Nomad: Megalo Box 2

"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 …

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. From this 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.

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 see that 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.

Watching Megalo Box 2 has made me want to rewatch the first season, but not on a good way. It's been over 2 years since I watched season one, and I gave it an 8. For a 13 ep season it was nicely paced, great story, thoroughly engaging and vary enjoyable. After watching season 2 however, I'm starting to question my initial thoughts. It's not great. I've never watched an anime that I can say was rushed and really slow at the same time. Quite and achievement to be honest. There are still 13 episodes but 3 story arcs and each one of them should have been great, they definitely could of been great, but they decided to write all 3 to one 13 episode season. The first arc is probably the best, but that isn't saying much. It kind of brings you nicely in from the first season, but only just. You do meet some interesting characters though. The set up is good for this arc, and very quickly the possibilities open up for a great story. You start to invest in the arcs main character, that isn't Joe, and look forward to each passing episode. That is until the story is abruptly done and you are forced to move on. You are left longing for the exploration of what could have been rather than being satisfied with what was. This arc could have easily been the entired 13 ep season if paced better The second arc is the worst. This may be tainted however by the fact it come directly after the poorly explored first. Basically, you meet some old characters, they are older, p***ed off, and is used as a vehicle for flashbacks and filling the gaps between season 1 and 2. It's irritating to be honest, one character in particular is insufferable. It tries some character development and fails. It tries some story progression, builds to a point where you feel that it coming to an exciting moment, you take a look at the episode count and suddenly realise you are in for another abruptly ended, poorly explored arc and now, you are thoroughly disengaged. Please bare in mind, this is a 13 episode season. By episode 6 or 7 you will have already been through 2 story arcs. The third and final arc of this 13 episode series is probably the slowest. It does however have some ok character development. Nothing great really, just OK. The focus is back away from Joe to a center focusing on 2 companies and a new Megalo Boxing star. From start to finish, this arc is again rushed yet manages to be really slow at the same time, every arc here could be explained as such, this arc however, is the shining example of this unfortunate description. By this point, I just didn't care. I didn't care about the story, didn't care about the characters. Only the always smooth animation was pulling me through this monotony. It was a massive disappointment from start to finish. On reflection, season 1 was great. Great pacing, great character development, great story. It seems that season 2 is everything the first season wasn't. A wasted opportunity, and I believe, has now written Megalo Box to closure when we could have had 2 to 3 seasons instead of this 1.

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 of the 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.

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.

I thought it was the worst of Megalo Box 1 combined with some weird, disjointed decisions. As mentioned in S1's review, I haven't seen Ashita no Joe so I have no idea how much, if any of this, is the fault of its predecessor and it's just following the script but having an excuse doesn't absolve you of poor writing decisions. In the previous season, I said I didn't think the majority of the boxing matches were well-written and S2 solves this issue by making the boxing matches even less prominent and having even less memorable boxers. For what it's worth, the boxers that DO matter feel less like battle shounen/sports anime opponents and more like characters but on the other hand, there are only really 2 outside of Joe himself that I thought were really all that relevant (3 if you want to count Liu but idk, man, are we really counting LIU?). And, ironically, the 2 boxers represent the big characters of the, like, completely different 2 arcs that are in this show. The first few episodes feel like a sucker punch, especially if you're fresh off S1 like me. You're kinda thrown in the deep end and Joe's in deeper shit than he ever was in S1, even if he doesn't have the Mafia breathing down his neck. And there's this distinct Hispanic flavor to the show which is cool but it's weird that the first few episodes are Joe helping a group of immigrants (speaking of which, is this show not set in Japan? I guess I assumed it was considering all of the scientists are Japanese and there are quite a few Japanese characters in the boxing world including Aragaki, Samejima, and Nanbu and this trend continues into S2... is there a wave of Hispanic immigration into Japan that I didn't know about?) and they just become background characters for the rest of the show. I guess it was the best part of the season even if I didn't like Joe's arc this season but, like, it didn't even feel like the same show to me personally. Even Chief, the one character who actually matters from this arc, he just dips and like, okay, sure. If this were the entire season, maybe I'd give it a point or two back, but it's such a weird place for the story to go. And then they just go back into Megalo Box S1 world and I feel like we should talk about Joe's arc now. We see Joe and he's Da Nomad(: Megalo Box 2) and he's on cheap pain pills and he's fighting with Gear in underground fights again because he's such a Tortured Soul and the kids from the first season hate him because he did something stinky and like, what the fuck, dude? You would think crippling his opponent/rival, apparently for life since he's still in the wheelchair in S2, would be the catalyst for this downfall but no, apparently that's all peaches and cream. Obviously not going to say what triggered this downfall because that's a spoiler but idk man, it wasn't that big a deal. In fact, Sachio being such a dickhead dweeb about it only served to make me strongly dislike him this season. Really, I don't like any of the kids this season. There's one who is just "the freelance reporter" and that feels like his whole gimmick. I guess I was feeling kind last season for not criticizing Bonjiri for being Fatass: The Character but he still is that but now he's a chef because he's fat. We also get arguably the biggest new character in Mac Rosario and it leans into the more technological aspects of Megalo Box (and brings back the Shirato siblings, Yukiko getting a stylish hair cut) and this arc also has interesting things to say about brain damage and CTE but because they spend a few episodes on the immigrant thing and a couple more unrelated episodes about Joe and his relationship with the kids from S1, they only get a few episodes to do ANYTHING with it and it's more "oh, this new guy [not the Shiratos, a different guy] who is responsible for the brain chip in Mac is actually a big dickhead and the brain chip is making him crash out." They even tease Joe having health effects from his boxing + pain pill abuse but other than leading to the wet fart of an ending for the one somewhat decent boxing match in the season, they don't get enough time to do anything with this either since they introduce that concept way too late. I get why they wouldn't want to write Mac pulling a Chris Benoit but it's a victim of the biggest culprit of this season (and given a different issue, Megalo Box in general). Similar to S1, this show is also 13 episodes. Maybe they could have given both arcs more time to breathe if it wasn't 13 episodes but as is, they should've cut one and let the other one cook. I would've respected the show more if it was all about the immigrant arc and we got to see Chief and the others for more than 4 episodes because I think that is by far the stronger arc. It would have been more tonally consistent if we just stuck with the latter arc. As is, I did not really care for any of the new characters, I thought a lot of the older characters were either just There (Aragaki, Yuri, I guess Yukiko?) or made actively worse (Joe, the kids), the show feels like 2 different shows glued together (or, arguably, clickbait since it keeps the Hispanic theming post-immigrant arc despite not really doing a whole lot with it after E4), and the boxing is even less prominent and good than it was in S1. I'm probably being generous giving it a 4 but, like, I don't know man, it didn't piss me off or anything. Maybe it's because I didn't end up caring for Megalo Box S1 that much in the end but this one was just kind of not very good and that's about it. I don't really see why you'd feel the need to watch this. The first 4 episodes are kind of intriguing so you can watch those maybe but it's just kind of for the best to imagine it doesn't exist and the show ended with Joe vs. Yuri.

(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 all alone. "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.

Anyone rating this less than 10/10 is doing so in bad faith. This season, and show in it's entirety, is a testament to what it means to be a man and to look and live beyond yourself. I simply couldn't recommend it more. I'd turn the rating up to 11 if it was possible. Watch it if you're looking for another anime to add to your all time favorites list. Watch it now, thank me later. Ignore every bad rating outright, you won't regret it. Here are some filler words because MAL requires a minimum amount of text, for some reason. The most important information has already been stated and this is just a formality. I refuse to spoil anything about the show, it's a journey you should go on for yourself.

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 the first 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.

I loved the first series. Just the ending was a let down. Didn't like the outcome of the final episode. Ruined it for me. First season is a 10. Second season is a 5. I am pretty upset about the ending. Before the last episode it was a 10/10. Then the ending killed it for me. That said the music is fantastic. Also really enjoyed the nomad and the hummingbird story. The ending did feel rushed. Pacing could have been better. Art was fantastic. I hope there isn't a third season, they would prolly ruin it like they did this season. It went from amazing to a super let down so fast. I really wish I didn't watch the last episode. Real boxer Joe is the goat.

When Megalo Box came out, in my mind it instantly established itself as one of the best sports anime of all time, and it was a great nostalgia trip for fans of Ashita no Joe like myself. By contrast, Megalo Box: Nomad is neither about sports, nor would calling it an anime do it justice. It is much more significant. Almost like a Shakespearean tragedy in reverse, it picks up not from the end of season 1—with our hero on top of the world as the Megalonia champion by upset—but instead is set six years later, after he has lost everything. Joe has become Nomad, a traveler staying afloat through clandestine fights in underground boxing rings. His talent and experience still show, though he refuses to fight as “Gearless Joe,” seemingly both to fly under the radar and, more importantly, because Gearless Joe is a product of the family he has left behind, which he no longer deserves. His self-loathing is established by his addiction to illegal painkillers and general alcoholism, which he uses to forget his past. Things pick up when he meets Chief, an immigrant boxer who has lost even more than Joe has, yet keeps trying to find a home for his people. Much like the hummingbird in the children’s story, it is through the one who has truly lost everything that the traveler remembers he still has a home to return to, even if it has to be rebuilt from the ground up. Nomad touches on a lot of deep themes. More than about loss, it’s a story about hope. Of getting back up from a hole that seems inescapable. Of stubbornly keeping on living in a world that’s unjust, unequal, and unfair. Of seeing not just the things one has lost—even if that includes that which is most precious to you in the world—but realizing there is always something left to fight for, and finding meaning in that.

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 and Joe 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.

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 the world, 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.

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 i dont 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.

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 be very 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.

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 get rolling. 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.

I'm fresh off watching Season 1 for the first time just a few days ago and while I liked it, as in I thought it was GOOD and nothing beyond that, I figured Season 2 would likely be more of the same or even be a bit worse as my general experience with second seasons of anime is that shows go downhill more often than not. Basically, I was wildly unprepared for, and pleasantly surprised by, just how good Megalobox Season 2 ended up being. Seriously, the second season improves upon its predecessor in every single way. It takes what works from the first season, keeps it, makes it even better and then scraps what clearly didn't work in the first season, such as the seemingly random and out of place hip-hop songs being sung by the characters. The music this time around isn't just background- it has multiple really solid, evocative tracks that are genuinely memorable and ultra fitting to the scenes they're applied to. The tone of the show this time around is darker and grittier, which really worked for me, and it goes deep into themes such as drug abuse, trauma, grief, loss and anger. It also very much intertwines an ultimate message of hope and moving forward into all the aforementioned darker themes without ever shoving it down your throat or doing it in a way that feels preachy or forced. Undoubtedly there is far more emotional depth in this season than there was in the first. That emotional depth extends to the entirety of the anime. The plot is far less simple and predictable, considerably more fleshed out and characters are developed significantly more than they had been previously, which includes not discarding old characters while also making meaningful use of new ones. I felt the reactions of the characters to several story events, even among close friend groups, were unique and individual which is far more realistic than mindless unanimous agreement and conformity. Though it played only a minor role in the ultimate story, I thought "The Hummingbird and the Traveler" short story, the entirety of which is a mere 11 minutes and is included as an extra on the blu ray with full voice acting and animation, was a lovely extra that I sincerely enjoyed and this small touch added a lot of depth to my experience, as the hummingbird itself is used symbolically throughout the main story. As a whole there were many small touches, this being the largest and most obvious among them, that enhanced the experience. I also really appreciate that they avoided cliches and tropes, our main character isn't invincible, athletes are in fact greatly affected by age and rust, etc. I truly don't have any meaningful criticisms of this season either. It's not a ten simply because it didn't absolutely destroy me emotionally or leave a "Holy shit this is clearly one of the best anime of all time" kind of impacts on me, but it is sincerely a really, really solid show and an excellent follow-up to what I thought was a reasonably good show to begin with. It ends on what felt like a proper conclusion rather than a transition into a third season, which is totally fine as too many anime tend to overstay their welcome and milk it indefinitely until it isn't making money anymore, so I'm not expecting to see more of this franchise. If this really is the end, I'm super glad I watched this and I'd be happy to do so again in the future, especially this season. OBJECTIVE RATING- 8.5-9 PERSONAL ENJOYMENT RATING- 8.5-9

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 is even worth reading but it was just so incredible.

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 goes perfect 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