun Shishido -- aside from working on an episode of BECK, his only other noteworthy achievement is directing Saiunkoku Monogatari. I haven't seen any of that, but isn't Saiunkoku supposed to be shoujo-ish? Hopefully, the guy won't lose focus on this long-standing and epic shounen series.

Then there's the music. I loved the previous score composed by Tsuneo Imahori. It was full of catchy and offbeat drums, electric guitar, synthesizer, brass, and just a plethora of sounds he's always been known for throughout his other works (Trigun, Gungrave, and his various efforts with Youko Kanno). Instead, we get Yoshihisa Hirano who, while an absolute EPIC composer for Death Note and seemingly savant coordinator for Ouran Host Club, I just don't know if he'll be able to rock out as much Imahori did.

Those two big changes aside, at least Madhouse is still handling animation. I haven't watched any anime whatsoever in almost half a year, but for Ippo, I just might have to get back into the groove of things. If not for the great story and characters, then at least to see if these two guys can prove me wrong.

Tony K. wrote:

Those two big changes aside, at least Madhouse is still handling animation.

I was hoping for that too when I heard a sequel series was coming out and thankfully it is still Madhouse.

Just watched the first ep of New Challenger. While all the story elements are still in place, so far it just doesn't feel quite the same.

For one, I watched the first series dubbed so watching it subbed will be a bit difficult as I never got attached to the Japanese voices. Also, the music isn't even close to the level of Imahori's terrific score for the original series and the art it feels well ... too "clean." I very much liked the rougher look that the first series had. The change in director is a bit jarring as well, but in all the new series is shaping up rather nicely as I'm looking forward to Miyata's title match. I'll more than likely get used to the changes before long.

As of one episode, I have New Challenger rated as "Good," while the first series (as of 60 episodes) I have at "Excellent."

Has it really been only five years? It felt like an eternity! Finally a sequel to one of the greatest shonen series ever!
The first minute of the first episode just grabs you right in and starts smacking you around till you can't feel your jaw anymore because its so low to the ground agape from the utter grandeur of the fighting scene on screen. After such a long time I have no disappointments to speak of. The adrenaline rush is still there and there is no denying the brute force and epic feel of this anime. Makes me want to go back to the first season and re-live it again! I will definitely be following every episode of this new season, lets hope it keeps the pace going...

This is strictly for those who have read the manga but are there any portions in the manga you are highly anticipating?

For example one of the fights I'm anticipating is one of Ippo's title defenses against the deep sea diver (I can't recall the name right now). The match itself was intense but I'm more eager to see how the director will handle Ippo's scene in the weight check prior to the match. I think that was one of the funnier moments ever in any Shounen series.

Also I'm eagerly anticipating Itagaki's first appearance.

Finally had a chance watch the first ep. This took two tries, since the first one the a/v wasn't synched correctly and I gave up in frustration and had to get the good reliable avi.

Anyway, this is good so far! I like spoiler[Miyata, so I kind of like that they brought him in right away, 'cause that was so unfinished in the first series. Curious to see what this "Bloody Cross" is...

And of course they had to start the series with an "endowment" joke. Rolling Eyes

Poor Ippo, lol.]

Episode 2: Ugh.

This is me after watching episode two:

New Challenger is turning out to be highly disappointing thus far. The animation in the fight felt very stiff and awkward. Not nearly as fluid and intense as the animation in the first series, and the sound direction isn't nearly as good either. The first series had superb sound direction. The impact of the punches, the cheering of the crowd, the bell ringing .... all that great stuff just isn't nearly as good in New Challenger. Not to mention the music sucks. It feels like a suspense show, when the music in the first series was epic fun. Why couldn't they have brought back Tsuneo Imahori? Crying or Very sad

His fantastic music from the first series really helped to immerse you into the action. If he were still involved, the series would be SO much better, as I could overlook all the other issues I have with New Challenger. And another thing: The boxers aren't getting all "beat up" as far as the art is concerned. Even after exchanging several blows, they look like they just stepped in the ring. In the first series, they would at least look beat up. As a result of all these flaws, New Challenger feels very stale and distant -- I just can't get into the action like I could with the first series. Getting used to the Japanese actors after watching the first series dubbed is one thing, but getting used to all these jarring changes is another thing entirely. At least the basic storytelling is pretty much the same. Hopefully the director will get a handle on things before long, or I don't think I will finish watching New Challenger and just read the manga instead. From what I've heard, reading the manga is a helluva lot more fun than watching this crapfest.

Seriously, watching episode two made me to want to cry it was so bad.

So... does anyone else agree with Jedi General or is there some hope left in pandoras box for this season? I loved the original series and want some more opinions before i decide whether to start watching this once a few more episodes has been released or just start reading the manga like JG suggested.

I dunno, maybe my standards aren't as high, but I really enjoy it so far. Episode 3 seemed fine to me and Miyata gets beat up pretty badly (not saying if he wins or loses, just that the animation has him showing battlescars and not all pretty boy). I'm going to continue watching it.

I started downloading the first episode. Not sure which group I'm gonna' go with (as long as I can get the HD encodes to play), but I'll try to watch what I can in the coming day or few and put in some feedback on production quality and whatnot.

I see. Glad that there at least is a diverced opinion about it. Had it been by bashed by everyone who has seen it, i would cry a little both on the inside and outside for the original.

Okay, so I got through the first two episodes, and here are my initial impressions:

Art -- I tried downloading an HD encode, but I can't get it to properly convert to play on my PS3 (and yes, my computer sucks enough that it can't play it without jitter). However, from what few minutes of it I did manage to watch in 720p, I have to say it's really weird seeing Ippo both in widescreen and with such clarity. It actually creeps me out, it's so clean. So instead of going the HD route, I took a look at the SD encode, and the grain/occasional macroblocking was a slight sigh of relief.

The character designs, coloring, etc. remain pretty much the same. Even in this newer standard of animation companies are pulling for nowadays, I got enough of that rough and gritty feeling from the art style to keep up the consistency of the first anime. The characters could use a few more lines, dark spots, or thicker outlines to accentuate more intensity, but it's relatively good considering how long it's been.

Animation -- Pretty much the same, but with a lot of detail at certain points, like the closeup shot of Kimura's hands twitching or that one flurry of punches "Crocodile" Gregory was throwing at Miyata, very, very fluid stuff for a TV series. Though from what I've seen in just episode 2, I think they're cutting a few more corners than in Ippo1. The fight so far seems to rely more so on static shots with the characters punching, as opposed to angled shots panning across in the first series. It definitely doesn't feel as intense, but it's hard to tell what they'll do in future episodes.

Music -- A big concern for me was the fact that Tsuneo Imahori wasn't returning as composer. To his credit, though, Yoshihisa Hirano's work isn't as bad as I thought it would be. Hirano did outstanding jobs composing orchestral pieces for Ouran Host Club and Death Note. And suffice it to say, Ippo2 does seem a lot more dramatic in terms of the instrumentation. In particular, the scene where Ippo revisits the tree where he first learned to jab had a really nice piano piece (an odd thing to hear in Ippo, I know).

Oddly enough, this first fight is really lacking in music direction. There's the usual crowd noise, dialogue, monologue, and trademark ring announcer, but the music is next to non-existent. On the flip side, I think they might be trying to achieve a new presentation of the drama in a match. Ippo1 was more of an adrenaline rush with focused points of attack and counterattack with a little fighting-analysis mixed in.

Here in Ippo2, it feels as though they're putting more emphasis on the analyzing, which in turn gives the effect that the fighters' decisions matter more than ever before. Analyze the opponent more, delve a bit into the character's psyche, then have him feel a few more emotions as opposed to just being desperate for a hit, then punching the guy out. But again, it's only the 2nd episode, so I'll have to see where they go with this.

Oh, and I like the intro by Last Alliance. It's catchy in a J-Rock way (also the only other song I've heard from them other than Ouran's Shissou), the animation flows extremely well with it. Didn't care too much for the Engrish ending.

Voice Acting -- The one and only thing that hasn't changed. The seiyuu sound as fabulous as they did in Ippo1. Can't wait to hear Sendo and that crazy Kansai accent of his, again!

Overall -- It's difficult to say where this will go after just two episodes. It's a little underwhelming compared to the Masterpiece I saw in Ippo1, but I've been known to pay more attention to the positives, rather than the negatives. So as long as they keep to the canon material (I've not read the manga either, by the way), I'm sure I'll adjust to the new music and animation in time. The main element keeping me in it right now are the voices, though. Man, I miss hearing those characters.

Wow, nobody's posted in here forever. I can't be the only one watching it, can I?

Anyway, they're up to episode 22 now, and it's Takamura vs. Bryan Hawk from the US. Umm... I really hope this isn't how Japanese picture Americans, because Hawk is probably one of the most disgusting characters I've ever seen in anime. He's dangerous, perverse, completely psychotic, and not in a fun way. This story arc is focusing on Takamura's quest to become a world champion and Ippo is moved to the sidelines, but that's okay. I would get bored if it was all Ippo, all the time. Takamura is a very interesting character, and in the last few episodes, we're shown his family roots (a bit surprising), and his excruciating battle to get to the junior middleweight weight range.

Completely enjoying the continuation of this series. The trip to the beach and the incident with the sand crab (or whatever it was) was grossly hilarious.

im dying to watch episode 27

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