This show has left me completely flabbergasted. It's one of the worst written pieces of Japanese media entertainment I've consumed in my life, and the only thing that kept me going was the morbid curiosity regarding how much worse it could get (and it was rewarded in full).
Now I'm leaving all superficial elements like animation, music and art (which are all fine) aside. My gripes is with the story and the characters. So let's recap the plot real quick...
After his middle-school GF is killed, Takemichi is pushed in front of a train and leaps back 12 years into his past self. He tells her brother
...
to prevent her death and shakes his hand, which sends him back into the future, establishing this as the method of traveling back and forth in time (What happened the first time? No clue). Cutting a long story short: Takemichi travels back and forth and changes stuff here and there, but his GF dies every time.
By this time, we have got to know Takemichi well enough to know one thing for sure: The fact that he is a loser in the future must be due to the fact that his low IQ probably places him in the 'mentally retarded' category. Not only does he have absolutely zero problem-solving skills and tunnel vision regarding the changes he has to make in the past to change the future, always being on fixated on changing something by completing one set goal, he is also just not a fun character.
What would you do if you go transported 12 years into the past? How remembering some lottery numbers and making it big? How about anything else fun and interesting? Nope. Nothing like that. Takemich is there to fulfill his goal and, uh, live his middle school life like normal while does that? What actually happens to past-Takemichi while future-Takemichi is in control? No clue, but he seems to be fine with it because he does not seem to get psychological help when he finds out that he has weeks of memory blanks and is a top guy in a delinquent gang all of a sudden. Takemichi certainly doesn't feel the need to explain anything to his past self by IDK keeping a memo or something?
Speaking of what he sets out to do in the past... essentially he is simply told by Naoto every time. Who just remembers every iteration of the past that has existed and can perfectly relate to Takemichi when he comes back from a changed past and thus completely altered future? To the point where he seeks him out to decide how they will change the past next time? What? Is this some sort fused Naoto who has perfect knowledge from his current timeline but also all past timelines? Does this mean this Naoto has experienced 12 years of life for every handshake travel iteration? Or is he just a convenient plot device so Takemichi can go into the future and have someone who knows about his ability tell him how his actions changed things this time around, even though it makes no sense for him to be there? Huh. Guess we have to advance the plot to the next time travel somehow...
Let's actually think of some creative ways to save Hina. How about we win in the lottery, propose to her when we turn 18 (she loves you anyway), move abroad, living in a big mansion surrounded by security guards? How about writing notes to your past self about the future and insta-traveling back and forth to see if your past-self managed to change things? Idk man, how about just thinking outside the box for a moment? It's a time travel show, where is the time travel fun? Nothing like that here.
Okay whatever. So after a dozen time travels (I don't remember much honestly) we find out that this ominous guy Kisaki is the big bad guy who makes everything go bad and we are in the future about to be killed by him. And Naoto too. Now, if you were a rational human being, you'd shake Naotos hand at the first sign of danger and get out of there. Not Takemichi, he has a better plan than that. Takemichi will wait until Naoto is shot and half bled to death and Kisaki is satisfied with only shooting him in the shoudler leaving him just enough strength to shake Naotos hand. Phew, another day saved by Takemichis quick acting and thinking. Sadly, this sort of thing seems to be a pattern which casts a big shadow on Takemichis perceived comeptence and ability.
Takemichi's actions are completely illogical at any other point in this season's plot as well. Even after we have established the goal for this time travel iteration, Takemichi seems to do everything to prevent himself from having any impact or doing anything of importance. His ultimate plan is just go and fight the other gang, which will uh surely change the future somehow? Yeah... Skip to him being beat up by 3 different guys before more likeable characters save the day and the bad future is successfully averted.
Oh I guess we forgot about Kisaki so let's get into that. Takemichi knows he is the guy who caused all this trouble, that the guy already killed several people and will kill more (inlcuding himself) in the future. And Takemichi ends up with a gun pointed to Kisaki's head. Wow, that's crazy. Is this the moment, will Takemichi dirty his hands, performing a deed he knows must be done but deal with the consequences of killing a person? Haha, you wish. This is Tokyo Revengers we are talking about! Kisaki runs away and stops on a pedestrian crossing. Now if you've ever been to Japan you know that by law you forfeit your life if you stop on a pedestrian crossing. As it would, a truck driver was driving down the road, and saw a delinquent block the road, deciding to do everyone a favor and sent him off to become the next isekai protagonist. Another great job done by Takemichi, killing the big bad guy without lifting a finger and keeping a clean conscience, we are at Death Note levels of 3D chess here. Did I mention that Takemichi thought Kisaki could travel through time like him for absolutely no reason and confronted him about it, completely embarrassing himself? Damn at this point I might as well cheer for Kisaki, Takemichi is just too dumb.
And here comes the big reveal: Kisaki killed Hina in the future because she rejected his proposal after he became the number 1 delinquent in the world. Which was completely bewildering to him because he knew she liked Takemichi and Takemichi when they were all like 6 years old wanted to become the number 1 delinquent. Of course this is all logical and what we would expect from Kisaki, who carefully planned out the entire plot of Tokyo Revengers to create the ultimate criminal organization with Mikey at it's top (let's actually not get into the ridiculous 'plans'), because he perfectly knew that would turn Hina on the most. Well now that all the bad guys are dead (not thanks to our protagonist doing anything), I'm sure the future will be all sunshine and roses, right?
Feb 19, 2024
Tokyo Revengers: Tenjiku-hen
(Anime)
add
This show has left me completely flabbergasted. It's one of the worst written pieces of Japanese media entertainment I've consumed in my life, and the only thing that kept me going was the morbid curiosity regarding how much worse it could get (and it was rewarded in full).
Now I'm leaving all superficial elements like animation, music and art (which are all fine) aside. My gripes is with the story and the characters. So let's recap the plot real quick... After his middle-school GF is killed, Takemichi is pushed in front of a train and leaps back 12 years into his past self. He tells her brother ... |
