Most people haven't read this, which is a shame, because its simply amazing. Its impact and influence on manga is so incredibly massive, that the number of anime and manga that reference it or pay homage to it cannot be counted. That being said, it is referenced and paid homage to so many times that many people will already know the ending despite having never read it. For example, the ending of ashita no joe is a recurring theme and symbolism throughout Bakuman, but I wont say the ending because I dont wanna spoil.

STORY
The story was great, following Joe Yabuki taking up boxing in the late 60s in Japan. My one problem with the story is that it took a while to get to any actual boxing, but there is a good reason for it, and it helps the story and characters develop.

CHARACTERS
There are quite a few characters in the series that have a serious amount of development. whether its Joe, and all of his rudeness and depth, Danpei, and his passion and nostalgia, and so on. The characters are great. The one problem I have is the amount of misogynous . The reason its there is kind of unfortunate, with the author being a well known misogynist.

ART
this is to be expected. Mangas in the 60s and early 70s all had very similar artstyle to each other, without many variations. I was never a big fan of it.

ENJOYMENT
I loved it

In conclusion, this series is fantastic. it has some shortcomings, yes, but it has aged well and is a fantastic read