Let Me Ask It Once More is Round 1276 of Jōji Morikawa's Hajime no Ippo manga series.
Details
- Title Page Character(s): Ippo Makunouchi, Miyazaki
Summary
Ippo prepares to go to a class reunion per Umezawa's invitation. When he arrives to the Kemuri Izakaya, where the reunion is being held, he becomes shocked as his former classmates are excited to see him and recognises him as the hero of class-A Hearing his classmates call him the Japanese champion, Ippo informs them that he is retired. His classmates asks him questions about him retiring until Umezawa makes them stop, telling them that even if he can fight, Ippo has done enough. Umezawa then brings Ippo to Aikawa, who he has not seen in seven years. Aikawa informs to Ippo that she has seen three of his matches when her job let her and was surprised to see the meek Ippo fight in the ring. She tells Ippo that she watched him fight against Date, Alfredo, and Guevara. Umezawa, noticing that those are the only matches where Ippo lost, tells Aikawa that there are many matches where he won. As Ippo begins to leave, Umezawa tells him that he talked with Matsuda and Takemura about what they did to Ippo back in school, which Matsuda and Takemura apologises to Ippo. Ippo walks with Aikawa home, while reminiscing their memories with each other. Aikawa expresses to Ippo that she always liked him, and wanted to congratulate him after a match, but could not bring herself to when he lost. She then asks Ippo if he has a girlfriend. When Ippo did not give an answer, she apologises, saying her drinking makes her talk a lot. Aikawa wishes to see Ippo win a match, but Ippo reminds her that he is retired Knowing the reason of him being retired from Umezawa that he has no reason, asks him if there was a reason, would he fight again. Aikawa sees Ippo not answering and being indecisive, and comments how she likes him being the same as before, giving him a note and wishing to see him again before walking away. Ippo goes to the tree where he tested himself to catch ten leave before becoming a boxer and notes how the area is where he vowed to become reborn and come out a new person, but nothing changed. He remembers when he asked Takamura what it means to be strong, realising that he still does not have answer.
Trivia
Issue 43 cover with Ippo.
- Ippo Makunouchi appeared on Weekly Shōnen Magazine cover of issue 43 as part of the 30th anniversary.
- In the Issue, there is a colour page with Ippo standing in front of all of his past 25 opponents that he fought. Left side (Red) are champions, right side (Blue) are challengers, referencing how the champion stands in the red corner, and the challengers are in the blue corner in the boxing ring.
- Coloured spread of various volume cover artwork chronicling 30 years of his work.
- Coloured version of various fight posters that appeared in the story.
- Picture of Morikawa, where he gave a message to the readers about the 30 years.
- Aikawa gave Ippo a piece a paper with her email address (along with her phone number) on it. Later, Ippo dropped the note as he caught the leaves under the tree.
| Bold Retirement | |||||||||||||||||||
| Importance of the Support Role | |||||||||||||||||||
| Manga Volumes | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 127 | 128 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Manga Rounds | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1276 | 1277 | 1278 | 1279 | 1280 | 1281 | 1282 | 1283 | 1284 | 1285 | ||||||||||
| 1286 | 1287 | 1288 | 1289 | 1290 | 1291 | ||||||||||||||