Togainu no Chi – 01
Don’t let the shounen-ai tag fool you; this show is some serious bloody business.~
~Back when the Metanorn team was busy writing our thoughts for the titles of this Fall season, I remember reading Togainu no Chi’s summary and not really clicking with it; I even said it seemed boring. Yet, I went back to it, saw the trailer, and suddenly I felt this excitement, this thought of “I need to watch this! *A*” I actually feel a bit ashamed of my exact first thoughts of this, because my whole view on Togainu no chi has just totally flipped 360.
So what had Hoshi change her thoughts? The first episode starts off with a solemn narration, describing a bit about the Third Division incident which came to bore the dangerous city of Toshima, which you will find more about later in the episode.
After the pretty kick-ass rock opening song, we see Akira, our main character, win a brawl against another man. Despite his friends urgings to go with them to a bar and celebrate, he heads straight to his apartment and sleeps.
Suddenly, there’s a loud pounding at his door, and as he opens it, he is tacking over by a man, who pins him down as another man, a cop as he claims himself to be, asks him if he knows the man in the picture he’s holding. Akira says no as the cop tells him the man has been killed, and he’s the prime suspect.
Why does the guy holding him down look like such a creeper? |’D
Akira is sent to jail despite him saying he didn’t do it, and after a bit of a beat down in the interrogation room, he is told by a guard that he has a visitor. In the visitor’s room sits a woman named Emma, and a man named Gwen, who tell him that he probably has no chance of his charges being lifted, and that he’d have to suffer the punishment of being imprisoned all his life. Yet, they can help him get out of it, but he will have to follow their conditions.
All he has to do is go to the lawless city of Toshima, and participate in the game Igra, which is a massacre game where you have to forcibly take away silver dog tags from other players. If he collects enough tags, he will be able to battle the king of Igra. If he overthrows the king, then a drug company by the name Vischio will be destroyed, a benefit for Emma and Gwen.
He accepts, going back to his apartment before heading off to Toshima. There he meets his friend Keisuke, who waited for him all night (awwww!), and manages to say a quick good-bye, leaving poor Keisuke alone.
OH YEAAHHHHH~ That’s right, give me some BL innuendos!
I’m sorry, I have to…XD
Akira is dropped off on the edge of Toshima, and heads deeper into the dark, ruined city.
He then comes upon a group of punks who try to take his tags. He beats down most of them, no problem, but then suddenly a man dressed in a black comes with a sword comes in.
He slashes through the whole group, and then turns his blade towards Akira. In the end, he leaves him, unharmed, but left in disgust at the bloody bodies in front of him.
End thoughts: Dear A-1 pictures, may I send a love letter to you in poor Japanese? Not only have you perfected and gorgeously twisted both seasons of the Kuroshitsuji anime, my favorite series in the whole entire world, AND given tons of Kuroshitsuji OVA goodness for us Kuro fangirls, but then you go and take on a pretty dark anime which promises violence and lots of blood, a type of anime I’m so very, very fond of and turn it into something really, just….AWESOME. I’m not exactly blown away, but I am just so hyped up after watching this! I can already feel this excitement tingling in me just from this first episode.
Right now, I hardly have any complaints. This first episode was slow, but hey, all first episodes with a storyline like this are going to be slow. Unfortunatly for me, there wasn’t any good shounen-ai stuff going on (booo~), only little hints towards our first fangirl-made couple. I’m not going to lie, I was giggling like a mad girl at the part where Keisuke was waiting for Akira at his apartment, heheheheh. I would like to say to people who are a bit shy towards this shounen-ai tag Togainu no Chi has, that I doubt there will be much BL (boys love) going on, buuuutttttt, judging from Kuroshitsuji II….we’re just going to have to wait and see |’D (A-1 is pretty sneaky…). Animation-wise, it’s really nice, nothing too spectacular; you can tell its A-1’s style.
As for my favorite part of this first episode, it was the end, when that guy in the sword comes and just starts slashing at those punks and after threatening Akira a bit, walks away like a total bad-ass. I sat there going; “Now that’s a BAMF, right there!” I think he might end up being one of my favorite characters, other than Akira. He looks like he might be a bad guy though, but hey, villains needs some love too!
I’m pretty much in love with Togainu no Chi already, seriously. I miss watching shows like this<3 Lately I’ve been more into comedy and wacky type shows, so seeing some good old fashioned blood and violence is really refreshing. I have high hopes that this show will be (in my native Californian dialect), totally awesome! XD
Preview: I have to say the preview has some really interesting animation with a set background, and only a few moving pieces appearing with some rather silly narration by two characters that will probably be introduced in the next episode.
It seems that us viewers will be introduced to more players in this game of Igra, and see more into this eerie, dangerous town of Toshima. Until next week then~.
About Hoshi
A tired, over-dramatic 20 year old college student who likes manga and cheesy Korean boy bands. Prone to succumb to laziness and refuse to work for hours on end.
POWUH: Lovely-pyon~ with 305 comments
Akira x the bamf in black or Akira x Keisuke…that is the question. XD
POWUH: 800-899 and Self-proclaimed Manga Queen with 874 comments
~YESSSSSSSSS. EXACTLY XD Who to choose, who to choose…
POWUH: iLurker with 4 comments
Ack, the above comment has gone wrong, please delete the above one XP
Togainu no Chi anime is based on the PS2 game & manga (The more diluted version when it comes to BL issues) instead of the PC game (The original version with LOADS of R-18 scenes going on with various pairings XXXXD) So basically there will be nothing much to see except for some ‘manly’ friendship moments (But a girl can imagine, right? XXXXD)
But Togainu no Chi is also famous for its intriguing storyplot & beautifully choreographed battle sequence, so I have high hopes on the anime ^O^
Oooh you mean the guy with the badass black leather long coat? He is my favourite character~! I wouldn’t spoil you further but trust me, you will see more epic moments from him (& more ‘manly’ moments with him & Akira XXXXD ;3)
GJ on doing the review & hope to see more from you~! 😉
POWUH: 800-899 and Self-proclaimed Manga Queen with 874 comments
~(I did, it’s alright)
Yes I’ve heard the game is WAAAYYYY more graphic, and because anime is anime, they won’t put much, so you’re totally right |’D (I’m totally going to be imagining hahahaha X’D)
I’m already in love with the storyline, and the few battle scenes they had in this first one were pretty well done, so my hopes are high as well!
OH YAAAAYYYY<3 Yeah I don't know his name yet, so no spoils please! x'D
Thank you for the comment, and the info!<3
POWUH: iLurker with 6 comments
There is kissing in the PS2 game and suggested sex in the manga, enough for me.
POWUH: iLurker with 6 comments
LOL That part where he was like “What if there’s something I want to do that I can’t do here?” totally made me blush and laugh. Yeah, I was happy for the part when Keisuke was waiting for Akira too! I see that in alot of manga ahahah. It was so sad when Akira just left him, I was wondering/hoping that Keisuke might follow him to Toshima or something but when I saw how violent it was over there, I was like -Okaaaay, nevermind”. LOL. Omg, that villian was scary and hot! xD Can’t decide if I should like him or not.
POWUH: 800-899 and Self-proclaimed Manga Queen with 874 comments
~Ohhhh that makes me giggle all the time, which is why I had to screencap it hahahaha<3 :woo It was really sad! I was like, "You just left the poor man there! ;A;" I think he might follow him or something though, because in the preview he's there o.O But we'll just have to wait and see. And YES. The Villain is so cool *3*
POWUH: Metanorn Lover with 199 comments
This show would be perfect, it not the damn censorship. Is it some new fashion in all anime? (like in highshool of the dead). I want BLOOD not a freakin’ half of the screen going black.
POWUH: and Yaoi Fangirl~ with 2320 comments
OMGGG!!!!!!!! YYYYEEEEEEESSSSSS!!!!!!!! SO MANY YEARS I’VE BEEN PRAYING FOR THIS!!!!!! :yippy :love: :love :kyaa: :kyaa2: ehm, anyway, i’m so glad that the first episode went smooth.
i think the anime will follow the akiraXblack cloak guy (he has an awesome name too!) route. or maybe, keisuke’s route?? hmmm both of them are awesome, i can’t choose.
OMG, maybe threesome? 8Di don’t think they’ll put any yaoi/shounen-ai moments though. my inner fangirl is crying right now bcz of that. i hope they have those special dvds later, where they usually put the R-18 moments *slap self*
anyway, can’t wait for next week! :3
POWUH: Beginner (20-35) with 33 comments
my hormones just went wild… hawt guys alert, BL innuendos. what blood!? can’t see anything else. hehehe.
POWUH: iLurker with 5 comments
SHIKI X AKIRA FTW~~~!!! :kyaa2:
POWUH: 800-899 and Self-proclaimed Manga Queen with 874 comments
~YEAAAAHHHH!<3 :thumb:
POWUH: and Yaoi Fangirl~ with 2320 comments
I AGREE!!! but poor keisuke :'(
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 94 comments
Is there a guy besides me that is watching this?
POWUH: 800-899 and Self-proclaimed Manga Queen with 874 comments
~Hahahahaha, I wonder xD
(This is a show guys can watch!)
POWUH: Meta Resident and Metanorn's Hime-chan~ with 1758 comments
Uwaaaa~! Finally I got my hands on you !!
I wasn’t especially impressed by the first episode, but I sniff out the upcoming events already !! :tea
But such a bloody and violent anime is an auto must-see in my list anyway :ohohoho: And the graphincs are so lovely :kyaa2: Let’s see what Togainu no chi will offer to us )))
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
Truly a show for the fangirls 8D Blood, violence, bishounen, implied shounen-ai and cool characters? OHHH YEAHHH. The blood was ridiculously bright and fake-looking, but I guess they’re going for a stylized effect, so it’s fine XD I wish Akira had more personality though D= Another lone wolf stereotype noooo~
POWUH: iLurker with 7 comments
just wanna say: AWESOME!!!
:spark
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 145 comments
you sure that’s excitement thats tingling? hurr hurr
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 145 comments
http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s13e01-the-ring
5:02
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
A-1 Pictures sure know which shows to pick for the fangirls. XD Of course, where there are bishies, blood and action, I have to watch! Though I had issues with animation in some scenes where it seemed more like a game visual and squarish lines. Still good and definitely watching!
POWUH: 1100-1199 and Meta's Evil rice-flour Product with 1137 comments
anyone think of phoenix wright when they saw gwen?
POWUH: iLurker with 1 comments
Am I the only one who find this episode quite disappointing? I mean… I was waiting for something much more awesome from A-1.
The animation sucks, compare to Kuroshitsuji… 😐 I expected more judging from the trailer. Anyway, I hope it will get better.
(But I’m going to continue this anime… Because of Shiki. \o/ /fangirl)
POWUH: and Yaoi Fangirl~ with 2320 comments
i think that’s because it’s based on an old game. older games’s animation isn’t as good as the animation now, and they’re trying to make it exactly looks like the game. i’m sorta bugged with it too, but oh well *shrug*
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
Ae, you are not alone, the animation bugged me too but as anaaga-chan said, being based on a game, the creators might have thought to limit the animation somewhat for canon purposes.
And of course, the name Shiki was enough for me. Always WIN! XD
POWUH: and Yaoi Fangirl~ with 2320 comments
seriously, anything named SHIKI is ALWAYS AWESOME! from shiki from kara no kyokai, shiki – corpse demon, and now this hot macho with katana! his leather pants are too tight for him though…
his tight is sexier than normal girls’s own. GGGGRR (>.<)POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 94 comments
Don’t forget Nanaya, and Tohno Shiki from Tsukihime/Melty Blood