Fighting Spirit (2000) s01e67 Episode Script

1
ORIGINAL WORK BY GEORGE MORIKAWA
HAJIME NO IPPO: THE FIGHTING!
MONTHLY BOXING FAN
Takamura's defense fight
and Makunouchi's rematch for the title.
It's becoming harder
to take my eyes off Kamogawa Gym.
It looks like there's more to it.
Here's a newswire.
What's this?
Editor-in-Chief,
I'm canceling today's meeting.
Please carry on without me.
What? What brought that on?
I need to go to Kamogawa Gym
for an interview.
Kamogawa Gym?
THE KAMOGAWA GYM SWINGS INTO ACTION
KAMOGAWA BOXING GYM
It feels like
we haven't been here in ages.
It's only been a week, you know.
That's why I said "feels like."
You're dismissed for the day.
Good work at camp, everyone.
Go rest up and we'll train hard again
starting tomorrow.
In particular, Takamura and the kid
have matches coming up, so
You're dismissed? That's a shame.
I stopped in today because
I was told you'd be in, Kamogawa-san.
Oh, yes. You're from Shin-Nihon Gym.
Hey, isn't that guy
-Actually, I need a favor from you.
-What is it?
I was wondering if I could ask
for a sparring
between Shigeta here and Makunouchi.
Sparring? Right now?
I know it's a lot to ask at the moment,
but he has this title match
against Takeshi Sendo next month.
I wanted to fine-tune him.
I thought so.
It's Shigeta-san, ranked fourth
in Japan Featherweight.
Sendo-san's next opponent.
I thought he would gain confidence
if he sparred with your Makunouchi.
Oh?
Gain confidence from sparring with Ippo?
That's fine by me, though
I can't ensure he'll gain confidence.
-Kid!
-Yes, sir!
-Get ready.
-Yes, sir!
Your opponent is raring to fight.
-Blast him right from the get-go.
-Yes, sir.
I intend to.
I'm interested in what kind of opponent
Sendo-san will be fighting.
What are you doing, Ippo?
You're getting hit nonstop!
That's strange.
I can't establish a rhythm.
It happened again.
My timing and sense of distance are shot.
All right! Go on, Shigeta!
Something's strange.
I may be tired,
but it's never been this awkward.
Damn! Whenever I try to go in,
I'm stopped by a right jab.
Right jab?
He's stopped! Let him have it!
Argh, this is irritating!
What are you doing?
-Don't you guys get it yet?
-Huh?
Take a good look at Shigeta's posture.
If he's using a right jab
His right leg is in front. I knew it.
He is a Southpaw!
He's left-handed!
His right and left are merely reversed,
but that makes the going real tough.
Isn't this Ippo's first time
with a left-handed boxer?
The positioning of his legs is different.
Of course he's taken off-guard
without background info.
But left-handed guys
are used to fighting right-handers,
so they have it easy.
He took a good one!
Takamura-san, please tell him
how to counter a Southpaw.
I've never fought a Southpaw!
Actually, neither have I.
I did once.
All right, get in there and advise him!
Right on! Hey, Ippo! Listen to me closely.
What's wrong? Advise him already.
I lost in 30 seconds
so I don't remember it that clearly.
What advice were you planning
to give him, you idiot?
Thank you for sparring with me.
Good work.
It looks like I caught you
in poor condition.
Uh well
That's too bad.
Next time, let's make it a real match
when we're both at our best.
Uh, sure. I'd like that.
He says the next time it'll be for real.
He talks like he's already beaten Sendo.
I'd say you gave him plenty of confidence.
I'm sorry.
I had no idea it'd be so hard
against a Southpaw.
Right now you are at peak exhaustion.
I knew that no matter
who you sparred with,
it wouldn't end well.
However, there is a possibility
that your title match
could be against Shigeta.
There's no harm in learning about him.
Now, dismissed!
My title match opponent could change?
I never considered that.
But he wasn't difficult to fight simply
because he's a Southpaw.
He has huge talent.
It didn't feel like he was going all-out.
I'm sure Sendo-san has never fought
a left-handed boxer, either.
FISHING BOAT RENTAL MAKUNOUCHI
And they do say
that boxing is unpredictable.
I'm home!
Welcome back.
Hey, Ippo!
Umezawa-kun, thank you
for covering my work for me.
Never mind that.
By the way, is this true?
What?
BEAR-KILLER (MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMP)
TAKAMURA!! THE BEAR & THE BEAR STEW
What an over-the-top article.
Come on, is it a true story?
Yeah, apparently so.
God, that guy's amazing.
He's finally become super-human.
That's funny. I was with Takamura-san
until minutes ago,
so no reporters could have gotten to him.
AS TOLD BY MR. NEKOTA, OWNER OF THE LODGE
I felt sorry for him being lonely
and this is what he does?
-Ippo, phone call!
-Coming!
Who is it?
Actually, the caller sounds too excited
for me to tell who it is.
Um, Makunouchi speaking.
It's me!
Me?
Yeah, me!
Is this Sendo-san?
Yeah. It's me, Sendo.
Hello, it's been a long time.
Skip the hellos!
Anyway, I saw the evening edition.
Is this true?
The evening edition?
Um Do you mean the bear killing?
It's a useless tabloid rag
that prints nothing but lies,
so I can't trust it.
However, if this is true, it's big news!
I didn't witness it,
but it's definitely true that a bear died.
So it is true!
What an incredible dude
that Takamura-san is.
-So, what did you call about?
-That's all.
The thing about the bear
was driving me mad with curiosity. Sorry.
Never mind the bear,
how is your condition?
Well, I'm in good condition.
If I ran into a bear right now,
he wouldn't scare me.
I don't care about the bear, actually.
I could fight you right now if you want.
That's how great my condition is.
Never mind me,
you have an actual opponent at hand.
The fourth ranker named Shigeta.
I do? He doesn't interest me
so I forgot about him.
Hey, you have to be
very careful around him.
Anyway, he's really hard to fight.
Hard to fight?
You sound awfully well-informed.
Have you fought Shigeta?
Yes. I didn't want to tell you
because I'd sound like an informant,
but I fought three rounds.
Really. If you found him hard to fight,
he must be a Southpaw.
Did you think
I would sit around doing nothing
while you were off camping
in the mountains?
I should have figured that.
He is your opponent, after all.
You have a counterattack plan?
Unnecessary.
What?
I told you he doesn't interest me.
I knew, but I haven't formulated
an attack plan. Instead
I've been training
only to defeat Ippo Makunouchi.
What's that sound?
I don't know what's so great
about this Shigeta guy,
but if you're that worried,
I'll send you a ticket to my title match.
You can see how I've advanced.
Please send me a ticket. Thank you!
He's advanced even more since then?
What kind of training has he been doing?
Wait, Makunouchi!
Uh yes?
Incidentally
How much are you willing to pay
for your ticket?
How much?
The 10,000 yen Red Corner tickets
are a real bargain.
So, it wasn't for free?
HAJIME NO IPPO: THE FIGHTING!
KAMOGAWA BOXING GYM
Huh? There are
an awful lot of reporters here.
Good afternoon!
Hey, Ippo. I need you
to spar with me, please.
We're fed up with this.
-Fed up?
-Just look at him.
Dense forest to my back,
I had nowhere to run.
That's when the bear puffed up this big
and came charging at me.
It freaked me out a little,
but it was a do-or-die situation, you see.
-How did the bear fall?
-What punch did the job?
A counter to the brow.
The bear fell with a huge thud!
At the time I was startled
by its enormous power.
Then I remembered just how powerful I am.
The one-man show's been going on
for an hour and a half.
That's tiring.
You've had enough, haven't you?
We need to start training.
You guys have to leave now.
Uh, sure. Thanks.
Aw, are you leaving?
I was just getting to the good part.
You stupid old geezer.
Quit your griping and train.
Your opponent is a human being
who thinks with his head, not a bear.
He's researched you by now.
All right, all right.
I didn't realize
you were still here, Fujii-chan.
You never change, do you?
That stingy old man
is the one who doesn't change.
Why is he so damn fussy?
Anyone would get nervous,
if talk of a world title fight
started to materialize.
World title fight? Whose?
What are you talking about?
Yours, of course.
You mean Takamura-san has a
World title fight?
You spilled it, ya fool!
It was a secret?
-Chief!
-Is this true?
When is it?
Old man!
Tsk. I guess the cat's out of the bag.
It's not finalized yet,
but they tested our waters
to match you up with
the world second-ranking junior middle
as a preliminary skirmish
to the world title.
You are currently ranked 16th
in World middleweight.
They probably want to use you
as a handy match to fine-tune with,
but if you knock him down,
you'll be second in the world,
and you will receive challenge rights
to the world title.
Incredible!
It's finally happening.
I told you it's not final yet.
For now, lose all distractions
and focus on the next match. Understood?
-Hey, can you hear me?
-I hear you!
Loud and clear.
I'm so sorry.
I had no idea it was a secret.
It's all right.
Perhaps it was for the best.
It's been a long time since
we saw the big guy looking that intense.
The enthusiasm becomes totally different
when a goal is real.
He's tough when he's like that.
Too tough to handle.
If it does come through,
it'll be Kamogawa Gym's
first world title match.
And just maybe
the birth of a world champion!
Whoa, I'm getting goosebumps!
I can't stand still! I need
a piece of his enthusiasm.
Looks like he's suddenly energized.
We'll carry on at our own pace.
We have our own hurdles to clear.
I see. Well, it's a good opportunity,
so I'll introduce you.
This lady insists on writing
boxing articles despite her gender.
A woman?
That's unusual.
Actually, she's so cocky,
she tagged along without my permission.
If you don't want to introduce me,
that's fine.
I'll introduce myself.
I'm Mari Iimura. Pleased to meet you.
If she's that cute, you can put up
with a little cockiness, can't you?
You sure?
If you ever want an interview,
don't hesitate.
I'm always extra nice to ladies.
Don't worry, please be yourself around me.
-Huh?
-Unless you act naturally,
I can't write the truth.
And I don't want special favors
just because I'm female.
I can't get proper feedback
that way, right?
What's important is whether
I can write a good article or not.
See? Isn't she cocky?
Well, a little is permissible, isn't it?
I can tolerate it.
Really?
So, what kind of boxers do you like?
You want to write about boxing,
so you know a lot about it, right?
Well, the boxers I can think of offhand
are Hearns, Leonard, and Duran.
Ooh, she came up with the biggies.
How about within the country?
Unfortunately, I have no favorites
in Japan.
Come on. You're not trying
to compare us to Leonard, are you?
Those guys are legendary boxers.
I went to Las Vegas and Mexico
many times to see them.
Over there, it's normal to compare
Japan's champion class
to their four-to-six-round match class.
The boxing standard is so different,
even their lowest level is far more solid
than that of Japan.
After observing that fact,
it's hard to feel any attraction
towards Japanese boxers.
Oh
Vegas and Mexico, eh?
Why did you bring her here?
You said she was
within your tolerance level.
Besides, she followed me here.
The Japan Middleweight champion
Mamoru Takamura.
-Hey, lady.
-Yes?
You're not gonna say that Takamura-san
is also four or six-round class
over there, too, are you?
Good point.
Back muscle determines
the pivoting power of combinations,
as well as the destructive power
of the punches.
His is solid and natural,
and his balance is also good.
I have also seen him fight.
He is an exception.
Though Japanese,
I believe he has the potential to aim
for the top position in the world.
So, you do have eyes.
Well, at least she's quite knowledgeable.
He's definitely the one
and only man in middleweight
who can challenge the world.
But the small boxer
beside him interests me.
I know him.
He's the featherweight Ippo Makunouchi.
But he has a different build
from when he lost to Eiji Date.
No, he's in the middle
of a transformation.
I may have encountered
interesting subject matter.
She was your type, wasn't she?
Too cocky for me, thanks.
Still, doesn't it surprise you?
-What?
-Takamura-san.
A woman waltzed into the gym, but
he was too focused on training to notice.
Now that you mention it
I guess the words "World title fight" are
too heavy even for the pervert champion.
That's a good attitude.
I wish he'd run with it
and take it all the way.
Worst case scenario,
if the talks fall through,
and he continues to win,
he will someday have his chance.
Yes.
That's true.
But you know
that wouldn't be good for us.
We don't want it to fall through.
We're too pumped up about it.
He'll definitely come home with it.
He'll return to Kamogawa Gym.
With the world championship belt.
Yeah!
FISHING BOAT RENTAL MAKUNOUCHI
Wow, the world title, huh? That's amazing.
He's so excited. You should see him train.
I guess the gym is buzzing
with talk about it, huh?
Actually, no one there
dares to speak the word "world."
Huh?
Takamura-san himself
has gone completely silent.
It's so bad,
I hesitate before talking to him.
I guess even that guy can feel pressure.
Yeah, but I've never seen him
like that before.
He'll definitely do something.
I hear the tickets are sold out.
That's 'cause the bear killer news
hit all the talk shows.
A semi-final in a packed stadium.
We can't afford to lose this!
Those two are really worked up, too.
They'd better do their best.
'Cause once my match starts,
the spectators will forget
everything else.
We'll put up a fight
they'll remember, too.
We'll show off the camp results
and storm the main event.
Sorry, but not this time.
In front of the overpowering light
that is me,
you'll be no more than fleeting shadows.
This time, my entrance alone
will rock the hall.
That's how powerful my impact will be.
He's clearly different from the norm.
It's like he's gotten more intense.
Yes, I felt a chill.
He'll do something.
Knowing him, he'll do something big.
EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED!
MAMORU TAKAMURA VS. TAKAAKI ITO
Whoa, incredible!
KOURAKUEN HALL
They're lined up for miles
in front of the hall.
I guess they're all here
to see Takamura-san.
He's always been a popular boxer.
And he's a really hot topic,
especially this time. Still
I wonder what's strong enough
to rock the hall?
What the
Hey, someone's being mauled
by a large dog!
Hey, Hachi! Wow, it's been ages!
If you're here, then
What are you talking about?
Hachi is like family to me.
Please don't give me too much trouble.
Nekota-san!
Oh, Makunouchi!
Do you know him, Makunouchi?
He's giving me a lot of trouble.
It's nothing like that.
He says that Hachi can't go inside.
I told you, dogs are prohibited by law.
Hachi is my family. He's not a dog.
I'm sorry, Hachi.
Wait here for a while, okay?
Alley-oop!
What exactly is this?
It's something Takamura asked me
to deliver.
Takamura-san?
"Expect the unexpected." That's for sure.
Huh?
I'm sorry I forced you to come with me.
It's all right.
I had lots of spare time today.
Oh, I'm so worried!
I wonder if Masaru will win?
He'll do just fine.
Let's cheer for him.
Apparently Takamura has announced
he will fight a match so shocking,
it will rock the hall.
He was awfully enthusiastic about it.
ROOM A
Middleweight.
The competition is fierce
on a worldwide scale.
Speed, technique, strength.
The class is advanced
in all these aspects.
To aim for its peak,
he must display boxing based
not only on strength, but technique.
A method of fighting ready for the world.
This is the match of someone
who is walking far ahead of me!
Next time, "The Chief's Peril."