Revenger

This show has wonderful dialogue between characters and great action sequences, with some of the most unique ways of killing a man I have seen. I'm getting classic samurai movie vibes like Yojimbo and Rashomon which are masterpieces in their own right. I'm not calling Revenger a masterpiece by any sense, but 3 episodes in and it has great potential. The characters are mysterious yet mesh very well with each other. Their interactions are quirky yet serious. The sense of hierarchy doesn't really exist as it seems they are all individuals acting on their own accords for the the same goal, however, I do think ... Usui Yuen manages all of their personalities well and is respected the most among the group. As I mentioned above, the characters all have their own unique abilities and methods of disposing people when it comes to getting their hands dirty and it's truly amazing to see. I don't know if we will be getting backgrounds on every character to flesh them out but honestly, the writing is so good in my opinion that it does not matter. The main character Raizou Kurima is a humble quite character who I can see slowly breaking out of his shell throughout the show as he grows more and more comfortable with everyone. It seems he will need to continue to prove himself and his worth to the group.

I personally don't see this getting anything lower than a 7 unless they absolutely botch the rest of the anime, although it has huge upside and can get even better. This anime truly deserves more views and attention in my opinion especially if you like anything samurai, ninja, assassin, or just watching terrible individuals get what's coming to them.

If you are another wierdo who highly respect boobs and nyan cat voice acting in anime then I am sorry but this is not your show. Revenger is a character development drama with a lot of unfinished or unexplained acts. It means you will have to fill gaps by your own imagination what can cause most of down voters a huge problem with thier negative IQ and addiction to oppai chicken breasts in anime.

Sorry for the toxic behaviour, but I felt like this is a very underrated and also down voted anime thanks to the part of this community who can not really appreciate ... serious subject and message. I loved the artistic world where this anime gives birth to a huge mess of opium problem and the questionable theory of everyone should meet the consequences for their actions.

What I liked: plot, characters, world (japan, faith, culture, social classes and figures), story, art, message (addiction problems, value of life, selfgrowth)...
What I dislike: This anime tries to grab a lot, on the other hand it has a limited episodes to work all of it out in acceptable details.

If you haven't recognized yourself on the first part of this review, plase give this anime a chance. :)

Calling it now -- this one is going to be a sleeper.

If you're a fan of semi-grounded action shows from the mid 00's to early 10's, you owe it to yourself to give this one a try. From the janky character designs and oddly saturated visuals considering the reasonably dark subject matter, to the (so far) episodic plots and the way it combines admittedly goofy action with a balanced cast who take themselves just seriously enough, this feels like the type of show you got loads of 10-20 years ago but now don't really see around.

Specifically, this reminds me of Black Lagoon. Last season, everyone ... talked about Akiba Maid War as this generation's Black Lagoon, but Maid War was far too self-conscious in trying to be a cult classic, even if it meant undermining its own characters and setting. Instead, the first few eps of Revenger does what real cult classics do: take themselves seriously while still having fun with it.

On the one hand, this is a show where a Christian penitent, a samurai with an emo fringe, an archer so hench his clothes rip off when he draws an arrow, and a twelve year old girl tear up the seedy underbelly of 19th century Nagasaki, spelling a bloody end for pimps, opium smugglers, and corrupt politicians. On the other, it has already made clear that it intends to deal with heady themes of colonialism and how values shift in a changing world, weighing the increasingly outmoded code of the dying samurai order - so far presented largely without undue nostalgia - against the brutal realities of surging capitalism.

And you know what? I trust Urobuchi to deliver. We're in the early stages yet, but the character writing is solid, already demonstrating nuanced interactions between different members of the cast in how they relate to each. Raizo is a conceptually great protagonist, a man out of time who embodies a code of honour that has recently become alien. He is an audience surrogate in that the cast have to explain to him how the world functions outside the feudal system, but he isn't an everyman, and the different ways the other characters see him reveals a lot about their own biases, some underestimating him as naive while others are fearful of the rigid brutality of the old system.

Of course, this is only what the show has promised. There is always the chance that it fails to deliver. But for all people's complaints about Urobuchi's edginess, his fundementals have always been strong. I have faith this can deliver.

A lazy, spoiler free review:

Characters: It's representation of Samurai Budo and psychology is pretty good. MC is well written, first episode may make you think he is kinda stupid and yes he is, but not every character has to be smart and I actually like stupid but not cringe characters. Others are also pretty well written, even the side characters. They are definetely not one dimensional. A quick note, MC's kenjutsu is somewhat realistic and thats a + in my opinion. (8/10)

Story: It's actually original, I mean revenge and samurai themes are not something we have never seen together before but I loved how ... they managed to make it work with some Christianity aspects, it's not an easy thing to do. (7/10)

World: Overall enviroment and atmosphere of Japan is just like how I imagined it to be when I was reading Hagakure by Yamamoto. (9/10)

Art & Musics: Art and animations are meh, it's probably about their budget though. Musics are better, OP is cool and sound effects are alright. (5.5/10)

Personal Opinions: Underrated show. If you are reading this review and haven't seen the first 3 episodes yet, I think it is worth giving a try.

The best way I can describe Revenger is that it's all style and no substance.

Or rather, the substance was there but the execution of it was done in such a way that it's almost forgettable in comparison to the blood and gore. Which, if the only thing I remember about Revenger is the blood and not the plot, then that should say something about the writing. I wouldn't say this is a terrible anime. At the very least I did like some parts and it did keep my attention for 12 episodes. But you're not missing out if you don't watch it. It's just ... there, like a houseplant.

The characters are interesting. But in this case, interesting doesn't mean good. Aside from Raizou and maybe Nio, everyone else felt so bland, didn't get enough screen time, or their backstory wasn't explained all that much. Teppa is probably the biggest offense because he's nothing more than just a muscular guy who can use large weapons and nothing more. Just hired muscle who used to be a pirate. And that's about as much as we'll get from him. The same can be said about Souji. What is either of their motivation to be part of the group other than them filling in character architypes of hired muscle and a gambler. As for Yuuen, I would say that while he does leave an impression, there really isn't much explaining about his backstory, why he's with the church, or anything of that matter.

As for the plot, I get what Urobuchi was trying to do but as I said earlier, it doesn't leave much of an impact other than it being a bloody show. I do like the concept of the show but somewhere along the way it lost it's meaning and turned into another action show with sword fighting. It had a lot to offer and it still does but Urobuchi didn't let it live up to it's full potential.

I won't spoil the ending but it's very anticlimactic. It ended in a way that tried to wrap everything up but it was rushed and done so for the sake of ending the story, not giving enough of a lasting impression. At best this should've been 13 episodes, not 12. That was probably the biggest disappointment of the whole show.

Revenger didn't end with a bang, but a whimper.

Really good anime. Highly recommend if you are interested in watching for character development. Without spoiling the show too much, these people they called "Revengers" are people who carry out assassinations for those who cannot do it themselves. Though the show starts off really slow and doesn't focus too much on the main character, the episodes so far really showed development for the group in a whole. The idea is to portray who they are and the reason behind their actions. Revenge is a strong word and is it really right to carry out these assassinations. Revengers is definitely an underrated anime this season and ... it is worth a watch.

If you're into Japanese history or love samurais, then you'll love Revenger, there are too many references of Nagasaki history (place involved in anime) to a point it feels you're watching an animated Japanese history documentary. If you like samurais, Japanese history, amazing plot, amazing animation, great scenes then you will definitely love this anime. I would say Revenger, Dororo, Blade of the immortal are my top 3 favorite anime in this genre. Revenger being the most real life based and no fiction, super powers or immorality stuff involved.

Don't bother with the poor rating, as i said if you like Japanese history or samurais ... you'll absolutely love this Anime.

This is very short anime with good animation, decent music and voice actors.

Story starts slow with characters finishing single mission per episode till about halfway of the season. Then story goes a bit deeper. There is no big push for explaining character's motivation or to present their stories so it's bit hard to get attached to main crew. Story is dark and violent. History of opium and how it corrupted people was a strongest part of the plot. Revenger is not pretending to be a deep series. What i like the most about story is that author is not trying to explain everything to ... the viewer, instead taking "show not tell" approuch.

I like how entire anime is being done completely in one season. Story is being told fully.

There's a lot of lgbt themes being represented in this show, normally that would be a good reason not to watch anime as usually it feels super forced and unnatural. This time hovever certain characters or male prostitution just makes sense for the story.

If you enjoyed animes like: Akame Go kill or Requiem for the Phantom you will also enjoy this one. This is not a masterpiece just a solid, enjoyable show that doesn't pretend to be another Paranoia Agent or Monster.

Revenger was an average show, neither amazing nor terrible. It was on the borderline of being just fine. One aspect that stood out was the music, which was the best part of the show. The action was decent and the story was alright, though it mostly followed a 'monster of the week' format until the end. If the show had delved deeper into the story and characters, it could have been more compelling. The side characters lacked sufficient backstory and motivation, with only one character receiving some development. If you're looking for something to watch and have nothing else in mind, you probably won't hate ... Revenger, but it's just a decent watch. I would rate it a 6 out of 10. it had potential but ultimately failed to fully deliver on its promises.

I can't wrap my head around this one. The show on one hand goes for dramatic tragic episodes during widespread of opium, the corrupted political manipulations and the overall lawlessness of the period but then it mixes with weird mechanical contraptions out of era, weird character designs and a showdown that in my opinion was unnecessary the way it happened overall.
The pace of this one is dreadfully slow to follow, dialogues are as political as they can get and it's mind numbing to keep track of the plot that in reality is very simplistic but is presented in a weird backhanded way.
On one hand it ... doesn't go the way something like Champloo did, going over the top and mixing plenty of humor on top of everything going on with weirdos they fought with weird weapons they utilized, on the other hand they aren't exactly going down the Blade of the Immortal path where, again, weirdos, magic powers, modern weapons but overall depressing. This show doesn't treat itself lightly enough to joke around and doesn't create dramatic enough scenes for me to get into it especially when you have cringy church moments and the rest.

At episode 9 it was tiresome and I barely managed to finish it.

Personally, I had fun watching Revenger, but it faces a few hindrances and focuses too much on style.
That being said, I would still recommend the anime because it knew how to entertain. If the studio had decided on a longer runtime to form a more coherent story flow, this could have easily been an 8/10. Now it is "only" a 6/10.

The biggest problem of this anime is the pacing. Not only does the story progress too quickly, but the writers did not manage to establish a great flow from episode to episode. It simply doesn't feel like a smooth progression when you go from one ... episode to the next.
I think it would have been beneficial if they implemented breaks to slow down story progression and instead used the time to focus on in-depth character development and building better connections between the episodes.
Although they do try to keep the focus with a recurring theme and an overarching plot point. Seriously, the title says it all when it comes to this anime's story and what theme you can expect.

Focusing on each episode itself, they are well-directed and contain a good mixture of everything. Brutal kills, tactics, a bit of comedy, interesting dialogue, good soundtrack choice, great visuals, a steady supply of new characters appearing and even a bit of soul-searching. Like living with your choices and trying to find forgiveness. The only thing missing was a feeling of anxiousness. I never felt worried.

As for the characters, the main cast is likable and gets by far the most attention to detail. Yet, it still felt a bit shallow. I wanted to know more about their mindset, how their daily lives play out, and what they aim to achieve. Still, their interactions are fun and each of them brings something of value to the table.

Finally, I enjoyed my time watching Revenger and hope we get a few more of these types of shows.

Dropped the show four episodes before the end. In general I think it had a lot of potential. It's adult themed for one which is a rarity these days. Abilities characters have, while exaggerated, are believable and well thought out. My only issue is the story which while present is not as obvious or interesting. Development feels rather slow but we are almost at the end of the season and not much has happened in grand scheme of things. Episode to episode events are interesting enough on their own but I wouldn't call it really good.

Art on the other hand is fine. Backgrounds are sometimes ... great and sometimes just lazy and that about describes the show perfectly. Everything is great at moments and for the most part just okay. If anything I'd say the biggest issue is pacing but am not too sure about that since I didn't watch until the end. My expectation is that they will go slowly as they are now and then rush number of things in last few episodes and leave us hanging. Either that or nothing interesting will happen and it will be concluded as such.

As for advice whether this should be watched. I don't know. You won't feel like you wasted your time but at the same time you won't get any gratification from it either. Give the first episode a shot and you'll understand. What you see there is pretty much indicative of the rest.

The lack of coherence destroyed any impact this show could've had, the unrealistic and badly thought-out action finished it off.


From the first scene to the last, all this anime did was hold crucial information from the viewer only to force a sense of a "mysterious narrative". Basically, you don't know why two characters are dialoguing or fighting until it's reason is revealed at the end or in the next scene. It was like decrypting an enigma in every single moment of this show, often making me inattentive to the current situation as I was trying to decode the previous one, consequently making me completely lost. ... Perhaps this would be way better as a slow read, something to analyze scene by scene or chapter per chapter; but this style is awful for a TV show.

Not only that but holding information back numbed the impact of many scenes to an absolute zero. If I had known why someone was fighting, the risks they were taking on doing so, and possibly their potential consequences; maybe then, and only then, I would actually care. But that never happens. Even in the climax, they kept holding information back on a second-to-second basis to create this sense of "mystery" of how everything was playing out; now answer me this: how in the hells can my mind decode a single-second mystery in an action scene?? It only took me off the whole thing and crashed any impacts they could've had. (A character was hit? Instead of delaying, confirm where they were hit and proceed with the rest of the action, it's more impactful)

I also noticed some other micro errors. Such as, a few dialogues being unnaturally developed. Or the characters' design not affecting the story much nor being well developed to fit in it. The pacing sometimes felt off as too fast or too slow. Many of the conflicts didn't have much originality or importance, making many of them forgettable, amplified by their drained impacts of the forced "mysteries". Then the whole main concept of biting gold coins to pay for revenge is weird, don't know if it has any historical value but why would a group of assassins have such an honor to keep their deals? and how they kept their business running since many of their clients, well... die after their order? none of it makes much sense to me; maybe it should've been more explored in the story.

And to top it off, all the characters have superhuman powers. It's okay to have some geniuses out there, the problem is when everything is solved with a single flicker of a finger. I mean... a guy literally flickers his finger to throw a thing that changes the course of a flying weapon in order to kill one of the "main" villains. Again, it's okay to have it, but not all the damn time. From bullet evading, supernatural sixth-sense, to perfect precision, all problems are solved without a drop of strategy or planning. My dudes simply stroll on the beach killing people, without a care for consequences.


To finish this review, the positive points are: a few good dialogues, generally cool animations, unique(?) plot, and differentiable characters. But overall, not worth the watch (unless you have nothing better to do and absolutely love overpowered samurai-ish characters).

Is it a sin for a show to do exactly what it advertised? If so, Revengers does deliver on it's title and synopsis and bears no sin.

However, to anyone that does not want to watch a pitifully shallow and generic show about revenging random people in an episode of the week format, I would go elsewhere. To preface, I actually don't mind edgy shows like these, but Revenger really lays it thick for how lacking in substance it actually is.

For a show about Revenge, I don't empathize with the victim. Isn't that the whole about why revenge is satisfying? I can't even empathize with the ... main character's personal story arc about revenge, so how can I ever empathize with the clients that he deals with? It's sort of like a detective conan case where there's a victim, and conan solves the case as per usual, except it's the main character's entourage performing an act of revenge for a suffered party each episode.

The story goes nowhere, but what about the characters? They're all cringe. It's so cringe. The story humors itself to try to be a little philosophical or deep, but in reality, it only accentuates how shallow it truly is. There's a kid that tries to be edgy and "would have killed [Usui]" if he answered different to her expectations. The characters are just unnecessarily edgy.

The whole symbolism with Christianity and tying it with the Revenger theme is not only edgy but super cringe. There's a surface level quote from Deus regarding revenge that the show bases itself on: "Those who shed the blood of life shall meet with my revenge." First of all, I don't even think this quote exists. I looked it up, and while I don't have much of a theological background, I do not believe God ever says this in any of the testaments. Not only is there a cringe quote about revenge that gets tied into the theme of the show, there's also the pastor of "revenging" who tries to preach and act all deep about the themes of revenge. Whatever, but then you also have Usui saying his shitty quote about God whenever he kills somebody. Don't worry, you'll also see Mary being tattooed on his back for good measure in case the viewer didn't realize the Christian themes yet. Plus, tattooing Mary and using her name in place of God could be considered a major sin in itself. Usui uses Mary as a witness to his victim's sins, not God in his reverent chant: "Before the eyes of holy Saint Mary...repent." Yet In Exodus 20:4–6, it states that “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God." Seems like carving a tattoo of Mary on his back and worshipping Mary could be a sin in itself! Well, if the show bothered to give any damn about the Christian theme, perhaps it could have tackled any of these issues I brought up, but no, the show never does.

Unlike Alexander Anderson from Hellsing, which was a nice character that figuratively interprets Bible quotes that actually exists while also using it as a gateway to his distorted mind, Revengers is a shitty edgy show that tries to borrow Christianity to create a dichotomy and theme regarding the holiness of the Bible, God, and the Church and the act of revenging or murder.

Much like how the revenging is done without any bouts of empathy from the viewer, the loose and shallow theme regarding Christianity and tying it with the show is also poorly done without much thought or time spent on it. Just like how the MC's personal revenge arc is a mere segway into him joining a group that revenges other people, so is the Christian theme and characters.

Urobuchi comes back and pens his first anime in God knows how long and all we get is this!?

Revenger is a poor imitation of Urobuchi's works without the quality that makes his shows the way they are. After watching so much Thunderbolt Fantasy I was hoping to get a show of a similar caliber, now in Feudal Japan instead of China, one that subverts expectations and delivers surprises at every corner. But no, all you get is a predictable "Church Bad Opium Bad Trade Union Bad" story that fails to elicit any emotion from you outside of boredom.

I should have known things were bad when ... the typical damsel in distress who suffers a lot dies in the first episode, with no attempt to either play on our expectations or to make any meaningful statement on it. It just...happens, seemingly out of obligation because "that's what usually happens in a story like this". You get your usual spotlight episodes on each member of the cast in a few episodic adventures before the final arc when the main antagonistic group is finally unveiled.

And I guess that's what it's like to me. Just going through the motions of a predictable story to reach a predictable climax and a predictable ending. Of course the seemingly antagonistic Chinese aren't smuggling opium in, the show is only halfway done; of course the Church that is sanctioning all the murders evil, of course the big baddie is some capitalist. One predictable beat after another you'd swear you've seen the screenplay before.

And all without any fun or interesting characters to save it. No smug sidekick who you're never sure is working for you or not, no obviously evil demon lady your party just happened to recruit, no evil talking swords, no magic talking lutes that sound like a rock guitar, no former villain burning with JUSTICE, no nothing! Here you get stoic, stoic, somewhat standoffish, brat, and muscle man with too little screentime. Each has one tiny quirk that makes them a bit more interesting than your usual flock, like the doctor growing muscles when using a bow, but they are hardly given any time to showcase it. The antagonists that are introduced near the end are a bit more interesting, but by then it's a case of too little, too late, and you really don't have the luxury of developing such characters near the end of such a short series.

Presentation wise it's fine I guess, I've seen worse looking shows with delays in their scheduling. But the show doesn't do anything to sell itself apart from other shows. Coasting off of a recognizable name doesn't magically make your show entertaining, you gotta get the guy you're promoting to put in a modicum of effort into at least producing a screenplay that doesn't seem like it's taken from a textbook. Mediocre shows like this are often harder to sit through compared to actual bad shows since it's never easy to articulate why you're not enjoying your time. You're just passively watching background noise and not really engaging with the show in any manner.

What I'm ultimately saying is that you should go watch Thunderbolt Fantasy if you like the designs in this and want an Urobuchi show from recent times that shows he still has it, and not waste your time on this monument to mediocrity.

5/10. It's so mediocre I can't move my score from its default position.

Overall score: 7.38

History Score: 7.75 - Great Action thriller with Historical/Samurai plot, with a very interesting and captivating story, dynamic plot with plenty of action and battles, a good dose of drama, good and interesting protagonists, with very remarkable personalities, and protagonist with great character dilemmas leading to great personal drama. A surprise of the season, which had a more elaborate animation, would be an anime with a high rating.

Animation Score: 7.00 - Average animation, with interesting and compatible traits, which even without great visual effects and simple battle choreography, shows care in this part regarding details, costumes and scenarios.

Character Score: 7.25 - Characters in ... reasonable number, with good personality development, and a good dose of drama that manages to touch the viewer. Protagonist/cast with a personal drama that adds a lot to the story

Final Score: 7.50 - Great closed and conclusive ending, very touching and dramatic, which closes the plot with a golden key.

A GREAT ANIME ABOUT GUILT packed with action

Revenger is an anime that action lovers will find truly satisfying. From the very first episode, it delivers a thrilling and action-packed experience that will keep you on the edge of your seat. One of its standout features is the incredible cast of characters, each bringing a unique set of skills and personalities to the table, making for truly memorable action scenes. The main protagonist is a skilled fighter seeking revenge for his family, with unmatched martial arts skills and unwavering determination. The supporting cast is just as impressive, with each character having their own unique fighting style ... and motivations, such as the quick and agile assassin, the brute strength of the brawler, or the precise marksmanship of the sniper.

The beautifully animated fight scenes with fluid movements and stunning visuals capture the intensity of each battle, and the choreography is top-notch, showcasing each character's unique fighting style. However, what sets Revenger apart is the emotional weight behind each fight. Each character is fighting for something important, whether it's for revenge, justice, or survival. This adds an extra layer of tension to every action scene, making it feel like each fight truly matters.

Revenger's characters acknowledge and learn from their mistakes, adding a sense of realism and relatability to the series. The main protagonist, despite his impressive fighting skills, often makes mistakes, which are acknowledged and worked on by the other characters in the series. The supporting characters also make their fair share of mistakes, and are quick to learn from them. This theme of acknowledging and learning from mistakes is woven throughout the series, making the characters' development compelling and adding an extra layer of depth to the action scenes.

"Revenger" as the title goes it's about taking revenge but the group who execute this do not kill people mindlessly . They pick the ones who ruined people and let the souls who died due to them rest in peace . This had so much potential! we get introduced to some unique characters along but due to some very weak episodes this anime on whole didn't pack a punch . Great pilot episode and a brilliant finale but everything in the middle wasn't as strong . If your looking for fights well it has that and yes there is lot of bloodshed . This is ... very hard to say on whether i'll recommend or not .....can you sit through the middle eps and hang in thr till the finale? then yes it's worth to watch but if not then don't bother with this .

A thought-provoking tale with a poetic ending.

An interesting story, worth the watch. I'd say this is not your typical action anime, which was my first impression. I liked the gradual way the plot unfolded, even though I had times where I was asking myself, is the story going anywhere? As I got to see the characters go about their daily life and learn more about them, I found myself intrigued about their motivations, outlooks on life and philosophies. You definitely get to see and understand how different, people can really be.

I also thoroughly enjoyed the various abstract ideas and thought-provoking themes that were woven into ... the plot of the show, which complemented nicely the different characters that were introduced. The choice of soundtracks also did a great job adding to the atmosphere at key moments in the show. Akemutsu-Kuremutsu in particular, struck a chord with me as it beautifully depicted Raizo's inner world & emotional turmoil.

"The sword and zen meditation are as one." - One of my favourite quotes from the anime. Definitely has a deeper meaning if you think about it.

A refreshing experience in the sea of socially awkward, waifu chasing, "our lips touched the same bottle", "protect everyone" sewage.

Story: 8/10
Story leaves many unanswered questions and we don't always know much about the people on screen. Not necessarily a bad thing. Wish more women were included in more important roles but no big deal here.

Art: 8/10
I liked most of the characters designs and general art direction in this show.

Cringe: 1/10
Only cringe here is one of the characters feeling the need to do his small routine everytime he kills someone. More funny than cringe but still I wish he didn't do it so much.
...
I really enjoyed this show. I hope more mature stories with characters acting more like "normal" people like this one get made. I find it sad that shows like this get pushed to the side when actual garbage is celebrated so openly.