Fighting Spirit (2000) s01e23 Episode Script

1
ORIGINAL WORK BY GEORGE MORIKAWA
HAJIME NO IPPO: THE FIGHTING!
Whoa, he's down! Hayami is down!
The referee waves his arms!
The match will not continue!
The fight is over!
I I did it.
I won.
All right!
Oh, it's morning.
THE OTHER SEMI-FINAL
FISHING BOAT RENTAL MAKUNOUCHI
IPPO MAKUNOUCHI
I still can't believe that
I beat Hayami-san.
I finally got to the final match
of the Eastern Japan
Rookie Championship Tournament!
"To Ippo: I'm off to work."
"Eat whatever you want for breakfast."
"Do as the Chief told you,
and use today to get some rest, huh?"
Come to think of it,
I haven't rested at all recently.
Now that I'm lying down,
I feel the aching all over.
I guess this is what
they call "accumulated damage."
I'm going to do as everybody says
and take it easy today.
Still, I'm amazed I beat them.
Ozuma-san
Kobashi-san
and Hayami-san.
No!
I have to shut off my brain
and get some rest today!
Oh, man!
I feel so restless when I'm staying still!
It's all right to do
light exercise, right?
Hey! A man who's
after the world championship
can't get exhausted like this!
At least let me rest a little, you sadist!
If you don't knock it off, I'll die!
Stop whining!
That idiot! I told him to rest!
Come on, old man! Stop wasting time!
Get moving!
What?! You were whining
like a girl a second ago!
Shut up!
I ended up doing my usual roadwork.
Habits are scary!
But at least I feel calmer now.
I'll forget about boxing
and think about something else.
She's there!
Oh, well!
Takamura-san and others aren't here?!
I wouldn't want them to see me.
Welcome!
She's cute every single time I see her!
She's looking this way!
She's still looking!
What could it be?!
I've already picked out buns.
What should I do?
I have to go to the register
or I can't pay for them!
-I'll take these.
-Um
Wow!
Uh, well
I'm sort of a boxer, so
Oh, I thought so.
Huh?
I thought that might be the case.
You have bandages on your face a lot.
Oh, really?
Is it fun?
I was wondering if boxing was fun.
Um
Well, it's painful sometimes, but
I think it's fun, yes.
That's true!
You do it because it's fun, right?
I'm sure it's hard work,
but please give it your best!
Sure!
"Please give it your best!"
That girl is so cute!
Although I'm sure she's Miyata-kun's fan.
Huh? But she didn't look too happy
when he won the last match.
She isn't his fan? That would mean
I have a chance!
Maybe she'll come see one of my fights.
I have to make it a match
that I won't be ashamed of!
A match I can be proud of
I reached the final one step ahead of him,
but I have to work hard to give him
a fight that won't disappoint him.
‪KORAKUEN HALL
I'm going to drop by the gym.
How about you?
Excuse me.
Sorry we're late.
-Hey
-What's this?
Hey, Mashiba.
Hey
125 pounds. Ichiro Miyata
is within the weight limit.
125,5 pounds.
Ryo Mashiba is also within
the weight limit.
Well, I'm heading home now, Dad.
Huh? Hey, go say hi to him.
Don't forget your manners.
Uh, right.
What a heartwarming father-son scene.
Are you going to run to Daddy
for comfort when you lose?
Comfort from a second-class boxer,
who failed to become a champion.
Check this out!
Don't be so hasty.
We'll settle this tomorrow.
THE NEXT DAY
This is a large crowd.
How do you feel now?
Well, I feel as nervous as
if I were fighting in this match.
Both Miyata and Mashiba
were full of pep at the weigh-in.
Really?
Oh, it's her!
I knew it. She's Miyata-kun's fan.
Ippo! Get over here!
Right!
ROOM D
-Have you got the ice?
-Yes, we're all ready.
You're cold. What happened
to your warm-up?
Oh, right.
Mashiba is a tough opponent,
so I'm sure you feel the pressure, but
Sort of. I'm feeling twice
the usual pressure.
But not because of Mashiba.
I was thinking about him.
He came through perfectly on the promise
that I forced him to make.
He's an amazing guy.
This time, I have to live up
to his expectations.
Not bad.
ROOM B
Just ignore him.
Uh, right.
He's about to fight a match,
but he's just standing there.
He's kind of depressing to look at, huh?
Oops.
It's time.
What's wrong? Normally,
you never get nervous.
I was lost in thought for a moment.
I wonder what cooking method
would preserve his natural flavor?
Finally, the Eastern Japan Rookie
Championship Tournament Semi-Final
is about to begin!
In the red corner, weighing 125 pounds,
from Kawahara Gym
Ichiro Miyata!
In the blue corner,
weighing 125 and a half pounds,
from Toho Gym
Ryo Mashiba!
It's finally time!
Hey! Chill out a little.
The audience is
quietly waiting for the opening bell.
You're right.
This is a showdown
between two first-class, solid punchers.
Solid punchers?
Boxers like you, who knock down
their opponents with heavy blows
are called hard-punchers.
Those who knock down opponents
with sharp and timely blows
are called solid punchers.
Wow.
Miyata and Mashiba are both
the type who slice in a split second.
The audience is bracing themselves
so they won't miss the moment it happens.
A split second
What's your prediction of the outcome?
Naturally, I want Miyata-kun to win!
I mean, I think he'll win.
I'm for Miyata too.
He's slightly above Mashiba
on every front,
including speed and technique.
But we can't be optimistic!
Mashiba has height on his side.
How will Miyata cope
with those long-reaching flicker jabs?
Mashiba has 177 cm to Miyata's 172 cm.
Mashiba's reach is also
ten centimeter wider.
There's that much difference?
How far can Miyata's speed overcome
the handicap of reach?
This match is very intriguing.
Miyata-kun.
HAJIME NO IPPO: THE FIGHTING!
Now, both sides are testing the water.
They make tiny feints,
maintaining their rhythms.
Who will take the initiative?
The distance gradually diminishes.
Miyata breaks the ice!
Amazing! It's like they sliced each other
as they passed.
Miyata's right-hand grazed Mashiba's cheek
but there is no damage!
Bastard.
So, Miyata barely has the upper hand.
His speed has become even slicker.
It'd take a move from hell to
catch him the way he's fighting.
His footwork is brilliant,
but I'm more impressed
by how calmly he deals
with Mashiba-san's fast swing.
I believe one of Miyata's strengths
is his cleverness.
His target counterpunches
and concentration are extraordinary.
Mess with him haphazardly,
and he'll punch back with accuracy.
As amazing as Mashiba-san is,
he has no way of fighting back.
But considering his personality,
he won't wait for the first move.
Hitman style!
Now it's getting interesting.
He uses that motion to
confuse his opponent, and then
The flicker!
Good going! He swayed around it!
Mashiba's jab scores a clean hit!
So, it extends from there too!
He's so far away!
His punch is so long and fast,
it's confusing Miyata.
This time, Miyata is stumped.
You can't box from that far away.
Come here!
You took me a little off-guard,
but you shouldn't have made that barrage.
Now I know your range and angles.
Now he's assuming the hitman style!
And his right arm is in front.
It's a southpaw!
This is an insult.
Shoulder-block!
Too slow!
Mashiba is down!
-A counterpunch!
-Bang on!
He's strong!
Go to your neutral corner!
He got him with an amazing counterpunch!
I missed it.
What was that?!
Hey. Is it over so soon?
I'm surprised.
So, Miyata was using the hitman style
to use the shoulder-block.
He also calculated exactly
when to throw a counterpunch.
Mashiba's middle is
defenseless because of his long arms.
That's not something
you can easily put into practice.
He blocked those fast flicker jabs.
That proves his eyesight
is way above average.
His reflexes and eyesight are amazing!
His boxing level is way too high!
Stand up! This is no time to kneel!
-Can you continue?
-Of course I can!
All right, box!
The final blow!
The bell rings mercilessly,
ending the first round!
What a time for the bell to ring!
That first round was breathtaking!
Three minutes went by
in the blink of an eye!
That was so close.
Yeah. But I'm sure he's retaining
a lot of the damage.
I'll knock him down in the next round.
Be careful. He might
have something else waiting
if you go in too quickly.
He'll probably fight like mad.
Okay.
Damn!
Good job getting up!
Listen, use your legs in the second round.
He's a precision timing genius.
If you trade punches, he'll let you
have a counterpunch.
Keep your distance
until the damage is gone!
Hey, are you listening?
I've left it up to you until now,
but Miyata isn't someone
you can beat by yourself.
Round two is about to start!
This is the important round.
Naturally, Miyata will focus on
knocking him down.
How will Mashiba try to escape?
-Mashiba leaps at him!
-What?!
How stubborn is this guy?!
He didn't try to escape,
and launched an attack on Miyata!
Ichiro, go around him! Don't get cornered!
Hey, they're going to duke it out!
I won't let damaged goods beat me
in a fist fight!
If I back down now, he'll laugh at me!
Mashiba is more powerful.
Damn!
Miyata has out-hit him!
What's wrong, Mashiba?!
Use your legs, you idiot!
You can't beat him by surprise!
Miyata has also built up his power.
Yes, and he can easily switch
from up to down!
Miyata-kun has mastered
in-fighting combinations, and
That's right.
To do it that smoothly,
he must have practiced it a lot
in order to fight a certain somebody.
What?
-You should be thankful.
-I have mixed feelings on that.
-Go for it, Miyata!
-You can get him!
Damn! I won't lose
to a spoiled brat like you!
He still has some power left.
But I'm afraid I have to finish this.
I need to get to the next round!
Miyata rushes him!
Mashiba's guard is gradually
getting looser!
He's
waiting for me
Mashiba is hobbling!
at the top!
Awesome!
It's over.
That clinches it.
Your wimpy punch had no effect.
Get real. Why would I get
hit by one of those roundhouses?
You bastard! I can't lose!
No matter who I'm up against!
I can't afford to lose!
Counterpunch!
-This is bad!
-He took one right in the face!
Miyata-kun!
Ichiro!
Mashiba rushes Miyata!
Miyata can't get away!
He's being pulverized!
He's down! Mashiba, stop!
Stop it, Mashiba!
Mashiba! Go back to your neutral corner!
This is explosive!
Mashiba catches Miyata in a barrage!
Can Miyata stand?!
Hungry. A longing
in the heart for victory,
just like a person dying
of thirst longs for water.
The spirit that refuses to fall,
no matter how many hits are taken.
A boxer always bears
a heavy burden of reasons to win.
That's why he stands up.
That's why he challenges.
The fight is no longer physical,
it's a fight inside the mind!
Next time, "To The Promised Place"