Rin

The sequel series to Sugar. It continues to follow the exploits of genius boxer Rin Ishikawa.

This is a fascinating character study of human behavior as Rin has reached superhuman status, toying with his opponent that he wins the championship from. He mocks others openly because they have no understanding of the world he sees from his talent. He’s contrasted by the serious Tachikawa, a ex-criminal who’s attained his own championship through grit and determination. After Rin sucker punches Tachikawa he challenges him to fight in the ring. While Tachikawa begins to lose himself to prepare for their match Rin’s world is rocked when his childhood sweetheart rejects him for his heinous behavior. Rin falls into a dark spiral filled with brothel visits until he hits rock bottom. Ultimately, he finds Tachikawa’s intense animosity in the ring to be better than any sexual gratification he could ever hope to achieve.

Hideki Arai is a master of crafting charismatic characters and Rin is one of his best. It’s intense and very adult but that’s what I loved about this.

~dakazu