Tokage no Ou review

Ani_Love6
Apr 11, 2021
Alrighty! My first review.

My Synopsis:
Tokage no Ou is an interesting take on the "chuunibyou" theme about teens unable to tell the difference between reality and fantasy. Typically, these stories focus on average characters with delusions of being something much more than they are. However, in the case of Tokage no Ou, our protagonist (Tokage), actually has a power! It's just... kind of useless. Tokage has the uncanny ability to change his eye color at will. As un-extraordinary of a power as it is, it doesn't stop him from believing he's still destined for greatness! Tokage lives life under the belief that his power is still in stage one, and is yet to fully awaken, so he "trains" it daily in an abandoned building. On one seemingly routine day, that abandoned building becomes a war zone among assassins that Tokage gets himself caught up in, bringing him closer to his delusions of grandeur ... but will his ability even come in handy?

Story: 7
From my understanding, the manga is just a prologue to the light novel series, which is why it only lasts 15 chapters. Chapters 2-14 take place in one location throughout the span of one day, so the feeling of progress seems lacking at times. Despite that, the limited setting acts as a catalyst in a way that there aren't any "breather" chapters. Something eventful happens each chapter and will keep you on the edge of your seat wanting to know what'll happen next. The story started off light-hearted, but quickly developed into an unexpectedly bloody tale. Quite a few flashbacks, time jumps, and POV switches are used, making the timeline hard to comprehend at times, but also kept things interesting. By chapter 14, everything is cleared up through the retelling of events by one of the characters. Ultimately, the premise drew me in, and the "That escalated quickly"-type story kept me hooked. I just would've liked the confusing parts to have been explained sooner.

Art: 7
Nothing innovative or superb, but still good. Not much to say on it.

Characters: 8
Tokage no Ou has a habit of switching the story to different characters' POVs. While the focus is on Tokage enough to still see him as the main character, this method helps develop the other characters within the limited 15 chapters, allowing even a seemingly minor character like Umishima (the delinquent) to have his moment to shine and become somewhat likable. Another example is Sugamo, who at first seems like an archetypical dandere, and becomes quite an enigmatic character that keeps not only the other characters guessing, but the readers as well. Tokage's development from "childish chuunibyou" to a more resolute, fearless protagonist was especially enjoyable to me, and seeing his character develop even further is enough of a reason by itself to make me want to check out the novels.

Overall Enjoyment: 7
Tokage no Ou was pretty exciting for a short series, and did a good job at garnering interest in the light novel it's based on, as I believe it was mainly intended to do. I must admit that most of the enjoyment of reading this came after finishing it and imagining what'll happen in the novels. Judging it alone, it's still a good series that I recommend, but it still had a lot of potential left before it ended. In that sense, it was anti-climatic. (The last page of is still pretty badass, though) If you're the patient type that can wait for the LN to be translated, or an anime adaptation to be made of them, then I still recommend this series. Enjoy!
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Tokage no Ou
Tokage no Ou
Author Iruma, Hitoma
Artist