 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | VIZ MEDIA | | | ▪ | AUTHOR / ART: | | RUMIKO TAKAHASHI | | | ▪ | FORMAT: | | JAPANESE / COLOR | | | ▪ | PAGES: | | 340 | | | ▪ | RATING: | | T+ | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 06/10/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 06/06/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | HOLLY ELLINGWOOD |
The manga begins almost like a joke you might hear in a pub: there was a nun, a boxer, and ramen stand…In One Pound Gospel there is a nun, a pretty young novitiate named Angela. Her constant source of consternation is aspiring boxer Kosaku. He also gives his coach a lot of headaches and ulcers because this boxer has one constant flaw: he can’t resist eating. That can be a fatal flaw to an up and coming boxing career. So what does a boxer with no will power with the hopes of a run down gym on his shoulders do? Find a little faith! It’s the re-release of Rumiko Takahashi’s comedy in Japanese manga format (right-to-left). From the creator of Ranma 1/2, Inuyasha, and Maison Ikkoku comes another comedy series with heart. Kosaku may be the gym’s great hope, but he’s also a colossal idiot. He eats despite being on a strict weight regiment, he doesn’t listen well to advice from his coach, and ends up losing more than winning despite a lot of innate talent and being a power house. When Sister Angela gets fed up with his weak willed ways, she lets him have it. Her temper is one of the comedic surprises in the story, that and a when she hits the liquor. Usually though she is a sweet and devout follower of the faith and she’s taken Kosaku under her wing as a lost little lamb in need of guidance – and occasionally a hard right hand to the face. The first volume introduces readers to the characters, establishing their roles well and showing him struggling through his first few fights. He gets beat up a lot. He really is an idiot. His coach and the sister have their hands full trying to steer him on the right path. They not only have to struggle with him to keep his weight right, he also ends up puking in the ring which endangers his career because now no one wants to fight him. But a strange twist of fate helps him land a sweet hit on an arrogant boxer so that Kosaku gets invited back into the ring. Now if he could just not eat in order to avoid throwing up when hit in the gut that would be great. But it could be asking too much of Kosaku. The first volume ends with him debating on getting into Welter class in order to gain weight instead of losing it. But a bout with a man about to be a father on the verge of retiring, might make Kosaku lose a match he desperately needs to win. The manga is fun and light and quintessential Rumiko Takahashi. However, unlike many of her other works which prolong any admission of love, Kosaku confesses his love to Sister Angela in the first chapters. What will occur considering she’s a novitiate and he’s awfully dense, remains to be seen. The art style is immediately recognizable as Rumiko Takahashi’s work. Whether you pick up Ranma ½ or Inuyasha, you can see the similarities in the faces and overall design that mark it as one of her works. One Pound Gospel is no exception. It has the same well rounded and clean art style that the mangaka is famous for.
IN SUMMARY:
A comedy that tickles rather than punches the funny bone. |
