is a manga

Manga

Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

 written and illustrated by Kazuhiko Shimamoto

Kazuhiko Shimamoto

is a Japanese manga artist. He attended college at the Osaka University of Arts in the fine arts department. While in college in 1982, he debuted in the February special issue of Shōnen Sunday with Hissatsu no Denkousei. At this point he dropped out of college and devoted his energies to becoming a...

. It was serialized in the Shogakukan

Shogakukan

is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, manga, non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.Shogakukan founded Shueisha which founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hitotsubashi Group, one of the largest publishing groups in Japan...

 manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Sunday from 1983 to 1985. Honō no Tenkōsei was adapted into a two-episode original video animation

Original video animation

, abbreviated as media , are animated films and series made specially for release in home-video formats. The term originated in relation to Japanese animation...

 (OVA) anime

Anime

is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

 series in 1991 by Gainax

Gainax

is a Japanese anime studio famous for productions such as Gunbuster, The Wings of Honneamise, Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, Neon Genesis Evangelion, FLCL and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann which have gone on to critical acclaim and commercial success, as well as for their association with...

. The Honō no Tenkōsei OVA parodies anime of the 1970s, particularly Tomorrow's Joe

Tomorrow's Joe

is a critically acclaimed boxing manga written by Ikki Kajiwara and illustrated by Tetsuya Chiba in 1968 that was later adapted into an anime series and movie. It is most commonly referred to as Ashita no Joe. Outside Japan it is also referred to as Rocky Joe or Joe...

, and is complete with intentionally jerky animation, dirty-looking cels, thick black lines, and retro character designs, much like Shimamoto's drawing style.

Plot

In this series, Takizawa Noboru transfers to a school where all disputes are settled through fighting. He quickly runs afoul of the school bully, Ibuki Saburo, who has a boxing match with "God's Hall Monitor", Jonichi Koichi, to determine who will date the lovely Yukari. Takizawa is enraptured with Yukari, and decides to intervene in the fight which Ibuki managed to win by bending the rules. Takizawa loses the fight in the first OVA to Ibuki's deadly deathblow punch, but in the second OVA Takizawa develops his own deathblow punch and eventually wins the day.

Release

Honō no Tenkōsei was released to laserdisc

Laserdisc

LaserDisc was a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. Initially licensed, sold, and marketed as MCA DiscoVision in North America in 1978, the technology was previously referred to interally as Optical Videodisc System, Reflective Optical Videodisc, Laser Optical...

 only, instead of to both VHS

VHS

The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....

 and laserdisc, as had been the usual custom with OVAs.

Cast

• Toshihiko Seki
  Toshihiko Seki
  is a Japanese voice actor and member of 81 Produce. Apart from voice actor work, Seki sometimes does live action drama stage work. He is sometimes mistaken for another voice actor, Tomokazu Seki, sharing the same last name but are unrelated.-Person/Career:...
  
  : Takizawa Noboru
• Noriko Hidaka
  Noriko Hidaka
  , real name , maiden name is a seiyū, or voice actor. Hidaka is most known for the roles of Mikage Matsunaga , Minami Asakura , Akane Tendo , Satsuki Kusakabe , Near , Seta Sōjirō , Jean , Kikyo , and Noriko Takaya .Hidaka...
  
  : Takamura Yukari
• Tesshō Genda
  Tessho Genda
  is a Japanese voice actor. He is employed by the talent management firm 81 Produce. When he debuted, he used his real name, . as artist name. Because he had experience with ballet, he was known by the nickname "Pirouette Genda."...
  
  : Ibuki Saburo