A little context before I start - I keep a big list of comics I'm interested in but haven't read yet, and shortly before reading this one, I'd read two others with similar art styles called StarHammer and Star Trip, which were, uh... Well, the point is that this comic also started with the word "Star". So I started reading this with my expectations about as low as they could possibly be.

I'm kinda glad I did. It made the whole experience that much sweeter.

Aster is the reason this comic is so good. While she's not a terribly unique character as far as these kinds of sports or shonen comics go (basically just female Goku), her drive, passion, and optimism is infectious. I couldn't even begin to explain why, but she hooked me in a way few other characters have, even though my initial impression of her was that she was really generic and boring. In fact, that's kind of a theme for me with Star Impact: I came with negative impressions towards every single thing about the story and every single time I was completely floored by how smart the writing was.

There's one boxer that's played up as a pure villain, who's petty and mean for no other reason than because he likes being petty and mean. Then, during Aster's fight with him, the author actually had the chutzpuh to play the "villain secretly has a tragic backstory" card, the cheapest, most stock method possible of trying to add depth to an otherwise 1-dimensional character. And it worked!!! I can't even remember the last time that sort of thing actually got me to change my opinion on a character at all, let alone do a complete 180 from where I was beforehand.

Every opponent Aster faces is memorable. Every fight is a visual spectacle. Best of all, the fights aren't just flashy - they're smart. The author clearly knows what he's talking about when it comes to boxing matches, and traditional rules and strategies are mixed with fantastical powers in ways that are beyond enthralling to watch. It reminds me a lot of Megalo Box, and hey, the sequel to that show, Megalo Box Nomad, is one of my favorite animes. Honestly, Star Impact is held back from being on almost that level just because it's a webcomic with a shoe-string budget. I would LOVE to see a full-fledged cartoon adaptation for this series.

Have I said that I really like this comic yet? 'Cause I really like this comic.