Fighting Spirit (2000) s01e70 Episode Script

1
ORIGINAL WORK BY GEORGE MORIKAWA
HAJIME NO IPPO: THE FIGHTING!
FISHING BOAT RENTAL MAKUNOUCHI
Boss, where's Ippo?
He's in his room, staring into space.
He hasn't come out
since he got back from Osaka.
I wonder what's wrong with him?
At any rate, it was just amazing.
His dash power in particular.
He didn't have that before.
THE YOUNG PUNK
Ippo, phone call.
-Who is it?
-It's your girlfriend from some time ago.
Girlfriend?
You know, the one called Kumi-chan.
Yes? Yes. Hello, Makunouchi speaking.
I'm sorry for not keeping in touch.
He behaves awfully formal with her.
Perhaps she's not really his girlfriend.
He is a late bloomer.
Um, so, what's up?
Uh, listen. There's this thing
that's been bothering me.
I need your advice about something.
Are you worried about something?
It's not really a worry.
I don't know how much assistance I can be,
but please tell me.
I'd like to help.
-Listen
-Kumi!
-It's the patient in Room 202!
-What?
I'm sorry. I have to get back to work.
What? Listen.
If you're free, can I see you sometime?
Uh, no. Just if you're really,
really bored or something.
-Sure!
-Right on!
So, how's the patient?
He's being discharged tomorrow
so he wants to thank you.
That could've waited till tomorrow.
Huh? I'm sorry.
I asked her out.
What?
Good for you, Ippo.
Good luck, Ippo.
TOKYO DATE MAP
I gotta get a cell phone.
Where should I take her?
We went to the amusement park
the last time, so
SHITANO ZOO
-Makunouchi-san!
-Yes?
I'm sorry. Did you wait long?
Hello?
Uh, no! I didn't wait one bit.
This is good. This is the best.
It's so big!
Eek, he's so cute!
Yes!
I haven't been to the zoo in ages.
Not since my elementary school field trip.
Well, I was afraid you'd think
it was too childish.
Not at all! I've actually wanted
to come here many times,
but my brother would never come along,
and there was no one at home
who'd take me, so
Oh, yeah.
Kumi-chan and her brother
don't have parents.
Hey, that monkey.
Huh?
The jumping monkey.
Doesn't he look like Aoki-san?
What?
Hey, that's mean!
I'll tell Tomiko-san you said that.
Look at this! That one
looks just like Takamura-san.
He really does.
Maybe there are other animals
that resemble people we know.
Makunouchi-san?
What's the matter?
That one isn't even funny!
Still, I'm really having fun today.
Thank you for inviting me out.
Aw, shucks.
I should be thanking you
for helping me to relax.
When a title match approaches,
I'm practically drowned
in boxing every day.
Until the match is over,
today will be the last day
I can forget everything and enjoy myself.
A tiger.
It really does fit Sendo-san's image.
Don't lose your nerve.
I'll never lose. I'll never lose.
I'll never lose.
Makunouchi-san?
I think it's dangerous to stand there.
What?
What is this?
It smells funny.
CAUTION!! TIGERS SPRAY URINE DIRECTLY
BEHIND THEM, SO PLEASE STAND BACK.
Urine?
That shirt looks good on you.
-Do you think so?
-Yep!
-That was horrible, wasn't it?
-I feel pathetic.
I bet you got distracted
by thoughts of boxing back there.
And you said that today
was the last day you could enjoy yourself
until the match was over.
Uh, I couldn't help it.
OSTRICH
I guess I'm being insensitive to think
about boxing at a time like this.
What?
It's all right.
It's impossible to ask a professional
boxer to forget about boxing.
Only
I got a bit grumpy thinking
that you might always be like this,
so I felt like teasing you a little.
Did you say always?
-Kumi-san!
-Yes?
KIDS AREA
That was startling.
My heart was in my throat.
Same here.
So, what were you going to say?
Oh, nothing!
I was curious about the worry
you mentioned on the phone.
It's not really a worry.
Was a signing board found
in front of the gym the other day?
With the word "idiot" written on it?
Oh, yeah. There was.
Wasn't that a horrible practical joke?
There was a fight
over who it was referring to.
IDIOT!!
In the end,
the blame was forced on Aoki-san.
-I'm sorry!
-Huh?
I'm the one who wrote that.
What?
Do you have something against Aoki-san?
That's not what I meant!
Before, when you promised
you'd give me your autograph,
I selfishly thought that I would be
the first girl to get your autograph.
But you went ahead
and gave your autograph to someone else,
and I couldn't help it.
It's not a big deal.
Besides, I think I must have been
irresponsible with what I said.
What a relief.
Whoa, I love it when she looks like that.
So
she was really looking forward
to getting my autograph.
I see.
I see now.
-Um
-Yes?
This time, I'll promise you.
Kumi-san, you'll get my autograph.
-But you already
-It will be my first autograph.
As Featherweight Champion of Japan,
it will be my first autograph.
I swear I'll win.
OSAKA
CANDY MARKET SENDO
Hello!
Excuse me!
Um, my name is Iimura.
I just phoned here a moment ago.
Maybe nobody's here.
If you want Takeshi, he's out running.
So somebody is here.
That moron forgot
he had an appointment, didn't he?
I'm terribly sorry,
but would you wait here a while?
Are you the champion's grandmother?
Please don't call him the champion.
His head will swell up so big,
he'll float away.
Just call him "idiot."
Um, since I'm here,
may I ask you a few questions?
Who, me?
Yes. Concerning Mr. Takeshi Sendo.
HAJIME NO IPPO: THE FIGHTING!
I was told that Takeshi-san
lost his parents when he was young
and you raised him by yourself.
Yes, I meant to raise him with care,
but look at him now.
He's become a huge nuisance of a man.
That's not true.
He fulfilled everyone's expectations
and became a champion.
That takes an awful lot
of effort and willpower.
A thirst for victory similar to tenacity.
The courage to never back down.
I would be most anxious to hear
how he was raised.
It isn't anything extraordinary.
I would have preferred it
if he turned out normal.
His father was a public servant, you see.
He found himself a good wife,
which was a relief to me.
The wife died soon after the boy was born,
and his father was badly shaken.
But he refused to stay depressed for long.
He stated that
he would raise Takeshi on his own
and worked very hard.
A public servant?
A firefighter. However
He did it to save a child Takeshi's age.
The child was saved, but
He looked upon
his father's soot-covered face
and he watched the funeral proceedings
without shedding a single tear.
He was probably as proud
as any small child could be
of what his father had done.
He stood straight and proud
on the day of his father's wake.
He was admirable.
I always told him to be like his father.
To become a kind man who protects others.
When he was little,
he had lots of friends
and he was the king of the sandbox.
He was growing up normally
until one day he came home
all beaten and bruised.
Koji and Kaori were being bullied.
I wanted to help them
but those guys aren't fair!
They're in a gang of five,
even though they're big!
I couldn't protect them.
Granny, I feel so upset!
The next day, he ambushed them.
-What's with him?
-He's got a bat!
I'm gonna get stronger!
I'm gonna get stronger
so I can protect everyone!
I'm gonna be strong, just like Dad!
His success spurred him on.
Goro in class six, right?
They robbed you?
I'll get 'em back for you!
Leave it to me! I'll keep you all safe!
Honestly, where did I go wrong?
He was always very strong,
so he became out of control.
When he got to high school,
he had grown
into a full-fledged gang leader,
who walked with dozens of followers.
But he didn't bully the weak, did he?
He was a delinquent for justice.
There is no justice in violence.
Very true.
That makes sense.
Come on, buy some for me.
Oh, shut up!
Granny, give these brats some candy.
I can't stand it!
Takeshi! You're keeping the reporter
from Tokyo waiting.
You forgot your appointment.
Hello.
Oh, yeah! I forgot.
-Tokyo?
-That means she's the enemy.
She's a spy! A spy!
She's a spy for Makunouchi!
Hey, spy! Listen up!
Rocky isn't the same as he was before.
In what way?
I mean this!
They're plain, but they're real effective.
You idiot! Don't give away secrets
at the drop of a dime.
Ankle weights.
Try 'em on! It's real scary.
Oh, well. I didn't mean to keep it
a secret anyway, so go ahead.
You're kidding! They're so heavy.
Serves you right! I bet you can't move!
You can't do it right away.
You gradually increase
the weight over time.
If it's this heavy,
it must be incredibly effective.
Nah, I couldn't really tell.
It never clicked in
when I was fighting Volg or Saeki.
The same goes for the last match.
Once I take 'em off,
it feels so light,
I can't keep my feet on the ground.
And you became accustomed to it
a little at a time?
That's right. It suddenly exploded
in the third round.
-You mean that dash, right?
-That wasn't all.
I understood the different nature
of punches between Makunouchi and myself.
Nature of your punches?
Until now, I've been punching
with my upper torso.
However, when I hit Shigeta,
I realized that the power
from my entire body was riding on my fist.
That was the same punch
I took from Makunouchi a long time ago.
It isn't just a punch
that smacks you up outside.
It goes right to your core
and stays with you forever.
That punch is mine now.
Oh, yeah. Wanna come to my gym?
I'll show you something cool.
The Dempsey Roll counterattack.
OTOWA BOXING SOCIETY
What? You have no counterattack?
Well, to be honest with you,
the Dempsey Roll is terrifying.
I doubt even Sendo could withstand that.
Not only does it combine
attack and defense,
the technique maximizes
Makunouchi's attack power.
However, we haven't prepared
anything for it.
This sparring session
uses three guys above featherweight.
Anyway, please write a good article.
That can't be.
Anyway, I'll have to see
how confident he is
to take on Dempsey
without a plan of counterattack.
He out-punched him
despite the weight difference.
Middle range is impressive.
He's fast! He cornered him
in the blink of an eye.
He lowered his upper torso?
No, he widened his stance.
No champion has ever had
this punching method.
Next, come on up!
I'm grateful to Makunouchi. And Volg.
Among fighters, he has more power,
but he gets out-hit at close range.
Why is that?
It's the weight shift.
Smoothly shifting their weight
from side to side
allows them to put their entire weight
into a close-range combo blow.
I realized to my despair the limitations
of boxing that relies on arm strength.
After that, we did all sorts of training
to make a stronger lower body.
And we achieved it.
We won't hide anything,
and we won't resort to strategy.
It'll be a head-to-head fight.
Whatever he throws at us, even
the Dempsey Roll, we'll take it head-on.
That is Sendo's boxing method.
Actually, even if we did have a plan,
he's so dumb he'd forget it instantly.
I'm told that Makunouchi-kun
also did lower body training at camp,
and is in such good condition
that he scored five consecutive KO's
in sparring.
Sendo would be thrilled to hear it.
He'd get that gleam in his eye,
saying, "Lemme at it!"
Anyway, that's how confident we are.
With a quick dash
to run him into a corner,
it will be too cramped
for the Dempsey Roll.
That technique only becomes effective
with forward motion.
Fighting head-to-head.
That is the ultimate way
to block the Dempsey Roll.
-Well? Did you find it interesting?
-Yes.
I thought so! But the real thing
will be nothing like this.
After all, I'll be fighting Makunouchi.
It'll be a real blast to watch.
I think you're looking forward
to it most of all.
That's true. I can hardly wait.
I fully understand that you're confident.
However, he is still a dangerous opponent.
Do you have any other feelings,
such as fear?
I do.
Makunouchi has terrifying fists.
My greatest fear of all
is the fear of losing.
But there's something
that transcends that.
I guess a woman wouldn't understand.
No, I doubt even other boxers
could understand.
Maybe I'm a special case.
We traded punches
that stung from the top of the scalp
all the way to the toenails,
over and over.
My blood boiled with every punch,
and I hit over and over,
feeling my flesh dance.
In that fight, until I lost consciousness
I felt like I was at the top of the world.
In all of Japan, Makunouchi is the only
one I can fight with as an equal
He is the only man
who can make me feel that good.
And I get to pick up where we left off.
I can hardly wait!
See? You can't understand it, right?
When you get back to Tokyo,
tell Makunouchi this.
The next match
What the Is it a fire?
Hold on, I'll be right there!
Hey, wait a second!
What should I tell him?
Tell him that the belt isn't at stake
in the next match.
It's each other's pride!
And that I'll be the last man standing!
See ya!
TAKESHI SENDO VS IPPO MAKUNOUCHI
The championship belt.
The proof that you are the champion,
the strongest in your weight class.
It is a thing
that every boxer wants to have
and goes through
incessant training to get.
But this time, it's different!
There's more to it than the belt.
To me, the craving to match fists
with that man
is driving me crazy with anticipation.
Next time, "Time For The Showdown."