Tokyo Revengers: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Tokyo Revengers: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie Review

Tokyo Revengers – Season 1 is an action-packed series with a lot of drama and intrigue. Created by Ken Wakui, Tokyo Revengers – Season 1 features animation production by LIDEN FILMS (Deiji Meets Girl, Midnight Occult Civil Servants). Executive produced by Haruki Satomi (Luminous Witches, Midnight Occult Civil Servants), Hiroaki Matsuura (Call of the Night, Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches), Hiroo Maruyama (Attack on Titan, Quality Assurance in Another World), Takahiro Sasaki (The Quintessential Quintuplets, Battle Girls - Time Paradox), and Yoshio Kaneko (Cells at Work! Code Black, The Hidden Dungeon Only I Can Enter), Tokyo Revengers – Season 1 features voice-performances by Yūki Shin and Azumi Waki.

Life seems as though it has hit rock bottom for Takemichi Hanagaki (Yūki Shin). The one and only girlfriend Takemichi ever had has now died. Takemichi’s ex-girlfriend from middle school, Hinata Tachibana (Azumi Waki), was murdered by violent thugs in the Tokyo Manji Gang. Making matters significantly worse – Takemichi’s work as a freelancer isn’t going well.

In the immediate aftermath of his ex-girlfriend’s death, Takemichi finds himself standing on train tracks and expecting for his life to end. Rather than his life ending, Takemichi travels back in time twelve years to when he was still in middle school. Now Takemichi seeks revenge for the entire course of his life. Can Takemichi save Hinata from death and save his own past to live a better future?

Takemichi Hanagaki is a compelling lead character for the anime series. Takemichi is in for an experience of a lifetime with his unexpected journey. The character has a lot on his mind when he travels back in time. The character must juggle his ambitions and goals. Takemichi dreams of revenge as well as an improved future over his past life. The character has a new chance at life when he time travels. The character is one the audience will find relatable.

The character designs by Keiko Ōta (Ace Attorney, Hyakko) and Kenichi Ōnuki (AMAIM Warrior at the Borderline, Digimon Universe: Appli Monsters) are well-done and add a lot to the production. With impressive design work, the character designs add so much to the aesthetic of the series. Strong character designs add to the aesthetic foundations of the production.

The animation on Tokyo Revengers – Season 1 is well-done and is one of the most noteworthy elements of the anime series. Tokyo Revengers – Season 1 features art direction by Manabu Otsuzuki (Tokyo Ghoul:re, Unbreakable Machine-Doll) and chief animation direction by Atsutoshi Hashimoto (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Shin Ikki Tousen), Junichi Hashimoto (Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout, Akikan!), Keiko Ōta (Sengoku Basara - Samurai Kings: The Last Party, Ace Attorney), and Kenichi Ōnuki (7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life, Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans). The animation team did incredible work with the series aesthetic. These elements of Tokyo Revengers – Season 1 are on display with regards to the line art, the background animation, and the creative style of the series.

The cinematography by Hisayoshi Yamamoto (Deiji Meets Girl, Wasteful Days of High School Girl) is an incredible aspect of the series, too. Yamamoto’s cinematography shines with bright colors and bold animation highlighted by the visual lighting and stylistic flourishes. The cinematography helps the animation to stand out and there is plenty to appreciate.

The score composed by Hiroaki Tsutsumi (Jujutsu Kaisen, Teasing Master Takagi-san) is entertaining and engaging. The score by Tsutsumi is well-done for both action beats and character elements. The music certainly plays into both the drama and action of the anime series. Fans of scores with a pulse for the drama will find something to appreciate about the series music. It adds to the production.

Written by Yasuyuki Mutō (Afro Samurai, The Galaxy Railways), Tokyo Revengers – Season 1 is a decent anime series with a fun concept. The script leans into the time travel concept and plays out from there. Fans of time travel stories might find the series worthwhile. The time travel element mixed with the drama of the series helps the action to stand out more. The screenwriter remembers to focus on character storytelling and not to overlook themes of the story while exploring the high concept.

Directed by Koichi Hatsumi (Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga, Deadman Wonderland), Tokyo Revengers – Season 1 is worth checking out for time travel fans. Fans of action-dramas with a time travel spin should consider checking out Tokyo Revengers – Season 1 for its combination of action, drama, and time travel. The series features solid direction by Hatsumi and Tokyo Revengers – Season 1 manages to showcase a nice production aesthetic achieved by the director alongside the team of animators. The end result is something more ambitious.

Tokyo Revengers: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by VIZ Media, Tokyo Revengers – Season 1 is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. An impressive high-definition presentation with crisp animation and beautiful, evocative, and mesmerizing colors. The presentation shines with great color reproduction and the line art looks lusher than one might expect. The action is well encoded, too. VIZ did a solid job with the presentation quality. The encoding enhancing the presentation quality.

One strength of the Blu-ray format is superior encoding compared to streaming video services. Though streaming services can offer a nice try- before-you-buy option for anime fans, it is worth noting that a streaming presentation can sometimes offer a lower video bit-rate compared to physical media. For home theater enthusiasts wanting to eek out the best possible video quality, the physical option is something that can provide a more robust presentation. Fans can appreciate this about the release.

Tokyo Revengers: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles). The sound direction by Satoki Iida (Assassination Classroom, Yuki Yuna Is a Hero) is well reproduced on the release. The soundstage is a nice element of the presentation. Dialogue is clear and is well presented during the presentation. The English subtitles are well-done. The English subtitles are free from egregious spelling or grammatical errors.

One of the most significant elements of physical media and the Blu-ray format is the lossless audio. The Blu-ray format provides lossless audio encoding and it provides a wonderful option for audiophiles and home theater enthusiasts. For audiophiles wanting to eek out the best in the presentation quality, the lossless encoding helps to enhance the experience. Physical media has a distinct advantage in this regard over streaming video services. Streaming video services only provide lossy (non-lossless) presentation quality.

Tokyo Revengers: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The first print run of the release includes an o-card slipcover. The o-card slipcover features unique key artwork different from the artwork underneath the slipcover. The artwork on the inner sleeve is also uniquely done and adds to the packaging design. The reverse side of the sleeve also features inner artwork. The individual discs in the package also feature unique disc art on each of the different discs included in the box-set. These attributes make the package all the more impressive on the whole for collectors and enthusiasts alike.

On disc supplements include:

An Interview with A.J. Beckles (HD, 4:48) – The English Voice of Takamichi Hanagaki

An Interview with Lizzie Freeman (HD, 3:39) – The English Voice of Hinata Tachibana

An Interview with Sean Chiplock (HD, 7:32) – The English Voice of Draken / Ken Ryuguji

It is nice to see the selection of interviews provided for the box-set. Although the set could have been more robust with some audio commentaries, convention panels, and other behind-the-scenes video featurettes, it's still nice that VIZ produced some interviews with the English dub voice- cast. These interviews should provide some extra value for fans considering to make a purchase.

Tokyo Revengers: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Tokyo Revengers – Season 1 delves into a world of time-travel, drama, and intrigue. Tokyo Revengers features a compelling protagonist with Takemichi Hanagaki. Takemichi Hanagaki has a huge world to explore in going back in time. Fans of genre anime will find something of note with the production. The animation impresses and showcases some nice design elements.

The Blu-ray release provides a quality high-definition presentation, lossless audio, and a selection of interviews with some of the English dub voice cast members. The first print run of the release also includes an o-card slipcover, too. Fans of the series wanting a permanent copy on their shelf will want to consider a purchase. Recommended.