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REVIEW: Tokyo Ravens BD+DVD part 1




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omiya



Joined: 21 Sep 2011
Posts: 1822
Location: Adelaide, South Australia
PostPosted: Mon Apr 20, 2015 10:56 am Reply with quote
...and the OST is only available with the limited edition Japanese releases AFAIK.
Sad
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meepsheeps



Joined: 16 Jun 2014
Posts: 399
PostPosted: Mon Apr 20, 2015 7:09 pm Reply with quote
I'm surprised people think this show is good
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EighteenSky





PostPosted: Tue Apr 21, 2015 6:39 am Reply with quote
I agree with quite a few points in this review, the first few episodes were certainly the weakest. I actually thought the G worked really well though but it was quite a while I go that I watched it so would have to have a second viewing.

The second half though just hits it out of the ball park time and again, especially spoiler[with Natsume's death, incredibly sad and one of only 2 series to make me WANT them to bring a character back from the dead].

Quote:
Keeping track of who is aligned with who can be challenging, especially when some characters seem to be working at cross-purposes with themselves.

This was one of my issues as well, found it hard to follow a few times resulting in having to rewind or rewatch to get a clearer picture, one of the few faults I had. Got better in the second half though.
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Animegomaniac



Joined: 16 Feb 2012
Posts: 4064
PostPosted: Tue Apr 21, 2015 11:42 am Reply with quote
I'm trying to remember Tokyo Ravens but apart from knowing I saw it, I got nothing. Nothing offensive, tastes like bland.

Thematically, isn't it more like Kaze no Stigma with magic powers rather than physic powers? Or am I thinking of something else? Irregular, Magical Warfare...

No, I think that's the one. Discarded family member, black sheep while his "love interest" is part of the family and heir apparent. And somehow that's still a thing...
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kevinx59



Joined: 27 Jan 2012
Posts: 959
Location: In sunny California
PostPosted: Tue Apr 21, 2015 3:25 pm Reply with quote
Usually I'm pretty kind to 1st episodes but yeah, Tokyo Ravens opening episode was definitely underwhelming. Luckily it got better and like Theron I enjoyed the series more once they arrived at Omnyo Academy. I seriously did not expect to like the series as much as I did.I wholeheartedly agree that the music was great (then again I've loved Yoshino Nanjou since fripSide). I liked the art enough to give it higher than a C+ but yeah, it's not the most visually stand out series. The animation and fight scenes were pretty solid. I'm just happy this series so far got a good review, as it seems to have largely fallen under the radar. Oh and I do agree, the shifting allegiances kind of confused me. Better rewatch it. Maybe with the dub, since the review makes it sound really good.
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Cam0



Joined: 13 Dec 2009
Posts: 4882
PostPosted: Tue Apr 21, 2015 4:02 pm Reply with quote
meepsheeps wrote:
I'm surprised people think this show is good


Heh. I rated this show very good. Somehow the story just really grabbed me and didn't let go. Tokyo Ravens is a slightly rare case since it doesn't really have an overarching plot like most Light Novels tend to have such as Strike the Blood which was running at the same time. This meant that we weren't constantly introduced to new characters every 5 or so episodes and the characters we had were given time to grow until the story really started moving in the 2nd half. And the story did start moving.

Granted the first half wasn't all that impressive. But things start to get really interesting in the 2nd half. For me it meant that I was constantly in this state of: "I want to see the next episode. I HAVE to see it!"
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Key
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Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 18101
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Tue Apr 21, 2015 8:59 pm Reply with quote
Animegomaniac wrote:
No, I think that's the one. Discarded family member, black sheep while his "love interest" is part of the family and heir apparent. And somehow that's still a thing...

Enh, Harutora isn't really discarded or a "black sheep;" he's just an underperformer. . . at least based on what's been shown in the first half anyway. (I've seen spoilers for the second half which suggest that his situation is far from straightforward, though.)
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jl07045



Joined: 30 Aug 2011
Posts: 1527
Location: Riga, Latvia
PostPosted: Wed Apr 22, 2015 3:41 am Reply with quote
I enjoyed Tokyo Ravens when it aired quite a lot. It's a pretty standard shonen flick with a Potteresque premise, but it has likable characters, cool fights and some intricate worldbuilding for a nerd like me. And what's also important, it doesn't try to be something more than it is. It doesn't try to deal with ideas way too heavy for it or oversell the drama (except maybe with Touji). I like that most adult characters are competent, also often not the case with stories like this, and everyone has some agenda, that is not immediately clear, which keeps up the intrigue.

It's very clear that the novels contain a lot of infodumping, because the show was imo struggling to ensure that everything on the screen makes sense to the audience. That especially refers to onmyodo and the battles. The viewer seemingly has to have working knowledge about the magic or simply accept everything that happens on screen. The characters also occasionally throw out lines that they could think, but sound awkward and infodumpey when said out loud.
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Hellwarden



Joined: 10 Aug 2013
Posts: 321
PostPosted: Wed Apr 22, 2015 6:02 pm Reply with quote
Tokyo Ravens was a show, that for all of its flaws, felt like a production where everyone gave a damn. It clearly doesn't have a large budget, or the best animators in the world, but its characters felt fresh despite filling out some predictable anime roles.

Also, that cover for the show looks damn amazing.

Gonna pick up.
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jr240483



Joined: 24 Dec 2005
Posts: 4367
Location: New York City,New York,USA
PostPosted: Thu Apr 23, 2015 2:42 pm Reply with quote
Animegomaniac wrote:
I'm trying to remember Tokyo Ravens but apart from knowing I saw it, I got nothing. Nothing offensive, tastes like bland.

Thematically, isn't it more like Kaze no Stigma with magic powers rather than physic powers? Or am I thinking of something else? Irregular, Magical Warfare...

No, I think that's the one. Discarded family member, black sheep while his "love interest" is part of the family and heir apparent. And somehow that's still a thing...


that was i was thinking. people was go griping of a possible matchmaking with the two siblings/cousins on SAO, but got no beef with this. definitely double standard and hypocritical. then again, considering that this series isnt popular within the otaku community but SAO is, is another thing to think about.

Quote:
The key performance, and also the most impressive one, is Clifford Chapin's rendition of Harutora; this marks his second straight stellar effort (he also shined at the male lead in Unbreakable Machine-Doll) and could earn him end-of-year honors, as his performance perfectly brings to life Harutora's character and attitude.


i wouldnt necessarily say that. while sure, the performance is definitely top notch and definitely funi's best dubbing for this year, it's highly unlikely it will earn him end of year honors especially with other series coming out soon like SAO II and Durarara!!x2 where the male leads & support cast are not too shabby themselves.
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Key
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Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 18101
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Thu Apr 23, 2015 4:03 pm Reply with quote
jr0904 wrote:
Quote:
The key performance, and also the most impressive one, is Clifford Chapin's rendition of Harutora; this marks his second straight stellar effort (he also shined at the male lead in Unbreakable Machine-Doll) and could earn him end-of-year honors, as his performance perfectly brings to life Harutora's character and attitude.


i wouldnt necessarily say that. while sure, the performance is definitely top notch and definitely funi's best dubbing for this year, it's highly unlikely it will earn him end of year honors especially with other series coming out soon like SAO II and Durarara!!x2 where the male leads & support cast are not too shabby themselves.

I've listened to the dubs for the first seasons of both SAO and Durarara (and the dub for the first few eps of SAO II), and while both had strong dubs, I would put TR's dub (and Clifford's performance) on a higher level than either. Hence I feel comfortable saying that, even with the year only a bit more than 1/3 gone, as Clifford's Harutora is going to be my judging standard for any other stand-out male performance for the rest of the year.
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