1 Pound no Fukuin

Young boxer Kosaku Hatanaka was once Coach Mukoda's prized prospect and the only member of their gym to become a professional. In the short time he has been on the scene, however, he has racked up an unimpressive record, failing to even make his weight class for several matches. After a particularly embarrassing incident in the ring causes the cancellation of multiple upcoming fights, his coach tells him that his next bout may be his last if he fails to shape up.

After managing to break his diet by convincing a local novitiate, Sister Angela, to feed him, it seems certain that Kosaku will once again be too heavy to compete, ending his career on a forfeit. When Sister Angela hears of her unwitting part in Kosaku's gluttony, she is determined to set him on the path of righteousness—even when he seems more interested in the pretty girl under the cloth than in the word of the Lord.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Sister Angela Main

Tsuru, Hiromi Japanese

Hatanaka, Kosaku Main

Furuya, Toru Japanese

Coach Mukoda Main

Nagai, Ichiro Japanese

Ishida Supporting

Futamata, Issei Japanese

Tabuchi Supporting

Tatsuta, Naoki Japanese

Amakusa, Jiro Supporting

Shiozawa, Kaneto Japanese

Dezaki, Osamu Director, Storyboard

Matsuura, Noriyoshi Sound Director

Mizutani, Takaya Episode Director

Takayashiki, Hideo Script

Reviews

Oct 12, 2008

jmoriarty84

Recommended

Well, I think this anime is ok. I felt that they did little with Angela and wasn’t really used right and she’s just a supporting character, and not really a main one who has to struggle with her own issues in relation to her lifestyle. Like her supporting cast is opposite from that in the manga such as Mother Abbess who is strongly opposed to Kousaku’s advances. While in this one, of course it’s natural to assume but it’s not really emphasized that because she’s a nun in training, she can’t have romantic relations with Kousaku due to those reasons. Kousaku’s portrayal shows he is ... very serious about boxing but yet he can’t give up food like he’s that douche from the season 5 of Ultimate Fighter, Gabe Reudiger who wouldn’t give up eating cake and chips. And Mukoda’s portrayal is what you’d expect but he is very realistic about approaching problems and solving some of them. Like if Kousaku was really going out to eat, that’s his own fault when he should know this could be his last chance.

Anyway, in comparison to the drama and manga, it is more boxing centric than romance and comedy centric which I find is good for those who like Hajime no Ippo and Ashita no Joe which transitions to what I want to say next about the fights.

If you have watched Ashita no Joe, then I guarantee you’re going to enjoy the fights. A majority of the angles and a fraction of the execution pays major homage to it. Kousaku like Joe is a hard punching brawler but in his fight with Jiro, he shows he does have basic technique against an Olympic gold medallist with his dodging and footwork. And the way he loses sometimes is similar to Joe’s losing streak except under different circumstances of why they’d puke in a middle of a fight. Joe not feeling comfortable fighting after killing Rikiishi, and with Kousaku, he pigs out. And of course we’ll see the use of fouls to win fights. So either the staff of this anime, or Takahashi herself is a fan of Ashita no Joe. But the ending fight ends in an anti-climatic nature which has happened in some other action oriented Takahashi mangas such as Inuyasha vs Bankotsu in the manga version. And the fights in the live action One Pound Gospel have this problem as well.

But for the character design, it’s your typical Rumiko Takahashi art style and if you like Ranma and Inuyasha, you’re going to instantly recognize it. But what’s also fun is that there are no bizarre hair styles and hair colors.

Moving on, I would like to make the notion that this anime never had a dub release. Whether that’s a good thing or bad thing, I’m leaving that up to you. But the Japanese cast does have some of the biggest name. Furuya Tooru, the voice of Tuxedo Mask and Amuro Rei and Saint Seiya plays Kousaku. He portrays the character as serious and has a fun side to him. He brings out the confession of his love in a very sincere way in comparison to the sugar rushed portrayal of KAT-TUN’s Kamenashi Kazuya in the live action, which is another review for another time. And Tsuru Hiromi, the voice of Bulma in DBZ and Ukyo from Ranma and Reiko from Ghost Sweeper plays a very different role from this one where she is more calm and doesn’t really have a fighting intensity, but has a certain anger for Kousaku’s indiscipline and his advances.

And I’m guessing Nagai Ichiro’s portrayal of Mukoda paved way for his role of Nekota Ginpachi in Hajime no Ippo, another boxing anime. If just doesn’t feel the same if he doesn’t end his sentences with “da ni.” OK, enough of the voice acting, time to talk about the music. It’s very uplifting and intense. It goes very well to the mood, and brings a balance to the romantic tensions between Kousaku and Angela.

If you’re looking for your typical Rumiko Takahashi romance anime, this isn’t for you. Then again, in most anime versions of Takahashi’s anime, the main female and male characters that have romantic tensions never officially hook up as a couple except for Maison Ikkoku so expect no different. Surprisingly, after reading the manga and watching a majority of the live action version, I like how this is more boxing oriented than romance as I previously mentioned. So, I think it would be a disappointment if it was romance emphasized instead because you know in the end, Angela and Kousaku won’t hook up in the oav like they do in the manga which ended not too long ago. Hopefully we may get a new anime version which can give a faithful manga adaptation which later introduced other interesting characters.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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May 10, 2017

Remainstobeseen

Recommended

I wish I could give this short anime a higher score, but to most people it will probably feel very average.

Rumiko Takahashi is one of my favorite mangaka ever, I love her style, so that's points right there for me. I also love the retro quality, and the silliness of the setup, with this young boxer and nun-in-training. A lot more could have been done with the story and characters though. So I guess I love it's style and potential more than the story itself.

From my own scoring system:
2/3 for characters and relationships
2/3 for plot/storyline
3/3 for formal elements
0/1 for my special award

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Nov 8, 2025

patkarunungan

Not Recommended

I watched this OVA, One-Pound Gospel, thinking it had good qualities. After all, the manga it is based on is by Takahashi Rumiko, who is more popularly known for Urusei Yatsura, Ranma 1/2, and Maison Ikkoku. One-Pound Gospel is said to be underrated.

Alas! I was disappointed.


§ Overview

Hatanaka Kosaku is a talented boxer, but his record is unimpressive compared to his talent. He loses, and he can't keep his weight, so he moves up in weight classes without really winning.

One day, prior to an important fight, he meets Sister Angela, who feeds him, and this led him to lose.
...
Kosaku has one final chance. Will he redeem himself?


§ Notes

1. It was directed and storyboarded by the late Dezaki Osamu. He is known for numerous works, among which is Ashita no Joe. I haven't seen this classick boxing anime, but given its reputation and how well-esteemed it is, it's clear that director Dezaki was experienced and knowledgeable in directing a boxing fight. It was more than acceptable, and I also praise its art style and storyboarding. I love the low-angle shots of the church.

Its defects must be in the script.


2. Looking at the dates of publications between the OVA and the manga, it is clear as day why.

There are only four volumes in the manga, but look at the publication dates. 1) Volume I was published 5 July 1989, 2) Volume II was published 5 July 1990, 3) Volume III was published 5 July 1996, and Volume IV was published 5 March 2007. In other words, this must be Rumiko-sensei's side project, as it took her almost two decades before the whole story was completed.

On the other hand, the OVA was released on 2 December 1988. Thus, the first volume wasn't even published. The OVA was probably based on the first few chapters that had been released in some magazine before the full tankobon edition was published.

The lack of source material is probably why the OVA feels underwhelming.


3. Looking back at the original tweet that made me look into this (https://x.com/HaruhiAisaka/status/1879924358497665400), it has all the elements that seem fine but are absent in the OVA. In the OVA, the romance feels abrupt and comes from left field. There was no build-up. The panels in the tweet suggest that the manga did a great job at building the romance up.


4. What ultimately made me give this a very low score is how Kosaku is so unlikeable. He starts out as unlikeable, and he ends up unlikeable. There is no growth. He didn't even make a genuine effort to overcome his weakness. He was forced into it, but there is no sincerity behind it.

The OVA ends in a WTF moment. I won't tell you what it is, but from 5 out of 10 I was planning to hand it, I was so appalled that it only deserves a 3 out of 10.


5. Let me also add that it barely has any humour, unlike Ranma 1/2 and Urusei Yatsura. It has only a sprinkle of funny moments. This is mostly drama.


§ Conclusion

The OVA is only there to promote that manga, but even that, it's bound to give you a negative impression of the manga. If you are remotely interested in this story, skip this and head straight to the manga. I will read the manga, for sure, to erase my memory of this OVA.


NOTA BENE: A grade of 3 out of 10 means that I did not enjoy watching this anime despite being either well-regarded or at least popular, or perhaps I happened to rank them below my 4's but above my 2's.

My enjoyment spectrum lies from 4 to 10. If I have scored an anime below 4, I actively dislike it.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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