In this second box set, containing the second half of season one, the series seems to alternate between being a fighting/sports anime and the average situational comedy (down to the inclusion of the ever-popular beach vacation episode, and the “My pesky little sister followed me” episode). It’s an interesting tactic that helps to keep the interest of both fan groups coming back for more. However, it does detract a bit from the solid fact that while Kenichi is nowhere near the fighting strength of his various masters, he’s definitely gotten tougher and stronger, while retaining a determinedly comedic attitude. I have to say, it’s a clear improvement on some sports series who intend to convey the serious aspirations of their characters through silent (or grunt-filled) exercise montages, where Kenichi learns mostly by….well, mostly by getting beaten up in a humorous fashion. Still, the perseverance of this title character not only motivates, but also manages to remind the audience that nothing is actually easy, therefore retaining that firm grip on reality that’s hard to follow in a series where every other fighting character seems inhumanly fast or strong.
My favorite part of this series, however, is not the story. I am 100% thrilled with the careful way the studio continues to portray realistic human motion. Every new fighting move, and each and every attack/counterattack is honest in its depiction of how the human skeleton and muscle structure move during a real-life equivalent (even if actual humans wouldn’t recover as quickly, but hey, we don’t watch cartoons for reality television). I love the care and effort that must have been vital to every planned shot of this series, and it really lends a new level of interest to the martial arts featured in the series, while still managing to maintain a visual simplicity of design. The voice acting is also very well done though, as usual, the Japanese track is filled with more nuances and details than the English. The music is tastefully understated, which enhances the drama of a fighting encounter without turning an attempted beat-down into an overblown exhibition performance.
If you’re a fan of the first part of this series, or would like some martial arts action without two episodes of grunting involved, I’d definitely recommend picking up this handy set of 12 episodes.