Review of Baki the Grappler
I swear to god this a comedy If your expecting anything like the 2018 Baki Netflix Anime, then your going to be disappointed. Its majorly different, down to how Baki looks, the story and much more. The 2018 Baki Anime, was set halfway through the story, during the deadliest Criminals arc thing, where shit gets crazy, but these 24 episodes are subdued, even though their still crazy. Bakis more like a Shounen Protagonist here, he strives to become the strongest man in the world, to surpass his father Yujiro Hanma. He trains tirelessly, and gets down when he fails, but then breaks boundaries, much likeGoku, or Makunouchi Ippo from Hajime no Ippo.
Story: 8/10 Like said before, its much more different from the 2018 Baki Anime. Starts off the story from the beginning, when Baki was not as buff, and not as strong. The story is actually well paced, and easy to watch, and really easy to binge, which I'm always happy for. It doesn't have as much as the craziness that happens later in the manga, but still, some absurd things happen, such as Baki fighting 100 highschool delinquents, and fighting a giant ape.
Art: 7/10 The animation and art is much different from the Manga and 2018 Baki Anime (expect more referencing of the 2018 anime, because its almost impossible not too) Instead of actually taking the Author's style of illustrations, they take a much more normal looking Anime and manga style, which almost never gets in the way of the action. The action is also great, when Baki fights, it feels like he is, in the beginning, when he's fighting 100 people, the fighting is so smooth and well paced, it makes you just feel oddly satisfied.
Sound: 6/10 Now the low rating is not bad, it can be good, but the way the characters talk is hilarious, especially in the dub. Often times, I found myself not seeing any subtitles below when somebody is talking in the sub, sorrowing my expierence. The dub is not any better, the character's talk like they playing the character, not that they are the character. Many of the lines can be awkward, and down right funny, when Baki uses Endorphins, its down right hilarious how he goes OOOOOOH, and his brain lits up with stars shooting out of it. The opening is really catchy, and always fun to watch, so I advise not to skip it. The music is also good, with much of it being similar to Synth Wave.
Characters: 9/10. The characters are always the good part of these kinds of bizzare and wacky shows. Much like JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, you watch and read it for the characters, not much the plot. Hanma Baki is the best out of the characters, the only motivation he has is to surpass his father in strength, who is said to be the strongest man in the world. And it feels genuine, it feels like your seeing a boy who strives and trained all of his life to surpass his father, it weirdly works. The side characters are also wacky, just for the fun of it, his mother is oddly sexual, straight up kissing Baki on the lips once, and only giving him tips to make him stronger, but she does risk her life in order to save him. I felt impressed, when I saw that Baki and his mother have a strong resemblance, not just the same hair color or eye color, like other manga and shounen series, like Naruto, Bleach, Black Clover, BNHA Etc. He has the same lips and mole as his mother, which makes it feel like Baki is her son.
Enjoyment 9/10: I think I enjoyed this way too much, and way more then the 2018 anime. Its fun, its wacky, and makes me feel like I'm watching Jojo's Bizarre adventure, but its a martial arts anime.
Overalls: A great Anime and Manga series, I highly recommend it to Anime fans, Manga Fans, and even Martial Arts fans.