MEGALOBOX Ep 4 – Two Men and A Baby

• Genre : Cyberpunk, Sports!, action, cool
• Studio: TMS Entertainment

This is probably my inner jerk showing but that kid annoys me. A lot! It’s not so much the kid himself. The character is fine if uninteresting. It’s how his presence is affecting the tone and flow of the story. We still have no good reason why Joe and Baby are letting him tag along, now that Joe’s gearless, even the kid’s mechanic skills are no longer a motivation. We don’t even have any notion of why he would want to be there in the first place. And now he’s a constant presence, watering down the plot and sanding off all the interesting edge by screaming naive platitudes about friendship and perseverance. That’s my job kid…

The alternative title for this post is “Bareback”, you know because of the whole gearless thing. I thought it may be a touch to daring but I still needed to let you all know about it… I’m a child.

Joe is finally making his Megalonia debut and what a debut it is. Realizing that bare skin is always better, he’s opting to go in without boxing tech assistance, relying entirely on his own skills.

You know, my love of boxing themed stories doesn’t end at Opportunity. One of my favorite movies is Crying Fist (it’s spectacular guys), which taught me just how unforgiving boxing is. Passion, dedication even training are all well and good but in the end nothing, and I mean nothing at all, can compensate for technique and a strong body. That’s the bitter reality of the sweet science. For a second, as our hero was lying on the floor of that ring, completely flattened by that first machine augmented punch seconds after the start of the first round, I was reminded of that harsh lesson and impressed by a narrative that had the guts to spell it out.  I won’t lie, something in me was disappointed he got up.

But still, Joe, clearly suffering from a concussion, wasn’t ok. He was sloppy and scared. His footwork was brash. This was interesting. No you can’t win a fight with a professional boxer, who has his own skills and training, who’s unmistakably stronger than you. I figured he might literally run out the clock, maybe manage a few weak jabs, and get a meager and unsatisfying TKO victory (because he can’t get kicked out of the tournament now…) But no! The magic of little kid eagerness prevailed, and Joe managed a 3rd round KO with surprisingly little trouble.

Although the decision is mostly practical, last week’s adventures having left them with no useable gear and no funds to get one. It quickly becomes a trademark and claim to fame. Fighting promoters and patrons are quick to buy into the gimmick and Joe sees his stock and popularity rise by leaps and bounds. Sadly, he does not know if he’s managed to get the attention of a certain someone.

The brain damage he clearly got in the first fight must have been of the rare super useful type since despite barely surviving his first fight, Joe is now seemingly unstoppable, breezing his way across the rankings. It’s not that I expected a realistic boxing anime – I mean they are cyborgs – but this was all just a touch too easy.

The number of men Joe is making his way through is impressive! He’s bound to break some hearts and make some enemies along the way. Joe’s eyes are still firmly set on Yuri, but this could blind him to future obstacles in his path.

Now that things are on their way, Joe, Nanbu and Sachio’s little family unit is moving along swimmingly. It seems the good times are in full swing. However, the last scenes spell out trouble as a man from Nabu’s past has suddenly made a reappearance.

Joe hasn’t ever had to share NAbu before. Up until now the older man had dedicated himself entirely to his partner. Could the appearance of this mysterious newcomer throw their relationship into turmoil?

And what do you think the odds are of the kid getting suddenly adopted next episode and moving away to live with his new parents? I would like that.

This show remains a treat for the eyes!