Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow Omnibus 2 Review
Since my review of the first omnibus of Asao Takamori and Tetsuya Chiba’s classic boxing manga, Vertical/Kodansha’s release of Ashita no Joe has been nominated for an Eisner Award. This should be no surprise given the prestige the series already has, but also the fact that you cannot put this book down once you’ve started reading it.
At the end of the first omnibus volume, 15-year-old drifter Joe Yabuki, a guy who appears to have a natural talent for boxing, ended up in juvie for committing a series of crimes with a bunch of local kids. Despite Joe being locked up, his one-eyed coach Danpei keeps sending him postcards giving him details of training to keep his sporting skills up. However, he still gets into trouble inside. All of this leads up to him having a boxing match in front of the other inmates against fellow prisoner Toru Rikisshi, who boxed before he was locked up.
This second omnibus continues mid-fight, ultimately ending with both Joe and Rikiishi knocking each other out in a draw. Despite the stalemate, all the other inmates are so enthralled by the fight that boxing becomes the big thing for them, leading to an organisation of a tournament between each of the dormitories. Danpei acts as referee, but when it comes to training, he pays no attention to Joe whatsoever. Instead, he spends all his time with another prisoner, Aoyama, the shortest, scrawniest kid around, training him instead, leading Joe to become angrier with everyone around him. When the tournament eventually starts, Aoyama manages to pull off a shock win due to Danpei’s coaching him to play defensively. Inevitably, Joe and Aoyama fight each other, where both of them come to discover that they have been learning from each other.
The tournament ends on a sour note as Rikiishi gets released early from juvie for good behaviour. Eventually Joe’s turn to be released happens, and when he’s out, he discovers that Danpei has created his own makeshift boxing gym, with Joe’s former cellmate Nishi (nicknamed “Mammoth” by the local kids) also a member. The big problem, however, is how Danpei can get his gym officially registered with Japan’s boxing association following what happened with his own problematic career, because if it is not registered professionally, there is no way that Joe can become a pro.
Much of what I wrote in my review of first omnibus stands up when covering the second: partly the problem of reviewing a series regarded in such high esteem, partly how people only familiar with modern sports manga and anime might deal with something so different. The action of the manga is simply superb, with the fights completely engaging, and featuring a range of characters with different proportions. The match between Joe and tiny Aoyama is enthralling, as you think you know which way it is going, only for things to turn on its head.
If there are issues, I would argue it is one of language. When Rikiishi is released, he has to make the other inmates quiet when trying to make a speech, which results in him bellowing: “I said shut your mouths, you worthless hyenas!” (p. 351) I find this to be somewhat unbelievable, as I suspect that what a teenager would shout at people just coming out of prison would involve more swearwords. It is a reminder that this is a story written in the 1960s, and thus you would assume that writer Asao Takamori could not use the language he wanted to use. But later on, there is a scene where Danpei is arguing with Joe where the coach shouts: “Cut the shit, you blockhead!” (p. 524) Thus, swearing doesn’t seem to be a problem at all. It feels a bit weird. Whether there is an issue with the translation from Asa Yoneda or something up with Takamori’s original text is a matter I’m unsure about.
Aside from this minor point however, the rest of the book is brilliant. Evan Hayden’s lettering is great, as evidenced in the two shouting scenes I just mentioned; and Daniel Joseph’s editing along with the special cover by Matt Akuginow all come together to make a great title that is worth reading, whether you are into sports manga, or something more vintage.
Our review copy from Kodansha (Vertical Books) was supplied by Turnaround Comics (Turnaround Publisher Services).
