Boxing became deeply rooted in American culture in the 1920’s and 30’s. Throughout the ages the sport changed, but it has always remained a culture icon as it has formed the base for several other industries, movies, books, and television series. In 2018 (and onward) it has expanded beyond America as Japan has recognized the significance of boxing through the anime series Megalo Box.
The Background:
In the future Japan has a divide between its classes. Licensed citizens live in a wealthy city and the unlicensed citizens live in a slum city, but both groups appreciate the sport of Megalo Boxing. Megalo Boxing follows the same rules as regular boxing except the fighters wear metal frames to amplify their striking abilities, which makes the sport more lethal. One of the fighters who participates in this sport is Junk Dog. Junk Dog is an unlicensed citizen and lives in the slum town outside of the city. As a result, he and his coach/ trainer Gansaku Nanbu run fights that are fixed, where Junk Dog will lose to make a profit on the betting odds. After Junk Dog “loses” a fight he takes off and crashes his motorcycle in front of Yukiko Shirato and Yuri. Junk Dog knowing who Yuri is, the number 1 ranked Megalo Boxer in the world, attempts to pick a fight with him, which is quickly stopped by Yukiko. In response, Yuri seeks out Junk Dog in the underground ring where he fights and easily beats him challenging him to face him at Megalonia. Megalonia is a tournament for the top 4 ranked Megalo Boxers in the world to determine who is the very best. With this on the table, Junk Dog against Nanbu’s order beats his opponent and forces Nanbu to convince their mob boss to allow Junk Dog to attempt to gain access into Megalonia. With this goal in mind Junk Dog gets a forged ID renames himself Joe and has 3 months to work his way to the top of the Megalo Boxing rankings in order to have a chance at fighting in Megalonia. In that process Joe abandons his gear to fight gearless and focus on technique to out maneuver his opponents as he makes his way to the top to fight Yuri.
Significance:
Megalo Box captures the culture of the 1920’s and 30’s boxing scene of poverty, the mob, and the development of big personalities. In the 1920’s and 30’s poverty was common among a few groups including immigrants, teen boys from large families, and orphans. Several of them turned to fighting as a means to find their next meal and shelter. This is reflected in Junk Dog/ Joe who has limited opportunity due to being a noncitizen, turning to Megalo Boxing as a means to make a living. With boxing as their only choice to make a living the mob became involved and began to influence matches and contenders as a means to control the outcome and make money off of fighters. This very same thing happens to Joe as he is paired up with a “fixer” who is working for the mob and instructing Joe how to fight and when to lose matches to reflect the betting odds. In return, Joe is getting a small cut of the profits and is making a living by throwing matches despite being a good fighter. As much as matches are being “fixed,” winners and losers are being chosen. Boxers during the 1920’s and 30’s were also beginning to develop personalities as the sport was expanding. Megalo Box follows the same suit with both Yuri and Joe as they both begin to develop a certain persona. They enter the Megalonia tournament to determine who’s the best in the world. Megalo Box captures and embraces the strengths and flaws of the golden age of boxing while adding a futuristic spin onto it that fits the 21stcentury. Furthermore, Megalo Box pays homage on the 50th anniversary, as it incorporates and modernizes many of the same elements, plot, and history of boxing of the 1968 manga Ashita no Joe. Given that it is the 50th anniversary of Ashita no Joe, Megalo Box in many ways is paying respect to the manga by being a fresh interpretation of the manga through an anime series meant for a new generation to enjoy.
