Familiarity From An Underdog?

For those are who commonly versed in watching Japanese animation in this day and age, it can’t go unnoticed really how a great amount of anime shows tend to ‘blend’ together in peculiar circumstances. Don’t get me wrong, as a medium that has always brought about originality in terms of stories and varying artistic styles, one of the many likenesses that anime has going for it is its diversity. It’s distinctive manner in upholding an assortment of genre’s, which all demographics can be easily ensnared by, is truly commendable to perceive and it’s something that is still being continued today. However, it can’t go unnoticed either how the vast amount of shows that are on offer can strike similarities with one another; making it hard sometimes to find an anime show that looks and feels different from the rest. A perfect example of this would be Tetsurō Araki’s Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress which, despite it’s story-line later in the series, can be objectively seen as an archetype of his most famous involvement, Attack on Titan. How rewarding it is then to come across a new anime in the form of Yō Moriyama’s Megalo Box that not only boasts originality in the form of its robust and raw animation style, but also possesses an air of familiarity that can’t be helped but to subtly and simply grin at…

Created in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the manga, Ashita no Joe, Megalo Box centres its story around “Junk Dog”, a young impassive boxer who descends into the underground world sport of Megalo Box and willingly fights in illegal rings that a have a fixed outcome where his coach, Gansaku Nanbu, directs him on when to lose a fight. However, after crashing his motorcycle and fatefully encountering Yūri, the top-ranked Megalo Boxer in the world, “Junk Dog” is fuelled to compete in Megalonia, a competition that pits the best Megalo Boxers against each other, and become the best. With Nanbu persuading Fujimaki to forge “Junk Dog” an ID under the name Joe, the two are given 3 months to achieve their goal of working their way to the top of the Megalo Box rankings in order to have the chance of competing in Megalonia…

If there’s one commonality that anime shows of this day-and-age tend to share inherently, it’s an appropriately clean and crisp animation aesthetic that fully boasts the mediums distinctive styles and qualities. Indeed, whether it’s a typical Shouju that dramatically depicts the lives and growth of characters situated in a high-school environment, or a Shounen that presents a premise within a fantastical setting, it can’t go unnoticed how the look of anime today caters towards a clean and ‘verisimilitude’ world rather than a naturalistic scape that seamlessly shows the obvious drawn marks of the animators. What’s apparently impressive to notice when it comes to Megalo Box however, is the way in which it clearly circumvents modern anime trends in favour for a sketchy art-style and character design that either intentionally or unintentionally remarks anime’s once beloved style and practises of the 90’s. The show even forgoes the ‘norm’ of a HD polish; purposefully down-sampling it’s visuals to make it feel more authentically retro and familiar. While it’s understandable that a lot of modern anime viewers would be turned off by the Megalo Box’s potentially ‘old-school’ animated approach and whether or not it ultimately benefits the tense and action orientated moments of the show, it’s an approach that non-the-less makes the aforesaid show stand-out in this contemporary and ever-shifting age of anime and it rather poignantly accentuates the story that’s presented to the audience. Yes, it’s visual nature evidently harkens back to the rough and dirty Japanese sci-fi anime of the likes of Trigun and Cowboy Bebop and presents a character in the form of Junk Dog/Joe that is your archetypal rugged-man protagonist that has a simple, clear goal he wants to achieve. However, there’s more to the animation style itself than it being an approach that acutely alludes to an age of animation that many anime-watchers nostalgically remember and often go back to. The show itself upholds a premise that is wholly gritty and seamlessly amalgamates its rough tone with a fun hi-jinx and a visual backdrop that perceptively matches the grainy tone of the story. Commonly, with an anime show like Megalo Box that centres its story around a seemingly normal-looking yet dystopian outlook that divides its perspective well between different characters and their upbringing, whether they’re living on the streets or working for the Shirato company that funds the Megalonia tournament for reasons made clear near the shows finality, it would normally be serviced with a clean, polished and flat look that most anime’s of today occupy. Yet, the decision of upholding an animated production that is downtrodden and not as detailed or executed as the regularly high-resolution anime of today, makes sense considering Moriyama’s show advocating an underdog story that feels genuine and scrappy in relation to the side-stories of certain characters and their motives. It’s thanks to this basic drawn look of Megalo Box that makes the said show feel metaphorically rooted by its own jaggedness and never once attempts in being something which it isn’t. In comparison to a dystopian anime like Tetsurō Araki’s Guilty Crown which adopts a slightly similar setting with a glossy look that’s genuinely beautiful, Megalo Box further establishes and resonates with its stories grittiness which Araki’s show attempts to do, but never manages to do. If there’s one criticism to take note of with the shows purposefully ‘dirty’ animated look, it’s the underwhelming lack of quality that’s depicted within either choreographed moments or the establishing shots city-scapes to dirt wastelands. From sudden cuts to boxing matches that see Joe in the middle of fight to the odd camera angles and lacklustre motion of characters punching one another, there are some visual hindrances that hamper the show and make you question why there wasn’t enough time given to create fight sequences which had expressive tones of motion and supplemented the tension of Joe reaching to his destination.

In terms of the plot which Moriyama takes upon himself to set an original precedent and slightly homaging to the original source, Megalo Box sets a standard underdog story which is fittingly framed in thirteen episode tournament arc. While it may sound simple and straight forward for an anime to be, it’s linear story-telling proves to be effective and seemingly manages to incorporate side exposition that appropriately fits in-line with Joe’s rise from being an underdog to a potential champion. Indeed, with the show focusing on establishing the likes of Joe and his coach Nanbu, who the characters, what they do and how they find themselves entering the biggest boxing competition in the world, Megalo Box does take it’s time to set the picture. Yet, it’s a timely pay-off which inevitably results into bouts between Joe and a myriad of characters that have their own agenda; adding the necessary tension that’s natural to see in boxing. Whether it’s Nanbu’s old boxing partner of Aragaki who’s trying to prove a point to his former coach in pummelling Joe to death, or Mikio Shirato who wants to win Megalonia to show that his A.I. fighting gear is the most formidable, the stakes of each fighting match are incredibly high for both Joe and his opponents and, in turn, makes for a watch that is ultimately entertaining, despite the qualms of the lacklustre choreography. Even when there’s no boxing to be had in a particular episode, the exposition of the different character perspectives accordingly build towards the next match, which naturally makes you want to watch more. Without spoiling too much, one of the biggest downsides of Megalo Box’s story-telling is its rather muted end that doesn’t serve to be the ultimate pay-off that was consistently building in the preceding episodes. To say anything specific would be indecent on my own end, but lets just say that Megalo Box goes out in a whimper, rather than a fulfilled bang…

Beyond narrative stakes and a resulting woeful conclusion, what’s certainly commendable to notice when watching Megalo Box is its congruent and vivacious soundtrack that varies between downbeat guitar solo’s to hip-hop symphonies that underscores the corresponding moments of the episode; whether it’s a character reminiscing on a past event or when Joe defies his opponent with his resolve to keep-on fighting. Reminiscent of Shinchirō Watanabe’s Samurai Champloo, Moriyama’s boxing anime, at times, becomes transfixing to watch since it moulds different genre tendencies rather effectively; mixing the evident hip-hop tunes with a modern yet futuristic outlook that aligns well with the Joe’s manly and meager background. It’s a soundtrack that’s effectively integrated to this underdog story and the gritty themes and story-lines that occur throughout. 

Considering where’s he’s come from in relation to his anime background, in being a concept designer for both Attack on Titan and Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress and story-boarding the OP’s of High School of the Dead and Deathnote, Yō Moriyama’s debut as a director of Megalo Box is a commendable feat. Admirable not just because it’s the said person’s first time in managing and constructing an anime series in its entirety, but exemplary because of its all-round package in purposefully displaying distinctive visuals that stray-away from the anime ‘norm’ and focus on a linear story that’s simple, yet compelling. While there’s much left to be desired in the form of the choreographed sequences that don’t always correlate with the emotions of the characters, the unique animation style inherently synchronises well with the premise at hand and provides a refreshing and familiar novelty which is executed rather passionately. In similar vein to Ergo Proxy, Megalo Box retains a visual style that feels authentic and oddly expressive and its these ‘old-fashioned’ sensibilities which audiences have craved to perceive for a long, long time…

On that note, it’s time for me to end this week’s Anime Review. As always everyone, thank you for reading my latest Anime Review of Megalo Box and I hope you’ve all enjoyed the read! 😉 If anyone has an opinion on either the film or the review itself, you’re more than welcome to drop a comment down below. Later this week, I’m going to be doing a Retro Film Review of a film that was released 20 years ago in Japan…That’s all I’ll say! 😂 Once again, thank you for taking the time to read my latest Blog Post and I hope you’re all having a nice start to your week! Adieu! 😊👊💥😵

★★★☆☆ – Alex Rabbitte