Why Tokyo Revengers season 2 disappointed fans, explored

Tokyo Revengers season 2 has concluded and the fanbase is displaying a mixed reaction to the series. While some fans were happy with how things turned out, there were plenty who were disappointed.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from the manga.

Elements such as animation, writing, character design, accessibility and soundtracks are just a few that determine the overall quality of the anime. However, this popular anime series fell short across several departments.

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Tokyo Revengers: Elements that could have been improved

Mikey as seen in Tokyo Revengers (Image via LIDENFILMS)

Source material

Naturally, there are plenty of loyal fans that adore the series, including the manga-reading fanbase as well. However, if we take a look at the series objectively, there are far too many flaws. Primarily, the concept of time-traveling wasn’t explained well. The rules that govern time-traveling in the world of Tokyo Revengers weren’t clearly defined, giving rise to plenty of plot holes and inconsistencies.

Within the Tokyo Revengers manga, some of the characters’ backstories were not explored, and plot holes weren't entirely resolved. The story was rushed and the happy ending that Wakui wanted to achieve felt far from organic.

While some liked the ending, plenty of manga readers are extremely unhappy with how it was executed. Mikey had killed Takemichi, forcing both of them to return to the original timeline with their memories. The two united all the gangs in Japan, in a bid to avoid conflicts and the deaths of their loved ones.

Given the fact that the series is about delinquents, the ending was unrealistic and forced. The manga as a whole was below-average, and if the source material doesn’t have substance, the anime adaptation tends to fall short as well.

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Streaming platform

The second season of Tokyo Revengers is available on Disney+ (Image via Disney+)

Many fans were disappointed about Disney+ being the chosen streaming platform. It had acquired exclusive rights to stream the second installment of the series. The sheer lack of visibility contributed to the drop in viewership as well. Owing to the scarce marketing done by the aforementioned streaming platform, there wasn’t a sense of anticipation that most popular shonen series like Jujutsu Kaisen or Demon Slayer are known for.

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Animation

On paper, this series had a ton of potential. Given that it’s a series that focuses on delinquents, well-animated fight scenes alone would have improved the quality of the series to a certain degree. The animation in season 2 was lazy in a few areas and the choreography was decent at best. The art was pleasing to the eyes on a few occasions, but most of them were still shots of characters conversing.

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Final Thoughts

No anime series is perfect. However, here, there are far too many issues to ignore as a viewer. With that said, the upcoming seasons have potential to improve the overall quality. The upcoming story arcs are interesting, and an improvement in the overall quality from the studio will certainly boost the viewership. Fans are hoping that season 3 would see a jump in quality.

Stay tuned for more anime and manga updates as 2023 progresses.