(L) Tokyo Ravens

[Zilch_Saber]

Well guys, I just want to share these.

Tokyo Ravens Newest Released:

Tokyo Ravens Wallpaper:

Images

Sorry; dynamic content not loaded. Reload?

Too bad, they didn't made Harutora here wear an eyepatch ♥

DVD/Blue Ray Volume 5:

Images

Sorry; dynamic content not loaded. Reload?

CD Volume 2:

Images

Sorry; dynamic content not loaded. Reload?

Harutora's face on each CD volume is always so cute ♥. Touji is so cool and Tenma, you really get the front sit there! Nice!

[XFire]

Originally Posted by Iron Maw

Hey we are talking about a guy who fought in one of the most chaotic wars in history, recreated a magic system that is far superior to current one in use (and in a short amount of time too), is capable of not only forcing his own reincarnation, but making reviving the dead almost practical. Ohtomo while certainly strong isn't even the best of the Divine Generals. The two are totally incomparable especially comes to experience. At this point onwards it would Yakoutora teaching him.

However one thing that gives Ohtomo the edge here is him having D as a familiar which puts him top tier among Divine Generals. Who of course better than either Hishamaru or Kakugyouki.

Are we sure about that? The Divine Generals being stronger than Hishamaru or Kakugyouki, I mean.

During the fight between Hishamaru and Kagami, it looked to me like Hishamaru kicked his arse up between his ears and was only shot down because she was trying to protect Harutora from Shaver. In a straight up fight between them, I would have bet on Hishamaru.

[Iron Maw]

I was comparing Douman to them in terms of being a familiar actually to clarify.

EDIT: @Zilch_Saber I'm pretty sure your first image is scan not a wallpaper.

And I wasn't expecting the "Three Crows" for volume 5, very nice.

[Endscape]

Originally Posted by XFire

Are we sure about that? The Divine Generals being stronger than Hishamaru or Kakugyouki, I mean.

During the fight between Hishamaru and Kagami, it looked to me like Hishamaru kicked his arse up between his ears and was only shot down because she was trying to protect Harutora from Shaver. In a straight up fight between them, I would have bet on Hishamaru.

Kagami is still a rookie you know, he's only around 20 years old.

Yes, Hishamaru probably wouldn't have much trouble dealing with him but people like Miyachi and Amami are another thing altogether.

[noctis_lucis]

Originally Posted by Iron Maw

Hey we are talking about a guy who fought in one of the most chaotic wars in history, recreated a magic system that is far superior to current one in use (and in a short amount of time too), is capable of not only forcing his own reincarnation, but making reviving the dead almost practical. Ohtomo while certainly strong isn't even the best of the Divine Generals. The two are totally incomparable especially comes to experience. At this point onwards it would Yakoutora teaching him.

I completely agree I mean even Douman thinks about Yakou was one of the most exciting people to fight against and well Yakou was the creator of the Imperial onmyoudo that only the talented people can use.

But I have a question, how old was Yakou when he died?

Who knows against Miyachi but with Amami I'm not sure I mean she was an Onmyoji too so I guess she can use the Imperial Onmyoudo. After all she was there when Yakou created it and I think she helped a little.

[Kleeyook]

...

I see absolutely no point about discussing who is the most powerful character in this series (and most) because I hate spending energy on that crap.

The clash between Hishamaru and Kagami shouldn't even be called a fight since Hishamaru was concentrating on saving Harutora, while Kagami trying to kill Harutora and assaulted Hishamaru knowing she couldn't really deal with him at that time. Kagami didn't even wait for Hishamaru to finish unsealing herself. But well, Kagami was also sealed.

^^ But there's no way they'd fight a fair fight, right? And that's the point of why I see this discussion tiresome and pointless, one person will argue that Kagami didn't flinch and only retreated because Kakugyouki came, while I could use above fact to shut off.

And Genji sent sealed Kagami to intercept Otomo, could it mean that Kagami must be ridiculously powerful that even sealed, could fight against another divine general? They also had Kagami waiting in vol. 5 when the Onmyou Investigators were raiding the Twin Horns Syndicate in case "D" appeared, they didn't even bother to unseal him. Kagami might be very powerful (spiritual power wise) or maybe it might not matter that much for having a huge amount of spiritual power.

[Iron Maw]

Originally Posted by noctis_lucis

But I have a question, how old was Yakou when he died?

Apparently he died pretty young, probably not much older than say Ohtomo I guess. I've heard some LN readers say that even if you summed up Yakou and Harutora's ages Genji would still be older.

[Kleeyook]

Originally Posted by Iron Maw

Apparently he died pretty young, probably not much older than say Ohtomo I guess. I've heard some LN readers say that even if you summed up Yakou and Harutora's ages Genji would still be older.

He might even be younger than Otomo when he died. I'd say he might be around 25 judging by Hishamaru's appearance and guess work (appointed by the military during the beginning of WW2 as a young head, WW2 lasts for 6 years). Reading many manga, I found this to be normal with traditional family. I'm more curious about how old and how long was principal Kurahashi when she first met Yakou though.

[HayashiTakara]

Originally Posted by Iron Maw

If you are talking about her personality, relax that hasn't changed too much. There is just much more to her now than just being kind of a mascot, which the anime played up a tad too much until the last arc anyway.

It'll never be the same.

[Endscape]

Originally Posted by Kleeyook

And Genji sent sealed Kagami to intercept Otomo, could it mean that Kagami must be ridiculously powerful that even sealed, could fight against another divine general?

Genji sent Kagami to deal with Ohtomo not so much because he was so powerful even when he was unsealed (though he is) but because he's just about the only person who could deal with him.

Genji was saving Miyachi to deal with the Tsuchimikado family. There's Kogure, but he's friends with Ohtomo, so best not to risk it. There's also Maririn, but as her fight with Takahiro showed, she's not good at dealing with Mystical Investigators, who are skilled with curses and illusions.

Kagami is there, plus he has a grudge against Ohtomo already. They were probably hoping for him to slow Ohtomo down.

They also had Kagami waiting in vol. 5 when the Onmyou Investigators were raiding the Twin Horns Syndicate in case "D" appeared, they didn't even bother to unseal him. Kagami might be very powerful (spiritual power wise) or maybe it might not matter that much for having a huge amount of spiritual power.

At that point, they weren't even sure "D" was Ashiya Doman, all they knew was that he was a strong Onmyouji, plus the chances of "D" showing up was very low to begin with.

[BW95]

Oh yeah. In case you guys didn't know, you don't just kill a Divine General like Amami. Who knows what sort of hooky kooky spells this old fox put on his body to go off in his death? So they cut his tendons so he couldn't make seals, put him underground with no food, water, or sunlight, and hit him with a curse that slowly killed him over 10 days. I think he would've been dead if Miyachi hadn't been such a soft guy and switched the curse with a freezing one hoping when he woke up all the excitement would be over.

[kenshinstyle]

Why is Miyachi on Genji's side anyway? They didn't really show what Miyachi was really thinking about all this Yakou reincarnation business and just acted like a lackey.

[Ickarium]

We don't know. Maybe the novel readers do, but we don't even really know Genji's long-term plan yet.

[Endscape]

Originally Posted by Ickarium

We don't know. Maybe the novel readers do, but we don't even really know Genji's long-term plan yet.

We do know Genji's long term plan. It's Takiko's plans, along with the "wish" of Yakou that she supposedly inherited that remains a mystery.

[Iron Maw]

Originally Posted by BW95

Oh yeah. In case you guys didn't know, you don't just kill a Divine General like Amami. Who knows what sort of hooky kooky spells this old fox put on his body to go off in his death? So they cut his tendons so he couldn't make seals, put him underground with no food, water, or sunlight, and hit him with a curse that slowly killed him over 10 days. I think he would've been dead if Miyachi hadn't been such a soft guy and switched the curse with a freezing one hoping when he woke up all the excitement would be over.

You should note that part happened off screen in the anime (due to time constraints), however Amami's wounds were shown to imply that all still occurred.

Originally Posted by kenshinstyle

Why is Miyachi on Genji's side anyway? They didn't really show what Miyachi was really thinking about all this Yakou reincarnation business and just acted like a lackey.

As said above we don't know exactly what sort of relationship he has with Genji other then fact that Miyachi is the only one the latter has fully trusted with his plans. I don't think Miyachi particularity cares about Yakou so much as he does supporting Genji and the Onmyo Agency.

Funny enough Takahiro did prose a similar question during the raid on the manor, but he side stepped it.

[Ickarium]

Originally Posted by Endscape

We do know Genji's long term plan. It's Takiko's plans, along with the "wish" of Yakou that she supposedly inherited that remains a mystery.

Yes, and we don't know what these plans are. We have no clue what Yakou's 'other goal' was. And honestly, I have some doubts that they are following Yakou's goal whatever it was totally. They seem to be handling Takiko rather deftly.

[Endscape]

Originally Posted by Ickarium

Yes, and we don't know what these plans are. We have no clue what Yakou's 'other goal' was. And honestly, I have some doubts that they are following Yakou's goal whatever it was totally. They seem to be handling Takiko rather deftly.

Takiko and Genji don't have the same plans. Their plans aren't mutually exclusive so they're working together.

Genji wants to expand the influence of magic in Japan, therefore he instigated the Twin Horned Syndicate to do spiritual terrorism so the Onmyou Agency's prestige and power would increase when they stopped them. He wants the Tsuchimikado to regain their position as the leader of the magical industry which is why he wants Harutora, the next heir to the Tsuchimikado family. The fact that he's also Yakou's reincarnation is icing on the cake.

[Ickarium]

I ... don't think it's that simple with Genji. I could be wrong. But he could do that without half the plotting he does. If the books say their plans are that simple, then that's fine. But I think if one is going by the anime alone, that's /vastly/ simplifying what's going on.

[Zilch_Saber]

Originally Posted by Iron Maw

EDIT: @Zilch_Saber I'm pretty your first image is scan not a wallpaper.

Sorry about that and thanks for correcting me

[Frontier]

For what this episode ultimately was, the conclusion to the first act of Tokyo Ravens rather than the true "finale" for the series, I think episode 24 was a very enjoyable and thrilling episode .

That scene of Suzuka proclaiming how she'd die to revive Harutora was a very nice and hearwarming scene, and shows just how far she's willing to go for, and how much she really cares about, the boy she gave her first kiss to. Considering how Natsume's already died for him, I have to say I'm pretty envious of you Harutora .

Kagami turning out to be the closest thing to a "final boss" for Harutora in the last episode I certainly wasn't expecting. I'd just assumed Kagami would stay down after his fight with Othomo and Harutora would get a showdown with Genji. Nonetheless, I thought it was an exciting and well-animated fight, though I was a little disappointed that we didn't get to see Harutora properly beat Kagami, especially once his memories were restored.

I've gone back and forth in how I view Kagami, but this episode pretty much cemented him as an antagonist in the series. Setting aside the mess with Shaver, I at least thought he had some moral code and honor, but in the end it seems as though all he really cares about is proving himself against strong opponents. Caring little for the innocent lives that get trampled in the process. As for what's next for him and Shaver, after this episode, I could definitely see him gunning for Yakou/Harutora as his next great "challenge." Harutora is finally on a suitable level for him after all .

Kon's reveal as Hishamaru was nicely handled, and seeing her true history with Yakou as well as some nice action scenes to highlight her renewed effectiveness, was pretty great. I also have to really commend Aki Toyosaki for her performance here, and how different she sounds as Hishamaru. Hishamaru sounds so much different from her Kon voice and her normal anime voice that I actually thought for a second that they may have used another seiyuu .

As for the change from Hishamaru... personality wise there doesn't seem to be a difference, though while Hishamaru loses Kon's absolute cuteness, she more than makes up for it in pure, mature, beauty .

It was also really interesting to see the relationship parallels between Yakou/Hishamaru and Harutora/Natsume. It seems that both of the girls feelings for him are in part because Harutora/Yakou got them to open up and gave them the opportunity and confidence to experience things they would never have otherwise. Oh man, Natsume, Hishamaru/Kon, and Harutora have been the true love triangle of Tokyo Ravens all this time .

So Harutora finally recovers his memories as Yakou... though whether that's a good thing or a bad thing depends on the reasoning behind sealing them in the first place, and whether Yakou had planned it as part of his reincarnation. In regards to how much Harutora has changed now that he has Yakou's memories, I would say that the fact that he doesn't care how people addresses him is an indicator that there isn't much difference. I think it's safe to assume that Harutora overall personality has always been Yakou's, or indicative of what Yakou was like at his age, and that his memories have just in a way restored his experience/wisdom and power, rather than taking him over. At least I think it's something like that. I feel this is definitely reinforced by Yakou in his youth sounding exactly like Harutora as Hishamaru sounded like Kon. Which probably means Harutora will grow up to sound exactly like adult Yakou. I also wouldn't worry about him not being Bakatora anymore either, since he's probably still oblivious to the depths of Hishamaru's feelings for him and how Suzuka and Kyouko feel about him. Bakatora is Bakatora .

I would've liked to have seen more of Harutora, with his memories restored, and his Familiars in action together but obviously there wasn't enough time for that. It also would've been nice to see a showdown between Harutora and Takiko and their Familiars, instead of with Suzuka and Touji involved like I expected. But considering how Takiko ultimately did get what she was after, albeit at a terrible price brought on by her own impetuousness, I can understand why she would want to just let things go and leave Harutora to revive Natsume. The poor girl couldn't enjoy Yakou being revived after everything she's done, and she's probably still being unknowingly manipulated by Genji for his true purposes. I can only hope that, despite his abrasiveness, Harutora truly doesn't hate her for what happened with Natsume and may ultimately be able to save her .

I'm kinda disappointed that "X-Encounter" and "Outgrow" never showed up once, but the first ending coming back was a nice and soothing way to close out the series.

With lots of people talking about how awesome it would be to have Doman's number, poor Tenma gets stuck with Suzu. And with Kon gone, I can imagine her pestering him to make up for the loss .

Kogure made a valid point about the need for the Onmyo Agency, but at the same time, even organizations with the well-meaning and justified intentions can be corrupted from within and turned into something wicked. With Ohtomo awesomely snagging Doman as his own Familiar, I can expect he'll either be directly opposing the Agency in the future or try and help Harutora with whatever he's up to. And then there's the reveal of Suzu having betrayed the two somehow, which combined with the mystery of exactly what her true intentions are leaves me wondering a lot about Suzu's future in the series .

A shame that none of the antagonists really received any comeuppance for their actions, but that's to be expected with the story still ongoing.

The last scene between Harutora and Natsume was very lovely and romantic, with Natsume once more declaring her love for him and the couple, well practically at this point, sharing a very nice kiss. A shame that Harutora has to leave her, either to find a way to make up for whatever went wrong during the Taizan Fukun Ritual or to achieve Yakou's other goal now that his memory is restored. Overall, I'm really going to miss watching Tokyo Ravens, since it's been a very enjoyable and exciting watch, and I do indeed hope to see an anime continuation down the line to truly conclude the series.