Tokyo Revengers follows the life of 26-year-old, Takemichi, who by his own admission is a pathetic virgin who peaked in middle school.
Takemichi learns of his middle school girlfriend, Hinata's death in a car accident where authorities suspect foul play at the hands of the infamous Tokyo Manji gang. Subsequently, Takemichi is hit by a train and taken back 12 years into the past.
While I'm just as tired of this trope as you are, criticizing this would be hating it for what it is, which isn't a valid criticism, but believe me, there's plenty of room for that to come later in this review.
Upon realizing Takemichi had been given a second chance in life, he decides to correct the biggest mistake of the past 12 years, which apparently is saving the life of a girl he once dated. I understand if she still means a lot to him, so I won't trivialize his love, even though it's been over a decade.
It's just his methods for achieving this are a little strange. Instead of using the power of hindsight to make money and buying himself out of this situation or even doing good in school and convincing Hinata to elope in another part of Japan, he decides to double down on the path of the delinquent.
He thinks that if he can stop the one bad person in this massive gang of hoodlums, the world would be a better place.
The only problem is that Takamichi is the biggest poser and only gains credibility through being a punching bag and offering his emotional support. You'd think a 26-year-old would know more than 1 way to outsmart a teenager.
Thankfully, the anime makes room for more personality types than the Japanese teenagers who are somehow martial arts experts and include a few cunning personalities who manipulate those around them.
Unfortunately, Takamichi isn't that type of antihero because that would have made the anime so much more enjoyable. I'd love to see an anime about someone using strategy and manipulation to climb the ranks of a gang.
It could be like the proper Sanctuary adaptation that we never got. The reason why I say Takemichi is interchangeable with any other anime character is because he remains a blank slate through the entire first season.
All we learn about him is that he's got a good heart, can take a beating, his love for Hinata, and he's got a job at a video rental store. We don't learn anything else about him. Where were his parents this entire time?
Were there any significant life-altering situations or traumas that caused him to want to be a delinquent in the first place? For an anime about an adult struggling to cope with his life choices and grieving the loss of the one girl he loved, he sure lacks personality.
Fortunately, the side characters received much more development, as they ultimately became the singular reason I continued watching. Some Tokyo Manji members receive backstories depicting their troubled lives in a way that makes their choices and personalities believable for the viewers.
The anime also includes several well-animated brawls with countless gang members. I found these to be consistently enjoyable, with the exception of selectively choosing when an injury would matter.
For example, a character will get stabbed through the hand or beat over the head relentlessly with a steel pipe with no long-term complications. That's not to say the anime imposes no threat on its characters, because a few of them, even ones we have backstories for, get killed off. It's just that something you'd think there would be nerve damage, concussions, or even death from some of the way these characters get beat down, but there's just not Earlier I mentioned that Takemichi could have made a ton of money and just bought his way out of the situation.
This may sound unrealistic, considering he knew nothing of stocks as an adult. However, his time-traveling ability works both ways, and he knows how to control it. He could have quickly have become a millionaire. Other than this, I think the time-traveling could have been handled worse.
I mean, he goes back and forth, realizing his mistakes or gathering information which is nice, but he spends most of the time in the past making the present feel trivial.
In my opinion, Tokyo Revengers is like one of those isekai that would have been better if it weren't an isekai. I think the story would have been better if it didn't include time traveling, Takemichi, or Hinata at all. Just give me the thugs beating the snot out of each other and manipulating their way to the top and I'll have a good time.
My criticisms should be taken with a grain of salt, as this 24 episode anime is only the first part of its overarching story. The manga has more than 20 volumes currently. Future seasons may further flesh out Takemichi and deepen the connection with Hinata or possibly depict more of a strategic approach from our hero.
Despite my criticisms, my overall opinions on Tokyo Revengers are fairly positive. I look forward to the following seasons out of interest in its side characters and seeing how the antagonist will continue to manipulate people.
So what did you think of Tokyo Revengers? Check it
Comments
Post a Comment