Chifuyu???? Takemichi???? Wow, what an ending that was and what a cliff hanger to leave us with. Of all the possible outcomes, I hadn’t even considered this so I’m having quite the time trying to organize my thoughts. I mean, even just the development at the meeting! There’s so much to unpack and season two hasn’t even been officially announced yet!
Even though we managed to make it through Bloody Halloween with only one death it’s safe to say that we’re still not in the clear. In fact, I’d argue that things are just as bad in the future as they were before except this time there are different people that we get to watch die! It’s especially nerve wracking knowing that Takemichi can’t contact Naoto to figure out the current state of things… or even if Naoto’s still alive. It’s clear that Kisaki still has a vendetta against the crybaby hero, so it’s very possible that Hina, Naoto, and Akkun are already casualties of this current timeline. But ahhhhhh I really wasn’t expecting Chifuyu and Takemichi to both be shot at point blank. I just have to hope that someone was there to come to the rescue. If after all of this Chifuyu and Baji are dead, I’m going to riot.
I suppose I should also talk about the meeting that everyone had at the beginning of the episode. Though, after the remainder of the episode, my thoughts seem incredibly miniscule by comparison. Tragically, Valhalla falls under Toman now, which is still one of the major contributors the tragic future coming their way. I would have thought that Baji’s final words might have sparked something in Mikey, but he doesn’t play a major role in this episode so we don’t get to hear his perspective. In the end, Kisaki still gets what he wants and that’s frustrating. However! (Provided that Takemichi is still alive), there has been development with his role in Toman. Rather than just being a friend of Mikey, to being a regular member of Toman, he’s quickly moved to become the 1st Division Captain after agreement from both Chifuyu and Mikey. And I really liked Chifuyu’s speech! Personally, I would have liked to see him promoted into that role and taken Takemichi as Vice Captain, but Chifuyu has a strong sense of loyalty and after everything the two had been through together, this outcome makes sense. So, congratulations Takemichi! You’re making your way to the top of Toman!
But uh, whatever your past self did wasn’t enough, if they even did anything at all. Essentially, the outcome is still the same except for your status. Mikey is still missing, Draken’s been executed, and Kisaki still has a vice grip on the organization. Toman is not the same as you left it no matter what we were able to change. Honestly, I felt like I was in Takemichi’s shoes as everything was happening. This life he’s living is unlike anything he’s experienced, and there’s still some similarities, but otherwise a complete unknown. I was half expecting Akkun or Hina to show up and something would happen to them, but I was definitely caught off guard.
I mean! I suspected Takemichi would have something to do with ‘Judas’, but not in this way! I thought, maybe Naoto and him were already connected, but maybe under different aliases? Or heck! At that point Naoto could have been working alone. And I can’t believe I fell into a sense of security around Kisaki. He’s been nothing but a threat this whole time, but if he just puts on an act… man… I knew I shouldn’t trust him, but I didn’t expect this outcome! Drugging the drink and then interrogating them it was all just so stressful. And after all that time we spent with Chifuyu, I can’t believe he went down just like that. But I think the think that will eat at me most are the final lines from Kisaki! I mean, the lone tear and “my ‘hero'” what am I supposed to make of that! Kisaki what do you mean????
It really was one heck of a cliff hanger for us to end on and I have so many questions. I can’t wait for more, I hope that they announce season 2 soon, and at the very least Takemichi still has the chance to save everyone!!
Final Impressions
This is going to sound weird, but I’ve been dreading writing the final impressions for Tokyo Revengers. Not because I’ve disliked the series or anything, but because I can’t believe it’s over. It’s been a wild ride since the start and I’m glad that I decided to push past my hesitation and dive into this show.
Back when I was looking for shows to cover in Spring, this one caught my eye primarily for the time travel and the fact that it was focused on delinquent characters. However, I was still hesitant about it due to the art style. I try not to be too picky, but from the eyes to the noses, it was definitely something that I knew I would need to get used to. And boy am I glad that I decided to push through it because this anime was an absolute ride. This absolutely exceeded my expectations and really just the synopsis alone doesn’t give this series justice.
There were just so many moving pieces that made this anime so enjoyable to watch. First and foremost, the story kept grabbing me in. With each new episode, I just had to see more – they did a really good job of keeping the audience engaged. And even more, it wasn’t all serious all the time. There was still some humor sprinkled throughout. At the end of the day, we are primarily dealing with kids in middle school (even if I often forgot that point). But I think even more than the plot, I just loved the characters. They were all so unique and brought something exciting to the show. At the beginning, I really thought his initial friend group was going to play a larger role, but with every new character that was introduced there was just so much more depth. I blog entries for every character and how much I enjoyed them. Even the antagonistic characters, they added a lot of spice into the series. I really have to thank them for everything they gave to the series.
And while I can’t write an essay to every character I’d like to; I’d still like to take the opportunity to talk about Takemichi. Quite frankly, he’s not the typical hero that most people would fall in love with. But that’s also what I really enjoy about him. He’s flawed, a mess, and generally not the typical type of character that anyone would want to have be a savior. But at the end of the day, he really is trying his best to prevent the deadliest outcome from occurring. Does he make mistakes and stupid decisions? Yeah! All the time, but when it matters, he still fights for what he believes in. And the best part, is that he doesn’t suddenly become super powerful or find some hidden power, he just tries his best to accomplish something. Maybe he isn’t the one going toe to toe with Hanma, but he’s still there to keep an eye out for Draken and Baji to hopefully prevent them both from dying. And yeah, he sure does cry a lot, but they really embrace it by calling him the Crybaby hero and I think he fits that role very well. Plus, there’s plenty of cool characters to make up for it. And when I look back on everything, he’s really gone through a whole lot of growth from where we were in episode one. He’s not fully transformed into someone of the hero persona, but he’s a lot braver than he used to be. I guess in some ways, you can say that I’m proud of him and his growth.
And speaking of ‘Crybaby Hero’ the opening for this anime was an absolute banger. Easily jumped up as one of my favorite openings, plus I’m happy that it introduced me to Official HiGE DANdism (which if you haven’t, I strongly recommend listening so more of their songs). I’m so glad we kept it through the full season. And honestly both endings were also really good, so thank you Tokyo Revengers for giving us good music.
I really can’t overstate how much fun this series has been to both watch and cover. That being said, it certainly wasn’t the “perfect” anime. Some episodes certainly faltered in terms of story and animation, but at the end of the day I don’t think it impacted my viewing of the series too significantly. There were episodes where I left feeling rather ‘meh’ about what we were given, but when looking at the anime as a whole they were just minor irks for me. I genuinely enjoyed watching the series as it came out, and I can’t wait for more to come!
And now comes the hardest part, the rating. For Tokyo Revengers I give it a solid 8/10 and easily one of my favorite coverages so far. As I’ve said over and over, this show is an absolute ride, there are ups and downs and then there are times where you leave the episode with tears you were never expecting. There are moments that didn’t sit well with me, whether it was pacing, animation, or storytelling, but at the end of the day I still had a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to a second season announcement and picking up the manga. I strongly encourage anyone who might be interested to check it out. My expectations were completely blown away and even with everything I’ve written, I still don’t think I do the series the justice it deserves. For those of you’ve who’ve been watching along with me, I’d love to hear your thoughts as well!! Thank you for joining me on this ride, and I hope we can enjoy more together soon!
I don’t want to spoil too much because I’ve read the manga. But I think if you look at everything Kisaki does from a birds eye view, it’s pretty ingenious, because stuff he wants keeps happening, like Hina dying and Draken getting the death penalty. It’s also like Osanai said, that he’ll kill people without dirtying his hands at all.
I kind of wish Future Draken explained why he murdered someone and why he wanted to kill Kisaki, because there’s a reason behind it.
Overall, yeah, I enjoyed Takemichi as a character and his growth. And the comic relief from time to time made the show interesting.
As tragic as it is for our main characters, I’d love to see how Kisaki works. Just how many people are tangled in his web? And I’d love to learn more about why he specifically targets those that he does. Like, he’s not just killing anyone.
Yeah, that was always something I thought they would cover later on. I feel like it really would have helped us out too… Plus, another reason to hate Kisaki is a plus!
I’m glad to hear you enjoyed Takemichi as a character! 😀 I look forward to diving deeper into the series!
GURLLL HOW DID YOU FALL FOR KISAKI’S ACTT?? I was so suspicious of him, from the moment he poured the drinks I was like “he poisoned the sh*t”
Honestly speaking, this show was really good, because like you said. When you thought you figured it out you actually came to the conclusion that you didn’t.
And I might read the manga, because I feel like the second season is going to be somewhere in 2023.
When chifuyu got shot I literally cried T-T. Because his last words where so touchinggg..
I do believe that baji is dead, because he died in the past and him coming back to life would probably mess up the timeline.
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I really enjoyed reading your blog and I hope I seeing more of itt!!
Ps
I’m a girl AHAHAHA, If that wasn’t clear already :”))