To call Ashita no Joe one of the most culturally significant works to ever exist within the realm of anime and manga would be a bit of an understatement. It served as the inspiration for many a boxing manga, and its anime adaptation is one of the most iconic works of the late Osamu Dezaki, who himself is widely considered to be one of the most influential directors in anime. Even if you've never heard of Ashita no Joe, you've almost certainly experienced it through some form of cultural osmosis, whether through its direct successors like Hajime no Ippo, the countless parodies of its most iconic scene, or more recently, its modern retooling, Megalobox. With all that in mind, it's almost a bit of a shock that it's taken so long for the original manga to see an official release here in the States, but we've finally got one courtesy of Kodansha USA and in a nice beefy omnibus format. Now that it's available though, does this story still hold up today, or does it feel too much like a product of its time?

So far, I'd say the answer to both those things is yes. While it would be pretty easy to assume that its age would mean that its story is lacking compared to what's come after it, it's clear that this series is a classic for a reason, and I found a lot of it pretty compelling. The series follows a teenage orphan named Joe Yabuki, who has ended up wandering through the slums of Tokyo until he has a chance encounter with a local drunk named Danpei Tange. Danpei turns out to be a retired boxer and former coach, who sees some potential in Joe to be a fighter, but Joe has no interest in the sport and only decides to play along to get a few free meals out of him. In between his boxing lessons, Joe runs a few scams with the neighborhood kids, but this eventually catches up with him, and he gets sent to juvie in the hopes that he'll reform. However, Joe quickly finds himself getting targeted by the other boys. When he winds up in a few too many fights, he's later sent to a special reformation school, where the environment is even worse, and he finds himself butting heads with an ex-boxer named Rikishi. Eventually, the two of them decide to settle their differences in an unofficial boxing match, and this first omnibus ends in the middle of their big fight.

While a lot of that makes for a very simple story, it's a pretty solid one, and it's hard not to get caught up in the tension of Joe's struggles as he hops from one bad situation to another. Through it all, the boxing that Joe learns from Danpei ends up being key to his survival, and through it, Danpei hopes to instill in him a belief that continuing to struggle and endure the problems he faces today will help lead him to a better tomorrow. It's a fairly easy idea to get behind, and while Joe doesn't always make for the most likable underdog, the story does do a good job of making you want to see him rise above his circumstances. Despite the series having a bit of a slow start and taking over 500 pages to get to its first boxing match, it uses that all that time pretty well in helping to establish Joe and his relationships with other characters, and despite how long this omnibus is, it makes for a surprisingly breezy read.

Still, while the core of the story largely stands the test of time, it does show its age in other areas that are likely to make or break this series for any new readers. The first of course, is in its art style which, like a lot of manga of its period, more closely resembles that of an old 1940s Disney cartoon than what most people today would generally associate with manga. The character designs can often look pretty exaggerated, and much of the visual humor feels pretty reminiscent of Sunday morning comic strips, which can sometimes take away from the drama. However, while all that doesn't sound like it'd make for a great action comic, the manga actually delivers surprisingly well on that front. Tetsuya Chiba does a solid job of making the action flow from panel to panel, and it all feels pretty dynamic and easy to follow despite the simplicity of its art style. That goes double for the actual boxing itself, as the art puts a lot of work into making the punches feel solid, and giving every blow a sense of weight that helps to make it really feel like you're watching an actual match, which makes it pretty easy to see why later manga would end up taking inspiration from it. Its overall look is certainly something that I can imagine being a barrier for most people, but if you're willing to embrace it, then you'll find that this is a pretty solid battle manga.

The bigger barrier to entry, however, is actually Joe himself, and how much mileage you get out of this series is gonna come down to whether or not you can get behind him as a character. Joe is egotistical, rude, hot-headed, and extremely cynical, often to a fault, as his tendency to provoke others usually makes things worse for him. When he takes advantage of the kindness of characters like Danpei or a rich heiress named Yoko, he tends to justify his actions by assuming their intentions are never anything more than selfish and doesn't really see the good in other people. Most detrimental though, is his utter lack of remorse for his actions, and his refusal to back down from any situation, even when these traits work against him.

A lot of this results in him coming off as a fairly unlikeable protagonist, and even though he's clearly been dealt a bad hand in life, it's hard not to feel like he doesn't often create his problems. However, rather than the story working out despite this, it actually works because of this. The series is very much aware of the self-destructive nature of Joe's behavior and points it out pretty consistently as other characters comment on the negative effects of his actions, and quickly take notice of the fact that while he is getting stronger, the path he's walking down seems like one that could lead to his eventual downfall. The question of whether Joe will be able to seize the better tomorrow he's searching for, or fall victim to the consequences of his actions makes for a solid hook, and even when he's at his worst, it's hard not to root for the possibility of him turning his life around. At the same time, the series' age makes it hard to determine how many of his traits are meant to be viewed as negative, versus painting him something of a loveable rogue (particularly his comments about women). While this mostly doesn't take away from the story, it is where it tends to feel the most dated.

Despite some of these criticisms, I still had a pretty good time with this. I found myself getting pretty invested in Joe's struggles to reach a brighter tomorrow, and despite knowing how that ultimately ends, I'm still eager to see how the story eventually reaches that conclusion. While it would be a lie to say that Ashita no Joe doesn't show its age, and it's certainly not free of flaws, it's still a solid story that's very much worth reading.