@Thousand:
The magician fight was agonizing in the beginning but then turned awesome half-way through.
Maybe for you, but for me, it was agonizing the whole way through.
All I could think about during that fight is that the character didn't feel like the Ippo I grew to love. I remember Ippo always being at the disadvantage, but he always had something he wanted to try. Once last hope even though he knew he was doomed. This feeling disappeared way before the magician fight, but it's only during this magician fight that I finally accepted that what I was looking for and expecting was lost. And once again, it seems like this current fight is again the same kind of situation. I haven't read this fight, but if Ippo does win, it'll be another awful story-writing victory IMO.
@Yoshu-sama:
Ippo has a LONG way to go before it gets that bad. I wouldn't say that Ippo is getting redundant or anything. It's just hard to watch this since we know that Ippo has become a great boxer, even since the spar with Ricardo Martinez. To be hit with such a downer after the huge rush from Miyata's fight may want to make you stop reading for a whle, but I think the author didn't want people to write off this fight and let Miyata remain in the spotlight 20 chapters after his fight is over. Maybe it's because Wally (however you want to spell his name) doesn't seem like an intimidating character, but if that's the case I'd say that the author did a great job on his character design. If anything I think this fight is an opportunity for Ippo to grow outside the training Coach Kamogawa has beaten into him. The suspense is gut wrenching, so this plot arc is great so far, we just don't know it yet. :)
My Bleach comment was definitely extreme, and I really hope Ippo doesn't become that way. I still want to read Ippo, and I plan to. I just haven't had anything draw me in like Takamura vs. Hawk, Mashiba vs. Sawamura, or Miyata vs. Randy Boy Jr. I really wanted to see these fights, and it's been a long time since I've wanted to see an Ippo fight.
My biggest issue is this. I know Ippo came in as the underdog and will continue to be the underdog until the story is over. But I no longer feel like Ippo is making any progress compared to the people he started with. Miyata has made strides, and so has Sendo, but Ippo stopped growing a while ago, and perhaps this is the author's plan, but it's become quite agonizing for me (the reader), and I'm now looking to the other characters for enjoyment. I don't think this feeling should ever befall the reader when it comes to the main character (cough bleach cough) Either way, I remember at one point, Ippo said he wanted to re-design his boxing, I don't remember the exact words, fight, or chapters, but Ippo wanted to go back to basics, and had an excellent fight where he cornered the guys with just basic jabs and punches. It was an easy fight for Ippo, but I thought it was going to be the start of Ippo's rebirth. Unfortunately for me, that didn't happen. In the next fight, Ippo went right back to a sqealing little kid.
@wolfwood:
That one is going to be magical when it gets animated. It's just not the same without Mashibas voice to it all.
I know, I can't wait. I got super excited when that new Ippo series started. I was them super bummed out when it was only 25/26 eps. but there's supposed to be more, so I'm just holding out for when it restarts again. And I was really surprised at how little they edited some of the scenes. definitely can't wait to see some of the future anime fights animated.
We had a dancing thread?:ninja:
was it just a poll? :ninja: