Review of Tomorrow's Joe

Script - Joe is that type of show that proves quality as timeless. How could it be for a story from the late 60s about a boxer become so important, poignant and meaningful to me in the long term? I have no idea, but I'm pretty sure Ikki Kajiwara knows that well enough to come up with one of the best sports tales ever known and that in my humble opinion wasn't surpassed ever since, at least not by any anime or manga. But what's Joe all about? It's about Joe, your not average underdog who's searching for meaning and is trained by an oldman that's also not your average sage coach but rather a flawed drunk one. He's searching for someone that can fulfill his now late dreams of becoming the world champion and well, that's pretty much the premise. Now let's begin training and increasing stakes each episode until the very end? Ehhh, absolutely not. This is not, by far, your average sports shounen full of unrealistic bullshit. Joe's characters will face a lot of heavy struggles through a lot of time and will learn from them, not forcedly, but slowly accepting certain facts, changing others and always, always and always developing. No action is taken on a whim, no silent moment is random, nothing is out of place, not overall at least. Some changes can seem too of a sudden, but the result is so meaningful that forgives completely the minor flaws. Joe is all about subtlety in each frame of it since simple phrases and glances can convey so much immediately and in the future. Sometimes Joe is the villain, the hero, the victim, the bastard, and at the end, none of them. No matter what you think of Joe, Yoko or Rikiishi, it's not their full picture or character. They're three-dimensional and practically real people with real struggles and fears, so harmoniously interlacing with each other, sometimes without a word spoken. A lot of episodes are spent solely in character building and only after we are presented to the actual fighting. There's also a very special rivalry subtly hiding both Joe and Rikiishi's desire to face someone they respect. Yoko, a character who represents a sort of intermediator, but that appeared as an antagonist that wasn't actually an antagonist and whose influence gets more and more present through time. She's indecisive, kind and polite but also afraid and full of will, it's awesome to see her gaining such in-depth development since I thought she was going to be forgotten easily. Indeed, most of Joe's characters have a face of who is going to be forgotten, but they are not. They are people and you will most likely treat them as such. It has one of the most impactful moments I've seen in anime and you'll surely know which one. Also, my favorite episode of anime ever is contained here and the best rivalry, the best protagonist and best couple. See for yourself such a beautiful spectacle of development.

Cinematography - This show is fucking old school. It may not be so pleasing of looking at, but considering how little it had in terms of production I can't see it as bad produced. On the contrary, I believe it is beautiful in a way no other anime at the time was. First, the ingenious director Dezaki developed a technique to save costs, the Pastel-Chalked Freeze Frame as TvTropes dictates, and it had some power upon the audience. The best moments ever from Joe are depicted in a high definition stopped image full of impact and surely helped a lot the production team. Limitations sometimes lead to wonderful results in terms of creativity, so I'm happy in seeing Joe being such an amazing show in that matter as well. The character design is original and while the animation is not fluid at all and the repetition is rather common, I can't deny the impact some monochromatic panels had upon me given the mood in which it was applied.

Sound - You will remember the whistle, wanting you or not. The opening is beautiful and the soundtrack is decent enough. The major problem, in my opinion, are the voices. While the voice acting isn't exactly the problem considering when it was recorded, the misplacement is recurrent and more than often irritating. The sound effects are fine.

1234 - The cops of Joe are more useless than the most average of stormtrooper in existence. You can punch them, kick them, whatever you want, they'll not react. Kids are annoying af. I know, they become cute and beloved over time, but damn, sometimes it's just not cool. Since when do kids enter in a fucking prison on a fucking island? Repetitions all over the place, sometimes unnecessary. I would prefer extended moments of silence then filling some episodes with weird misplaced or just repeated actions of side characters. The voices are so misplaced it makes me cringe sometimes, even though I'm surprised they aren't forced. I mean, Joe's one is sort of forced but sounds ok and the rest is just fine. If they just had edited well enough it would've been way more pleasing to listen to.

This show is old but gold. Joe is the most lovable asshole out there and you can't deny it. Talk about nuanced interactions son. If you endure some poor visuals and voice editing, the reward is big enough. Don't waste your time watching trash, go for it today. It's a masterpiece for sure. The End.