Megalo Box

Megalo Box (Japanese: メガロボクス, Hepburn: Megaro Bokusu) is a 2018 anime television series created in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the manga Ashita no Joe.[1] It is produced by the studio TMS Entertainment and 3xCube, which also produced the second Ashita no Joe anime in 1980. The head of production is director Yō Moriyama, working with screenwriters Katsuhiko Manabe and Kensaku Kojima, with music composed by hip-hop artist Mabanua.

Megalo Box
Key visual, featuring the main character Joe/Junk Dog
メガロボクス
(Megaro Bokusu)
Manga
Megalo Box - Shukumei no Sōken
Written byChikara Sakuma
Published byKodansha
MagazineShōnen Magazine Edge
DemographicShōnen
Original runFebruary 17, 2018 – August 17, 2018
Volumes2
Anime television series
Directed byYō Moriyama
Written byKatsuhiko Manabe
Kensaku Kojima
Music byMabanua
StudioTMS/3xCube
Licensed by
Original networkJNN (TBS, BS-TBS)
English network
Original run April 6, 2018 – June 29, 2018
Episodes13
Anime television series
Megalo Box 2: Nomad
Directed byYō Moriyama
Written byKatsuhiko Manabe
Kensaku Kojima
Music byMabanua
StudioTMS/3xCube
Original networkTokyo MX, BS11
Original run April 2021 – scheduled
See also

The series was broadcast in Japan from April 6, 2018 to June 29, 2018 and was simulcast on Crunchyroll.[2] The series was licensed by Viz Media for an English release and began airing on Toonami in the United States from December 8, 2018. A second season, titled Megalo Box 2: Nomad, will begin broadcasting in April 2021. It will take place several years after the events of the first season.

Plot

The series takes place in a futuristic Japan where licensed citizens live in a wealthy city while unlicensed citizens are forced into a slum on its outskirts. Megalo Boxing is a popular sport in this world similar to boxing, except the boxers fight while wearing a metal frame which makes their attacks much more lethal. Junk Dog is a young man who fights in underground illegal rings in fights that have a fixed result where his coach Gansaku Nanbu directs him on when to lose a fight. One evening he almost crashes his motorcycle into Yukiko Shirato, who is the head of the wealthy Shirato Group which oversees the Megalonia tournament. Junk Dog picks a fight with her bodyguard Yūri who is also the top ranked Megalo Boxer. Yukiko stops the fight but Yūri seeks out Junk Dog and meets him in the underground ring where he easily beats the less-experienced fighter and tells him to fight him again in Megalonia, which Junk Dog would need a place at the top of the official Megalo Box rankings to qualify for, as well as a proper citizenship ID to enter the rankings in the first place. After Nanbu persuades the mob boss Fujimaki to forge Junk Dog an ID under the name Joe, the two are given 3 months to achieve their goal of working their way to the top of the Megalo Box rankings in order to have a chance of fighting in Megalonia.

Characters
Joe/Junk Dog
Voiced by: Yoshimasa Hosoya[3] (Japanese); Kaiji Tang[4] (English)
Junk Dog (ジャンクドッグ, Janku Doggu) is an underground Megalo Boxer from the outskirts of town whose real name is unknown, he is forced to throw fights to earn money for his crooked manager. He initially fights with old Gear that is constantly in need of repair. He takes on the name "Joe" (ジョー, Jō) when he has a Citizen ID forged in order to enter the Megalonia tournament. He later takes on the ring name "Gearless" Joe (ギアレスジョー, Giaresu Jō) as part of a gimmick to rise in the rankings quickly, fighting without Gear against Gear-equipped opponents.
Gansaku Nanbu
Voiced by: Shirō Saitō[3] (Japanese); Jason Marnocha[4] (English)
Gansaku Nanbu (南部贋作, Nanbu Gansaku) is Junk Dog's manager, coach and a gambler with a drinking problem who keeps making him throw fights, even though deep down he believes in Junk Dog's abilities.
Yūri
Voiced by: Hiroki Yasumoto[5] (Japanese); Lex Lang[4] (English)
Yūri (勇利) is Yukiko's bodyguard and the Megalo Boxing champion. He seeks out Junk Dog after the latter insults his owner, meeting him in the underground ring he easily defeats him before telling him to work his way up in Megalonia if he wants to fight him again. Yūri is equipped with a unique prototype "integrated" Gear, which is surgically grafted directly to his arms.
Yukiko Shirato
Voiced by: Nanako Mori[3] (Japanese); Erika Harlacher[4] (English)
Yukiko Shirato (白都ゆき子, Shirato Yukiko) is the head of the Shirato Group who oversees the Megalonia tournament.
Sachio
Voiced by: Michiyo Murase[3] (Japanese); Erica Mendez[4] (English)
Sachio (サチオ) is a young boy from the impoverished Restricted Area who is talented with using and fixing machinery, which he and his friends often use to steal goods which they exchange for "Red Candy", a type of drug.
Fujimaki
Voiced by: Hiroyuki Kinoshita[3] (Japanese); Jamieson Price (English)
Fujimaki (藤巻) is a mob boss that sets up fixed fights for Junk Dog and Nanbu. He assists the duo in acquiring a forged Citizen ID so they can enter Megalonia and pay him back with the prize money after Junk Dog refuses to throw a fight.
Tatsumi Leonard Aragaki
Voiced by: Makoto Tamura[6] (Japanese); Greg Chun (English)
Tatsumi Leonard Aragaki (タツミ・レナード・アラガキ, Tatsumi Renādo Aragaki) is Nanbu's former student. He was called up for military service a few years before the start of the story, during his time as a soldier he was directly hit by an explosion which cost him his legs and burned half his face off. When he returned home he started to suffer from PTSD which led him to attempt suicide and he also felt abandoned by Nanbu after finding that he had closed down his gym when he thought Aragaki had died. He makes his return to Megalo Boxing 3 years before the start of the story and fights his way up to rank 17, when he hears that Nanbu has a new popular Megalo Boxer named Joe he vows to destroy him so that Nanbu can feel his pain, but he also wants to earn money from sponsors so that he can repay everyone from the veteran's association for giving him his life back.
Miyagi
Voiced by: Yōhei Tadano[6] (Japanese); Jake Eberle (English)
Mikio Shirato
Voiced by: Tatsuhisa Suzuki[6] (Japanese); Robbie Daymond (English)
Mikio Shirato (白都樹生, Shirato Mikio) is Yukiko's older brother and the developer of Ace, a state-of-the-art Gear equipped with artificial intelligence that allows it to read and predict an opponent's moves, formulating the perfect counters and strategies. Mikio is arrogant, egotistical, and smug, believing "stray dogs" like Joe are not worthy of standing in the same ring as himself. Mikio was passed over for becoming the head of the Shirato Group in favor of his sister, a fact that causes him to hold a grudge against her.

Media

Anime
See also: List of Megalo Box episodes

The series was announced on October 12, 2017 through a video uploaded to TMS Entertainment's official YouTube channel. Yō Moriyama, who previously worked as a concept designer on Attack on Titan and Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, serves as series director and concept designer. The opening theme is "Bite" by LEO Imai[7] and the ending theme is "Kakatte Koi yo" (かかってこいよ, Come at Me) by NakamuraEmi[8] with insert songs performed by rap artist COMA-CHI.[9] The series was simulcasted on Crunchyroll; it aired for 13 episodes and the Japanese Blu-ray release contained a new short anime.[10] During their Anime Expo 2018 panel, Viz Media announced that they have licensed the anime.[11] Anime Limited announced that they had acquired the series for home video release in the United Kingdom and Ireland.[12] Madman Entertainment acquired the series for distribution in Australia and New Zealand, and streamed the series on AnimeLab.[13][14]

The series premiered on Adult Swim's Toonami block on December 8, 2018.[15]

During Anime NYC on November 16, 2019, the staff announced that the series will receive a second season.[16] The second season, titled Megalo Box 2: Nomad, will premiere in April 2021 on Tokyo MX and BS11.[17] The main staff and cast members are returning to reprise their roles.[18]

Manga

Chikara Sakuma launched a manga adaptation of the Megalo Box anime titled Megalo Box - Shukumei no Sōken (メガロボクス 宿命の双拳, "Megalo Box - The Twin Fists of Fate") which was serialized in Kodansha's Shōnen Magazine Edge from February 17, 2018 to August 17, 2018 with 2 published volumes.[19][20]

References
  1. "Ashita no Joe Manga Inspires New TV Anime With Original Story in Spring 2018". Anime News Network. October 13, 2017. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
  2. "Crunchyroll Adds 'MEGALOBOX' TV Anime to the Spring 2018 Lineup". Crunchyroll. April 4, 2018. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  3. "Megalobox Anime Reveals 4 More Cast Members in Videos". Anime News Network. February 8, 2018. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  4. Ressler, Karen (November 17, 2018). "Megalobox English Dub Cast Revealed". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
  5. "Hiroki Yasumoto Joins Megalobox Anime's Cast". Anime News Network. February 15, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
  6. Hodgkins, Crystalyn (April 27, 2018). "Megalobox Anime Adds 3 New Cast Members". Anime News Network. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  7. "Megalobox Anime's Opening Theme Video Streamed". Anime News Network. March 29, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  8. ""Megalo Box" Anime Casts Yoshimasa Hosoya in Lead Junk Dog Role". Crunchyroll. February 1, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  9. "Megalobox Anime's Video Previews COMA-CHI's Rap". Anime News Network. February 20, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  10. "Megalobox Blu-rays to Include New Anime Shorts (Updated)". Anime News Network. April 7, 2018. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  11. Hodgkins, Crystalyn (July 5, 2018). "Viz Media Adds Smashed: Junji Ito Story Collection Manga, Megalobox Anime". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  12. Stevens, Josh A. (October 28, 2018). "Anime Limited To Release Sword Art Online Alternative & More". Anime UK News. Retrieved October 28, 2018.
  13. AnimeLab [@AnimeLab] (August 2, 2018). "Fierce fists fly as underground boxer 'Junk Dog' descends into the world of MEGALOBOX, a sport that combines boxing with mechanical equipment known as Gears. Jump into the ring with MEGALOBOX on AnimeLab now!! 💥🥊" (Tweet). Retrieved June 1, 2019 – via Twitter.
  14. "Megalobox Complete Series (Eps 1 - 13) (Blu-Ray)". Madman Entertainment. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  15. Ressler, Karen (October 4, 2018). "Megalobox Premieres on Toonami on December 8". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  16. Sherman, Jennifer (November 16, 2019). "Megalobox Anime Gets Sequel". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
  17. "MEGALOBOX 2: NOMAD Punches Up This April With New Teaser Visual, Trailer 🥊". Funimation. January 27, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  18. Pineda, Rafael Antonio (January 27, 2021). "Megalobox 2: Nomad Sequel's Teaser Reveals Returning Cast, Staff, April Debut". Anime News Network. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  19. "Ashita no Joe Spinoff Anime Megalo Box's Teaser Video Streamed". Anime News Network. January 17, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  20. "Chikara Sakuma's Megalobox Manga Ends". Anime News Network. August 18, 2018. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
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