Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow Omnibus 5 Review

As we pass the half-way point in this classic manga, Joe Yabuki has reached his lowest ebb in terms of his boxing career.

Of course, those familiar with the story will know that Joe is no stranger to adversity, being a drifter, going to prison, and recently taking part in a match with his rival Rikiishi in which his old juvie colleague died in the ring. However, the “ghost of Rikiishi” still haunts Joe, which has led to him losing his last three matches.

This is where this omnibus picks up. With coach Tange contemplating shutting down his gym, Joe decides that the best thing for him to do is to take part in some rural travelling sideshow matches, playing against former pros long past it and youngsters who never got beyond the little leagues. As normal, Joe ruffles some feathers when he learns that many of the fights are fixed.

It is while Joe is on his travels that he witnesses on the TV a fight involving the World Number 6 Carlos Rivera, a Venezuelan who outside the ring is a flirtatious ladies’ man, but when push comes to shove in the ring, he can deliver what seems to be a killer blow to win the match. However, Joe spots during the match that Carlos is using his elbow to hit opponents in an illegal move, which no-one else spots. This ultimately sparks Joe into action. He offers to become a sparring partner for Carlos, and as Carlos becomes more successful, eventually a four-round exhibition between the two is proposed, and Joe comes to believe he can finally shake off Rikiishi’s ghost.

While in the last collection there was the overwhelming theme of loss, with Joe on a losing streak and dealing with the aftermath of Rikiishi’s death, in this omnibus the theme is overcoming that low point and finding a way back. It is the start of a redemption story. Joe is back on his feet, even if it is in an area of boxing that no fighter truly wants to be in, and eventually he is able to make great strides, bettering himself in the process. By the time we reach the end of this omnibus, Joe is about to start a match in front of thousands and I, for one, am looking forward to seeing how it plays out. Arguably however, the fact that there is no massive fight is the one drawback in this collection. While the story of transition is interesting, it does lack the excitement of the big fights.

Once more, there is still the overriding factor of the clash between the working-class drifter and the those with the power, resources and clout. Part of this can be seen in the fact we know that Carlos has been cheating by using his elbow in an illegal move. We, the readers, know that the pro is playing dirty. Throughout this collection, we witness Carlos talking with his colleagues about putting on an act – he might be charming outside the ring, but when the fight is on, the mask comes off. Going back to when the manga was published and the influence it had on left-wing political movements at the time, as the big match at the end of this collection is about to start, we see a commentator talking about how the upcoming brawl, “excites the modern man, worn down by a civilised life, filled with pollution and red tape and the like.” It feels like the creators are now talking directly to those movements. Heck, what with me being a Teessider, the mention of pollution feels like it is talking directly to this Smoggie critic.

The production team for Kodansha/Vertical remain the same as before. Matt Akuginow’s cover design which features a battered Joe landing a punch on Carlos deserves a special mention. Annelise Ogaard’s translation, Daniel Joseph’s editing and Evan Hayden’s lettering continue in their high standard.

The next omnibus is due out in late August, and I must admit it feels infuriating to have to wait so long for more action. I do indeed want more of Joe.

Our review copy from Vertical was supplied by Turnaround Publisher Services.