Ashita no Joe – one of the most popular and influential sports manga of all-time – finally gets an English translation. A young drifter named Joe Yabuki wanders through the slums of Tokyo, but when the local ruffians try to give him a hard time he teaches them a rough lesson with his fists. The spectacle sparks a gleam in the eye of an old drunk who happens to be watching – Danpei Tange, a failed boxer and former coach who sees something special in the boy. He pleads with Joe to train with him off, but the cocky young fighter brushes him. Later, though, when Joe is arrested and put in a juvenile detention facility, he realizes that he’s going to need to hone his raw fighting skills if he wants to survive. Thus is born a partnership that might just take Joe all the way to the top…
Originally published from 1968 to 1973, Ashita no Joe left an undeniable mark on the manga/anime industry. Joe’s working class struggles and rise from nothing resonated with many readers who saw him as a hero to look up to. The series would be a huge source of inspiration for both shonen and sports themed series for years to come with creators of the Naruto anime series, Code Geass and King of Fighters citing it as a huge influence on them.
Despite the impact the series made and its very popular anime adaptations, the original manga had never been translated into English. This month, Kodansha’s Vertical imprint remedies that with a deluxe hardcover edition collecting the first three volumes which gives writer Asao Takamori and artist Tetsuya Chiba’s classic manga the release it so rightly deserves.
It won’t take readers long to see why this series is such a classic. Takamori presents a hero that would become the foundation for many shonen manga archetypes. Besides being naturally brash and hot-headed, Joe begins the story as a bit of a scoundrel and isn’t necessarily the most likable character. But it is the journey he goes on once he discovers boxing that melds him into the role model that Japanese working-class citizens and students gravitated towards. Moreover, Joe has a never say die attitude and sense of justice that many readers will naturally find appealing. His classic teacher/student dynamic with Danpei also give the series a strong foundation.
Chiba’s art still holds its iconic status to this day. It is obviously a tad more cartoony than what modern manga fans might be used to, but it has a lot of energy and memorable character designs. The fight scenes in particular are strong highlights. Much like the storytelling, you can see how Chiba’s illustrations and style has influenced the following generation of manga creators working in the shonen and sports genres.
Ashita no Joe is rightfully considered an all-time classic so it is about time English reading manga fans experience the series that inspired many of their favourites. This will definitely be a release that sports/shonen fans and classic manga fans in general will want on their shelves.
Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow 1 is out 24 December from Vertical (9781647293871, h/b, £56.99)
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