Five years later, Ranmaru is haunted by dreams. In his visions, he sees a half-naked girl holding a sword and covered in blood. Ranmaru has no recollection of this mysterious girl, only that the dreams are becoming more frequent; going from once a month to a couple of times a week. Thus begins the story of Tokko.
Much like Beet the Vandal Buster, Tokko is an anime I had never heard of before it came up for grabs, but in the end I am happy it came to my attention. Compared to other anime I’ve reviewed, Tokko takes things to a whole other level. While it contains many of the features of your typical anime, it also brings a few more adult elements into play. The show is incredibly gory, and even throws in its fair share of innuendo and adult humor. If you’re a parent of a younger anime fan, this no Yu-Gi-Oh…
Tokko 1 features the first five episodes of the series. The story revolves around Ranmaru, a fresh graduate of the academy and newest recruit in the Special Mobile Investigation Troops First Division, or Tokki. While on assignment he runs into Sakura, who he recognizes as the girl from his dreams. He soon discovers that she is a member of Section 2, which is also known as Tokko, a mysterious organization that investigates paranormal activity, in particular demon attacks.
In the beginning, Tokko can be a little hard to follow, or even get into. The pacing is pretty slow and there isn’t much action early on. Some of the humor isn’t all that funny, mainly because it feels forced and a bit out of place; sometimes as if it is being thrown in just for the shock value. After an episode or two, the show begins to pick up and, like many other anime volumes, leaves you hanging.
Also included are a few extras, including the Theme and Closing songs, an Image Gallery and Original Japanese voice track.
Again, Tokko isn’t something for younger viewers. Though it may prove to be a little too slow to start for other anime fans, it is a great series for horror fans.
