Rocky Joe, Vol. 17

あしたのジョー [Ashita no Joe] #17

by Ikki Kajiwara (writer), Tetsuya Chiba (illustrator)

灼熱のハワイに、ホセの戦慄が走る！　激闘の末、金竜飛をＫＯしたジョーは東洋チャンピオンの座を獲得し、世界チャンピオン、ホセ・メンドーサへの挑戦に燃えるが、その身体にはパンチ・ドランカー症状の疑いが浮上。“シンガポールの妖星”と呼ばれるピナン・サラワクを相手に、初の東洋タイトル防衛戦が行われることになった。ジョーは不敵にも第二ラウンドでＫＯすると予告！　周囲の疑惑をはね除けたジョーは、ハワイでホセと再会。最強のチャンピオンの戦いぶりに戦慄する。

Genres: Manga, Graphic Novels, Sports, Comics, Shonen

240 pages, Paperback

First published December 8, 1972

About the author

Asaki Takamori (高森朝樹, Takamori Asaki), known by the pen names Ikki Kajiwara (梶原一騎, Kajiwara Ikki) and Asao Takamori (高森朝雄, Takamori Asao), was a Japanese mangaka.

Reviews

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inching towards the finish line but this manga is simply teasing us with one big final fight now and the big twist here is that the world champion is a really really good boxer ... oh wait, the last few were really really good boxers too. The problem is that because this manga never focussed on Joe's hopes and dreams of becoming a world champion, it still feels like it blew its load at the midpoint; now joe wants to fight against better and better boxers but the compulsion just isn't there and I feel like Joe could retire. The potential love triangle fizzled out as a plotline the author didn't want to pursue - Joe is just no romantic and he's happier shouting at women for not being feminine enough.

There's sortof a storyline about Joe possibly being punch-drunk and Youko trying to test him but ... do we need it? Does it add much? I'm being harsh because it's all good fun and it's easygoing enough to finish these final volumes off with a bit of a binge.

[Paweł Hapka · Rating 4 out of 5]

The volumes do not have titles, which is a pity, as they always have some major plotline and it would not be hard to describe it. For example, seventeenth colume would be "Pros and cons of being a celebrity". Yeah, it doesn't sound catchy, but it is the editor's job to make it so! Basically, Joe does not do much fighting, is definitely uneasy at being a celebrity, but tries as hard as he can to please his fans, while obsessing over the fight with Jose, the world champion. Meanwhile Yuoko is afraid that Joe may be showing punch-drunk symptoms (typical for boxers who has been hit too many times on the head) and may lost this wild strive that brought him victories. Therefore, she does not want to let him fight Jose Mendoza just yet. She puts in motion an elaborate plan to test Yabuki...
At this point, it is simply impossible to stop reading, as we are emotionally involved in the series, and the narration and visual style are only getting better and better! There are a lot of background details, making it even more reality-grounded manga than before. The psychology of the main characters is dealed with brillantly. Joe is usually cocky and disrespectful, yet insecure with his new-found superstar status, while Yuoko is visibly caring for him, but maintains her impenerable and business-minded stance, as a woman in a exclusively men's business most probably should. Danpei Tange, on the other hand, is drunk with success and therefore less reliable than before.

[Kurtis Burkhardt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty decent manga, the story wasn’t to great and a little dull but the boxing matches were really great and awesome especially the final one😻👌🥊🥊