As started by CCY.
Operation: Turtle
I was well aware that sports-themed anime and manga were popular in Japan, but they were something that never appealed to me, especially after I stopped following sports of any kind as I got older. But, a whimsical choice at one of the many Gamestop locations I ransacked for free DVDs (they were running a Buy 2, Get 4 Free promotion) changed all that. As a result fo the promotion, I picked up many DVDs I wouldn’t have otherwise tried, figuring free is the best way to gamble on a new series. One of these gambles was the first volume of Fighting Spirit.
Fighting Spirit is an anime that centers around boxing, and a quest for strength. I was never a huge fan of boxing. Actually, my involvement with the sport began and ended with Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out for the NES. I knew I probably wouldn’t like it, but I couldn’t find any better alternatives, so I picked it up. Oh, was I wrong.
Ippo demonstrates his peek-a-boo style of boxing.
Ippo Makunouchi is a pretty standard nice Japanese boy who helps his mother run the family fishing boat business after his father died. However, it’s this niceness that makes Ippo an easy target for bullies. One particular day after school, Ippo is rescued by Mamoru Takamura, a boxer from Kamogawa Gym on his jogging route.
Ippo idolizes Takamura, and waits for him the next day, hoping to convince the big guy to train him as a boxer. Takamura gives Ippo what he thinks is an insurmountable task to do before he’ll consider teaching the kid. However, Ippo manages to complete the task, and an amazed Takamura brings the kid to Kamogawa Gym.
Convincing Gen, the namesake and owner of the gym, that Ippo has the goods take some doing, but Ippo manages to impress everyone with his unwillingness to surrender in the sparring ring with Miyata, a young upcoming boxer with a promising career ahead of him.
Ippo gets accepted into the gym, and begins his long journey to learns what it truly means to be strong.
By the end of the first episode, I was hooked. When the disc was done, I wished I had the others. I could’ve very easily marathoned a large portion of this 75 episode series.
Then, I found out there will be another series starting in January, and I can’t wait. 
