Anime Reviews (2010-2019): Tokyo ESP – The Complete Series (a Neo-Tokyo 2099 Anime on Blu-ray Review) (2014)

“Tokyo ESP” is an anime series which features an exciting, action-packed storyline but it does miss the mark of being an awesome series because the manga was condensed into 12-episodes. While the anime series is good, I do recommend reading the manga series to fully appreciate “Tokyo ESP”!

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TITLE: Tokyo ESP – The Complete Series

ANIME RELEASE DATE IN JAPAN: 2014

DURATION: Episodes 1-12 (300 Minutes)

BLU-RAY INFORMATION: 480p High Definition (4:3), Dolby TrueHD 5.1, Dolby TrueHD Japanese 2.0

COMPANY: Funimation

RATED: TV MA

Release Date: June 11, 2019

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Originally Created by Segawa Hajime

Directed by Takayanagi Shigehito

Series Composition by Kurata Hideyuki

Music by Evan Call (Elements Garden)

Character Design by Takiyama Masaaki

Art Director: Kinoshita Ryouka

Anime Production: Xebec

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Featuring the following voice talent:

Koumoto Keisuke/Adam Dahlberg as Kyotaro Azuma

Misawa Sachika/Mallorie Rodak as Minami Azuma

Kido Ibuki/Sarah Wiedenheft as Rinka Urushiba

Nakata Jouji/Brian Mathis as President Edoyama

Bryan Massey as Rindou Urushiba

Genda Tessho/Chris Rager as Hotokeda

Yasuhara Yoshito/Greg Dulcie as Inspector/Officer Nabeshima

Mizoharu Kaoru/Heather Walker as Peggy

Kawahara Yoshihisa/Jeffrey Schmidt as Professor

Aizawa Mai/Jenny Ledel as Kobushi “Black Fist” Kuroi

Tadokoro Azusa/Lara Woodhull as Murasaki Edoyama

Oura Fukuya/Linda Leonard as Reia Ozora

Konno Hiromi/Lindsay Seidel as Kozuki Kuroi

Ogata Megumi/Morgan Berry as Ayumu Oozora

Mugihito/Philip Weber as Sukesaburō

R Bruce Elliott as Pandaemon Yōdani

Hiramatsu Hirokazu/Ray Gestaut as Casey

Ebara Masashi/Ray Hurd as Shin Kakuno

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Rinka is a normal Tokyo high-schooler with big dreams and a small income. She works a part-time job to support her and her single dad, but she yearns for the day she’ll get to loosen the strings on her pocketbook. Her ordinary life takes a turn for the extraordinary when she witnesses a penguin and a school of fish flying through the air. After one of the fish seems to pass through her, she wakes up in her apartment building with no clothes on and no memory of the strange phenomenon save for a mysterious ability to pass through solid objects. With her newfound powers, Rinka is about to learn just how transparent the world can be.

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Back in 2010, Segawa Hajime’s “Tokyo ESP” was serialized on Kadokawa Shoten’s “Shonen Ace” Magazine.  A total of 16 volumes were published until completing its run on July 26th.

A 12-episode anime series aired on television on July 2014 through Sept. 2014 and was released with an English dub in the US a few years ago, but has now been re-released as part of Funimation’s “Essentials”.

“Tokyo ESP” begins when normal high school teenager, Urushiba Rinka sees a penguin and glowing fish fall from the sky.  Rinka and another boy from school have contact with the fish and Rinka finds that she has developed the power to move through inanimate objects.  Along when Azuma Kyotaro, the two with ESP powers must take on individuals who have used their power for evil.

But are there any other with ESP powers who are willing to use their power for the greater good?

While humans are unaware of people with powers, a mysterious man known as The Professor has come to bring death and destruction but also to let the world know that people with special abilities exist.  Can Rinka and friends stop him?  Are they strong enough as a team to fight against evil?

“Tokyo ESP” features the following characters:

• • • Urushiba Rinka – A high school girl who comes from a poor family.  She works as a waitress after high school in order to raise money for her and her father and to pay rent and food.  Rinka has the power to phase through inanimate objets.  She is known as “White Girl” due to her powers.
    • Azuma Kyotaro – Attends the same high school as Rinka.  Has the ability to teleport and wears a crow mask and a tuxedo.  He is known as “Crow Head”.
    • Urushiba Rindo – Rinka’s father who can create a magnetic field around him to attract and repel metallic objects.  A former police officer who was forced to retire due to not being able to look the other way due to police corruption in his department.  He is unemployed.
    • Kuroi Kobushi  “Black Fist” – A young thief who has the ability of invisibility.  A very good boxer with a big ego.  She is indebted to Rindo for saving her, so she has a crush on him.  She is also Rinka’s rival.
    • Edoyama Murasaki  – The daughter of a Yakuza boss, she has the ability of psychometry and can see the past of an object by touching it.  If the object is a weapon, she can have the skills of the previous owner for a temporary amount of time.  She is younger and has low stamina.
    • Oozora Ayumu  – A studious young man, who’s mother is a politician trying to take down those with powers.  Ayumu has the power of precognition and can see two seconds into the future.  Because of his frizzy hair, he often is mistaken to have an afro.
    • Pandaemon Youdani – A martial arts master who trained the Tokyo Police Force, including Rindo.  Always dressed in a panda suit and has the face of Yoda.  He has the power of clairvoyance.

I first discovered “Tokyo ESP” through the manga prior to watching the anime series.  I started thinking about similar comics such as “The X-Men”. Those with power who want to control the world and to rule humanity. Meanwhile, a group of teenagers with special abilities who will do anything to stop the evil ESP force.

The storyline of the “X-Men” is well-known as Magneto would lead the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants against Charles Xavier’s X-Men and people who come from different cultures.

In “Tokyo ESP”, the Professor is the antagonist, while Rinka and friends are the force who are determined to take on the evil ESP’ers.

But the result was the group got their butt kicked by the Professor and his team. The Professor unleashes destruction in the city by dropping a huge ship in the city, killing many people which Rinka and her friends were not prepared and could not do any saving.

Thus Rinka and her friends must go through major training in hopes to prepare for their next battle with the Professor. But with the Professor signing up ESP’ers to do his dirty work, Rinka and friends must deal with the problems in society, their newfound power but also trying to find their place in the world, considering they are teenagers with emotions.

With that being said, while I enjoyed the anime series and many anime fans probably will, there is a difference between the manga and anime version.  With the manga, you have so much story and character development and with 12 episodes, there’s only so much story one could fit into a short anime series.  But those who are hardcore purists and was hoping that the manga series would get life in a 24-episode anime series may feel disappointed.

Personally, not getting the usual 24-episodes, I imagine it was a tough job for Kurata Hideyuki to try to condense so much story into 12 episodes.  In a way, I was a bit disappointed in that aspect, but you have to make do with what you’re given and director Takayanagi Shigehito did what he could.

Xebec and staff did a good job with the animation and finding a way to fit as much as they can into a 12-episode anime series but unfortunately, certain aspects of the manga series are not in the anime series. I felt while anime production is well-done, it’s not spectacular.  Anime backgrounds are OK and fighting sequences are also OK.

For the most part, voice acting for both the Japanese soundtrack and English dub were done very well.  As for special features, you get several audio commentaries by Tyler Walker (ADR Director) with the English dub cast.

Overall, “Tokyo ESP” is an anime series which features an exciting, action-packed storyline but it does miss the mark of being an awesome series because the manga was condensed into 12-episodes. While the anime series is good, I do recommend reading the manga series to fully appreciate “Tokyo ESP”!

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