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Year: 2013-2014
Genre: Action, Romance, Supernatural
Episodes: 24
Rating: 3 out of 5
What would it be like to be able to perform magic? I’m not talking about the performers in Las Vegas. I am talking about Dr. Strange-type of magic, where you go to a school to learn. How awesome would it be to have powers like that? I guess that is Harry Potter, also. What if you did have powerful magical powers, and then after a great war, one person decided to use a massive attack. After that, peace was brought to the world, but with major restrictions. Would you still want magical powers? Tokyo Ravens is an anime where magic rules over Japan and a group trying to reincarnate an infamous magician.
Overview
During World War II, Onmyoudou magic was once a powerful technique used by the Japanese. The Japanese used this power to gain and establish itself as a formidable force and nation. Japan was soon defeated after the revered onmyouji Yakou Tsuchimikado caused the “Great Spiritual Disaster.” The event left Japan and Tokyo with a bad taste in its mouth. As a result of the disaster, a new agency was formed called the Onmyou Agency, with the sole purpose of ensuring no further spiritual disasters and combating demons that threaten the world.
In the present day, onmyodou magic has become more modernized, simple, and one that has helped in the advancements of medicine and technology. Most of the known world has the use of this magic, but there are a few that don’t. One of those special cases is Harutora, a member of one of the Tsuchimikado’s branch families. Harutora was born without any spiritual power, even though he was born into a distinguished branch family. Harutora is not motivated by anything and wants to live a simple and peaceful life. Even with his goal for a peaceful life, he remembers his promise to his childhood friend, Natsume, the Tsuchimikado’s family heir and Yakou’s supposed reincarnation. Harutora’s life suddenly changes when a group wants to recreate the “Great Spiritual Disaster.” Harutora and his friends decide to help in the fight and save the city and country.
Review:
Tokyo Ravens is one of those anime series that stopped after twenty-four episodes. The story was okay, but it left more to be desired, and these short anime series do that to the viewer. Can I read the manga? Of course, I can, but sometimes you want to see more because I know things were about to hit a new level if there were more episodes.
Let’s get into the actual story. The story is entertaining, but also an alternative universe after World War II where magic becomes a force to be reckoned with. Like many anime series like this, there was one person who had too much magic powers and had to be destroyed. What have we learned about people who were powerful and destroyed in the past? They always get reincarnated or come back in their original form.
In this anime, Harutora Tsuchimikado is born with no magical powers and is pretty happy with it. Dude just wants to live an ordinary high school life. He promised one of his female friends to become her shikigami and protect her while having two close friends. As in most anime stories, when he watches the death of his one friend, he becomes a shikigami while gaining magical abilities. The story goes through the whole story of Harutora going to a school or academy to learn about his new powers and become handy as a shikigami. The dude also gains his own shikigami, a cute little fox girl named Kon. No matter what school someone attends, the magic school constantly gets attacked in anime, and one of the professors is one of the most powerful people in the world.
Things really pick up, and the action hits high gear at certain points. Some of the best points in this anime is when Douman Ashiya attacks. This dude is a BEAST! He is over a thousand years old and is the most feared person in the world. Do you know who can come close to his ability? Jin Ohtomo, the homeroom teacher and a former Divine General. This anime battle is incredible to watch. It was one of the major highlights because these two go at it with spell after spell.
I will say that you can predict what will happen throughout this anime. Harutora starts gaining memories from the past and seeing past memories. One scene is when the school is attacked by Reiji and his second-in-command. First off, Reiji’s second in command was whipping everyone’s ass, and he was also extremely insane. Harutora started to see the world differently during this fight as his powers seemed to awaken. Powerful and dangerous relics from the evil wizard start reacting to him until, boom, we learn that he is the reincarnation of the evil wizard. Dun, dun, Dunnnnnn or gasp! The anime’s ending showed Harutora regaining all of his memories but having to leave.
This leads me to the second part of the story and the whole situation with Natsume. Natsume dresses as a boy half the time because of being the heir to her clan, but she also has MAJOR feelings for Harutora. They go through the anime playing this game of I like you and all of that, but it would be strange because I want everyone to think I’m a boy. It gave me a headache because I was trying to figure out when she was herself and then playing a role until her secret was revealed in one battle. I don’t think anyone cared. Well, her best friend did because she didn’t trust her with the truth, and it caused all types of drama.
The anime is somewhat outdated and uses the shitty CGI. I freakin hate when anime series try to use CGI. It messes up the whole feel of the anime, and it doesn’t look right. When Douman Ashiya attacked, I knew what they were going for, but it looked weird and out of place. Yet, when Jin and Ashiya fight against each other, the anime is crisp and fun to watch. Hell, when Harutora decided to cast a forbidden spell to revive Natsume, that scene was fantastic because when everyone tried to stop him, his cape had black raven wings. You know what it didn’t have? Freakin CGI.
As far as the characters go, they were all pretty standard for anime standards. Harutora was the typical main character who had lost his memories but was reincarnated from the major wizard from the past. Like many main male characters, he has a good soul, cares deeply about his friends, and would do anything for them. Natsume is the typical female main character who is strong in her own right but also bound by duty. She has major feelings for Harutora, but with her clan and being the heir, she has to cross-dress to be taken seriously and prove that she is worth it.
My favorite characters were the side characters. First, there is Touji Ato. Homeboy is cool but is also an Oni who has badass battle armor. I like him because he is very level-headed but sometimes doesn’t ask for help when needed. Second, Jin Ohtomo is by far one of my favorite characters. Even though he is missing a leg and seems like the typical homeroom teacher, when you watch as much anime as I have, you know the homeroom teacher is one of the strongest characters. Jin is no exception, as he goes from laid back to complete badass. His fight against Ashiya was awesome to watch. My favorite character in this anime is Kon. Kon is Harutora’s shikigami and is a little silver fox spirit girl. She is badass because she is protective and always comes strapped with her sword, ready to fight. When Harutora regains his memories, she reveals her true identity as Hishamaru and becomes a bigger badass. She whipped some major ass in her true form. Love this character.
Tokyo Raves is that anime that had potential and tried to throw major items in the twenty-four episodes. It was entertaining, but the ending left you wanting more. Most of the story is repetitive, as seen in other anime series. Some characters stand out way more than the main characters, like Jin and Kon. Watch this anime if you are bored or have run out of other anime series to watch.
