The fighting anime is one of the most successful genres in the world of Japanese animation. Whether its regular every day folk taking to the streets to beat the snot out of each other for some contest or super-powered freaks fighting to be king of the world; there's always someone battling to be king of the hill. The only problem that I've come across in this particular genre, like many others, is that there is an overabundance of generic shows that aren't worth your time. The latest example of that I have witnessed is Tokyo Underground.

Based on a manga by Akinobu Uraka the 26 episode anime of the same name was released in 2002. Produced by Studio Pierrot (Fushigi Yūgi, Naruto, Saiyuki Reloaded) the show takes place beneath Tokyo in a place called "Tokyo Underground"; creative huh? The basis premise is entirely uninspired and is frankly about as boring as you can get from what I have watched, which is kind of ironic considering there's quite a lot of action.

The series follows two girls and a guy as they struggled against the forces of the sinister Company. By sinister Company, I'm not talking about Wal-Mart, I mean there's a government agency operating a place called Underground beneath Tokyo and keeping these elemental users locked up. Well, Ruri and Chelsea escaped one day and bumped into Rumina (a boy who lived near their escape route) along the way. Somehow they unlocked elemental powers inside of him and dragged the unsuspecting lad into their dark and violent world. That's pretty much all that I know about the history of this franchise because frankly, this is the first time I've watched the show.

Starting a show at this point in its run does nothing for the materiel, my enjoyment, or the ability to give you, the reader, an appropriate opinion based on how the series has panned out so far. I had the chance to check out the fifth disc right before diving into the sixth, and though the series wraps up here, it's just not a strong finish. Then again, like I said, I didn't have the back story of what transpired before. A lot of the character relationships and nuances were lost on me. I get the impression though that Tokyo Underground is a series that didn't have a lot of those to begin with anyway.

In the last volume Rumina got his butt kicked by some guy in a suit and was saved by Ruri and her powers of healing. After that he and the gang went underground and got into a couple more fights. One was with a kid who used yo-yos as weapons and another happened when the group fell into a big hole and wound up in Underground. This beast-human-hybrid-girl-thing attacks them but eventually befriends them. Things left off going into this volume with Rumina and friends pooling together to fight.

Things start off in this installment with the group going to the Killing Field, which is kind of an underground tournament type of thing. It's not quite Baki the Grappler for sure but there are a few interesting fights here. I particularly enjoyed it when Rumina and friends squared off against a trio of interesting beast-hybrids. Chelsea also faces a shadow from her past and we see a lot of flashbacks pertaining to her character. Unfortunately it's not really enough to add depth in my opinion and it really makes the episode feel somewhat disjointed. The Company also turns the tables on Rumina and Chelsea, making the entire slum sector of the Underworld thing that they are the enemy. As the end nears in this volume it becomes a mad dash to rescue Ruri and defeat the bad guys.

It may have something to do with the fact that I have only seen the last two volumes of Tokyo Underground but I have to say that this show doesn't have a lot going for it. The generic characters, weak plot, and "safe" concept all add up to a series that feels void of inspiration. The depth just wasn't there from what I saw in any form. That being said I'm sure there are some otaku out there that will dig this kind of show more than I. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more if the first four volumes were availed to me, but alas that's not the case here.

Tokyo Underground originally aired in 2002 and features a 1.33:1 full frame presentation. The show looks decent but isn't what I'd call outstanding. There was a fair amount of aliasing and grain in a couple of parts. The image also had a blurry look to it, but I have a feeling that it was deliberate and not a byproduct of a poor transfer. The animation quality is pretty low and the color palette is kind of dull. It's easy to tell that this show had a lower budget than most, but I can't say that I'm all that surprised.

With stereo tracks available for Japanese and English, Tokyo Underground keeps the audio rather low key. The soundstage isn't diverse in the slightest bit so all of the dialogue and sound effects are pushed through with minimal effort. A fighting series, or one based around action, really needs to have a surround sound mix in order to make an impression. To make matters worse the English dub left a lot to be desired so the Japanese track is the way to go here.

Some Geneon Previews and a gallery filled with some artwork of the original Japanese covers are all that you'll find on this disc. There was a translucent pencil board included in the package, but that's merely a trinket and not really a supplemental feature in my opinion.

I have seen a lot of droll and generic anime in my years. Unfortunately for Tokyo Underground the series makes that prestigious list of shows that I can't recommend. The characters are stereotypical, the plot is uninspired, and the overall personality of the series is overshadowed by its going nowhere sense of storytelling. Mediocre aesthetics don't win this release any points either. Considering this volume represented the ending of the series I was hoping for more of a confrontation or climax. What was here, however, was neither of these. If you have been watching the series since release then you'll undoubtedly buy into this disc, otherwise you can just keep walking by.

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