Why You Should Read/Watch Tokyo Revengers
Illustrated and written by Ken Wakui in the year 2017 the popular manga The Tokyo Revengers released its anime production in 2021. This popular anime/manga has been lately garnering attention due to the buzz of an upcoming anime installment release in 2023. But what’s so good about Tokyo Revengers? Lets’ find out.
This particular manga recommendation has been exploding in popularity due to its experimental storyline. If you are wondering why you should read/watch Tokyo Revengers then here it is. This is a subversion from the cliché shounen tropes that shows action-filled plots but at the expense of characters and story progress.
The Tokyo Revengers is an aesthetically pleasing illustrative work with blended story twists like time travel with a touch of fantasy. Since the time it first appeared in the Weekly Shonen Magazine, it was thoroughly appreciated by manga readers. The anime adaptation release brought it back into the limelight, pitting it against itself (the anime) for comparison.
The riveting plot of Tokyo Revengers focuses and revolves around the life of Takemichi Hanagaki a middle-aged boy and the tragic events of his life. The beginning to this amazing series begins with a near-end experience. Takemichi gets hit by a train and instead of dying finds himself teleported 12 years down the past life. The tumultuous memories of the past and dangers of the protagonist’s life revive in this sort of time-travel setting. He stands a chance to gain things he had lost and rewrite the future to save someone he loved.
We do not know if the Tokyo Revengers has a bad ending or a good one but it surely is an interesting read. In support of the earlier affirmation 44th, Kodansha Manga Award recognized manga as Best Shonen Manga in 2020. And evidence that is more than critical acclaim is over 17 million sold copies of The Tokyo Revengers manga print. Just like the evergreen conflict of manga versus anime adaptations, this one is debatable too. First, Take take a look at why should you read Tokyo revengers manga.
Tokyo Revengers is an excellently written story
The plot might is similar to the isekai genre but has a lot more than a stereotypical time travel. Takemichi’s life portrayal is a unique blend of real-life issues creating situations in a fantasia and science fiction realm. The main character and the sequence of events are so beautifully written that every chaos turns out to be an unanticipated revelation. The elemental idea of time travel and shift in the setting to the past and returning to the present give it an isekai feel but it is more like a sci-fi version of it.
Detailed action panels and Captivating designs
Manga has a diverse variety of illustrators with unique art styles. The growing demand for newer plots and tropes has made space for artistic experimentation. Therefore, a simplistic design like One Punch Man stands an equal chance in comparison to detailed action panels like that of Tokyo Revengers. Ken Wakui’s captivating and intricate manga panels are loved by the readers. His eye for detail and great writing connected people to Takemichi even when his circumstances are likely unusual for real life.
A winning protagonist/lead character
The major reason for the growth in popularity of this manga can be credited partly to the fetching main character Takemichi Hanagaki. The character is not defined by any boundaries. There is a sublimity in this character. He resembles a seinen manga hero who is blank at one moment and overpowering at the other. He might remind you of Ken Kaneki of Tokyo Ghoul. They are all shades of emotions inherited by this character. He has the rustic charm of a damaged and vulnerable hero who once was angry and intense.
Has space for minor characters as well
Here the focus is not just on the main character but on the side characters as well. Hinata (Takemichi’s ex-girlfriend), her brother Naota and members of the Tokyo Manji gang all play into building the narrative. Each one of these side characters offers so much density to the story that the absence of even one of them what takeaway something great from the story. Even the illustrations and design of these characters are made with a lot of precision. Each one of these portrays diverse personalities very closely resembling the real-world social hierarchy.
Manga that makes it to the core with realism
What if the setting of the story is supernatural add outlandish there are some things that we find in the real world too. All characters exhibit emotions and tendencies that we find in our lives. Especially when it comes to the central character, vulnerability and deep-set sorrow with self-destructive behavior connect us. Ken’s elevated feature designs and the plot is hard to leave midway. And surely you can’t resist falling for Takemichi’s disposition.
If you already love the Tokyo Revengers manga and finding the answer to the question- Is Tokyo Revengers any good as anime? Then read ahead…
The Anime adaptation of the Tokyo Revengers has been subjected to a lot of criticism and comparison since its release. The constant clash between the manga versions and their sometimes unsatisfactory animation production follows us here too. As I informed you earlier a larger part of the popularity of the manga game was after the anime release. But fan reactions say that the anime version was quite weak against the source manga. However, people who prefer watching anime over reading manga should give it a try.
Those who turned to the much-anticipated anime series fairly enjoyed the color, visual action, and modified character design. The animation studio Liden films widely known for the successful adaptation of Berserk was involved with this one too. Fans of the original manga expressed their disappointment about the vincible visualization. Perks of the anime is that it is dubbed in 6 different languages including Russian, English, Portuguese, French, German and Spanish.
Tokyo Revengers Series in animation is a good watch if you are tired of watching senseless action. Even though the animation is not that great but the fights look interesting. Moreover, the cinephiles should not miss out on the great story. The criticism of animation quality does not lessen the passionate intensity of the dialogues and raw visuals.
Last but not least it has a start resemblance to the 2016 released anime titled Erased. Do you remember Satoru Fujinuma? No worries if you don’t, Takemichi would help you with that. A similar sort of heroism and running back in time for people’s rescue exhibited in Erased can be found in this series as well.
Initially, reading or watching the Tokyo Revengers might seem like watching a regular loveable-loser story. Despite that, the story and character development will take you to the depths of a nuanced narrative like no other. Each dialogue hits so hard with the expressions and design that without reaching the end you will not feel like stopping.
Read the manga or watch it as anime but do not miss the Tale of Tokyo Revengers. Raw emotions and violence mixed with desperation in vulnerability deserve some love from fans of great storytelling.
