Jul 16, 2016
Tokyo Ravens is a functional battle anime that offers just enough to make you enjoy the ride. What I mean with functional is that it offers many potential elements that make an anime of this caliber interesting, but in the end how it runs with them falls a little short. I'm not saying it's bad in any stretch of the imagination, but I am saying there are aspects that could've been handled better. There are many things I'd like to mention about the plot, but since I can't spoil anything I have to be as roundabout as possible.
The story is in its foundation generic, but
...
also enjoyable. The world is just about what you expect: teens, magic, battles and school. What actually got me interested was the plot. I found myself invested on how things were going to develop as the show managed to throw several twists I did not expect. This held up my interest enough that I could marathon the show in two sessions. On the other hand some twists were there for the story's convenience and some even were left largely unexplained. At least you can figure out some of them, but some are just left out there. I liked the romantic foundation in the story, but the development was suddenly procrastinated. At one episode it had relevance, but the next episodes just tossed it aside and brought it back a lot later. Very confusing.
Overall they made the story work for the most part. The bigger issue was how the story used some of its characters.
For the most part I liked the characters. The main cast was interesting and also well used in the overall story. Their motivations, backgrounds and personalities were well fleshed out and their usage in the story worked to its advantage. There were, however, many characters or characteristics that fell flat in their execution. I found it strange how the show held back on the potential of some protagonists for too long until it was convenient for the plot or developed them traits that the story wouldn't use in any meaningful way. Say, a harem development without the harem for example. Some characters who seemed relevant were also introduced early on , but didn't really play any major role in the end. I liked some of the antagonists, but many of them also had unclear motivations the we never got any light on.
I'm not an expert on art and sound, but I would say the animation wasn't too special or detailed. What excelled though were the animation of the magic as it seemed like the studio had fun making it as flashy as possible and in the end it was enjoyable to watch. It was an admirable effort to throw in CGI, but the stuttering animation threw me off to an extent. It was probably easier and cheaper to use it, but I would've enjoyed more something that blended in better.
The music wasn't particularly memorable, but it did keep the atmosphere of the show about right. Sound effects were fitting for the show, but I did notice that I've heard many of them before in different places, so they weren't original to say the least.
Overall the show is enjoyable. For a good portion it handles itself well and keeps you attached enough that you won't get bored. I personally would've liked to know more about certain details and loose ends, but generally that doesn't make it any less enjoyable. For a magical battle anime, I'd recommend putting it fairly high on the priority list.
This has been my first review on the site, so excuse me if it's unpolished.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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