Ashita no Joe Thread

[Maypews]

This thread will be spoilerless, if you post a crucial plot detail please use the appropriate spoiler tag. Ashita no Joe is a highly influential manga about a young deliquent drifter named Joe Yabuki gradually becoming a boxer. It's a beautiful story and one of the best character studies ever made, and I'd highly recommend watching or reading it.

The reason I've made this thread is pretty much on a whim, because recently I was looking for art of Joe and came across this gif.

ill-do-anything-for-a-joe-yabuki-vrchat-avi-v0-7veua6qib9xf1 (1).gif (1.63 MiB) Viewed 54 times

I don't know why, but it really pulled at my heart strings. Just two unwanted beings, betrayed and cast aside by the world, huddled together on a swing giving each other warmth amidst the rainfall. It's a powerful frame to me, a simultaneous representation of the desire innate to keep on living in spite of rough circumstances but also a portrayal of how low you can be.

Anyway, emoposting aside, feel free to talk about why you love the show and what it means to you. Calling @Blond to assist with my proselytization efforts.

[Blond]

Calling @Blond to assist with my proselytization efforts.

II'll start small because I want to give my two cents on the white ash scene, what it represents, and its meaning.

After

Spoiler

Rikishi's death

Joe went six months without boxing, aimlessly wandering around Japan. After getting into a fight

Spoiler

to save Wolf from the yakuza

Joe reflects on going back to what fulfills him the most, leading to one of the most beautiful moments in the anime.



Not only is this great character development for him because, as May said at the beginning, Joe was a young delinquent, and watching him grow from a criminal into this person is great writing, but that spark,the thing that keeps him alive; is still burning.

Truly, the best manga to ever exist, and this is only chapter one, by the way. This and the Cross Counter are the two most referenced things in the series.


To find your dream and die for it, it's one of the things money will never buy. A life without a dream, is a life without purpose.

[glass]

I love Ashita no Joe. I was ecstatic when they finally started printing it in English this past year, and went out of my way to start collecting it even though I hardly have the shelf space for much more manga. It's just that near and dear to my heart.

joe1.jpg (663.6 KiB) Viewed 20 times

The older scanlations are rough at times (especially at the very beginning of the story, which is probably the worst place for scans to suck besides an ending) so it's great to not only be able to hold the book in my hands but also to not have to suffer through... this sort of thing. There's a certain charm to old, awkward scans of this quality, but Ashita no Joe deserves better.

edgy.jpg (46.34 KiB) Viewed 20 times

Anyway, I got these cool stickers for my PC case a while ago that are mockup tickets to some of Joe's most significant bouts. Very cool.

joe2.jpg (508.17 KiB) Viewed 20 times

[Maypews]

I love Ashita no Joe. I was ecstatic when they finally started printing it in English this past year, and went out of my way to start collecting it even though I hardly have the shelf space for much more manga. It's just that near and dear to my heart.
joe1.jpg

The older scanlations are rough at times (especially at the very beginning of the story, which is probably the worst place for scans to suck besides an ending) so it's great to not only be able to hold the book in my hands but also to not have to suffer through... this sort of thing. There's a certain charm to old, awkward scans of this quality, but Ashita no Joe deserves better.
edgy.jpg

Anyway, I got these cool stickers for my PC case a while ago that are mockup tickets to some of Joe's most significant bouts. Very cool.
joe2.jpg

Oh my god those tickets are fucking sick!!! I HAVE to get some of those, where did you find them? Awesome collection, thank you for sharing. I sadly lack in Joe memorabilia at the moment, but I hope to rectify this in the near future...

[glass]

Oh my god those tickets are fucking sick!!! I HAVE to get some of those, where did you find them? Awesome collection, thank you for sharing. I sadly lack in Joe memorabilia at the moment, but I hope to rectify this in the near future...

I got them from the artist's Ko-fi shop! They also sent this recreation of the first postcard that Joe received while in juvie, which I use as a bookmark.