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はじめの一歩 [Hajime no Ippo] #42
はじめの一歩 42 [Hajime no Ippo 42]
２羽の鷹、臨戦態勢調整中！！前哨戦を力でぬじ伏せ、ついに世界戦へ辿り着いた鷹村。だが、Ｊ（ジュニア）・ミドル級の体重をはるかに超えている鷹村は、骨身を削る厳しい減量を強いられていた。もはや、心身ともに極限状態の鷹村、数々の挑発をくり返すホークに、闘志と怒りは頂点に達しようとしていた！！
183 pages, Paperback
First published April 15, 1998
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32 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 26, 2017
This is killing me. A very tense build-up. If you thought Mashiba had a few screws loose, Bryan Hawk is a million times worse. He's evil, I'm seriously rooting for Takamura. I also thought it was a nice touch to have all the other champions and ex-champions come out and support Takamura.
July 15, 2025
Man, this arc is shaping up to be so gosh dang good. Haven’t even gotten to the fight and I’m hooked.
Takamura has always been compelling. He’s a bit of a Gary Stu who has walked through competition, but it’s never been unmerited. He outworks everybody at KBG and he’s a physical specimen any coach would love to call their own athlete. More of Morikawa’s love and knowledge of combat sports come together in this arc to present a multitude of obstacles for the beloved Kamogawa poster boy.
The World Commission does Takamura dirty; something you see all the time in real life matchmaking. It’s also true that Japan does not historically have a decorated history of heavier weight competitors, which lends to the underestimation of Takamura. Between the pressure of this opportunity at the world belt being one that was essentially gifted out of pity, the unfair timeline, and the world outside of Japan betting heavily on Bryan Hawk, this narrative pushes Takamura to a place mentally that we haven’t yet seen. And it’s frickin’ awesome. He’s in the throes of sickness and dehydration and still being slighted in the media. He’s a shell of himself and somehow carries the hopes of Japan on his back. It’s fascinating to watch and cracks his depth as a character wide open.
Bryan Hawk is a comically cocky and repugnant antagonist, but maintains realism. There have been countless real world athletes that slander entire countries and ethnicities with slurs and lowbrow language and Bryan Hawk is the embodiment of that persona in Ippo. It’s interesting because he’s got a similar style to Takamura, but it’s cranked to 10. His gross behavior doesn’t come from a childlike ignorance or forgivable buffoonery. Hawk is a willfully disgusting trash talker and brings yet another new element to the pages of HNI. Heat.
A sidebar in this arc: Ippo defends the title again, against a hack. It serves a purpose personally between him and Takamura, but doesn’t do much more for his accolades.
Ready for fireworks!!
Takamura has always been compelling. He’s a bit of a Gary Stu who has walked through competition, but it’s never been unmerited. He outworks everybody at KBG and he’s a physical specimen any coach would love to call their own athlete. More of Morikawa’s love and knowledge of combat sports come together in this arc to present a multitude of obstacles for the beloved Kamogawa poster boy.
The World Commission does Takamura dirty; something you see all the time in real life matchmaking. It’s also true that Japan does not historically have a decorated history of heavier weight competitors, which lends to the underestimation of Takamura. Between the pressure of this opportunity at the world belt being one that was essentially gifted out of pity, the unfair timeline, and the world outside of Japan betting heavily on Bryan Hawk, this narrative pushes Takamura to a place mentally that we haven’t yet seen. And it’s frickin’ awesome. He’s in the throes of sickness and dehydration and still being slighted in the media. He’s a shell of himself and somehow carries the hopes of Japan on his back. It’s fascinating to watch and cracks his depth as a character wide open.
Bryan Hawk is a comically cocky and repugnant antagonist, but maintains realism. There have been countless real world athletes that slander entire countries and ethnicities with slurs and lowbrow language and Bryan Hawk is the embodiment of that persona in Ippo. It’s interesting because he’s got a similar style to Takamura, but it’s cranked to 10. His gross behavior doesn’t come from a childlike ignorance or forgivable buffoonery. Hawk is a willfully disgusting trash talker and brings yet another new element to the pages of HNI. Heat.
A sidebar in this arc: Ippo defends the title again, against a hack. It serves a purpose personally between him and Takamura, but doesn’t do much more for his accolades.
Ready for fireworks!!
November 23, 2022
Pero que rabia con el Hawk >:(
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews