The first season of Ippon Again! (Or Mou Ippon!) finally ended this week. From what we saw in the penultimate episode, the results were predictable. However, even then we could not say how many from Tachikawa would get defeated. Even though Aoba West got eliminated, it is not the end of the club.
Most of the team was defeated by Odagiri, which was somewhat shocking for the Aoba West team. This was seen by Aoba West in their first match at the tournament, where Michi dominated by taking down opponents one after another.
Towa’s strategy to push Emma out of bounds was a great idea, given the latter being physically at advantage. However, Emma’s reversal at the last moment led her team to victory.
While winning and losing in sports is something to be accustomed to, Ippon Again! displays the joy of the sport and the sportsmanship exceptionally well. The Aoba West team building a healthy friendship with their opponents is worth noticing.
The team did not miss a chance to take a picture with the winning team and looking forward to having another match. In the end, Michi, Anna, Sanae, and Towa are exhausted from their training but still willing to do another match.
Looking back, it does seem strange that Michi and Sanae wanted to quit judo completely. It all changes when the former’s match with Towa ends with her defeat. Not only she felt a little disappointed, her longing for an ippon never got fulfilled.
That one match made Michi change her mind and go on with judo. Being the most energetic player of all, she became the spirit of the team and the show, staying cheerful, optimistic, determined, and curious all the time. Even Inui, the coach of the Tachikawa team was impressed by her.
Sanae always felt that she was not good enough, but she decided to join her friend and become stronger. She does have a timid demeanor and can be easily looked at as the weakest, especially after her quick defeat. This also means that she has got the greatest room to improve, especially in her pinning techniques.
Towa has been the strongest player, in terms of stamina and technique. Initially reluctant and laid back, her personality changes the moment she puts on her gi. Her reconciliation with Amane was the best moment in the show. The cause behind the grudge was unintentional, but at least it did not drag on.
Not to forget, Anna Nagumo, the other smart person surprisingly left Kendo to spend more school time with her friends. Being a white belt, she could not join the team at the tournament, yet contributed by filling her teammates about the opponents. She turned out to be a quick learner, though.
Himeno is the only character with an uncertain future. Being a third-year student, she would not be able to participate with Aoba West anymore. Anyhow, she is glad to come back after leaving judo and getting on the mat once again with a new team.
Overall, Ippon Again! was a light-hearted show that will make you feel good. For someone new to judo terms, it will be a bit hard to catch on. It is their background stories that play a great role in setting up and developing the characters.
As mentioned earlier, Anna needs to play a bigger role in future tournaments. Although Himeno’s school is over, she might get come back as a new coach. But we’ll only get to know if a second season happens.
About Mou Ippon!
Mou Ippon! is a manga series by Yu Muraoka that debuted in the Weekly Shonen Champion magazine in October 2018. It received an anime adaptation in January 2023.
The series begins by showing how Michi, Towa, and Sanae, three middle-school girls became friends due to their love of judo. While Michi wanted to leave the sports, the other two reminded her of the feeling of ippon. Together, they constitute the judo club in their school.
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