Oh snap, this anime is going to be one heck of a ride!! I really had no idea where the direction of this first episode was going, but I was pleasantly surprised. I’m sad that I have to wait a whole week for the next episode! The premise itself is super interesting, but I really think that “twist” at the end is what was most surprising to me! I’m interested to see how this will play out.
Alright, let’s talk about our main character, Takemichi Hanagaki. When we first meet him, he’s kind of a hot mess. He’s trying his best, but nothing is really working out for him. Really just a guy who is down on his luck and felt that he peaked in middle school. Now, I don’t know about you, but I don’t think anyone peaked in middle school. And while for me it was a simpler time, if I were to become myself from Middle School again that would strike fear into my heart. But it was absolutely hilarious when he was teleported back and saw himself in the mirror and completely recognized just how lame he was, though he did have a single coin and a flip phone so that’s a bonus! But once he figured out where he had travelled back to? Oh that line of “My life is ending and I’m reliving the worst part of it.” Really packed a punch.
I don’t have too much to say about his friend group yet, but we’ll definitely get to know at least a couple of them during the anime’s run. I liked how they provided the flashback in the park just before the true delinquents showed up. I was hoping for then to turn the tides then, but I think getting the absolute nonsense beaten out of them was important for later on. I love the way Takemichi think of Hinata in the fact that it’s more of a reminiscent way. She’s right in front of him, but he’s experiencing this as memories. I wonder if she’s going to stay as a secondary character, or if she’s going to grow into someone more prominent. (I mean, she’s pretty darn prominent as she’s the reason why everything needs to change). She’s kind, but also seems like she could bring a lot of fun! I’m looking forward to seeing her role in the future. Even if it is just to patch him up and make him cry.
The ending was just one surprise after another, although in different magnitudes. It was hilarious that the reason Takemichi gave for going after the bullies was strictly because they were ruining the moment he was having. At first, I thought it the kid he saved was going to be a new character, one that kind of would help him out. Or at the very least, someone who Takemichi could give all the advice that he wish he had when he was younger. I mean, even with the reveal of who the kid was, that technically can still happen. But when Takemichi revealed the time traveling portion and started talking about the future, I half expected Naoto to just walk away. It was practically a joke waiting to happen, but I’m happy that it didn’t because it made those ending moments much more impactful! In just this first episode, I loved being able to see how that future was changed! Even if it was only a minor one. Well… minor is relative because now we have another person who is alive and can help in the quest to save Hinata. And as a result, I’m interested to see how these two are going to work together to accomplish their mutual goal IF they can!!!
This was an enjoyable first episode for me and I really can’t wait for next week to see episode 2. I was really worried that I’d be harsher on it because I’m still fighting with the art style, but I think it will do well considering we are focusing on delinquent characters. But gahhhh after this episode, I’m really close to just picking up the manga because I just want to know what comes next. I’m going to have to restrain myself until the season is over though, I want to be surprised by what this anime will throw at us. But a whole week seems too long!
Possibility of Watching: Guaranteed
Possibility of Blogging: Incredibly High
I’ve read some of the source manga for this; much of the plot will be driven by delinquent gang socio-politics and relationships between said delinquents.
The source is officially available in English.
https://kodansha.us/series/tokyo-revengers/
Manga is still ongoing in Japan, so I’m curious what a good cutoff point will be.
Oh that’s really interesting! And thank you as always for sharing the source!
If the manga is still ongoing it might put them in a tricky spot for where they want to end especially if they are considering multiple seasons. And if there’s 20 volumes already translated, that’s quite a bit of content they have to go through !
I’m skeptical of this show because it’s basically Erased with delinquents, and Erased was a huge mess. I do think Tokyo Revengers will be better than Erased given how horrible the writing in Erased was with regards to the time travel aspects and the actions of the characters, but that’s not exactly high praise. I find it hard to believe that Tokyo Revenger’s time travel aspects will make sense aside from being a very convenient plot time device for him to eventually save Hinata.
I think that’s totally valid! I’ve also seen a handful of people argue about which one does it better, but it’s hard to get a good gauge as it seems most people fighting are dead set on their side. But I totally agree with Erased, like overall I enjoyed the time I spent with that anime… but there were definitely some things that didn’t quite succeed.
The general vibe I’ve gotten is that Hinata is a driving force but may not be as much of a focus / main character as Kayo was… though I can see that pitfall of having time travel because it is convenient. My hope is that they will surprise us with how they use time travel. But I probably shouldn’t get my hopes up quite yet.