Story: 10/10
Wakui Ken has set in place a very solid story structure within Tokyo Revengers that continues to carry the plot at a steady cadence, never letting it fall into monotony. There is always a direction, and Hanagaki always has a motive, or many motives at once. Although Hanagaki may know the possible outcome of an event, doesn't mean it'll always end that way and it doesn't mean he knows how things got to that point. The two timelines of the past and the future are comparably interesting for different reasons. Every time Hanagaki travels to the past he has a motive and a plan in order to fix the future, and every time he travels to the future he has an expectation and a hope that his actions in the past changed something. However the twist is that whenever he leaps, the past's plans and the future's expectations get turned on their head and he finds himself in a situation he never prepared for. This is what carries the character development of Hanagaki, and in turn the rest of the story. It's honestly a really clever setup, and I really thank Wakui Ken for using it so perfectly.
Also in Tokyo Revengers is a substantial amount of worldbuilding, but it's not really the kind that you might think. It's more like characterization, for the sake of giving the story more depth and weight. Wakui Ken builds up and develops the childhoods of these delinquents and the past histories that they have with each other. Honestly, I did not expect such heartfelt insight in a delinquent manga, but here I am caring a lot about this delinquent who runs a sewing club and the other who has a tough home life. The relationships between delinquents is fully fleshed out: you know who's best buddies and and you see it and you know it. You also get to see a lot of their families. The relationships between close people and the divisions between others is centrally what drives the push and flow of conflict.
Art: 10/10
The art is awesome. Each character has a very distinct character design; the shape of the face, the pupils, the hair texture, everything. It's quite crazy how detailed things can get. What I found to be especially remarkable is how the characters, who are drawn at different points in their lives (10 y/o, 14 y/o, 26 y/o) still look like the same person even their hair or their body structure is changed. Each of them are their own person, and Wakui Ken makes sure to assert this not only through their dialogue or actions, but through their appearances. I especially like how Mikey, Draken, and Hakkai look.
Character: 10/10
This might be the best part of Tokyo Revengers out of all. If the crux of a delinquent manga is disagreements between people, the people have got to be pretty interesting right? Well they're pretty damn interesting here. The personalities of these characters that Wakui Ken makes are incredibly nuanced and strangely subliminally complex. No-one is completely good or completely bad, and everyone is fallible to some degree. We not only get to see them at their greatest moments, like in beating up several enemies at once, but also in the worst moments of loss and heartbreak. We get glimpses into their pasts (as well as their possible futures!) and understand how they've become what they've become and why. And then, seeing how they change in reaction to Hanagaki's intervention, and watching as Hanagaki becomes the catalyst and the key, is an experience in itself. This is a breath of fresh air from other stories, in which the corruption of the self/mind is never even considered although it's something that everyone goes through in their lives. The honest conversation and the down-to-earth realness and imperfection that is simply human, that other mangakas might gloss over by explanation of creative liberty, are displayed in the forefront unabashedly.
Now, I have heard so many times that Hanagaki is a wuss, and that he sucks, and that's why someone dropped this manga. NO! The POINT is that although Hanagaki may not be the best fighter, and he may not be the most cunning, he has the most heart and he never gives up. In a way, Hanagaki is the foil to literally everyone around him. Surrounded by all these strong people, he, the weakest of them all, is just as great and perhaps greater, because he has chosen to make a change.
Enjoyment: 10/10
I enjoyed this very much. I love the pacing of Tokyo Revengers, first of all. The chapters are long and detailed, and multiple things happen in every chapter (which can be a tall order for many mangas). It's strange to think, but I like all the characters, no matter if they're good or bad and no matter what things they've done, because first and foremost they are portrayed as people with their own problems. I feel like if a mangaka has done that, they've effectively succeeded in creating an immersive work.
But as always, I end up with questions concerning the stability of the plot that I don't think have been answered. I don't think there are spoilers here beyond maybe the second chapter. How does Naoto always know when the timeline has changed? Shouldn't his memory also be altered when Hanagaki moves back and forth? What happens to Hanagaki in the past when Hanagaki moves to the future? What if he goes to the future or past while the other one is sleeping? And most importantly, Why, when Naoto shook Hanagaki's hand once, he immediately deduced that Hanagaki could move exactly 12 years into the past or future with a handshake, and specifically and only his? This is a strange assumption, because there could have been so many other factors going into this but they assumed something unlikely which became the premise for the entire manga. (which is still a good premise just not explained thoroughly).
Overall: 10/10
Yeah I know, 10/10 for all? Damn, that's pretty good. I'm not sure if you could call it a favorite of mine, since I'm not really thinking about this every day of the week, but it is pretty damn good. I don't think there's much that could be improved in Tokyo Revengers. It hits every beat on the mark, and exceeds in places where other mangas couldn't even wish to meet, whether out of ignorance or inability. I'm sure if you read this, you will have a wonderful time.
I heard this manga is getting an anime next year. I look forward to the next wave of fans who will discover Tokyo Revengers!
I will leave a few warnings here because I want anyone who starts reading to please not drop it.
- There are a lot of names. They're pretty unique, but they are thrown around in dialogue often so please don't forget them.
- Hanagaki is not a bad MC! He actually is pretty badass sometimes, and if you don't believe me just look at how integral he is in swaying the plot and the people. He can also fight for himself pretty well, it's just that he's being compared to insanely strong people.
- I think that the first / first few chapters may discourage some people. Please push through those! The Hanagaki that you see in the first chapter will never be seen again, and that's an ode to character development if I've even seen it.
