Hajime no Ippo New Challenger Ep. 1-4

I know I am a little late considering the series is up to its 15th episode by now but I was putting it off until my roommate and I finished the first series and the two movies. So here's a review of the first four episodes.
For those of you who have never heard of Hajime no Ippo; it is a boxing series. In the U.S. it is known as Fighting Spirit.

Young Ippo Makunouchi is a high school student who gets beaten up by bullies regularly. He is one day saved by Mamoru Takamura, a rising star in the boxing world. After some circumstances, Ippo falls in love with the sport of boxing and he learns how to fight. A long road and plenty of challenges await Ippo as he takes on challenger all over the globe.

Hajime no Ippo: New Challenger is the new season that continues Ippo's journey and his fellow boxers around him. The show follows right after the first season and two movies; the first four episodes focuses on Ichiro Miyata, Ippo's friend and rival, and his fight for the OPBF championship belt.

The first series ran for 76 episodes back in 2002; despite a seven year gap, the show still maintains similar animation but it looks fresher and cleaner than before. The boxing matches are the heart of the show with its over-the-top fight scenes and how it plays the drama card. Drama, suspense, pretty much everything about the show puts you on the edge of your seat.

Though I missed the rock music overtones of the first series as the have been replaced with a semi-classical sound. Even though there are still funny jokes and plenty of comic relief, the show feels much more serious this time around. Though, I am glad they still carried on the penis joke. After the end of the first match, the show jumps right into the next plot; it wasn't a bad thing, I like how they don't waste time but it just seems so abrupt and the transmission could of been smoother.
In the end, the show is definitely fun to watch and if you like movies like Rocky, I would strongly recommend this show. Just be sure to watch the first series before the second; jumping right into the second season will only leave you confused.