Search - Fighting Spirit, Vol. 6: Death Match on DVD

GOING FOR THE TOURNAMENT

Sesho | Pasadena, TX USA | 03/20/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Trying his best to keep his emotions in check, Ippo's training to fight the dreaded Mashiba in the Eastern Japan Tournament is about to end. But, not only does he have to keep his feelings of revenge from interfering with his fighting, Ippo also has to put Mashiba's sister out of his head, no matter how cute she is! Mashiba is a deadly flicker jab specialist who has never met his equal, unless it was the last match with Miyata, which probably explains why he stooped to cheating to win it. Things worsen as the fight begins and Ippo discovers that his powerful punches are being blocked by Mashiba's elbow blocks, not only defending, but also doing damage to Ippo's hands. Even if Ippo wins the match, will his body and fists be in any condition to continue up the ladder of Japan's boxing world?

Fighting Spirit is a great show. The fight scenes are very well done and you'll find that you can't stop after one episode of viewing until the fights are over. There are 10 volumes so far in this series so you know nothing horrible is going to happen to Ippo this early in the show, but even so, there is a lot of suspense as you watch them fight. Another thing I like about the show is that Ippo's opponents all have their own backstories. Mishaba might be an evil jerk in the ring, but outside of it he lives a hard life. Him and his sister have no parents so they have to take care of themselves as best they can, even though he can't keep a job, and his sister can't even think about college for the moment due to their financial situation. The writers of this show really do a good job of making those fighters Ippo faces into living people with their own problems and motivations. While Fighting Spirit has its share of drama, it also has a lot of humor, and the beginnings of a romance between Ippo and Mashiba's sister."