Review of Tokyo Revengers

This is an anime that borrowed almost everything it has from other better shows: characters, story, humor, and even down to the script, wrapped neatly in a red bow, and tried to pass itself off as something original and unique. Story: Although the story isn't wholly original it should work on a macro level since it is interesting enough. However, everything falls apart once you see it under a microscope. The fantasy element doesn't make any sense. The butterfly effect of time travel comes and goes. There is the gigantic plot hole which was mentioned but they can't justify properly as to why the protagonist can't dojust that (of course the answer is "so that the plot can happen" *yawn*). Something convenient or far fetch always happens just to drag the plot forward. The humor is old school and is usually just repeating the same tired jokes and reactions from old shows without really deconstructing them or putting their own spin to it. Every progression has to be verbally explained, treating the audience like monkeys with ADHD. Narratively it is just a mess and felt like it was written either by an incompetent writer or a lazy writer (and I don't know which one is worse).

Characters:
Takemichi is that shounen protagonist archetype who has a hero complex but worse since he literally can't/won't do anything. He is too dumb to ever make any interesting decisions. He cannot even fix his own problems and they usually get fixed by luck or by other people, not because of his quick wit or abilities. When he does something that actually moves the plot he usually does it by accident. He whines and cries all the time. The plot happens around him more than he happens to change the plot. He thinks he is weak yet does nothing to improve his situation. He has no redeeming qualities aside from his time travelling ability which he does nothing to capitalize on. Side characters also felt like they were simply handpicked from other shows, dusted, rebranded, re-shined, and reconstructed to look different. Also, can we talk about how badly designed his "adult" character is? Apparently, aging for him only means his hair getting black.

Settings:
The world of Tokyo Revengers is a ridiculous one. It's a world where adults are mostly extinct. Teachers only exist inside the classrooms. The parents and the police only show up when it is convenient to the plot. This is a world where consequences don't really matter. You can beat the hell out of anyone as long as you don't kill them. Violence is almost always the answer and being "strong" and a "great fighter" puts you on top of the societal food chain. With the setting (Tokyo) as part of the title you would think that the world would be at least grounded to the actual city of Tokyo but nope. In fact, you could even change its title to any other place in Japan and no one would notice the difference.

Conclusion:
Tokyo Revengers could have been a great show but they completely blew it by taking the easiest way out of every narrative setbacks. The protagonist is inefficient, dumb, and annoying. The setting doesn't raise any stakes and realism only comes and goes to serve the plot.

3/10