you guys remember when everyone was hyped becuase MC was going to have a training arc to get stronger, but it never ended up happening. and MC just continued to cry instead
Honestly Takemichi never got angry enough in my opinion, his boost of strenght just seem to happen out of nowhere, because the author needs him to be strong, not because he got "there" naturally. But i still enjoyed the story and all the characters and i don't think the Tomodachi power was very annoying, the designs were cool. Something i wished is for the author to think more clearly about the time leap ability, because it is very random with what Takemichi can do. Something i also appreciate is that the author didn't focus that much on the romance part, because it can be undoubtably creepy.
Right? There's a difference in being open to showing emotions. Especially with crying, but the thing is that you continue moving forward and don't wallow in it. As it can get worse(actually matters like in the Vigilante Arc of MHA) or put you in a stasis of no development in either plot, character, or worldbuilding. As a writer you mustn't force too much of a trait into the character unless it *matters* throughout, especially if they don't have much of a personality. Furthermore if you do then use it for foundation; go in depth with it. See how an event can stir one's self up to that point. Try giving the character consequences that's directly affecting them, a new perspective. I don't hate the show, just wish the MC does more. He's basically a background character.
I think the author was too focused on Takamichi being a weak hero. His intelligence is kind of understandable considering his starting point. A part time worker at a video rental store taking orders from someone 5 years his junior. Not really the best starting point. If he got memories and such from his jumps letting him actually improve as he improves his past mistakes I could understand it but as he is technically still the same guy as before he made any changes I can kind of understand why he is like he is.
Takemichi was the inescapable wet blanket of the story. I was hyper aware that it was harming the flow of each scene; I had to pause every single episode to decompress his inflammatory blunders. The flaws proved to me the brief popularity of the show was probably just flooded basements for the delinquent character concepts and the "controversial" symbolism. That being said, I do have an inkling that it's eventually leading to a more satisfying conclusion and not a gross misinterpretation of an unreliable narrator. I know the algorithm's a chore, but keep pushing these videos, man.
I would like Vic to add to the final thesis that “your time travel story doesn’t work if the main character was smart enough to think it through,” is a pretty big red flag that the story is not written well. If the crux of the mystery persisting is not that the clues and requirements are demanding and complex, but instead that the characters are too incompetent to solve it, then the characters - and by extension the audience - are just along for the ride. It would be like a D&D game on rails. The illusion of narrative, that the characters are moving from plot point to plot point by ways of their own interests and drives, no longer exists, and thus the audience has no reason to care. Hence, the story is lazy and bland.
I initially compared Tokyo Revengers with Erased after watching it, as both have the same time shenanigans and a goal for the protagonist that's tied to his past and present hopeless state. Comparing the two, I think Tokyo Revengers played with Shonen anime tropes more using the premise (versus Erased which was more of a suspense investigation thriller) that's why I also initially thought of Takemichi as a disappointing character. But Tokyo Revengers was just another delinquent high school anime after all's been said and done, just packaged as your run of the mill underdog with special powers story. Viewers see Takemichi as a Shonen protagonist with high expectations for his development built into his character because of this, as he was presented as a good-for-nothing at the beginning, but I later realized that he is more of an audience surrogate with special ability and role in the events that unfold, his fully realized "power" being just his determination to stand up for the ones he value the most despite the danger to his life (minus the sudden Shonen protagonist power-up because this is not set in a high fantasy world), something he did not have at the start. He's not really destined to gain mastery of the world that generally just pulls him into situations that may or may not be for the best whenever he tries to manipulate it with his abilities. I believe Takemichi wasn't really intended to be the star here as delinquent high school student stories often go, but he's being taught together with the audience about standing up even in the face of death for loved ones, despite being at the mercy of an unpredictable world and an unwieldy power. Viewing it this way makes Tokyo Revengers seem more in line with time travel stories like Steins;Gate than Re:Zero.
Manga is very strong next couple arcs. Falls off at the end but that's OK lots of great series have kinda bad final arcs (see YYH for everyone's prime example :P).
Yeah and Takemichi does get growth and actually becomes competent when you get to the black Dragon arc and onward just first season was a rough start for him
The first few episodes of the series just gave me a false hope of a character development arc. Because think of it like this. You start watching the series and you get introduced to the protagonist who is a not for good kind of person and always says sorry even for mistakes that he didn't commit. Then he gets back into the past where we see the reason for why he becomes a not for good kind of person and that was because of Kiyomasa who bullied him and also put him in underground fights. Then fast forward to ep3 where he fights Kiyomasa even though he technically didn't stood a chance against him he still managed to stand on his ground and that helped him earn the respect of the Leader Mikey and the Second in Command Drakan and Mikey wants Takemichi to become his friend and later another incident including Hinata happened that made Takemichi earn even more respect from them so at this point you'd expect a character development arc where your protagonist becomes stronger like in Demon Slayer where we see how Tanjiro went from a wood cutter cum charcoal seller to a become strong sword master and breathing expert but here in Tokyo Revengers we got nothing.
I just recently started (and subsequently became obsessed with) TR (absolutely NO thanks to Takemichi), and I’ve been saying essentially everything you just said since about halfway into my first watch through of the show. Takemichi is, for lack of better term, insufferable. The true and practically only reason I was able to get through the show is because of Mikey, Draken, Hanma and the others, pretty much like you said. I mention this because of another comment, but as someone who adores Izuku Midoriya, I was actually quite peeved to see how much Takemichi cries in comparison to my little green son, and people STILL have the nerve to act like Izuku’s crying is somehow worse, when A.) he’s honestly probably cried less times overall than Takemichi cried within like just the first 3 or 4 episodes and B.) Izuku’s crying is usually always justified, whereas Takemichi cries because somebody looks at him wrong. 🙃Anyway, this was a great video, I feel more validated in my feelings now and I think I’m boutta subscribe. 😂 Sorry for this dissertation, I suppose I’m just glad to hear my own thoughts regurgitated back at me but from someone else. 😭
Oh lordy I hated the show. I gave the first season a full chance. The plot by itself is REALLY INTERESTING, but the constant crying is so insane. Mikey explains why his scooter is the best, and the tears start flowing "MIKEYYYYY!!!!" Dear god. It's a fucking scooter. He's not a freaking god, he's a teenager with an opinion. Holy shit, seriously.
you think hes bad now,read the manga 😒 takemichi becomes worst,Mikey becomes the focus so much I forgot takemichi was the main character smh.Good concept & side characters but poorly executed story.
Yeah when I first started the manga I didn't like him all that much especially compared to Mikey and Draken but as the story went on I started to get more annoyed with him
You should do a review on season 2 of TR when it's out as Michi really gets better at that point. In the manga Michi is a lot better of a character and you would probably like him during the next 2 arks.
Sorry that this is off-topic but I just followed on your twitch but whenever I try to enter chat it asks me to write a phone number to do so I tried my actual phone number and it says that it isn't valid,am I doing something wrong?
Not only did the anime suffer from bad editing due to censorship of the Manji symbol. The manga becomes terrible and messy as well. I think most readers got frustrated with the author and gave up on the story. I think it suffered from a weekly release schedule and the author never planned the story to sustain such a long run from an unexpected success. Looking back at this anime through this review reminded me exactly why I got so hooked. Mikey and Draken were so interesting, and as we got to know Toman and their original members everything felt so fleshed out. Takemichi held it back but we're left to think he'll get stronger because it's a shounen story. Even when he did get stronger, it wasn't through his own effort but a gifted power-up by the author and it still feels weak. It's more like the power of his tears make him immortal than any true strength. The strong part of this story was the relationships between Draken and Mikey, and Baji and Chifuyu, but when they each die that never really gets replaced. And even though that could have been a strong narrative device especially in the case of Draken, and his impact on Mikey's arc, the audience isn't left with much else to enjoy. I also think the story really unravels after Kisaki's wrap up, not necessarily because of any one thing but almost as if that's where the author stopped planning anything out. This story really would've been better if it was shorter. Everything after a certain point is bullshit material for the point of releasing new content, and all of the story flaws ingrained from the very beginning slowly unravel the sustainability of its narrative. A time travel story in a shounen, old-anime-era middle school gang format was an intriguing hook that could have worked, but ultimately fails to do so. Later on it fully subscribes to the middle school gang story format, and the time travel aspect while constantly prevalent, takes a backseat. Whereas in the beginning, it was the other way around. (some manga spoilers ahead I assume, only watched season 1) We felt like we were racing against a clock to save his girlfriend, and later Draken. But later, the story finds a nearly happy future minus Mikey's happiness, but throws away a near perfect result and stakes everybody to save Mikey. Who threw himself away because of a long-unexplained darkness. That darkness and saving Mikey becomes the new goal, and Mikey alienates himself AGAIN even more thoroughly than before. Before he never told anybody what was really going on, but at that point he literally strikes out on his own to save Mikey and only Chifuyu remains for a long time. The story throws itself into a middle-school-gang format and we're inundated with countless gangs, politics, and characters we don't care about, know, or are sophisticated enough to intrigue. Nor to even REMEMBER unless you read back to back. In a weekly release format, the story moves at a snails pace it's hard to even remember somebody introduced or a line said 10 weeks ago because the in-story timer has moved about 30 minutes if even sometimes. I never finished the manga but we get to a point where it seems like we know the source of Mikey's darkness, and it's so beyond stupid I gave up. Something mentioned in nearly every chapter for weeks, replacing the entire original goal of the story and Takemichi's obsession with saving Mikey, and the deeper reveal of Mikey's character doesn't even make sense. I've heard it doesn't get better so I didn't bother finishing. I wonder how this story would've felt if we lived this story through more than one perspective. I also wondered many times what this story would be like if he had just told somebody in the beginning about his ability. I thought it was interesting how for so long we thought Kisaki was a leaper but in the very end find out he wasn't, but suspected Takemichi himself was.
I think him being stupid could have worked if it was played off like how Okyasu is in Jojo. The man's catchphrase is "I'm not that smart, ya see." But the thing is, because he's self aware about it he tries to work around his own stupidity, either by getting help or coming up with simple solutions ("I was gonna punch both of you" comes to mind")
My thing is if he is too stupid to figure things out at least give him the ability to fight and put someone around him to do the thinking. This season he finally gets a partner to help him. Either give him the ability to defend himself or make him smart. The other annoying thing about him besides the crying is the constant beat downs. I am tired of watching this guy just get the shit beat out of him. Take a martial arts class because guys and determination is not working. That is the only thing he has is guys and determination which doesn't help him solve the problem and not going to stop him from getting the sht bezt out of him.
I never liked him as I thought he was stupid and never made good decisions, but seeming How Mikey and others had the ability to fight. I was sure Takamichi would have learned something from them. For example when he pulled the knife out his hand
@@SomewherePastNever I disagree. He only become proactive when he got OFA but he already had his goals before. Takemichi changed to become capable of saving the people he cares about
You explained quite well why I'm not much of a fan of this show anymore. Especially now with how it ended. And also, the MC not growing as much as he should, it sadly has become an anime that I don't care as much anymore.
