Tokyo Revengers – 13

I find my thoughts continually returning to the same themes with Tokyo Revengers.  These long recaps to fill out episodes seriously get on my nerves (though this is by no means a problem specific to this show).  And I can’t help but continue to think this series works better when I don’t ask the questions I consistently have, because I don’t think it holds up to analysis very well.  In a sense, Tokyo Revengers is a series that works better on the “feel” level than the “think” level – though that doesn’t stop me from overthinking it.

The first thing this week is – why is Takemichi still alive?  If Kisaki Tetta really wanted to kill both Takemitchi and Hina why did he just stop after her?  Yeah I know Doraken acknowledged this during the episode, but that still doesn’t explain it.  And if Kisaki is trying to kill Takemichi because he wants to hurt Mikey, why is he also trying (successfully) to kill Hina – who Mikey doesn’t seem to give a toss about?  Maybe the real reason is a much more practical one (that’s my suspicion) but if not this is kind of a weak sauce plot point for me.

In addition to all the long-standing questions that never go away (like what happens to Takemitchy when Taklemichi takes over his body, and does he remember it – and why it’s taken Takemichi and Naoto so long to zero in on Kisaki) new ones like that seem to pop up every week.  Overthinking?  Maybe – or impatience.  In any event in the aftermath of the funeral (which is a very good scene, by the way) we have Takemichi going back to work as if Honma hadn’t just told him he was supposed to die that night.  I’m growing a little suspicious of his manager at the video store, by the way, though that may just be my overactive imagination.

At least we have a good reason for why Akkun did what he did – he has a family this time, and Kisaki was holding them hostage.  I still think there would have been easier and less chancy ways to take out both of them, but maybe Kisaki is just that sadistic.  Takemichi’s plan to take over Toman? Well, why not – I agree with Naoto that the idea is pretty far-fetched but so is time travel, so why the hell not.  As for Ken, he’s on death row, though the details of that are still pretty fuzzy.  It’s for killing three people, but why?  It seems to have been at Kisaki’s behest,  and why would Doraken act on that?

Desperation leaves a return to the past and Takemichi’s plan the only seeming option to try and save Hina (which Naoto is starting to suspect may not be possible).  I think we’re supposed to assume the post-sento scene is Takemitchy about to be announced as the 3rd Division captain, but I suspect that’s a feint – in fact it may be Kisaki who’s about to make his appearance in the Takemitchy era at last.  In any event the idealized playtime era Mikey and Doraken are enjoying seems fated to come to an end sooner rather than later.

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4 comments

  1. I’ll answer some of the questions based on what has been shown so far. Some I would not because it would be spoiler.

    why is Takemichi still alive? If Kisaki Tetta really wanted to kill both Takemitchi and Hina why did he just stop after her?

    we have Takemichi going back to work as if Honma(sic) hadn’t just told him he was supposed to die that night.

    The attempt was made on Takemichi and Hina jointly. Since Takemichi survived it and would have been interrogated since he is a party at the scene of the incident, there would not be any moves on Takemichi in the short term unless Toman wants to attract more police attention on them.The hits are done on the basis of plausible deniability.

    And yes, Kisaki is a sadist – he has used/forced Akkun at least twice to kill Takemichi (not clear whether the first push on to the tracks is Akkun as well but it is likely, considering the pattern). It’s not a coincidence.

    what happens to Takemitchy when Taklemichi takes over his body, and does he remember it

    Teenage Takemichi remembers what happens during the time adult Takemichi is in control of the body. During the time that adult Takemichi is in control, we are not privy to what teenage Takemichi thinks as this is not shown. By conjecture, teenage Takemichi probably finds himself doing some things that he finds himself compelled to do that he has no control of and unsure where that courage comes from.

    why it’s taken Takemichi and Naoto so long to zero in on Kisaki

    Distraction is the simplest answer. While the original assessment is true (i.e. to prevent the meet up of Kisaki with Mikey), events started taking hold that distracted from it. After being befriended by Mikey and Draken, Takemichi discovered that Draken is the conscience of Mikey and Toman when he eavesdropped on the hospital visit they made to visit the raped girl. The discovery of Draken being killed on the night of 3rd August became the focus as the loss of Draken started the spiral downwards. At that point in time, Kisaki has not shown up in the information Naoto has nor in the view of Takemichi who has no idea how Kisaki looked like then, where to look for him, nor knew whether Kisaki had gotten in touch with Mikey. He had that one instance of noticing Kisaki when they passed him by on the riverside but he could not place that identity. We, the audience, are privy to that and more.

    The questions not answered means it’s spoiler to answer those since it would reveal the developments further on.

  2. At that point in time, Kisaki has not shown up in the information Naoto has

    I need to clarify this statement. Naoto knows that Kisaki is the one of the leaders of Toman in the future but he does not know when Kisaki inserted himself into Toman. He does not have such information. Neither has the anime shown us so far.

  3. A

    All your questions will be answered but you’ll have to be patient. The anime probably will take 3 o 4 seasons to adapt the whole manga. The author left a lot of unanswered questions on porpuse so he can develop them through the next archs. Hina’s role, Kisaki’s actions, Draken’s choices. Most characters have a lot of background and is their past what move them to act, you’ll understand when the flashbacks are shown. When I started the anime a lot of things didn’t make sense for me and I grew impatient, so I ended up reading the manga and trust me, at the end everything makes sense. (English is not my first language so sorry for the grammar mistakes)

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