No question about it, Megalo Box is pretty great.  It keeps me entertained every work, and it connects on both an intellectual and emotional level.  If anything I would say it’s 2018’s 91 Days – an anime-original built on a classic Hollywood template that’s custom-built for a 12-episode format.  There’s more inherently Japanese about this show of course, given the Ashita no Joe connection, but they share a lot in common.  Great storytelling, flawless pacing, distinctive yet timeless characters.  It’s not a bad formula to build around, that’s for sure.

Of course, there are undeniable personal connections that make this show work so perfectly for me as well.  I mean, I’m a total sucker for stuff like the intro here.  Yes, it was unbelievably Gainax in style, but it was also a beautiful bit of filmmaking – brash, confident and cheeky.  When a director can move the story along that much in such a short scene with no dialogue, you know you’re dealing with real talent.  Sure, we could have had a couple of characters talking about how “Gearless mania” was sweeping the populace – but would that have been nearly as effective?  Or as much fun?

Hip-hop, street art and tats – theres no question Joe has become the man of the people, the choice of the “ordinary Joe”.  But he’s hurting after his bloodbath against Aragaki – and again, Moriyama-sensei doesn’t feel the need to explain this to us when showing Joe pissing blood is that much more impactful.  Bruises all over his body and what’s obviously a badly injured kidney – this is not a man who should be boxing for months, especially against guys wearing prosthetics to aid their cause.  But time is of the essence here, with the final spot in Megalonia about to be awarded.

The key player here is Shirato Mikio, who we met briefly at the end of last week’s episode.  Of course his last name is no coincidence – he’s Yukiko’s brother as it turns out.  He’s also the choice of the Shirato board of directors to claim the final spot. as “part of the company” – and after easily winning what was supposed to be a difficult “win-and-in” bout (with the help of “A.I.” gear that reads his opponents moves), seems a sure bet for that slot.  But he chooses the platform of his post-match ring interview to call out Gearless Joe, declaring that he can’t claim that final Megalonia position until he beats down the upstart.

This is complicated, to say the least.  Mikio and Yukiko have a troubled history, as she apparently elbowed him out of the way to be declared their grandfather’s successor.  She’s also Yuuri’s lover, and he’s obviously the horse she’s chosen to bet on as far as Megalonia is concerned.  The board wants Mikio in – Yukiko wants him out.  Seemingly in choosing to fight Gearless Joe rather than accept what would surely have been a guaranteed 4th slot in the final tournament, Mikio shows some real balls.  But as it turns out, things aren’t what they appear to be.

Meanwhile, Joe is training hard – after an enforced rest period – for a bout that (as usual) looks pretty hopeless.  The one advantage Joe has in not using gear is that he doesn’t have to deal with the slight delay augmented fighters have in delivering their punches – because of the intuitive nature of Mikio’s gear, this is not an issue with him.  Sachio has even instituted some secret training (which nets him a scolding from Nanbu) designed to strengthen Joe’s foundations so his punches will be that much more powerful.  In short, it’s an inspiring display of grit and team unity, and the buildup to the Mikio fight is intense and rather stirring.

Mikio, sadly, turns out to be a punk.  He’s set all this up so that he can blackmail Joe into bailing on the fight, using the fact that he’s learned the secrets of Joe’s “Junk Dog” past.  This way Mikio can claim legitimacy (how can a guy who no-shows be a deserving finalist?) without actually risking his spot in the finals.  But while it works in that Nanbu backs down, I wonder – a lot of Megalo Box seems to hinge around the power of public opinion.  If the truth about Joe’s past came out, mightn’t that make him more popular with the unwashed masses – not less?  Maybe if Team Nowhere were to come forward with the whole truth – not just their own scam, but Mikio’s blackmail – the shot and a beer crowd would demand his inclusion even more vociferously.  And since Megalonia is all about marketing and Yukiko wants Mikio out anyway, why should she defy public opinion?  Heck, Joe’s popularity might even start to shame fighters who rely on gear rather than their own talent and smarts – and if they stripped away all the tech as a response, then we’d see some real boxing.