Tokyo Revengers. A modern, exciting anime

Are there many new titles that you like right now? For me, Tokyo Avengers has become one of them. Which is what today’s story will be about.

Last post there was about anime Durarara , which, as I said, was not boring. And indeed. It was an anime that for 65 episodes did not have time to get boring and you were curious about how events would develop further. For me, it is a rare feeling when you do not think about “well…when is the end of that series”, and after it ends you plan to watch another one…and then another…there are not enough such stories, and one of the similar ones (as they say “we recommend watching if you liked it”) was Tokyo Revengers.

Story

As usual, the main character is an unpopular young man named Hanagaki Takemichi. He is 26 years old, he does not see himself as the same hero, and lives his life calmly. On TV, they tell about a girl who was injured in an accident, in which he recognizes his first (and only) love – Hinata Tachibana. That same day, on his way to work, someone pushes Takemichi onto the subway tracks and … he mysteriously finds himself at school, 12 years before this moment. As it will become clear over time – once in childhood, Takemichi saved Hinata’s brother – Naoto, shaking hands with whom is the trigger for time travel 12 years forward (from the past), or back – respectively, from the future. In the future, Naoto became a police officer who wants Takemichi, thanks to his time travel skills, to be able to change the course of events so that Hinata remains alive. Will a not very confident young man be able to do this?..

Drawing parallels with Durarara, the events also take place in Tokyo, there are different gangs fighting among themselves for control of Tokyo. A certain humor is the fact that gangs start with high school students (in this case, grades 8-9-10), so the use of weapons is prohibited here and all conflicts are resolved, for the most part, with fists. And if at 26, Takamichi was insecure about himself, it is understandable that having moved to the past, he will also have to try to prove his strength, stepping over himself. But is physical strength always important, or can you conquer people with your perseverance, charisma and intelligence? In general, are there many chances to become an influential person in a gang if you do not have any obvious prerequisites for that? But this is an anime. And the story here is about a guy who, no matter what, will burn with one dream and one desire – to save the girl he once loved.

It’s probably funny that for the second post in a row I’m talking about a story that involves time games. However, they are demonstrated differently in the series Dark and in Tokyo Revengers. Here, in anime, there is a certain linearity – we can’t go back or forward more than 12 years, and the events and changes that have occurred during this time must be such that, at least, everything doesn’t end with the death of the hero within the next 12 years. Because then the movement will become impossible. But can the future even come if you are gone in the past?

Hero’s attitude

Over the course of three seasons of the anime (the first is the longest, the other two are shorter), we see how the main character’s behavior becomes more and more daring. And it’s not that he himself has become cooler or gone to the gym. It’s just that every now and then, trying to return to the future, he is faced with the fact that by changing certain moments he manages to save one person, but another person no less close to him may suffer. So Takimichi wants more than anything to save…everyone. But is it possible to do this when it comes to gangs that are constantly fighting among themselves – the question is probably more rhetorical.

This anime isn’t about how cool the main character becomes or how well he uses new techniques – it’s about wanting to make the world he finds himself in a better place in the future. But there’s always a moment you can miss, and then what? What if you can’t change everything and make it the way you want it to be? What if you can’t know all the details and motives?

Drawing parallels, just as in Durarara we observed that there is a main “anti-hero” who manipulates everyone, so here, over time it becomes clear that behind the events that everything comes to, there is this or that person or even a group of people. And here, childhood images emerge, things that could change us forever and show us the way forward.

No matter how much you want the plot to develop according to a classic Shaman King-type scenario, where with each new opponent the main character becomes stronger, this anime shows that physical capabilities are sometimes not as important as moral ones. How important it is to be able to forgive old grievances. To value friendship and try to protect yourself, no matter what. But, unfortunately, not everyone succeeds in this. Therefore, from time to time the main character will have to solve questions that cannot be answered simply with a “yes” or “no”.

Parallels and plot holes

In addition to Durarara, I would like to draw a certain similarity with Stein’s Gate – where the hero had to constantly travel through time to try to prevent the death of one of the main characters. And, interestingly, the romanticism of the relationship in both cases is formed, not least because of how fiercely the hero tries to save the object that is about to die. Because of this, situations arise when you don’t quite understand why the paths of people who are in love with each other could diverge so much and not cross for almost half their lives.

At other points, I would say that in 12 years, so many events happen in the lives of a certain number of people that changing even a couple of things can lead to fatal consequences that you simply cannot physically change. Because events could happen either simultaneously or long before you were able to directly influence them. However, we are watching anime, and here the fact that everything should happen exactly as it should is clear. And, spoiler, the main character will always find a way out of any, even the most difficult situation.

Characters

In my personal opinion, the characters are well-made. And every villain has some reasons for doing so, and all the positive heroes have their own idea and goal, which they follow to the end. Again, the title is somewhat misleading – by the end of the series I expected that some “personal” gang of friends would appear, who would be able to change events for the better. But the plot develops somewhat differently. From time to time, we are told separate stories of each of the important characters, which is why our perception of the plot and the principles of the characters’ behavior do not raise any questions, because something special happened in everyone’s life, which they had to go through and which was able to temper their character. Someone grew up without parents, someone had their parents leave them with distant relatives, and someone, in general, had to become the same “parents” to their younger brothers and sisters.

This anime is interesting because it combines several aspects at once, such as the influence of the environment and people on our thoughts and actions, how love and resentment can lead to fatal consequences, as well as the desire to try to change what seems impossible to change. And although the story is considered completely completed, the third season of the anime does not end the manga’s story. There are rumors that a fourth season will be released, but so far this is more rumor than fact. Nevertheless, the official conclusion of the story can be found directly by reading the manga.

Is it worth your attention? I would give it a solid 5 tentacles out of 6. The story is interesting, you don’t get tired of watching it and want to start the next episode right after finishing the previous one. So…I recommend it! 🙂

Author: Sa Crea

Hellmin