Fighting Spirit – The First Step (Animé TV)
Picture:
C+ Sound: B- Extras: C Episodes: B-
A new
trend in stories on boxing is the one about the least likely to box pretty boy
who lands up becoming an unexpected champion or at least championship
material. The underrated TV series Resurrection Blvd. (reviewed elsewhere on this site) has the same
premise and with some of the same bullying.
That show is far better, more groundbreaking and gritty, but Fighting Spirit is an Animé that is yet
another nice change of pace in the field.
The first five shows are as follows, dubbed “rounds”:
1)
The First Step
2)
Fruits Of Labor
3)
Tears Of Joy
4)
Shadow Boxing
5)
3 Months To Counter
The
teleplays could drift into Melodrama easily, especially without Fantasy genre
distractions,
but the sometimes predictable storyline is tempered with interesting twists,
turns and amendments that do not hurt ones suspension of disbelief. It plays like one of the late-1960s DC Comics
that moved away form the Super Hero genre and went on into the 1970s. This is a series with more than the usual Animé
conventions to appeal to an audience.
The full
frame, color image has a bit of softness and is still one of the better 1.33 X
1 Animé titles we’ve seen from any company to date, but I wish it were a tad
sharper. It is very colorful, ands it is
not a stretch to say that some of the color schemes when the boxing and sports
show up are a little more than reminiscent of Mattel’s Big Jim (in speaking of
underrated Pop Culture) action figures of the early 1970s. The sound is available in Dolby Digital 2.0
English, Japanese, and even Spanish, which may be an acknowledgement of Resurrection Blvd. itself. All
have Pro Logic-type surrounds. Extras
include a Spanish end credits sequence, previews for three other Geneon Animé
titles with a male action accent, and a bloopers & outtakes section that is
odd. Its humor is not for everyone.
With that
said, this is one of the most straight-forward narration in an Animé shows
we’ve seen yet. There is no magic or
mystification, just hard work and humor that does not try too hard. Fighting
Spirit is a rare, pleasant Animé surprise.
- Nicholas Sheffo
