It will have been 50 years since the release of the boxing series, “Ashita no Joe” and in the following year, it will be celebrating this anniversary. In commemoration of this, an anniversary project was announced for the following year as well and it’s name is “Megalo Box.”
Inspired from the original series, “Megalo Box” will be making its way to the screen on spring 2018. The story of the series introduces a boxer being called into the ring once more. His name is JD (Junk Dog) and he is being brought into a got-up match for survival, but this no ordinary challenge, this his challenge against, “fate.”
Directing the work is the key animator of the “Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow” film, You Moriyama. Then there is Katsuhiko Manabe, who prior to this has been working as a screenwriter for different movies and dramas including the “Midnight Diner” series.
He will be working as the series composer of the project. With him as the scriptwriter is Kensaku Kojima, who also worked with Manabe in the writing of “Midnight Diner 2.” For the soundtrack composition of the project is multiplayer/producer mabanua.
Though there is no cast announced as of yet for the project, there is a teaser visual released for it.
“Ashita no Joe” otherwise known as “Tomorrow’s” Joe, which the project is inspired from, is a 1968 boxing manga. Written and illustrated by Ikki Kajiwara, the series was under the publication of Weekly Shounen Magazine until May 1973. From its start in January 1968 up to its end, the series spanned for a total of 20 volumes.
During its final years in 1970, an anime adaptation was made with the Mushi Production Studio taking charge. The series premiered on April 1, 1970 ran for a total of 79 episodes before ending in 1971. Following after the series was two films and another season.
The story of the series tells of a troubled young man by the name of Joe Yabuki. Growing up an orphan he one day finds himself wandering the slums of Tokyo and ends up meeting Danpei, a former boxing trainer. Following his meeting with the man, Joe finds himself getting arrested and placed into a temporary jail where he ends up meeting his future best friend and the leader of a group of hooligans, Nishi. Through a prison transfer and meeting a rival, he soons gets released and enters into the world of boxing where his journey truly begins.
On another note, there is already a PV up for the project:
Source: AnimeAnime