Alright, Episode 2 of Megalo Box!
So the episode dives headfirst into the Yuri and Junk Dog fight that we’ve been salivating over since the huge cliffhanger of the first episode. The show doesn’t waste any time at all and before we know it, the bell rings and the hype as heck soundtrack flips on (It’s on Spotify by the way! MEGALOBOX by mabanua)
Smug and Scary
The song “drops” as Yuri lands the first jab onto Junk Dog, and I think it was awesome how us the viewers can really get a grasp of Yuri’s dominating strength at the same time Junk Dog does. Almost immediately afterwards, Yuri offers the handicap and I thought Junk Dog would deny it being the confident guy he is, but he surprisingly goes along with it! I think it’s definitely showing how Junk Dog definitely understands the gap between him and Yuri, but not in a submissive “give up” kind of way. It’s more of a, “There’s a huge gap but I sure as hell ain’t going to let you just get away with it.”
Looks like a shower
That attitude of his, along with Yuri’s overpowering dominance in the first sequence of the fight definitely adds to the pure hype of when Junk Dog almost hits Yuri in the face, forcing him to use his left hand. Reminds me a bit of a certain My Hero Academia character hmmm. Junk Dog gets a bit overconfident from his temporary victory and goes rushing head into Yuri, who completely outsmarts him and SLAMS him in the face. That punch must’ve been absolutely out of this world considering all the sweat on Junk Dog’s face went flying off from the impact. It also left a pretty huge scar on Junk Dog’s face, so I think the threat of death that the characters keep mentioning is a very important thing.
And of course the resolution of the fight ends as it should to set up Junk Dog’s ascent to the top. The peerless champion calling upon our beaten protagonist to improve and fight him the true ring, the ring of Megalonia.
Shirato scolding Yuri for his fight against Junk Dog was strange, and definitely confirms that there’s something weird going on. I’m not sure about you, but telling someone that their body is the future of the company raises some red flags. There’s a lot of possibilities, but I think it’s for certain that Yuri is not a normal human being. Some kind of modification from Shirato Industries, whether it be some cybernetic implant or something crazier, I’m not sure! But it’ll definitely become relevant towards the climax of the series.
Junk Dog riding through the city on his bike with Japanese rap playing in the background was also quite a nice addition.
It highlighted the heavy class divide between the slums that Junk Dog grew up in, and the shining city on the horizon. We’re given a shot of a young Junk Dog listening to some music, and I think it captures his life quite well. He’s a boy born on the impoverished side of society, who’s been aspiring for the grand city since childhood. Even now, he’s in the underground ring of Fujimaki, but longs for the ring of Shirato.
So this episode we got to meet Fujimaki, and I don’t really have any strong feelings for the character, but he seems alright. He has a scar on his face and a snake tattoo on his arm, so that definitely screams malicious gangster lord.
Furthermore, his little talk about the bone to fond ratio was a bit unnerving. He might seem a bit of an ass, but Nanbu is under heavy debt after all. It’s good to know he’s not unreasonable, and allows Nanbu and Junk Dog to enter Megalonia. Perhaps not for the noble cause of giving them a chance, but rather for a chance to fix the largest match there could be? We’ll see.
As for the final scene with Junk Dog’s new identity, I was not really surprised that he called himself Joe. This is the Ashita no Joe 50th Anniversary special after all. Overall, still very excited for the future of the show and although I’ll miss the name Junk Dog, I’m cool with Joe too!
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