@AdmiralYonkouMt.Bandit:
I just finished reading all of the chaps released for this on OM.
It's okay. The whole Ippo x Ichiro relationship is gay like Sasuke x Naruto.
The whole nationalism undertones are laid on a little too thick in this manga some times.
At first I also had issues with the Sasuke x Naruto type of relationship that Ippo and Miyata had, but it's a japanese manga and the japanese idolize Sempais like that all the time (especially in martial arts/sports), so I've slowly gotten used to it… and at least Ippo has a raging boner for Kumi and has even told her how he felt about her (besides the Takamura and Gang gay jokes for Ippo for being all over Miyata's bussiness are actually funny moments, Naruto could've taken note but that ship has sailed). Unlike a certain Orange Jumpsuit Wearing Blondie we all know...
Now the Nationalism part... I'm originally from Puerto Rico. If you don't know (I'll assume you don't so feel free to correct me if you do), our culture is VERY heavy on boxing and we have produced quite a couple of Champions in the World Stage: Wilfredo Gomez, Hector "Macho" Camacho, John Ruin, Jon "John" Molina, Miguel Coto, Felix "Tito" Trinidad and Ada Velez to name a few. And while I was watching the Bryan Hawk/Takamura pre-fight shenanigans all I could think of was the similarities between THAT and what went on during the Tito Trinidad and Bernard Hopkins pre fight fiasco (flags were thrown around and many "off-color" commentaries about women were also spouted). So essentially what I'm trying to say is that boxing (when the culture is PASSIONATE about it) can bring these feelings of National Pride on people just like "Hajime no Ippo" depicts the japanese feeling like their champions going on the World stage means that much more than what it is.
The undertones to me really just feel at home because I've experienced that local and national pride since I was 8 until this very day (althou out current boxers are not people I'm particularly proud of to be honest...).