It’s off to Tokyo and the dangers that await there – such as going to school.
What They Say:
Harutora and Touji arrive at the elite Onmyo Prep School, which Natsume also attends, but their presence causes conflict with some of their new classmates.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Tokyo Ravens closed out its opening arc and foundation setting pretty well in the first there episodes as we got some good drama, a decent bit of action and a fairly good understanding of the kind of motivation that Harutora has. The group got bonded by the action and the loss of a friend in one of the attacks and it provided some of the impetus to truly move forward to protect others, which has Harutora and his friend Touji now settling in at Tokyo in the special school to help train them, the Onmyo Prep School. Of course, this means they get to spend time with Natsume since she’s there, but like any school it’s going to introduce its own set of problems, especially with some of the backgrounds that exist here.
Though the pair are here to do the right thing, there’s also the problem of adjusting to what is a serious school. All schools are certainly serious places, but there’s just something more to the atmosphere of this school as the pair become registered and see what’s expected of them and how instructors and administrators deal with them. Part of the problem that comes in is that transfer students mid year generally aren’t all that accepted and there’s a feeling of real favortism going on here because of his family, which goes back towards the issue certain students have with Natsume and her place in things. There’s some interesting banter thrown back and forth over things when it comes to the status of the family and connections to the school and the power they may or may not wield, but seeing how Natsume shows her age during part of it is definitely comical. Especially since the teacher won’t get all that involved in the middle of it.
The bulk of the episode deals with this and other adjustments to life there, especially when Harutora’s familiar appears and makes it clear that she’ll do his best to protect him. With the familiar being his father’s, there’s a nice connection there that makes it easy for Harutora to accept Kon, who is certainly a bubbly personality overall. It’s a good side to see of Harutora though since he’s enjoying Kon so much after such a difficult period of his life and all this new adjustment. There’s some good bits to all of this, but as we get on with the daily life of school, it goes off track quickly when challenges are issued and Harutora finds himself and Kon involved in a proper challenge. That we get there isn’t a surprise, but it all feels like an episode filled with too much, too quickly, in order to show the kind of dynamic that exists and eventually get to a coming together of different people through force.
In Summary:
Tokyo Ravens had a bit of a busy first arc and it’s looking to make this next arc similar but in different ways. With what we get here, adjusting to the Tokyo school, is a lot of new characters, a new setting and plenty of existing rivalries that Harutora gets thrust into. That makes for a decent realized world that exists before Harutora gets there, but it also just busies things up a fair bit as well and it can take two viewings to really take it all in and see who is going where. Natsume is amusing to watch with her quick temper here and Kon is set to bring a good bit of levity and danger at the same time that will be well paired with Harutora as the two get used to each other. There’s a lot to like here overall, but there’s still that nagging feeling of it coming across as a bit too crammed for my tastes.
Grade: B
Streamed By: FUNimation
Review Equipment:
Sony KDL70R550A 70″ LED 1080P HDTV, Apple TV via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.