Review of Tokyo Revengers

I'm surprised by the amount of badmouthing this anime receives. I thoroughly enjoyed Tokyo Revengers and contrary to what others say, I find the characters and the gang lifestyle here very realisitc. I'm really happy I did not put if out of my list just because of some people saying negative things. The story is about a 26 year old guy who time leapt to the past to save his teenage love interest from dying in the present. However, the timeleaping caused him to cross paths with some youth city delinquents. And it changed everything. A lot of people say that the roles the kids playhere are unrealistic--so freaking wrong! Lmao. I'm wondering how boring or how few people these reviewers have met in their lives to say that the lives of the kids here are unrealisitc. I love Tokyo Revengers for the reason that it showed how the 90s kids as early 2000s teenage gangsters were like--maybe at least from the place where I lived that same time as this anime's setting. And I'm sure that's not the only place in the world where something like this happens. I lived in an area where there's lots of gangsters and they attended the same school I attended (although they mostly did not continue studying, but they are my neighbors, you know.). My cousin was a member of one of the main gangs in the city (that cousin learned to smoke weed and be involved in gang fights like in this anime at the age of 13 - 15). And the way the characters here in Tokyo Revengers dressed up, the motorcycles, the way they participated in gang fights and the way they ran away whenever the police are coming was exactly how it was with the teens I knew back then. It's real life. Did they stab each other with knives like the kids in this anime? YES. They also ran away from police like the kids in this show YES. I was amazed how Tokyo Revengers was able to put that here and was really feeling giddy at the scene of the first riot.

For the people saying where are the adults in this anime --well to you who have been living some happy unicorn life somewhere, unfortunately not all people lived like that! How did the teenage gangsters I knew from childhood got lost in their path back then is because YES IN REAL LIFE, IN LIFE OF TEENS LIKE IN THIS ANIME AND THE ONES I KNEW, FUCKING ADULTS DON'T CARE MUCH AND ARE PRETTY USELESS. The environment is different from the happy bubble you know. Just like with Draken who lives in a brothel and the adults there are the ones who raised him. You think those types of adults would care much to his whereabouts? Hell no. I've seen it happen in real life. Your lives are all so bright and happy that you think the lives of the kids in TR are unrealistic. That's what I loved about this anime. They showed how it's really like for youngsters who lived like that. I also loved the dark background story about the OG founding members.

As for the MC, I agree he's quite annoying. But I think it's because his character arc/development will happen later and that this first season is just to lay out the foundation for the things that are to happen next. The downside here is the animation. For something released in 2021, this one is behind. They could have done more with the animation. And by that I don't mean the looks of the characters because they are true to life too (I mean yes there are teens who look like moms and dads too), what I mean is the still frames. It shouldn't have those stills. That makes it quite hard to look at sometimes. But as for me, the animation isn't something that it will take away from the overall quality of this show. The story and characters is good so I'm good with it. I also liked the OST.

And yes, I've seen enough shonen because I've been watching animes since 1995 to now. Shonen, shoujo, seinen, etc. Everything. I can say that I at least know what a good anime is. Also the thing is, this one came out as a new gen anime when the current new gen animes released are all following the same formula (plot, characters, power system) of your basic shonens. The concept of Tokyo Revengers is certainly not new, but in its era, it is quite refereshing to see something like this. A slice of life gangster/brotherhood story with a dash of sci fi for the time leaping part to spice up the story. To those comparing this to Erased and Steins;Gate--both are completely different story, the only same thing is there is time leap.

Because of what happened in season 1, a lot of things in the future will change again and that will be shown in season 2. Maybe then, and hopefully, the MC will improve. He's not my fave character in this show anyway. I mostly care about Mikey and Draken and the gang. They carry the story and MC is just like a catalyst. Imagine without Mikey and Draken and their gang, there will be nothing for the MC Takemichi too. The show is pretty much about them and their lives. They are also the cause of death of his ex gf in the future which proves more that the story is theirs and Tekemichi just happened to enter in--and with that I hope Takemichi makes the most of it and gradually learn to stop crying.

All in all, this is a great anime. Apart from the time leaping part, the teenage gangster life is realistic based on what I've seen in real life during late 90s to early 2000s. That certainly uped the score for me.