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REVIEW: Tokko DVD 3




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poehitman



Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Posts: 93
PostPosted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 4:27 am Reply with quote
Suzuka still has my favorite line in the series with her response to one of Ranmaru's questions....

"I'll cut your f*cking head off, sweetie!"

Just the way she delivers it, with that bubbly tone, makes the entire line.

That said, I agree with the review. They tried to cram 26 episodes worth of content into a 13 episode series and failed. I liked all the characters, but the entire series came off as rushed and poorly executed.
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Randall Miyashiro



Joined: 12 Jun 2003
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 6:09 am Reply with quote
The third disc still had the annoying 1 chapter per episode encoding which also made skipping that annoying OP harder.

With Karas 2 out, the last volume of Tactics missing and Noein and Tokko completed is their anything coming out from Manga? Is Manga going to be the next Animeigo or CPM? I really liked the price and episode count that Manga provided and hope they will stay around.
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Dargonxtc



Joined: 13 Apr 2006
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 8:20 pm Reply with quote
I didn't even realize that it was based on a manga. I haven't watched the extras on the discs, but I did watch the series. However the encyclopedia lists it as only three volumes, if that is accurate, then it would seem that that was all the anime had to work with. A shame too, as the reviewer points out, the ending is when it seems to be getting good, and I would have liked to see the story line continued.

I will say this though, you will enjoy this series much much better, if you never take it seriously from the beginning. I think I was fourtunate in this manner as I never really did. And with that out of the way I think I enjoyed the series much more, and can actually say I found it entertaining.
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Top Gun



Joined: 28 Sep 2007
Posts: 4588
PostPosted: Sat Nov 10, 2007 11:57 am Reply with quote
I found it reasonably entertaining myself when watching it on Sci-fi (if for nothing else than the utter and complete awesomeness that is the Chief), but yeah, that ending was really something else. When there were about 5 minutes left in the broadcast time, and we were still miles away plot-wise from any sort of reasonable resolution, I found myself thinking, "Oh, this won't end well." Still, though, I know MANGA's coming out with a box set of the whole series, and if I found it somewhere for cheap enough, I might just be tempted to go for it. After all, the Chief's diatribes deserve to be heard in all of their uncensored glory. Laughing
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Fronzel



Joined: 11 Sep 2003
Posts: 1906
PostPosted: Sat Nov 10, 2007 1:48 pm Reply with quote
I quit watching the Sci-fi channel broadcast after about four episodes. I'm glad it turns out I made the right decison.

Top Gun wrote:
if I found it somewhere for cheap enough, I might just be tempted to go for it.

You've got no problems there, then. It's going to retail for $29.98 on 1/22/08. Imagine what that'll be after stores discount it.
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the Rancorous



Joined: 08 Feb 2006
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Location: Hunting the Dragon in Gransys
PostPosted: Sat Nov 10, 2007 11:59 pm Reply with quote
Dargonxtc wrote:

I will say this though, you will enjoy this series much much better, if you never take it seriously from the beginning. I think I was fourtunate in this manner as I never really did. And with that out of the way I think I enjoyed the series much more, and can actually say I found it entertaining.


From the 1st episode, I took it as pretty much slasher-film quality, in other words, I didn't take it seriously at all. And who could with that opening wake-up scene between Ranmaru and Saya? Laughing
However, after the 2nd volume, knowing there were only 4 episodes to go, I knew the conclusion wasn't going to be worth it and still haven't picked it up. After this review, it looks like I'll be trading the other two volumes in for enough mony to buy a soda Rolling Eyes .

But I do agree that the Cheif was a saving grace for the series. "You're a magnificent bastard!" But it wasn't enough of a saving grace. I own other action-oriented series that aren't meant to be taken seriously which entertain me a lot more than Tokko was doing, like Coyote Ragtime and Burst Angel.
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Zalis116
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Joined: 31 Mar 2005
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Location: Kazune City
PostPosted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 12:44 am Reply with quote
Randall Miyashiro wrote:
The third disc still had the annoying 1 chapter per episode encoding which also made skipping that annoying OP harder.

With Karas 2 out, the last volume of Tactics missing and Noein and Tokko completed is there anything coming out from Manga? Is Manga going to be the next Animeigo or CPM? I really liked the price and episode count that Manga provided and hope they will stay around.
They've got Strait Jacket, at least. I'm sure they'll find some other sci-fi/action series to release eventually, though there isn't that much anime like that being made to begin with. Aside from Noein, their recent releases haven't interested me that much. Although Tokko looks like it might be worth it as an $18 boxed set purchase in the future.
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Top Gun



Joined: 28 Sep 2007
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 1:14 pm Reply with quote
As far as Manga titles go, Noein is definitely the one to get. I'm participating in a weekly discussion with a group of people on the Sci-fi airings, and as a physics major, I find myself researching Wikipedia articles on quantum mechanics week after week in order to explain certain concepts that come up. Laughing
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Richard J.



Joined: 11 Aug 2006
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 2:37 pm Reply with quote
the Rancorous wrote:
And who could with that opening wake-up scene between Ranmaru and Saya? Laughing
For me, that scene made it a certainty I'd like the series. It's just so freaking wrong. Just so wrong.

I agree that Tokko has some flaws, but it's not nearly as bad in my opinion as it's been portrayed. First, the ending is a hell of a lot better than some series. At least it didn't just stop or end with a big open-ended "are they dead or not?" type of scene. (Can't someone make a freaking OVA or a movie or a sequel to Witch Hunter Robin? That ending was 10x worse than Tokko's in my opinion.)

Second, if you come into it with a slasher movie mentality, it's a hell of a fun series. Plenty of gorey battles, a nice dose of fanservice, and two of the most entertaining characters ever in Kunikida and Kureha. Personally I also very much liked Saya (who wouldn't when she's one part little sister, one part nagging house wife, and two parts surrogate mother?) and Sakura Rokujo. Sakura I'm a little biased toward because of her hair. I just love pink hair, even the dark pink like her's. Plus, I emphasis with her background. I can relate to playing alone and getting bullied.

Lastly, it's a darn good R1 release, if you set aside the 1 episode=1 chapter issue. A surprisingly good English dub, even a Spanish dub, plus the Japanese track for language options. Nice animated menus that fit the show perfectly. A horde of extras including some hysterical bloopers and joke lines. Plus, whether you buy the singles or the boxset, the price is damn good without having to wait for any sales!

Tokko's not the best anime ever, but it has it's strong points and delivers on action and kick-butt characters. Truthfully, the only thing you really complain about is that it wasn't long enough, and that's something I personally feel about most series.
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Dargonxtc



Joined: 13 Apr 2006
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 3:42 pm Reply with quote
the Rancorous wrote:
But I do agree that the Cheif was a saving grace for the series. "You're a magnificent bastard!" But it wasn't enough of a saving grace.


Yeah, he had me laughing many times. "People at the crime lab said they caught a peek of you snooping around. Don't worry, I told them to go f#ck themsleves". Laughing

Zalis116 wrote:
They've got Strait Jacket, at least.

Don't they also have a hand in the Ghost in the Shell season OVAs. Or does that not count since it is like 50/50?

Richard J. wrote:
Tokko's not the best anime ever, but it has it's strong points and delivers on action and kick-butt characters. Truthfully, the only thing you really complain about is that it wasn't long enough, and that's something I personally feel about most series.

I agree with this pretty much 100%. Especially about the ending and length parts. Like I said before I thought it was a fairly entertaining romp myself. However I do wholeheartedly agree with the reviewers rating of a C, C-. But I didn't think it was anywhere near as good as Rozen Maiden V.3, so maybe it deserves a D-, F+. Rolling Eyes Crying or Very sadJust my opinion.
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Uthred



Joined: 21 Dec 2006
Posts: 79
PostPosted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 4:35 pm Reply with quote
It appears that those who were disappointed with the series failed to approach it with the right mindset. As others have said, when approached with the correct mindset (or without unwarranted pre-conception) its an enjoyable action/slasher and its ending was no better or worse than a huge string of other anime far too long too list (and that list includes several "highly regarded" series)
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lhernan02



Joined: 12 Jun 2005
Posts: 196
PostPosted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 4:58 pm Reply with quote
I will join the bandwagon and say it is only a good series if you think of it as a slasher flick. But rest assured, it is better than the manga, which shares all its flaws, but splits the story into two almost stand-alone story lines (TOKKO and the siblings) and has two wholy unsatisfactory endings. Still it is a good "guilty pleasure" series: tons of blood, foul language (I love the Chief), and T&A. Just don't expect anything else.
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VEGANDARAE



Joined: 25 Sep 2007
Posts: 57
PostPosted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 4:59 pm Reply with quote
"Preconceived notions are the locks on the doors of wisdom"

sounds like this is undeniable truth for this series!
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the Rancorous



Joined: 08 Feb 2006
Posts: 2248
Location: Hunting the Dragon in Gransys
PostPosted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 7:12 pm Reply with quote
Ok Richard J, you've convinced me to at least re-watch 1 and 2 before I decide to trade them in or not, maybe they will be worth more than a couple of sodas Wink .
Plus, I was just reminded of:
"Go get me a f**kin' tank!"
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Key
Moderator


Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 18212
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 12:02 am Reply with quote
Honestly, I don't think how you approach the series, and what you expect of it, matters here. This series had the ingredients to be better and simply failed to execute. It gave three characters - Saya, Kunikida, and Kureha - some snappy dialog but otherwise was a jumbled mess of choppy plotting, weak character development, and poor pacing.

I wanted to like this series, and did stick with it on the Sci Fi Channel broadcasts, but I did not find it to work overall from any perspective.
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