Not as good as Thermae Romae but it is another interesting take on Roman Empire period. Taken the setting during Emperor Nero Rule, Kento Ankokuden Cestvs tells the story of a young slave Gladiator named Cestvs/Cestus who under tutelage of former Champion Gladiator fights for his freedom as a Pugilist. While the author did try to balance the historical element and boxing scene, the manga ends up to be Roman Period version of Hajime no Ippo. To be honest the main weakness of the manga is that it uses modern people mentality for the protagonist personality which just doesn't work in a harsh setting for Roman Period Slaves. The manga starts out promising but ends up mostly to be unrealistic as Praetors fight with their fist and the main antagonist is pretty much Raoh's clone. The Ankokuden serialization finished in 15 Volumes but later continue as second series called Kento Shitouden where the main protagonist is already full fledged adult pugilist. One of my favorite game called Gladiator Rising definitely took some inspiration from this series.
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