Another week, another good episode of Megalo Box. Its like dose of old school action. This week we get a subversion of the “upgrade” and some evidence of how bad life in the slums really is. Lets jump in!
So my first thought after finishing this episode was, wow there are some awesome camera shots in here. Cutting from a cross hanging in a car to Yuri resting on the ropes? Joe examining his cut in the rearview mirror? And how about Joe standing, with no gear, before Potemkin? Each of them convey so much beyond the basic information they needed to get across. They sell Yuri’s already massive power or the David vs Goliath feeling against Potemkin. The shot with the rearview mirror puts us in Joe’s shoes as we see him how he sees himself, not to mention it’s just interesting to look at. Its angles and direction like this that can make even the stillest or low-res anime interesting to watch. For more proof of that just go watch Monster. Another example of the effect of great direction. That’s not all Megalo Box gets right though.
In terms of story, Megalo Box threw a pleasant surprise our way. With an episode title like “Gear is Dead” and a focus on Yuri’s gear, you would think we would be getting an upgrade this week. Instead Megalo Box doubles down and says, “Screw it! Who needs gear?”. There was a lot of focus on building up Joe as a fighter rather than relying purely on his gear, which I like. It also addresses the issue I had before, of how do they get into Megalonia with only 3 months. Winning a match without using any gear? That’s both a good way to get attention and to raise the stakes. Should make the next fight interesting to watch, as Joe’s only real defense is dodging now. I don’t know about you, but Im pumped and ready to go for next week.
As far as characters and setting goes, everything was good. Megalo Box took a “show don’t tell” approach to slum life, with the kids stealing to get feel good drugs. That plus Joe’s ever growing collection of scars makes it clear that life as a non-citizen isn’t easy, if we hadn’t already figured that out. And with the addition of Sachio to Joe’s group, we get both mechanic and plucky sidekick to round out the main cast. We also saw that while Joe is training, Yuri isn’t resting on his laurels either. He is constantly working and clearly deserves to be where he is. I hope we see more of him, I like the idea of parallel story arcs as he watches Joe’s rise.
The last bit I wanna mention is, wow, Ashita no Joe references. So many references. The boxing ring under a bridge, Sachio’s cap and the kids themselves. I am getting so many throwbacks to the 70’s with Megalo Box and I love it. Its like watching Rocky for the first time again. The farther we get in, the more Megalo Box feels like an anime from another time. With Legend of the Galactic Heroes and another FLCL coming out later this season, I’m not entirely sure what year it is. I’m rambling at this point, so clearly its time to wrap this up.
Megalo Box is still going strong. You should watch it if your not already. See you next week!
