Megalo Box Episode 10 Review: The Die is Cast

We’re hitting the home stretch with Megalo Box and it’s anyone’s guess where the series is heading in these final episodes. Boxing takes a bit of a backseat this week as Joe and the rest of the Team Nowhere attempt to pick up the pieces after Fujimaki lays down the law. It’s a dog-eat-dog world and Joe and crew will have to fight tooth and nail if they want to make it to the main stage of the Megalonia Tournament. Can they pull off the biggest upset in boxing history, or will opposition from a former ally have them running with their tails between their legs? Find out in this week’s review of Episode 10, The Die is Cast.

Plot

After last week’s big reveal, it’s time for Team Nowhere to make a tough decision. Meanwhile, the first official match of the Megalonia Tournament between Yuri and Pepe Inglesias is underway.

Episode Highlights

Native Language: Megalonia is an international boxing tournament with boxers from all over the world competing for the top spot. However, Episode 10 marks the first time that we hear any of the boxers speak in their native languages. During the final press conference, both Pepe Inglesias and Burroughs deliver their remarks in Spanish and English respectively.

Entrance Themes: Up until this episode, the fights were the main focus of each match. Boxers would simply enter the ring and immediately get down to business, but for the first time, we are treated to elaborate entrance themes and videos for each of the boxers. In this episode, we are treated to pre-match videos for both Yuri and Pepe followed by a dramatic entrance accompanied by theme music specific to the boxer.

Themes & Trivia

The Scorpion and the Frog: During the episode, Fujimaki tells a story about a scorpion that enlists the help of a frog to cross a river, only to double cross the frog in the end. While the origins are unknown, the fable speaks to human nature and our inability to act counter to our natures.

Comments

Like I said at the start of this review, the match between Pepe and Yuri isn’t the main focus of this week’s episode. If anything, it’s little more than a subplot, with the greater focus placed on the fallout of Fujimaki’s ‘reveal.’ I have to admit that I kind of saw this coming. I mean come on, there was no way a big bad mob boss that cooks his enemies into delicious stews was going to help out some no-name underground boxer enter a big international boxing tournament without some kind of catch. But, that doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt to see our boy Joe have a existential crisis… He worked so hard to make it so far only to have Nanbu and Fujimaki tell him that it was all a ruse. Damn, I really felt for the dude.

Side note, for the first time in the entire series, someone asks Joe why he fights without gear, and it’s Yuri of all people! I have been waiting for someone to ask him about his distinct lack of gear, but, it never seemed to come up, not even in interviews and honestly, I found Joe’s answer very fitting, and don’t get me started on the little heart to heart moment between Yuri and Joe. I get the feeling that if they weren’t in the tournament and they’d met some other way, they could possibly have been good friends….maybe.

My Way or the Highway

This was definitely a better episode than last week’s, especially since the focus wasn’t so much on the tournament itself, but on Joe and how he is dealing with Fujimaki’s ultimatum. This is a character driven story and it’s great to see the characters holding their own with the tournament serving as a backdrop for their individual ‘arcs’.

NEXT TIME: A Dead March