[Film Review] Fantasia Film Festival 2021 - Tokyo Revengers

Review written by Ariel Baska and Rabia Sitabi

Tokyo Revengers or Tōkyō Ribenjāzu (東京リベンジャーズ’) brings the newest craze in manga to the big screen in full-throated live-action. Director Tsutomu Hanabusa takes on the adaptation of the anime that only just started its very first season in this time-traveling tale of revenge and gang warfare.

While you don’t have to know the manga or the anime to enjoy the film, you should know that Tokyo Revengers is a massively popular title right now. During the pandemic, manga sales have exploded, with titles like Demon Slayer (whose anime film adaptation broke box office records), Chainsaw Man or Jujutsu Kaisen, manga that are so immensely popular that volumes are constantly sold out. Tokyo Revengers is the next film in this wave. In short order, the manga was translated into English and only a few short months ago the anime started (at time of writing we are only at episode 16 of season one). Traditionally, only series that sustain fans across many seasons see a live-action adaptation, but Tokyo Revengers is breaking the mold here too. This is hardly a surprise though, given the strong premise that sustains this franchise, which together with the rich characters and existential themes, makes the live action adaptation an unmissable film. 

Takemichi is a bit of a nobody, a burnt-out clerk convinced that his life peaked in high school. One day he wakes up to the news that his high school sweetheart was murdered by the Tokyo Manji gang. That same day while waiting for a train he gets pushed onto the tracks. Only instead of waking up in a hospital, he finds he's traveled back in time.

As he is forced to relive his past as a high school student, Tokyo Revengers goes deeper than most Shounen (manga marketed toward boys and centering on stories of male bonding and gangs). Tokyo Revengers poses moral and ethical questions about time travel that range broadly in scope and size, but center on the question, “what would you do if you could change your past and future?” Manga and anime typically have an easier time flipping back and forth between time periods, but director Hanabusa does an excellent job of grounding the stylized characters in very different but entirely realistic worlds. The use of visual effects which often become outrageously over the top in live-action adaptations are used to subtle effect here, where the visual emphasis is firmly placed on the fights and the emotional consequences of them, rather than the fantastical elements that work better in drawn form.

The fight choreography is incredible, as is the casting of all the main characters, particularly our favorite, Drakken, portrayed with steely menace by Yuki Yamada. Every actor pitches their part to both reflect the popularity of their character’s original design, but also to breathe new life into the role, extending the emotional universe from the manga into the real world. 

Regardless of whether you know the source material, Tokyo Revengers is a flipping fun joyride through Tokyo’s ganglands. While most anime adaptations get bogged down by trying to cover too much territory, Hanabusa as a director wisely restricts the film to one arc, leaving it as a breezy romp rather than providing an excess of exposition. Tsutomu Hanabusa knows what he is doing, and whether you are a fan, have a passing interest in yakuza cinema, or just love Japanese films, Tokyo Revengers has something for you.

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