To preface this I should warn you all that is my first review so apologises if I end up not following proper etiquette for it. But having just recently finished the first season of Ashita no Joe I couldnt not talk about it. This review will contain light spoilers for the first 10 episodes. Story Its the 1960s. Construction in Tokyo is at an alltime high and Japan is rebuilding itself after a postAllied Forces occupation. In the slums of Tokyo is where we first meet our protagonist Yabuki Joe a drifter. Joe quickly becomes involved in a scuffle and is noticed by the local drunk Tange Danpei who just so happens to be an old boxing coach. Upon seeing Joes fists Danpei immediately values the potential within them and begs Joe to allow him to train him in the art of boxing. Although Joe rejects many times at first he eventually caves in and thus the journey begins. Unlike other sports anime the focus on the sport takes a backstep to other important things like story and character. If youre expecting a straightup fighting manga be prepared for that to take a backseat. Make no mistake this is a slowburn. Characters First and foremost the most important thing about this anime and what the show wants you to focus on are its characters. Each and every main character from Yabuki Joe to Tange Danpei is unique and wonderful in their own way. Theyre all wonderfully flawed especially the titular Joe. Not only that but despite being the grandaddy of sports manga/anime they all feel fresh. And thats the important thing about Joe everything feels wonderfully crafted even today. The only character Ill be discussing in more detail is Yabuki Joe. Joe is as I said before wonderfully flawed and at first absolutely unlikeable. Hes disrespectful brash selfabsorbed and a bit of a shit and thats why he works. Hes not at all like a protagonist you would expect from the era of Astro Boy and Cyborg 009. This is not a noble hero hes a human. And a bit of a jerk at that. However his abrasive personality gives his moments of weakness that much more impact. Its when we see that humane side of him that his character really shines through although those moments are rare at first. Its to no ones surprise that Joe undergoes tremendous character development throughout the show. Not to say that the other characters dont have their moments and arent all wonderful too. Rikiishi Toru for example is a wonderful addition to the cast and is exactly the catalyst Joe needs for his development. And you cant help but cheer for Danpei when you see how much he believes in Joe despite the fact that Joe is... well Joe. Art and Animation Now we get to the parts where AnJ stumbles a fair bit. As it was made in the 1970s and the footage is a bit old expect a lot of mistakes in production. The animation sometimes suffers and things change colour for no reason. You can see when the anime cuts corners just as you can see in modern anime and sometimes its a fair bit jarring. That being said the art style while shows its age in that classic 1970s style is absolutely a joy to watch at times. What I found to be quite drawing about it were the rough almost charcoallike lineart. It gave the series a real workingclass feel to it if that makes sense. After all the series did appeal to the working class Japanese people. Sound Again AnJ stumbles on this due to its age. Theres a lot of clipping in the sound and to be honest Im not a fan of the little girls voice. That being said Joes VA is an absolute joy to hear and he nails Joe as a character. The opening track that plays every episode is very telling of the story and the journey Joe faces and the visuals it gives simply tell the story of Joe in the ring. The OST is another plus it gives the show a whole western feel about it. One of my favourite tracks is Joes Whistle the theme of the entire show and the opening. Theres something almost haunting about it. Direction Now DAMN this is where Ashita no Joe shines. While the sound and animation may have shown its time Osamu Dezakis phenomenal directing stands the test of time. Ashita no Joe is his debut as a series director and the series has his style all over it. In particular he makes use of what he calls postcard memories pastel freeze frames which the frame delves into a painted more detailed style of the original shot. He also has excellent work with frame movement splitscreens stark lighting and dutch angle. Dezakis directing serves to heighten the excellent moments of tension in scenes and perhaps most importantly makes the show interesting to watch. Overall An amazing series that still holds up to this day. I never expected it to make me cry. Excuse me while I go cry some more over how good it is.