I’ve known about Keisuke Itagaki's Baki the Grappler for nearly as long as I’ve been a fan of anime and manga. My first encounter was in issue 13 of the ill-fated Rajin Comics. My mom found it at the used book store and picked it up for me, knowing how much I loved "those Japanese comics." Looking back, it wasn’t that impressive. There was a boxer named Takayama who hit himself in the face with a shot put because “a heavyweight champion’s punch hurts more than a shot put,” but it was mostly people talking about a fight that I had no context for. Regardless, I might have continued reading it, but I never saw another issue of Rajin Comics again.
Several years later, I stumbled across a sample disc of new Funimation releases. I don’t remember where it came from, but I wasn’t one to argue with free anime. As soon as I had the chance, I threw it in my DVD player and watched the first episode of Gunslinger Girl. Wait...What the fuck? GUNSLINGER GIRL?
I regret to inform you of this, Internet, but it was a minimum of two years later when I finally watched the first episode of Baki the Grappler.
Simultaneously, it was the stupidest and most beautiful anime I had ever seen. People were punching bats (yes, the animal) and kicking gym equipment out windows. There’s one scene where a guy pours coffee into a man’s lap and then breaks a fluorescent light bulb over his head. I was so excited by what I had seen that I had to bang my [former] girlfriend as soon as the credits finished rolling.
This was the second time that Baki had serendipitously found its way into my life. A normal man wouldn’t think twice of such a coincidence, but I knew better than that. I knew that it was my destiny to watch Baki the Grappler. And much like the prophet Muhammad spread the teachings of Allah to the Muslims; it was my duty to educate the internet on the gospel of Baki the Grappler.
And my timing couldn’t have been better. Funimation was about to release the entire series in one inexpensive box set. Thanks to a Rightstuf 40% off sale, I picked it up for the even cheaper price of $30. Now that I had my bible, it was time to start preaching.
I wish I could tell you that I started my podcast to talk about Baki, but the truth of th--oh, fuck it. I totally started a podcast to talk about BAKI THE MOTHER FUCKING GRAPPLER! In episode 016 of the fightbait anime podcast, I reviewed episodes 1-24, covering basic trivia while trying not to spoil too much of the series. Since I felt that I had skipped out on some of the best details of season one, I opted to do play-by-play reviews for the remaining 24 episodes.
It’s almost been a year since the last Baki devoted podcast. The anime still comes up in conversation from time to time, but it’s just not the same. That’s when I got the idea for this column. A lot anime blogs write reviews for individual anime episodes as they air in Japan. I want do something similar, except instead of anime I want to talk about manga…but not just any manga. I want talk about New Grappler Baki, a manga that came out ten years ago.
New Grappler Baki takes place after the anime, so I’m going to have to get everybody up to speed first. Next week’s entry will summarize the entire anime. If you want to watch it for yourself, skip that entry (duh). The whole series is less than $20 now. That's less than 50 cents an episode! Every week after that I'll cover two volumes of manga, highlighting my favorite moments. If you’re going to follow this column, I recommend you read the manga as well to avoid spoilers. I’m giving you two weeks to read two volumes. If you still haven’t read it by then, you can’t say I didn’t warn you.
Until next time,
BAKI THE GRAPPLER!!!!!!!
