Megalo Box is an advanced form of boxing where competitors wear metal frames called Gear. When the first ever Megalonia tournament took place, "Gearless" Joe became its champion and known to all as a legendary fighter. However, soon after, he lost an exhibition match against the second champion and vanished from the public eye.
Seven years later, Joe now goes by "Nomad" and keeps a low profile, occasionally fighting in a few underground matches to get by. He is haunted by hallucinations and relies on a set of painkillers to numb his mind.
During a match, Joe wins against an opponent, Chief, who purposefully loses for some extra cash from gamblers. Subsequently, Joe discovers that Chief is from a community of immigrants called the Casa. Chief is gradually trying to make enough money to purchase the land where they live illegally. At first, Joe hesitates to get involved, but eventually decides to lend the Casa a helping hand.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
Nenhum episódio encontrado.
Comentários
KANLen09
"As the wind whirled by, a Hummingbird appeared before the Nomad as they made their way through the wasteland. Hummingbird: Will you listen to my song, Nomad? I'm in a hurry, ask someone else. But the Hummingbird just won't give up and pursued the Nomad. Hummingbird: Please, I must sing my song. Nomad: You're rather selfish. Sorry, but I' m just not in the mood. I'm on a journey to die. Hummingbird: But that's ridiculous. Who goes on a journey to die? Nomad: It's the truth. Why would I bother lying before I die?But the hummingbird refused to give up.
Hummingbird: Then how about this? If I can make you lie, listen to my song. If I fail to do so, I will say no more.
Wanting to be freed from the persistent pest, the Nomad agreed.
Hummingbird: Why do you want to die?
Nomad: Because I lost everything.
Hummingbird: That's a lie.
Nomad: But it's not a lie. I lost my home, my fortune...and my family died from illness. I've got nothing left.
Hummingbird: No, you still have eyes to see me and ears to hear my song. You even have a mouth to speak to me.
Nomad: Yes, you're right.
Though they felt that they had been duped, the Nomad admitted defeat.
Nomad: All right, I lose.
The Nomad didn't want any more trouble, and stopped to hear the Hummingbird's song. The voice was so beautiful that it filled the Nomad's empty heart with a gentle warmth just for a moment.
After it had finished its song, the Hummingbird flew towards the ray of sunlight that was peeking through the clouds."
- The Hummingbird and the Nomad (Storybook)
Redemption. The most successful and decorated Olympian of all time, Michael "Flying Fish" Phelps, sums the one word this way: "Perseverance, determination, commitment, and courage-those things are real. The desire for redemption drives you."
Going back to Megalo Box, the prequel being a creation and a homage to the 50th anniversary of Ashita no Joe a.k.a Tomorrow's Joe, was a fun watch when the anime first debuted in Spring 2018, but quickly faded into obscurity for it being like a stereotypical Shounen anime where the underdog fights his way through all the underground boxing ring matches, to then rise up and be a formidable foe. Even I'll admit that going back to Season 1 now, just feels like the re-watch has made the experience much worse and a slog to finish this "boxing" anime.
But the sequel here, dubbed Megalo Box 2: Nomad? NOW THIS IS A 100% GAME CHANGER of anything but everything that we haven't yet seen before. And apparently the production team behind the prequel also thought of it the exact same way with director You Moriyama, whom producer Minako Fujiyoshi had to convince him to do so, thinking that the prequel by itself is an open-and-shut case. Rather than make yet another season of staying with the whole "tribute to the past" thingie-a-bob (which was what attributed to the less-than-stellar feedback in both Japan and the West at the time), the staff team scrapped that idea, and went for a more mature theme that displays the post events of Gearless Joe in a long timeskip of 7 years, where everyone has matured and Joe's fall from grace as a depressed adult post-Megalonia. Instead of sticking to the same "Ashita no Joe" guns that bullets could crack for its own niche, the production staff team went for a more independent work which incoporates real-life societal issues, while still following Joe as he travels from place to place, while simultaneously not being able to move on from his past friends and rivals. AND BOY DOES IT SHOW, I'd say this change greatly increased the impact that boxing anime fans have been craving for the longest time.
If anything, this Nomad sequel proves one crucial thing that is missing from the prequel: character development IS KING, neither the boxing matches (though since this is a boxing anime at its core, it has to be there) nor the impact of wins or losses. As such, Nomad starts out differently than your average sequel, giving it the vibe sense that the world of the past is present, but you cannot always look back to your glory days and make the same results again. And that's Gearless Joe's re-account of his mature life being the Nomad: the one who wanders around with no goal in sight.
Need I mention that Nomad itself is more complex (as foreshadowed by the production team), but still reigniting the same flame of nostalgia? Because that is what it is: the Gearless Joe is not the same Gearless Joe 7 years later, and has largely kept to a low-profile state after losing out to Yuri's young successor Edison Liu, leading to his recluse life under painkiller drugs and earning money from his old ways of underground boxing matches. If you're wondering why I'd mention a "nonsensical" story in the beginning of this review, "The Nomad and the Hummingbird" is essentially the mature-but-depressed and delusional Joe's road from cradle to death, then riding the road to redemption, and it is a crucial pointer in the progression of the sequel. Through the same-old and new characters that are like character arcs in and of itself (and outstanding ones at that), these people will teach Joe the meaning of life, and what it meant by getting through all the trouble of being an outcast and making the most out of the new life, setting new goals, objectives and aspirations for the future. Seriously though, never have I been so captivated by a character-centric story so jarring, yet is intensely intriguing and hits at the heartstrings like a solemn foreign song played on the guitar. You can never find a better original story like this that is done through much of the production staff team's back-and-forth multiple discussions about the new Gearless Joe and his mature characterization, but fix as much as they can it did to give it an edge that I can say, is on a much higher pedestal than any typical "underdog to champion" fame kind of boxing show.
Mature being the theme of Nomad, and of course, with such a huge timeskip, Joe and the kids of Team Nowhere have matured A WHOLE LOT. We all know what happened to Joe, but in the course of events, his manager-cum-coach Nanbu...shall I say, had some life complications to the point that Sachio and crew thought that Joe was solely at fault when he "abandoned" them for his own gain when going against the former No. 1's student successor (Edison Liu). Needless to say, all of that was a recipe for disaster, as the tables had drastically turned on Joe: the loss of his Megalonia "champion" status, and Sachio with the Team Nowhere kids exiting Joe's life thereafter. 7 years later, everyone obviously grows up, but Joe's fame got so much on his head that the loss subjected him to post-natal depression. Overtime, the new characters Chief (an Afro-Latino immigrant) and Mac "The Hero" Rosario (brought in as the new technological face of boxing Gear) encounters Joe, fights him, and teaches each other about what their human values are worth fighting for, hence the symbolism of "The Nomad and the Hummingbird", which explicitly interchanges the roles between the three Megaloboxers (once in each character arc), educating them and edifying the meaning of "coming home to the family". Even if all is lost, your family will still be right beside you, even through the course of life and death. And you know that I ABSOLUTELY LOVE symbolisms in shows, and Nomad does an outstanding job at reading between the lines when it comes to characterization of the tightly packed and immaculate kind.
TMS Entertainment is back to produce this show (without the help of its subsidary 3xCube which also produced the classic Ashita no Joe), but this time, the old-school style animation is largely improved for the better. Even Joe's VA Yoshimasa Hosoya was surprised at the improved animation, and quote-unquote "was surprised by the improved animation which he felt to be more fit of a movie rather than a TV series". Season 1 wasn't bad, but the asinine tight production schedule, other than the tribute of sampling full HD to old 480p visuals, made it truly stand out in its time. Season 2 here is largely more of the same, though I'd guess that 3 years of production development is more than enough time to make this sequel work its legs to kick out wonders. It is an unique mold, all on its own.
Even the music by famed composer mabanua is back with more of the same-old, old-school style instrumentals, but incorporating with Mexican-Spanish themes. Such as the OP "The theme of the Nomad" which is meant to sound like a glorification of Gearless Joe's better days in mono, to the Latin-American ED "El Canto del Colibrí" (translated as "The Hummingbird's Song") in full Spanish Tejano "folk" style music, meant as a song of the hummingbird, seen as a messenger of the gods used to convey good and peaceful thoughts to kin about their loved ones, dead or alive. And even as much as I miss LEO Imai's hyper OP "Bite" of the prequel, this narrative shift of a sequel does not need all the barking and biting hype, and settles for the comtemporaries to add the classic punch to the impact.
Overall, it's insane to see a famed sequel like Megalo Box 2: Nomad, be so shunned by the community, because other than it being a vastly superior sequel, it can also be taken in as an independent work all by itself. Providing the fact that you have to bear through the decent prequel to get to this sequel, I can safely tell you that the wait is worth the trouble.
Este es un Anime Excepcional Secuela! Realmenté excellenté.
Stark700
Anime that mixes science fiction and sports drama together aren't very common these days. When you throw characters into a boxing ring, it becomes more of a sensation because you konw, someone is going to get hurt. No, I don't just mean getting hurt in the fight. I mean, someone is going to risk their pride on the line in front of the world. Megalo Box returns for a surprising sequel in Spring 2021. Indeed, Megalo Box getting a second season almost feels like a miracle. Joe has been established as a character with integrity but also one we came to understand and relate to. Fromthis season, we see a change in his character, including his name. Now going by the name 'Nomad', the first episodes explores his psychological state of mind and how he lives his new life. Taking place roughly 7 years since the first season, we see Joe living his life not with luxury but one who tries to get by everyday, almost like a survivor. He relies on painkillers that translates into a sort of dangerous addiction. This self-destructive behavior shows that Joe has a hard time letting his past go. The painkillers he takes feeds on his mind to forget, even if it's damn impossible.
And that's the beauty about Nomad: Megalo Box 2. This show is so much more than about throwing punches in a ring. We start off this season with heavy drama that deals with sensitive topics in the sports competitive world. Let's also not forget that despite Joe trying to keep a low profile to himself, he still possess competitive skills in the ring. Sure, he may not be at his prime but Joe hasn't lost his touch either. From the first few episodes, we also meet Chief, a character who inspires Joe to once again rise up and be himself. It's not until a life changing event later when Joe decides to truly move on from his past. Chief represents the source of power that Joe needed this season. He's been running from his past and if it wasn't for Chief, his future would be grim, perhaps even nonexistent. For this season, it gave us a deep dive into Joe's psychological mind, about how he's been dealing with Nanbu's death, and how he moves on. Joe's worst enemy is himself and it's important to see how manages to defeat it.
Joe isn't the only character who underwent changes. One of the more prominent characters who underwent a character change is Sachio, a young boy who has now grown up as a teenager also getting involved as a Megaloboxer. But no mistake, he isn't as skilled as Joe, Yuri, or any other of the elite fighters. More importantly is his feelings towards Joe and how he seem him this season. Other important characters making their appearances includes Edision Liu, a man who wants to prove himself and to Joe that he is a true Megaloboxer. On the other hand, we also meet Mac, a Megaloboxer who draws in some parallel similarities to Joe in his quest of redemption. The season even goes through his past life and how he became where he is in he present time. Even more interesting is how we see technology can influence a person's life, most noticably Mac. You have to know that fighting in a ring with a robotic arm and gears has its risks. This season turns up to the 11 when we realize the real consequences, with Mac being the perfect example of telling and showing.
If you believe in this show to succeed, you're going to need some patience especially with the story pacing. The first half of this sequel is more about Joe's personal recovery from his past and move on with his life. The second half draws in more about the boxing world's truths and consequences. It also sets up for a mega confrontation between perhaps two of the series' biggest names: Joe and Mac. The latter is a character that isn't easy to accept at first but over time, the show truly wants us to understand his character. And indeed, Mac's personality and characterization gives us a deeper insight not just about him but also the Megalo Box world. How can we ever forget the dystopian society that differs so greatly between the wealthy and the poor? When I came into this season, I knew this show would do a lot more than just show us a memorable boxing match.
Similar to the previous season, we got the crude yet aesthetic art style we were familiar with. The most memorable quality relies on Joe's physical features, showing his longer, dirtier hair. His character expressions were also more depressed until he meets Chief. Speaking of which, Chief himself shows traits of a leader and mentor. His general composition and personality is reflected in his expressive dialogues. To say the least, we managed to get a very human story with characters driven by certain ambitions. As with a sci-fi dystopia, the technology in this show has both a simple yet complex way of selling its product. The robotics and technology adds credibility to the unique style of Megalo Boxing. Every move in that ring shows what the capability of such technology in this timeline and by no understatement, it's a sight to remember. The director and producers managed to truthfully animate this season with a goal in mind and that goal was achieved.
Megalo Box may seem like a simple sci-fi sports drama show at first but it proves itself to be a complex storyteller. From the deep character development of Joe/Nomad to the storytelling of Mac, it shows how people can change or influenced by certain people or events. This season may not be very easy to jump into at first but you won't regret taking that step to live the dream again.
Skarvalin
A happily ever after doesn’t exist. Nomad takes the cheerful conclusion of the first season and throws it down the gutter. Gearless Joe, a man who had reached his peak early in life, is left stumbling into a downward spiral. What’s left after a few years is a lone man with nothing. Wandering on without a destination. Getting money the only way he knows how. A stray dog now more than ever before. A continuation of a story whose ending, albeit not perfect, felt complete, could very well have been just a way to milk a pre-existing series dry. But I was glad to seethat wasn’t the case here. Nomad doesn’t use the first season as a crutch, but as a foundation to build off of.
The uplifting nature of season one is replaced with a much more somber tone. Joe who had previously been fighting for his future, now fights to handle the pain of his past. It’s in stark contrast to where we last saw him in his life, but not a bad direction to take his character. Of the whole first season's cast, he was definitely one of the least interesting ones. He’s a blatant representation of an underdog and works as an inspiration to seize your future with your own hands. He was pretty much just a caricature, and the show was more or less carried by the people around him. But without the urgency of a massive tournament, this season had more room to develop him and the rest of the cast. Taking what we already knew and expanding upon it.
This is where Nomad truly shines greater than its predecessor. It’s not tied down by a destination and has the freedom to explore its cast to the fullest of its runtime. Resulting with the characters having an added sense of realism and complexity to them. While also staying true to how they behaved in the past. But with this freedom comes a paper-thin narrative. Nomad is very much just about exploring the characters as they find their way of life and where they belong. At the start of the show, Joe had lost his former home. Much like a nomad he travels around. Stuck in his past guilt, unable to move forward in his life. Throughout the show there’s a wide usage of the hummingbird as a symbol for guidance. The one who sets Joe on the right path again, a man named Chief, wears this symbol as pride of his nationality. It’s not symbolism at its most subtle, but ties naturally into the main theme and gives meaning to it.
The lack of an overarching story means that your enjoyment will be largely dependent on your perception of the cast, even more so than in season one. However, even with the looser structure, the identity of Megalo Box is very much still present.
If the first season's distinct artstyle and stellar soundtrack was enough to grind your gears then you’ll find that Nomad still has that in spades. Visually pretty much identical to where we left off. The same grit and rawness is still present in the artwork, with good use of lighting and shot composition. Animation is still packing the same punch as what we were given in season one. The fights are bloody and the punches have a strong sense of weight to them. Meanwhile the music is yet again made by mabanua. Giving us beats with an attitude, getting the blood pumping and ready for action. But has a much stronger hispanic influence in its identity this time around. The music also isn’t afraid to leave it’s upbeat focus to suit the otherwise pretty dismal tone of this season.
Nomad was an unneeded follow-up to a show that’s been falling into obscurity. But one that left the series on a higher note that it previously had done. Delivering on more of the series strengths as well as improving on some of its more sour apples. With characters that are more empathizable, and themes one can easily relate to. This installment is definitely an underdog, and it's a shame this won't get the amount of attention that it deserves. But thanks to the ones who'll follow through. The story of Joe is not dead yet.
valzzor
Slight spoilers ahead. I’m on the record saying I didn’t think Megalo Box needed a sequel and that I don’t think a sequel could even do much. Boy, was I wrong, and i’ve never been happier to be wrong in my entire life. This season of Megalo box is a masterpiece. It takes everything good about season 1: setting, animation, aesthetic, and soundtrack, makes them better, then just makes everything else better while its at it. It improves on the established characters, introduces interesting new ones, and has a more engaging story, all while being thematically brilliant. This season improves upon every character, showing the effects ofthe previous season on them, but also producing new arcs for certain characters that feel incredibly organic, but also personal and emotional. This season is significantly more “noir” in feel then the first season, so much so that the opening looks like it could be attached to something like reservoir dogs, and the characters reflect this. They are selfish and quite often do the wrong thing for their own personal benefit, both emotional and financial. Joe himself is especially standout in this season, which given the level of character writing is very impressive. They take previously established ideas about his character, such as his drive to feel alive within the fight, but also using the ring to move forward in his life, and deconstruct these elements to show how these ideas can negatively impact him and the people around him. The other stand out character for me this season was Chief. Chief is a character we meet early on who helps get both the story and joe’s character arc rolling, while being a thematically brilliant character. His and Joe’s dynamic is one of my favourites of all time.
Story wise, this season is very different from the first. Whereas the first was a simple underdog story focusing completely on the sport, Megalo boxing takes a major backseat in this season, used only for character progression. It becomes a true character story, with almost a seinen feel to it. Now for some who came for the boxing itself, this may be a drawback, but for me it most definitely wasn’t. A strong focus on the themes and characters within the narrative allowed for far more emotional moments then the first and has seriously endeared me to characters within the story this time round. Without spoiling too much, the story is simply about joe hitting rock bottom and what he wants to do now he’s here and this story helps explore many of the character's from a completely different angle from before, which helps keep the season feeling incredibly fresh and new, despite being a sequel.
The visuals of this anime are just amazing. This is a superbly directed anime, with an incredibly unique and engaging visual style that really helps set it apart as something different. While it may not always have the insane sakuga moments of many a shonen out there, that’s not to say they don’t flex their artistic muscles at all, because they do. There is still plenty of moments of brilliant sakuga to be seen, made ever more appealing by the brilliant directing and visual style. One visual motif omnipresent within the season is the hummingbird, which is used to great effect within the anime as a symbol of home and a visualisation of what people are fighting for. Everything from the style, direction, cinematography and visual motifs are great.
The soundtrack. What to say about the soundtrack. Mabanua is a genius. The soundtrack of season 1 was already brilliant and one of my favourites, but he somehow made it better. With this effort, Mabanua has easily cemented himself as one of my favourite musicians within the industry. On top of that, the voice actors give an amazing performance and everything within the sound production is solid. Genuinely nothing to complain about, and a lot to love.
And to top it off, it’s also thematically brilliant. It uses the first seasons ending to bring forward these ideas of dreams and how joe has impacted the world but uses the same characters that have been impacted by these dreams joe has shown them to show the importance of its other theme, home. This inner duality is present within all the main characters, but also within a lot of the world building. The show also tackles other themes, such as drug abuse and physical trauma within athletes, immigration and morality issues within the realm of technological progression. Its an incredibly diverse, but compact and tight thematic piece that sticks to these themes above all else.
I can already tell there will be people who think the ending is anti-climatic, and while I understand why they think this, I think this is the only ending that really makes logical and thematic sense and they definitely didn’t drop the ball on these aspects. As far as this “version” of the ending goes, it definitely did it well. This season got me emotionally many a time throughout all the season and has been an absolute treat to watch every week. This will be my choice for anime of the year.
Chief_AJ
This is the best singular season of any "sports" anime I have ever watched, and the reason it's in captions is because this was more than a story about boxing. It was a beautiful depiction of a broken man, a man that was so successful but so shattered into pieces, it's a story of that man reinventing and reinserting himself into his past life with the help of amazingly written characters along the way. From his old companions from season 1 to newer characters that were introduced here. All of them played a huge significant part in Joe's story, and how he looks at theworld, which is all that you can ask for. This was more than a sports anime, this was a masterpiece that I would recommend for anyone to watch.
To me I would give this 10 right hooks out of 10.
Atlos
(TLDR at the bottom, thanks for reading.) Nomad has no right to exist, but I am glad it does. You can almost consider nomad to be the other side of the meglobox coin, while s1 had a simple underdog story it derived its entertainment from the stellar visuals, soundtrack, and directing whereas nomad is much more focused on its story and characters, and less about the fight. Joe starts of this season back at the bottom, while he had achieved everything he set out to do in season 1 it doesn't make him happy. Nanbu's gone, Sachio's gone and while Joe is at the top he is allalone. "They don't make graves for stray dogs" but in the first episode, we see joe making a grave for a stray dog, combined with the constant imagery between Joe and stray dogs perfectly shows what's has happened to joe. We know Joe is dead, we only have nomad now.
The first four episodes don't really concern themselves with the fight but the focus is laid squarely on Joe and the Casa. I mentioned earlier that one of the reasons for Joe's depression was the depression stemming from his loneliness. Joe and the Casa are complete opposites, you have joe, the successful but lonely and depressed megloboxer and then you have the Casa a persecuted but happy group and opposites attract. Joe slowly grows closer and closer to the Casa until this wondering nomad finally has a home. Mi casa es tu casa.
And in episode 4 everything the Casa is aiming for is in their reach, they finally have the chance to be able to make the land the life on their home, and all it takes is for Chief to enter the ring once again. Then Chief does it, he secures the land for the Casa and then finally cements Joe as a part of the Casa by calling him, family. When Joe goes to offer Chief a handshake he refuses and hugs him instead, this scene is genuinely heartwarming after only 4 episodes we've seen Joe grow and develop as a character while this show builds some great characters of its own.
But nomad isn't a 4 episode show and it needs something to hold up its other 9 episodes, the show stubbles between plot points until its final episodes and it drags down the experience, the first four episodes set the bar too high and the rest of the series just can't reach it. Episode 5 is a flashback episode, while it does kind of work since Joe is alone again one of the big emotional climax's of the previous episodes is Joes developing and becoming his old self again and then a sad backstory episode kind of feels that the series is regressing a bit. There is some more back story, some new characters get introduced, some fights happen, this mini-arc about a new character called Mac et cetera et cetera. Nothing that really pushes this show to new heights happens, it certainly has its moments but nothing more than the previous season had. There has been this feeling of melancholy throughout the series, while megalobox was all about the glitz and glamour of boxing nomad is what happens in the aftermath of it all, and the mac mini-arc perfectly encapsulates this.
Mac, like joe and chief, is a boxer past his prime, He has fought with the gear and his age has come to pass, but because of the new technology offered to him by Sakuma he once more has a shot at the limelight. But all this has done is convinced Mac that he is ok when he clearly isn't. He keeps trying to achieve glory once again but he ends up pushing away what means the most to him, his family. There is this heartbreaking scene in episode 11 where Mac reaches to his son and he just screams "get away!" and everything from the accompanying ost to the hurt look on Mac's face these few seconds really sell this mini-arc. For a second nomad is showing that it can live up to its first 4 episodes. The only issue with this mini-arc is while it is great it doesn't have an emotional connection to Joe, while the Casa arc allowed Joes to grow and change as a character it is much harder to draw that comparison in the Mac arc which limits its potential.
The visuals of this season are the same as the previous season, it still has the low-resolution cel-animated look and while I like the cel-animated look the lower resolution of certain scene can harm anime. But other than that the animation is spot on. The ost is great, nomad has a very Spanish feeling to its ost and to the Casa which helps it carve its own identity, it's a shame that most of the Spanish influences are mostly contained in the first 4 episodes though.
TLDR: Nomad manages to be more than just an extra cour of megalobox but if you are only here for the fights to might not be too impressed.
Bjoviii
THIS SHIOT IS SOOOOO PEAK WATCH IT RIGHTN OWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!. Stop reading these essay long reviews and spend that time watching this show instead. Ok so last season was like this: there's a dude in a ghetto living illegally, surviving by boxing. Alright sounds pretty peak already. Later on in the season it mostly just went on to fights and some side character backstory to fill out the episodes. It wasn't bad but it coulda been better, each ep became kind of predictable. What I liked the most in the first season was really all the character and world building which was very prominent in thefirst episodes.
THIS season however went all out on that character and world bulding. I could really get attached to the world and the characters. It wasn't as much focus on joe (the mc) going to the top or being fucking badass but since we already got to see that in the season prior, I think this was the perfect follow up. Nah just go watch this it's so amazing. If you haven't watched the first season either you won't regret it.
Emcio0828
The sequel I was never waiting for becomes the one I never thought I needed. Nomad: Megalo Box 2 provides a deep dive into our main protagonist Joe, as we see him at his lowest low having lost everything we saw him achieve at the first season. It gives also us a nice insight into Mexican culture/philosophy and a new-found sense of community Joe experiences to fight his demons and make up for his past mistakes. Story (10): A common trope in anime that I've learnt to tolerate in most forms of anime are heavily monologues and dragged out stories that take a while to getrolling. Thankfully, Nomad is very expressive in it's themes through its striking visuals (no pun intended) and raw emotions. If it could be summed up, season 1: fight to prove your worth and season 2: be content with what you have/gained and live for it.
Art (9): Just from looking at the poster alone, you can still see the retro look still hasn't failed us; the characters still look as great as they did in previous season. While not as overly-dynamic as Hajime no Ippo in terms of its fights and movement, you can still feel the impact and tension in fights through the character's emotions and the the good directing of key frames.
Sound (10): I don't know how he does it, but mabanua outdid himself on this soundtrack, be it the reprisal of Saicho's theme, the epic vocals of the opening or the haunting but strangely peaceful serenity that comes of the ending song. It is certainly an aspect of the series that cannot be overlooked.
Character (10): Nomad does something special in my eyes, it regresses the characters but makes it feel so natural that I still vouched for them and hoped they could overcome these flaws of theirs and once more come out on top. It made them feel more complex as I couldn't always decide who was right and who was wrong, which makes the drama and build up to the fights feel more tense. As opposed to somewhat formulaic underdog story of the first season.
Enjoyment (10): If you thought the conclusion to the first was heart warming and inspiring, Nomad takes you on an even more thought-provoking journey that you could never think possible. It gives us the sort of life lessons and motivation we come to associate with boxing movies in Hollywood and the timeless themes of Ashita no Joe truly come through in this re-telling of a classic.
Overall: 10/10. Anime's answer to Rocky and Rocky II.
DRAGONIC5SOUMIK
We've truly witnessed the conclusion of a Masterpiece guys. For those who think this is a trash ending or didn't like the ending mainly because Joe didn't win the Match or hated that it brought to a stop by Sachio well, I think it will help if you look at this anime from a different viewpoint. Firstly it's not your general sports anime where everything is focused on the sport, everything does to some point revolve around Boxing but the story is more like Ping Pong the Animation it focuses more on Life and the Act of Living and different stages/changes in Life. General sports animes can bevery touching & deep too especially Haikyuu & Hajime No Ippo they are all Masterpiece and I just love sports anime but here the focus is not Boxing instead Boxing is just a Medium for Struggle, Fighting & earning their place in Life.
Joe, Mac & Chief lost their ways and wandered aimlessly but with the guidance of the Hummingbirds, they reached their Home. Boxing was always with them but this was a journey for them to reach their Home.
and if you think in this match they neglected boxing that's totally not true at all
Mac was determined to win the match with his own powers & abilities, not with the help of BES because that would be like cheating same as using a drug to beef up your power also with BES he was losing his mind, and his family HIS HOME. So in this match against Joe whom he admired greatly like an Idol and always dreamed to have a match with him, he fought being Himself & won with his own power that he himself cultivated.
And for Joe, he was already weakened by the side-effects of using Drug so if he had continued he could have died and so wouldn't be able to return to his home To Team Nowhere.
As Arnold Schwarzenegger said when he retired that he just stops competing but he would continue Bodybuilding till death.
The same goes for Joe he can now serve Boxing for all his remaining life and train many youths in boxing at Gym Nowhere which Mr.Nanbu & others of Team Nowhere created and now has become their HOME.
Joe, Mac & Chief all lost their ways & wandered for a long long time but in the end, all of them fought as Real Boxers and Returned HOME.
High-creep
WOW! Megalo box season one is amazing, but what the writer has captured here with season two is truly something special going above and beyond the anime norm surpassing my expactations. the story still centers around gearless joe after a considerable time skip as now he has gone back to his old ways of throwing matches, but now it's much worse. he has become addicted to pain killers that are doing considerable damage to his body. he has become known as a nomad with noting left to lose and nothing to gain being tossed aside like a dirty rag. i won't state more about the story because idont want to get into spoilers. Please watch it because my summery can't do it justice.
the facial expressions in this anime are what really drive it home for me each expression and body movement are chosen carefully espiacialy on the close ups mixed toghether with the desalot sandy hills and the wind being a gentle breeze just ads to the overall astedic.
music also plays a huge role doing a fusion dance to blend it all in toghether to make it feel more empty just like joe a man with nothing will always dance a emtpy tune and that goes well here.
the people he meets can relate to joe understanding loss over coming grieff losing it all but even throegh all that still finds hope in himself and joe changing hime to be a better man and not make the same mistakes. joe has one last fight, and the final battle is against his past, his future & the pesent, and you dont want to miss it.
k1080
I will certainly watch this again in the future since it was good. I loved s1 that was good but s2 was fire. bit disappointed with the last fight but the ending made up for it. I really like the metaphor too it was shoved down my throat since the start but i never got it until i read another review. Music was a banger too. Had some throwbacks to s1 music and that was fine. It showed some character growth. Had a tough time at the start because of his drug abuse though.LONG STORY SHORT: this shit absolutely fucking slaps
Kkioa
This review is semi spoiler friendly(made for those who already have watched Megalobox S1) While watching Megalobox S1 it felt a bit lacking in many areas and it didn't have much depth. I still enjoyed it and it just became a ''feel good happy ending anime'' If you had the same idea like me about Megalobox S1, prepare yourself for quite a ride. Megalobox S2 completely changes everything, it does a total 180. Megalobox goes from your typical feel good anime to a sad, reality like series. The best way to explain it would be that Megalobox S1 is just like a good dream where everything goesperfect and has a happy ending. Megalobox S2 is waking up from that dream and confronting the harsh reality of this world.
This one thing made me love S2 it just made the story feel so real, you witnessed the main character gain everything and then lose everything.
Boxing goes into the background while still having that presence since it still is a boxing anime. But S2 focuses more on character development and overall plot which I'm a big fan of.
The amazing art and animation stay the same, sadly the soundtracks aren't that good compared to S1 but still amazing.
If you watched Megalobox S1 this is a must watch and will drastically change your opinion on the entire series.
Cya
Word777Seven
I don't have much to say about this show, but it truly was a masterpiece, the first and second season. If I could I would have given this entire show and every single episode a 100/10, everything about it was just amazing; the art, the character, even just the story in general. I never thought that a show that I've been putting off for so long would be my favourite anime. When I first watched this i thought it would be your standard sports anime, but this proved otherwise. Even left me in complete awe. Not sure if what I'm saying even makes sense or iseven worth reading but it was just so incredible.
chips901
Megalo box 2 is the power to take a step forward. Sequel to the popular Megalo box, Megalobox 2 subverts expectations from the very beginning. With a story that isn’t centered around a protagonist, Megalo box 2 hones in on a more personal touch. Megalo box 2 kicks off in the future, taking place after the events of the iconic match between Joe and Yuri. It showcases this absolutely secret sauce of elaborating on the direct future, something most media don’t even consider. But this sauce is one of the most delectable ones out there, as I haven’t found a single instance where this sauce has tastedremotely rancid (yet).
Anyways, the reason why I find this secret sauce so mystical is because it always adds a lot more to the table. Megalo boxing gear (which existence I’ve always found perplexingly odd) has evolved, the world itself has evolved, but the only person who didn’t evolve is Joe.
For reasons unknown, he has taken up the path of illicit drugs and returns to the underground, permanently harming his full potential as sniffing dirty sugar would rightfully wreak havoc all over his body. Yet this show is not centered around Joe’s rehab, it’s moreso about the impacts of Joe’s legacy. Yes, this means you are required to watch the first season. Because this second season builds upon the impacts of something truly legendary.
Inspiration is the word I would use to describe the general mood of show. Inspiration as an emotion is very hard to pull off in media exactly because it requires a well-established world to back everything up. Without inspiration, you’re lifeless. But with it, you can dream, hope, and walk your way to a better tomorrow.
Okay, but having a pre-well-established world is only step one. Execution is step two. Megalo box 2 kicks off its first arc by depicting the plight of immigrants who are settled in an abandoned amusement park. This arc isn’t convoluted at all – big bad mafiosos try to evict poverty-tier immigrants. Unfortunately, that’s where I’ll stop talking about the story since it would just be me regurgitating the plot. To take a deeper look would spoil the fun. But everything else is the real deal.
The characters, if it wasn’t obvious from their circumstances, feel real. They all say the same thing about how they were all inspired from that singular match, but they all walk vastly different paths. It’s this variety and depth to these characters that makes them so interesting and believable. Therefore, I unfortunately cannot describe why these characters are so good simply because the show is built around them. It is exactly like Ping Pong the Animation in that regard.
My favorite characters are Yuri, Chief, and Liu, all respectable people that vary wildly in appearance. Chief is the de facto leader of the miserable immigrants. He bolsters a gear that’s thicker, making it defensive in nature. Liu on the other hand wields a gear that’s lighter and nimble, fitting for a fuck boy with dyed hair. I didn’t like Liu at first, his appearance gave off this cocky and egotistical vibe comparable to an insufferable influencer. But by the end of the series, he was as respectable as the rest of the cast. Yuri… well I didn’t expect anything from him and I got everything from him. Mac, despite being as fleshed-out as the rest of the cast, was my least favorite character. His story was too generic and tasteless for me to relate to. But again, I can’t describe the circumstances as that would heavily lean into spoilers. If you want to know why, shoot me a DM.
Mabanua returns to score the soundtrack of the second season, and my god. It is inspiration and then some. The general tones are vastly different from the first season with it feeling significantly more personal this time around. I have to commend him for this masterpiece of a soundtrack, being able to describe to my ears what a nomad returning home would sound like. On top of that, he’s still able to bring unique hyper vibes that the first season’s soundtrack is known for. I’m not sure if he executed the Latin music themes down to a tee, but those somber tones are truly chilling because they shouldn’t be such a downer. Favorite tracks are Liu’s theme, Determination (obviously), and the theme of NOMAD (both regular and UNPLUGGED).
The reason why I rated Megalo Box 2 a 9 is simple. The last episode was one of the most uninspiring endings I’ve ever seen in my time of watching anime. Not only was it purposefully and utterly predictable, it betrayed most of the values that made Megalo Box so good. Megalo Box 2 had the unique opportunity to send it off with a bombastic finale like the first season did. With Joe out of the way, watching matches is akin to watching it in real life because you aren’t able to predict how the match will end.
But this match was significantly different because it lacked the tension that made the fights so good in the first place. It was like I wasn’t watching a fight, but rather a montage of the good being good. It even went full anime despite being a well-grounded series. I would cringe if I had to rewatch the ending of Megalo Box 2. While you may enjoy the ending far more than I will, I just wish the ending had more bite to it. If season 2 throws out some of the tensest matches you’ll ever see, the ending is the limpest, wimpiest dick punch you’ll ever witness. It did not finesse its strengths and masterful tension, it did not flex, and it certainly did not entertain.
Megalo Box 2 showcases the lasting impacts that stem from something truly legendary. It showcases people that choose their own destiny, boxing for a very real purpose. It’s inspirational and only adds to the fact that Megalo Box is the real deal. If I were to be blinded by the light that is inspiration like the rest of the characters, I would gladly walk towards it to just see how far I can go. See you at the top, dear stranger.
Inclemnc
This anime if any is deserving of the title " masterpiece" There is so much to discuss so I will try my best to express the beauty I witnessed within Megalo box, and why I think any fan of anime should experience this work of art. Story: As a fan of Megalo box I had love for this series already, and had never yearned for more, I was happy to see Joe's story end where it had left off. I could have never predicted such a raw and gritty, beautiful continuation of a story that already impressed and left me with a feeling of fulfilment, the directionNomad takes Megalo box is a breath of fresh air in an industry that often loses it's way over time with the pressure of meeting deadlines, rushing a story to completion, forcing filler and fanservice onto it's audience to appeal to a generation that is overly eager for action and promiscuity above all else.
The experiences shown in Nomad are genuine and perfectly portrayed, the struggles of the hard working that immigrate, the resentment broadcast their way by the ignorant who were raised with hatred and lack a connection to culture, culture being something that connects people to one another when blood does not through love and acceptance, and furthermore Joe finding a place to call home within this culture because he is untainted by the generational ignorance.
This is a breathtaking story, and every episode is a worthwhile addition delivering something new that has you sitting there enamoured by the masterful writing and story building.
Characters:
Time has passed since Megalo box, and this is reflected in every character you once knew, some have grown while others have recessed. This character development is reflective of the real world, people change a lot after taking heavy losses and this can leave you in a state of tragedy.
As somebody who has experienced this kind of loss, I sought to escape by any means from the reality that was haunting me, I was a husk of who I once was and to see this portrayed so perfectly in Joe left me speechless, I felt like somebody out there understood me. This will stick with me for as long as I live, and I will forever praise Megalobox for showing that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Imagery:
Subtle yet powerful, every scene has a meaning or a connecton of some kind, any scene that strays from the plot contributes in some way through the most intelligent and elegant imagery I have ever experienced.
There are two scenes in particular that I feel convey my feeling perfectly, the first is a moment where Joe is travelling down the road on his motorcycle and along the way he encounters a lone wolf, in the heat of the moment said wolf turns and rears it's teeth at Joe standing it's ground which forces Joe to back down and turn away, sending himself sliding across the floor as his motorcycle collides with the roadside.
Later on Joe encounters the very same wolf, this time it is laid out on the floor whimpering and injured.
This imagery is open to interpretation, it could mean many things, but I'd like to share a few of my of my own interpretations so that you can understand how such a scene excited me.
This wolf is symbolized as Joe, he has nobody and travels from city to city living a desolate nomadic life, much like the wolf he has no pack yet he is a fierce and capable creature, never backing down no matter the risk.
In the scene where the wolf is injured this is representative of the Joe of today, he has fallen from his moment of glory in the first season, he pops pills and drinks himself silly to escape the pain of his losses. He is injured and vulnerable and is no longer the wolf that once reared it's teeth.
The hummingbird in the logo, the title for this series being Nomad, everything is imagery in some way and once you understand the connections it is hard not to smile.
Music:
Season 1's outro is one of my favourites, to this day I still have Kakatte Koi Yo in my playlist and listen to it weekly, following in those footsteps Nomad has even more beautiful music that feels like it came directly from Chief's people, while also complementing Joe and his story perfectly, El Canto del Colibrí is the perfect outro song.
Closing words:
If you are yet to experience this anime for yourself, please take the time to listen to this story, really take the time. Sit down out of the way of distractions, in a nice comfortable quiet room. Watch this anime, take in all of the connections between our world and Joe's, and appreciate the talent that went into this underrated masterpiece, if you do that I am sure you will see Nomad Megalo Box from the same place as I.
ANDy342
Desperately tries to rid itself of the trappings of the Shounen genre but ultimately it cant. The ideas on display here are brilliant and could have made a really fresh/exciting anime. Very rarely do we see shounen protagonists after their ultimate victory they often become essentially gods once its done. But here he falls back down to earth struggling with real issues like poverty, racism, drug addiction, even hate crimes are touched upon. But all of this is thrown away as the series progresses like an immense gravitational force is pulling it back to the its origins of shounen. There's just so many dropped ideas. So spoilers.For example, the Nomad in the title doesnt make sense. 80% of the show isnt Joe travelling but instead going home, the absolute opposite of a Nomad. But its weird for the first 4 episodes it really embraces the Nomad side. A man travelling aimlessly with no home. Then its dropped. Same for the drug abuse, that is solved in one episode. The racism is again solved in an episode. The kid is commiting hate crimes then he smiles and everyone is chill again. And its even weirder but Joe isnt white but never experiences any racism, the show just ignores the non-white main character in a show with racism??? Or why does it have a south American style/vibe going for 4 episodes for it to be dropped out of nowhere. All the promotional images, trailers and a 1/3 of the show has it but then its gone.
Then the rest of the show just becomes season 1 again and ends with the fight of the century. Never mind Joe is 10 years older and his body should be fucked from years of heavy drug abuse. At the start Joe is a Nomad, no real identity since he has left boxing. The show sets up him trying to find an identity post boxing only for him to become the same man he was at the end of season 1. I guess it was nice seeing the kids all grown up.
Overall it was ok. Im going to continue to keep an eye on this director because I do think he has talent, he just needs more experience.
2life
We got from the underdog, to top dog. Once this series got in motion, it didn't stop moving. Megalobox season 1 was a banger and for me an instant classic. The suburban vibe and the strive to survive were great underlaying motives for a story which is simple yet so appeal because it didn’t seek for deeper meaning, but rather an honest fist fight between manly man. Raw emotions and fights with a punch (badum-tsss). Imagine now, where would you go once you stand on the top? Megalobox Nomad has a perfect story for this. It delivered a great story and what I thought tobe “just a sequel” turned out to have more beautiful themes and contrasting concepts. This review will look at Nomad as a sequel as well as a standing anime.
Animation
The animation style got a change and I like it. Where the first season showed a style with rather a rough edge and a more American vibe, Nomad showed a softer style in line-art. It is for me a subtle yet striking resemblance to the personality of our main protagonist Joe. Where Joe in S1 was a lot of bark and bite he calmed down quite a bit in S2. Knowing what is dear to him and knowing how to let it be known what is dear to him he has gained some peace on mind.
Yet the “softer” drawn style isn’t making the fights feel any worse. It has the same quality it had before and there is still the “weight” of the punch you can feel. Each fight is captured in multiple angles emphasizing the stress, the tension and the passion of a match. Some match-ups felt there were fluid movements and other matches had a more biting like tone. As a sporter myself I could feel the connection between the fighters and how well it was brought to us as viewers.
Overall character design is still loyal to the first season except that the kids grew up and Joe looks like…. a nomad. The side-characters are still done very well and it mostly defines their personality. In a way you could say that the characters behave as you would expect them to behave. And if this is my expectation or rather how the anime pushes this idea on you with storytelling I think it’s done very well and exactly what made it enjoyable to watch.
Sound
The VA and the soundtracks were all very good. There is one song that plays in the OP and gets recycled everywhere in the episodes which isn’t all to bad, because it’s presence is subtle, but I still think they could have added just a few more variations. The VA are doing their job very good and you won’t tell a difference with S1 and their VA style.
The fighting FXS is crispy to listen to. Punches sounds like real punches and add a lot to the “depth” of a certain move. The music which accompany scenes with high tension or a relaxed mood was perfect to.
The OST is perfectly crafted to fit the new theme and style of Nomad.
Story
Well I honestly didn’t know what to expect from Megalobox Nomad. As I said in the intro, Joe went from a low-life to the number one boxer. So I was afraid that it either went on a drag with “Joe is number one” or that he would simply fight other and newer stronger opponents which would result in the typical shounen tournament arcs. I wouldn’t be thrilled for either of those stories. But Nomad took a different turn.
I was first shocked at what was the current status of our hero. We see him alone, almost downed and drug addicted. Seemingly he has even more scars now and looks like a professional hobo. This start made an impression and kept me thinking. What happened, and how did it happen. Joe still looked like Joe, but he acted vastly different than he used to be.
As the story progresses we see Joe opening up to our newly acquired friend ‘chief’. A short rehabilitation arc starts and Joe gets back on his two feet. It showed the hardship of being a family and losing family. Chief had some wonderful fights as well as there were some side themes like immigration and bullying. I thought that overall it wouldn’t be necessary to the story but it added a lot of depth to world building when nearing the end.
But Joe went as fast as he came. He finally went home. Or rather, what was left. In the second half there is finally some light to the question of what happened with team “Nowhere”. The answer is shown in a way like Joe wants to open up and reconnect with his lost family. What really hit it for me was that the answer wasn’t a plot element but that it was a story driver. The event right after the finals with Yuri and Joe really meant something. The flashbacks and reference to past events really showed how impact full his actions were and what they meant to him and his family.
And well, at last we get to see our third and final hero Mac ‘n cheese!!!, wait I meant Mac Rosaro!!! Who has a not so coincidental connection to the homeland of our Chief. Sidenote: the importance of being an immigrant and the connect story of the humming bird plays a viral roll. The story acts as a stage and as an anthology for the events which occur at a time and beautifully shows the resemblance between a wishful bedtime story and the reality.
The hero Mac has a beautiful story development. He is Joe’s final opponent, but he isn’t painted as “the opponent”. Mac is a man and has his own life and worries. Especially if you wear tech from Shirato company. But the thing with Mac is, is that lot of pain and worries goes unseen to the public. A “hero” doesn’t have weaknesses. It shows what a man can do when has the opportunity to rise once again.
While thinking back to S1 I also saw some interesting contrasting story elements. Season 1 had Joe which had to fight for his life. He had to give everything while he had nothing. Mac lost everything he had and now in the ring he has to protect everything what he regained and more.
There were also similarities with season one, like working up from the bottom to the top. Failing tech from Shirato company and actually 2 men who don’t want to think about politics but just want to have the clash of their life.
Conclusion
Megalobox nomad is an awesome story and continuation . We got to enjoy more epic battles with high quality frames and even more story and drama than in the first season. It hold everything that the first season had built up and expands on that without giving the feeling of a typical, cliché shounen or similar. The power in Megalobox Nomad is definitely it’s cast and their interactions. It feels warm, lively and sometimes prickly. Along the story you discover that they are people and that they do struggle to, even if they are called champions and heroes.
This anime is a must watch if you loved the first season or if you like sports anime in general. This anime has it all, tasty fights, good plot and likeable characters. Exactly like intended, I didn’t expect much from this anime. Truly an underdog in terms of MC and in anime.
LemonadeSamurai
Megalobox II Nomad is a difficult pill to swallow The story takes place 7 years later after Gearless Joe became the megalobox champion. We find out that Joe has vanished from the public eye but we the audience know he is back on the underground circuit as "Nomad" He somehow ended up a drug addict addicted to painkillers after Megalobox and is dependent on them to function after his body took all those beatings. the kids are all grown up now and everybody has left Joe. A series of events happened that we didn't get to see but are told in flashbacks involving Nanbu andJoe occurred with Joe leaving in disgrace.
Joe is all alone, it's a sad tragic tale. He ends up meeting a mexican immigrant boxer named Chief fighting to save his land and eventually becomes his coach.
I won't spoil the rest but it's a very sad story compared to the 1st season. Truth be told I didn't like it that much given how depressing it is.
Joe isn't the hero. He's the most popular boxer in the world however to his loved ones he is a coward and disgrace.
He's a broken man whose glory days are gone. If Megalobox was about the glory of Boxing, this is about the repercussions and redemption that follow.
Thoughout the show we're told of a Nomad and a Hummingbird, ironically chief wears a Hummingbird symbol on his gear and Joe's name is Nomad.
The story is of Nomad who meets Hummingbird and Nomad just wants to die. Which really encapsulates Joe and his saga.
Joe isn't the angry lone wolf anymore..he's just a wanderer with no goal except to die. He's lost everything.
The main issue with Megalobox 2 is that while it's got a beautiful somber theme and story of redemption..it's also very depressing and often boring.
We watched Joe rise to the top only for it to come crumbling down. We don't see much boxing in an BOXING anime. Instead we're shown flashbacks of what happened in 7 years and given an emotional drama.
There's boxing but it doesn't happen until later. Most of the episodes involve Joe being depressed and flashbacks of the past.
It feels like a big middle finger to the fans who wanted Joe to have a good life and to be happy. That's the core issue with Nomad.
The musical score is fantastic, especially the Hispanic guitar theme of Hummingbird and Nomad.
The animation is once again gorgeous.
But this is a very depressing anime to watch.
It's too realistic and sad for me. Joe deserved way better.
albertbolt
It's a 10/10 for me because I enjoyed the whole thing. I thought the anime was about boxing but it's much more than that, It's about life and struggle. The characters were beautiful. The music in this anime added an extra oomph to it, the background music suited the anime very well and it made the anime much more emotional and captivating. Overall It was a very good anime with great character writing and emotions. This anime was a subtle mixture of science fiction and combat sport but it was largely driven by the struggles of Gearless Joe who goes by the name nomad at thebeginning of the anime. The anime revolves around Joe's guilt trip and the people he meets change him in a considerable way. This anime will take you into the hearts of the characters and you will feel for them. The story was simple but it was good and enjoyable.
