Kino Key Notes:
Tokyo Revengers

For those interested, please click here for manga and books about Tokyo Revengers.

Tokyo Revengers contains a fascinating take on time travel within the manga medium. The story follows a young adult, Takemichi Hanagaki, who considers himself to be a failure in life. A series of events leads him to travel back in time in order to correct past mistakes as a teenager while saving those he loves. Considering all types of people have fantasized about correcting their mistakes and reliving days in primary and secondary schools, it may come as no surprise that this topic would be a hit. In fact, since the first volume’s release in 2017, the manga has circulated over 32 million copies according to Anime News Network and went on to win a Kodansha Manga Award for Best Shonen Manga. There has since been an increasing demand for English prints to be released even beyond Kodansha’s efforts to bring the series to digital media.

The English, digital cover of Tokyo Revengers 1 — The English, digital cover of *Tokyo Revengers 1*

Demanded Adaptations

The anime based on the Tokyo Revengers manga has been airing weekly since the first episode’s release in April 2021. Fans on Crunchyroll have already provided a significant amount of 5/5-star reviews before the first season has even been completed. Many believe these reviews to be a bit pre-mature, while others claim it to suggest how great the series is already. The Tokyo Revengers anime was written by Yasuyuki Mutō and directed by Koichi Hatsumi under the studio Liden Films (Berserk, 2016). Manga readers will note that Liden Films certainly did their best to maintain a true depiction of the source material, and it absolutely shows.

After 400+ reviews and a collective 8+ rating out of 10, the adapted live-action film was met with success in Japan. The July 2021 release was directed by Tsutomu Hanabusa (Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!) and was promoted alongside the Tokyo Revengers Starter Set.

Ken Wakui - Purpose Before Character

The creator of Tokyo Revengers, Ken Wakui has been a professional mangaka for over 15 years and was initially known for the creation of manga Shinjuku Swan, Abaddon, and Dessert Eagle.

Adapted into two live-action films and a TV drama in 2007, Shinjuku Swan was a 38 volume manga series that gained some popularity for Mr. Wakui. Shinjuku Swan primarily follows a young man who recruits women to work in Shinjuku’s red-light district. After viewing this gritty series, it is no wonder that Wakui was tapped to write a new manga about the life of thugs and gang members in the story that would become Tokyo Revengers.

Purpose before character. Wakui briefly described his process for creating characters. Often, writers may wish to proceed to develop a character’s personality and beliefs before injecting them into a story. Wakui insists on establishing the purpose and role of a character in a story’s timeline before attempting to bring that being to life. In an interview with the prominent publisher Kodansha, Mr. Wakui mentioned using environmental details to add even more character. The example used the reaction of background characters to provide a measurement of significance for the gang leader. With this logic, a simple reaction can quickly establish a sense of importance for any character. This establishes a strong foundation for the cast of Tokyo Revengers, and the greater story itself.

**Get Genki for Tokyo Revengers!**

As we all hope and wait for an announcement regarding English prints for Tokyo Revengers, take this as an opportunity to learn Japanese! Many Japanese enthusiasts swear by learning a new language by reading comics and watching TV, so why not learn to read the Japanese versions of Tokyo Revengers? Eventually, you’ll never need to wait for an English copy ever again!