Tokyo Revengers
2021
Original language: Japanese
- animation
- action & adventure
- crime
- drama
The story
Takemichi Hanagaki is a freelancer that’s reached the absolute pits of despair in his life. He finds out that the only girlfriend he ever had, in middle school, Hinata Tachibana, had been killed by the ruthless Tokyo Manji Gang. The day after hearing about her death, he’s standing on the station platform and ends up being pushed over onto the tracks by a herd of people. He closes his eyes thinking he’s about to die, but when he opens his eyes back up, he somehow had gone back in time 12 years. Now that he’s back living the best days of his life, Takemichi decides to get revenge on his life.
What it’s like
Bright, saturated cel animation that swings between sunlit school afternoons, all warm yellows and clean blue skies, and night streets where the palette drops into cold neon blues, sodium orange and wet asphalt. Fight scenes are kinetic, with hard cuts, speed lines and stylised impacts, while quieter moments linger on faces and small domestic gestures. The soundtrack leans on driving rock and electronic pulses, with sentimental piano swelling at emotional beats. Violence is frequent and physical: fistfights, gang brawls, bloodied lips and occasional stabbings, with some deaths handled dramatically rather than graphically. Sexual content is minimal. The tone is earnest and sentimental, with a fast, episodic rhythm built on time leaps and recurring set pieces. Its emotional core is a scrappy young man's stubborn loyalty and the bonds of an unlikely friend group, with a lot of tears and shouted resolve. Best for fans of shounen anime who enjoy adrenaline, nostalgia-tinged friendship and big emotional catharsis, but not a fit for anyone seeking something gentle or violence-free.
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