One Pound Gospel 2
Posted: November 9, 2008 Filed under: One Pound Gospel Leave a comment »I still like this series okay. It’s an understated kind of good. Not fantastic, just kind of a good read. It continues as expected with more tales of Kosaku sort of… well, trying his best at training for boxing. I like that the stories in this series are longer with multiple chapters. In Ranma 1/2, the stories were usually only 3 chapters long.
Though it was brought up frequently, the weight limits weren’t really the focus of this volume, at least for Kosaku. The first story in the volume was about a rematch with a boxer that Kosaku beat when he was first starting out, and the opponent has had a grudge ever since. He was actually a surprisingly great character. He had a good reason for fighting and a bunch of interesting personality quirks, like having a really nice customer-pleasing smile in place at all times at his job, then turning into a somewhat surly, angry young man other times. A lot of the story focuses on his problems instead of Kosaku’s, and I liked it a lot.
The second story… well, apparently Kosaku thinks he can get Sister Angela to leave her convent if he wins his next match, as he’s totally smitten with her and apparently doesn’t understand what being a nun means. We do get to see Sister Angela out of her habit, and she looks unsettlingly like Akane from Ranma 1/2. Tied into this, Kosaku is fighting a boy who is terrified of boxing and likes to run away. The relationship between his opponent and the opponent’s girlfriend is contrasted with Sister Angela and Kosaku.
Both stories offer a view as to what Kosaku’s life would be like without first his trainer, then without Sister Angela. I liked the stress both situations put on Kosaku.
It’s an enjoyable read, and I think a lot of people who enjoy old-school kind of manga would probably really like it, especially given the bizarre premise. Unfortunately, it can get a little repetitive since a lot of plot elements can repeat themselves. I like it a lot, and am very much looking forward to the last two volumes.
This was a review copy provided by Viz.
