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1-Pound No Fukuin
(One Pound Gospel)



Copyright: 1988 Shogakukan (Japan), 1995 Viz Video (North America)
Length: 55 minutes
Genre: comedy / drama
Rating: NR, Parental Guidance Suggested
Format: Subtitled (VHS)

Original story by: Takahashi Rumiko Production Designer and Executive Producer: Asami Iaso Written and Directed by:Saki Makura Character Design: Aoshima Katsumi Art Director: Yamauchi Shojuro Producer:Shogakukan, Victor Entertainment, OB Planning Executive Producer of English Version: Horibuchi Seiji English Translation: Studio Nemo


[ rated g ]

violence

Suitable for Family Viewing - Mild violence. The subject deals with boxing, and a boxer who tends to throw up in the ring, but it's never shown, only implied.


[ plot summary ]

vhs jacket

Hatanaka Kosaku is a 19 year old pro boxer with a bit of a problem. He's a hopeless glutton who will do anything to get something to eat. Not knowing better, Sister Angela takes in a young man who fainted on the church steps and feeds him not realising that this is the one person in the area whom she must not feed. Especially since it was just before he was to fight in a boxing match. During the match, Kosuke ends up throwing up in the ring after taking some hits to the stomach and loses the match. Needless to say, no one wants to fight him now and his subsequently scheduled matches have all been cancelled. If only he had another chance to get in the ring and fight again...


[ capsule review ]

Don't close your eyes and simply listen to the voices -- if you do, you'll think you're listening to Kimagure Orange Road. And no wonder! The two principals, Hatanaka Kosaku (played by Furuya Toru) and Sister Angela (played by Tsuru Hiromi) were also the two principles in KOR. Perhaps Shogakukan thought the project needed the chemistry that the two voice actors can bring to a show. Frankly, there's not enough material here to make any difference. Takahashi continues to use the same comic devices as she's always used -- characters with a fatal flaw, unworkable romance, etc... -- and simply used a different setting. This might work if there was enough story to wrap around the other elements, but there's just not enough substance to last the entire 55 minutes of the video. Perhaps part of the problem was that I couldn't buy into the story situation: Kosaku's eating problem, or Sister Angela's interest in Kyosuke -- er, Kosaku. Several of Takahashi's mangas didn't translate well into the animé world; this may be another example. Animation is standard fare for TV (a bit sub-standard for an OAV), but the music is pretty good. Too bad it's wasted on this show. - AN


I find Takahashi's work a bit tiresome sometimes. Her characters seem to be rather "typical" for her; a weak willed male and a very nice female who watches over the guy. One Pound Gospel isn't a bad show but neither does it stand out as anything particularly special. I found the characters a little 2-dimensional for my likes. Kosaku is supposedly a pro boxer who has an eating problem. However, either boxing's awakened an extraordinarily gluttinous apetite or he should have been the Goodyear blimp before he started boxing. The sheer amount of food he eats in one sitting is more than most people eat in 1.5 days. The story itself is pretty basic; how many times can the guy be tempted to break his diet, let alone break his diet, while still managing to make the weigh-in before the match. There's no shortage of food vendors for this. Also how well can the people in the gym keep track of Kosaku before he slips out and manages to sneak some food? I find this premise a bit weak. How could this guy ever have achieved pro status in the first place let alone maintain any sort of standing? Then again, what type of coach would even jokingly say that the kid could eat a massive hamburger before the match... and what athlete would ever believe him? Otherwise the animation and music were both nothing special although the voice acting was well done. There are some very familiar voices in this show. - JYN


[ café rating ]

Original: Subbed: Dubbed:
Story: N/A 2 stars N/A
Direction: N/A 3 stars N/A
Acting: N/A 3 stars N/A
Animation: N/A 2 stars N/A
Music: N/A 3 stars N/A
Translation: N/A 4 stars N/A
Overall Rating: N/A 2 stars N/A

[ see also ]



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