Review of Tomorrow's Joe

This is not a show about boxing. It's about domesticating a delinquent. Joe does not learn from his mistakes nor does his coach seem able to instruct him the most basic techniques. Every bout had this pattern: Joe brawls, Joe is beaten badly, then Joe comes out swinging and lucks out. As a character, Joe is unappealing. The way he conducts himself I'd say he sustained brain damage as a kid. He is confusing, aggressive, and snobbish. The people who cheer him on possibly relate to his psychological problems. At one point, he was treated with kindness, and attacked her for it. Danpei, his trainer,is the reason I stuck around. He was a miserable drunk and a doting father to Joe. He nearly gave up on him, but he was set on his mission to make Joe a boxing legend. There were only two episodes I can positively say were redeeming. Joe and Danpei argued on the merits of his coaching and Danpei was so upset by Joe's tone he suggested he should look for a better trainer, possibly from the gym his present rival inhabits. You could feel the tension in the room. There was one other episode, which I had expected at some point, where Danpei had pushed Joe to try real boxing techniques, as opposed to his amateur slugging. In sum, this is not a boxing show; it is a splendid demonstration on what not to do in the ring.

I chose not to make an additional post for the second season. It had the same issues, but with a different style and speed, without any exceptional episodes to redeem it. Maybe, except one or two, that spotlights a certain challenger. Imagine if Mike Tyson, at his prime, was paid to fight a silverback Gorilla. Ridiculous, but a funny moment.