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[b][color=red][font=helvetica][i]door-kun best boi
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- Akihabara
- Seen Jun 27, 2020
Thread to post about series that you consider timeless masterpieces - that will forever hold their own no matter how many years pass by.
I really had to post a thread like this after I read Ashita no Joe. Don't think a thread on it would get as much attention as a general discussion thread since the series is so fucking old so I'm gonna go ahead and write about it here. Hope it instigates some into giving the series a shot if they haven't already.
Prepare for a tl;dr:
So yeah. Ashita no Joe. A timeless masterpiece. A series I can safely say is one of the best manga experiences I've ever had. Even after more than 40 years have passed since it ended, it remains a classic and a definite must-read.
Also, a random thing - I listened to LAST STARDUST by Aimer - the track that plays in Fate/Stay Night Unlimited Blade Work's confrontation in episode 20 between Shirou and...some character - on loop while reading this series. Made the fights more epic, haha.
I really had to post a thread like this after I read Ashita no Joe. Don't think a thread on it would get as much attention as a general discussion thread since the series is so fucking old so I'm gonna go ahead and write about it here. Hope it instigates some into giving the series a shot if they haven't already.
Prepare for a tl;dr:
Spoiler:
Ashita no Joe simply felt real. The characters, initially, seemed weird. The MC Joe Yabuki had no issues doing stuff in public that'd make him end up in jail, he used to act like a complete dick and has, on more than one occasion, thrown stuff on the face of a female character. The last one, in particular, wasn't something that happened in a comic relief-like scene - the scenes were absolutely serious and it wasn't played for laughs. It was all so weird for me because I was so used to characters refraining from doing most of this stuff. But then, as the series went by, I realized that I the reason I felt weirded out was because of the fact that they seemed like walking, talking real human beings - it just hit home too close for comfort. But I got used to it.
Human beings aren't perfect - they have their flaws. Quite often, series these days show characters possessing flaws in them in order to impart a little more depth to those relatively unidimensional characters. But, more often than not, it just ends up feeling like the flaw's present because of the desperate need for depth for the said character and not because the flaw actually makes the character feel like a real human being - this is definitely something I do find lacking in most series. Not in Joe.
Joe Yabuki is an unrestrained wild beast - he'll behave like a dick, he acts arrogant and he'll thrash you up if you make him lose his temper at the drop of a hat. But not at one point in the series do you think he's "evil" - because, despite all of his delinquent acts, he's got his heart in the right place. All that and more just makes him feel as close to a human being - a friend you've come to know over time, perhaps - as possible. And it isn't just Joe. There are other characters in the series that get immense character development and you just can't help but care for them. Talking about their development would go far too much into the spoiler territory so I would refrain from doing so. But just gotta say this - the characters here are the real deal. They have insecurities, they fuck up, they behave nasty and they sometimes make things go utterly ugly. But they're always, always looking towards "tomorrow".
Which brings me to the theme of the series. While it is actually a journey of a boy's transition into adulthood (to boil it down), one theme that is recurring in the series and beautifully handled is the theme of "tomorrow". Characters, despite constant hardships being faced in the present, work hard for a better tomorrow. The "tomorrow" they desire might not always seem like it is within their reach but they definitely never give up on it and always, even till the very end, face things for their tomorrow. I have trouble putting it in words but...it probably will be something that'll remain in your mind after having long since finished the series. Just breath-taking stuff.
And that ending. Not gonna say anything. But it is safe to say that the way it ends has solidified it as one of my favorite endings and of my fave manga series of all time. I was spoiled (like you can avoid an iconic scene like that, heh) on the ending long before I started to get into the series but it just made me more curious about how we get there. Still would've preferred if I had it as a surprise but oh well.
Human beings aren't perfect - they have their flaws. Quite often, series these days show characters possessing flaws in them in order to impart a little more depth to those relatively unidimensional characters. But, more often than not, it just ends up feeling like the flaw's present because of the desperate need for depth for the said character and not because the flaw actually makes the character feel like a real human being - this is definitely something I do find lacking in most series. Not in Joe.
Joe Yabuki is an unrestrained wild beast - he'll behave like a dick, he acts arrogant and he'll thrash you up if you make him lose his temper at the drop of a hat. But not at one point in the series do you think he's "evil" - because, despite all of his delinquent acts, he's got his heart in the right place. All that and more just makes him feel as close to a human being - a friend you've come to know over time, perhaps - as possible. And it isn't just Joe. There are other characters in the series that get immense character development and you just can't help but care for them. Talking about their development would go far too much into the spoiler territory so I would refrain from doing so. But just gotta say this - the characters here are the real deal. They have insecurities, they fuck up, they behave nasty and they sometimes make things go utterly ugly. But they're always, always looking towards "tomorrow".
Which brings me to the theme of the series. While it is actually a journey of a boy's transition into adulthood (to boil it down), one theme that is recurring in the series and beautifully handled is the theme of "tomorrow". Characters, despite constant hardships being faced in the present, work hard for a better tomorrow. The "tomorrow" they desire might not always seem like it is within their reach but they definitely never give up on it and always, even till the very end, face things for their tomorrow. I have trouble putting it in words but...it probably will be something that'll remain in your mind after having long since finished the series. Just breath-taking stuff.
And that ending. Not gonna say anything. But it is safe to say that the way it ends has solidified it as one of my favorite endings and of my fave manga series of all time. I was spoiled (like you can avoid an iconic scene like that, heh) on the ending long before I started to get into the series but it just made me more curious about how we get there. Still would've preferred if I had it as a surprise but oh well.
So yeah. Ashita no Joe. A timeless masterpiece. A series I can safely say is one of the best manga experiences I've ever had. Even after more than 40 years have passed since it ended, it remains a classic and a definite must-read.
Also, a random thing - I listened to LAST STARDUST by Aimer - the track that plays in Fate/Stay Night Unlimited Blade Work's confrontation in episode 20 between Shirou and...some character - on loop while reading this series. Made the fights more epic, haha.