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I think the best way to describe IGPX as a whole would be “risky”. This show would never exist in today’s TV climate if only because the amount of time and money placed into this project would scare away most investors. Toonami got lucky when IGPX was made because it came at a different time for both the block and Cartoon Network. Yes, Adult Swim has kind of carried that mantle for original projects with varying results, but would Adult Swim have greenlit a new IP like this series that’s not a typical action show with a lot of high quality rendered CGI mechs? Not to mention a series that got back-to-back seasons in a short amount of time. Sure, we’re getting more Ninja Kamui in the future and Adult Swim has funded more than the typical action anime but it’s rare to see it put that much money into these projects. Granted anime as a whole is made on the cheap, but just from watching IGPX it’s an impressive series that still looks amazing and still feels like passion and love was poured into every nook and cranny. Unlike most other originals Toonami has put out in more recent years, it also feels complete. It told the story it wanted and its production didn’t collapse during its development. They could make more, but I feel like that’s missing the point of the show. It had a definitive end. Takeshi ended up with Liz and they remained IG-1 champions. It’s hard to imagine this getting new material because what could you do to raise the stakes? It would be a fool’s errand. The production team behind this clearly put a lot of time and thought into how they wanted to make it and their vision never felt compromised. I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite show ever or anything, but I can see why people love IGPX. It’s a testament to all the hard work they put into it and having the final product to come out good is nothing to scoff at. Unfortunately, the show never really found its audience. Of course Toonami fans know IGPX, but with how little Adult Swim has run the show in recent years, I doubt most would have seen all episodes or even know it outside of the context of it being the first original project that Toonami ever produced. Its original run on Cartoon Network was unfortunate as well. It’s a very mature series one that would go above the heads of the kids 10-14 range that CN aimed at and so the series felt very out of place on Cartoon Network at the time. It’s no surprise why the network wrote off its share. The write-off was eventually reversed due to Adult Swim deciding it was worth the time, effort, and small investment in getting the rights to IGPX back and I can almost guarantee if it wasn’t because of Toonami’s revival in 2012, this show would remain a write off. I also think it came out at a time when sports shows were more niche than most other anime and if it were produced nowadays, it might have found a larger audience. We’ve seen the success of sports titles like Haikyu!!, Chihayafuru, and Food Wars, which shows that sports anime can find a dedicated audience. Regardless, IGPX remains a good series and is worth a watch. It unfortunately is not available in full to stream anywhere but the recent Blu-ray box set released by Discotek Media (I swear to god this isn’t sponsored) is currently available for purchase and is well worth buying if what I wrote here has you interested. A few episodes of the first season are available to watch on Adult Swim’s website if you want to sample a few episodes before making a purchase.
