Tokyo Majin hit the Japanese airwaves earlier this year and since then two seasons have been released for a combined 26 episodes. Directed by Shinji Ishihara, Tokyo Majin the animated series is a continuation of sorts for the original PlayStation 1 which was released in the 90's. It's worth noting that the game was never released here in America and as such this anime is a new property that not a lot of people may know anything about.

Recently, ADV has signed on board for the series and Tokyo Majin's first volume has just been released. With the first five episodes of the show underway, I got to get a good look at the make up of the show and see what it was all about. While the concept may be somewhat tired and its plot cliché, I must say that Tokyo Majin actually proves to be a lot of fun.

Taking place in Tokyo (duh!), the story here revolves around a string of mysterious incidences that defy explanation. For starters a bunch of people have been kicking the bucket and monsters have been appearing in the interim. Those recently deceased have taken on the nasty habit of turning into zombies and it's up to five high school students to save Tokyo and quite possibly the rest of the world.

At its core Tokyo Majin features a team of teenagers who all possess supernatural abilities. In typical anime fashion they form a demon-fighting squad and travel about; living dual existences while they vanquish the dead and beyond. This concept is nothing original and we have seen it played over and over again, not just in anime but with American products as well. Tokyo Majin's saving grace isn't its originality and it certainly isn't the concept, but rather the level of energy it brings to the genre and a fantastic production by AIC.

Things start out with a young girl being drained to the bone but quickly go south as a monster surfaces and the dead come back. Five Magami High School students comes together to rid the world of this evil and fight the undead victims. They possess strange powers that aren't explained at the outset and each personality seems somewhat distant. The kids worked well together with a common goal in mind though it's not until the second episode that we discovered who they really were.

Flashing back in time by two months, Tatsuma was the latest addition to Magami High. He comes to the school and immediately steps on some toes as Kyouichi (the resident delinquent) tries to fight him. The two go at it but after a while they realize that they have more in common than they'd care to admit and become partners in crime. They're the type that gets to know their opponents by battling them and for whatever reason they just kind of hit it off.

Not only does Tatsuma have to prove himself to Kyouichi at the outset of coming to Magami High School, but Yuuya Daigo the school's main wrestler wants a piece of him as well. His request for a fight is a little more formal and he sets it up at an old abandoned part of the school. Why was it abandoned? Who knows! One thing's for sure though; without it we wouldn't be having a show. Something is strange from the moment they get there and along with stragglers Aoi and Komaki, the five kids find themselves in a bad situation. They emerge with new abilities which set up the rest of the show. It's kind of a hokey origin but I suppose the fact that Tokyo Majin doesn't look back or question things helps.

From here the rest of the introductory volume of Tokyo Majin follows a somewhat episodic pattern. Monsters show up, the good guys beat them, and some questions are raised about what's going on. In between it all there is a mystery surrounding a man named Kisaragi and it's safe to say that the supernatural element does instill a twinge of intrigue in the back of your mind. The atmosphere stays sharp throughout these five episodes as well though some silly humor feels a tad out of place amidst the walking dead and all.

Overall I was very impressed with Tokyo Majin's first outing. For a show that isn't very original it offered a lot of surprises and the main cast of characters remained interesting enough to keep things entertaining. If you haven't been saturated by supernatural high school heroes who fight monsters then you'll find this show quite refreshing. It's a fun ride so far and I'm curious to see where it goes down the line.

With the recent production Tokyo Majin looks mighty impressive thanks to ADV's transfer. The 1.78:1 anamorphic image presents all of the detail that AIC poured into the show marvelously and there is very little to complain about. The picture is very clean with practically no grain and compression is kept minimal despite the fact that there were five episodes here. The colors of this show are vibrant and there were no digital flaws worth mentioning. While it may be somewhat underwhelming, the art design here is noteworthy even though the animation isn't as good as it could have been.

Like most releases from ADV and other publishers Tokyo Majin comes with a 2.0 Japanese language track as well as a 5.1 English. The dubbing quality for both was good overall though I must admit that I felt the Japanese dub felt the most natural. I didn't fully appreciate some of the attempts made by members of the English voice cast. Technically speaking the quality is good as a whole and the 5.1 does offer a slightly better sense of immersion than the Japanese selection. Even so the differences weren't enough to sway my opinion on the dub but I must say that the English choice does present some nice use of the rear channels.

Clean animations and trailers are all you're going to find here.

If you're looking for a fun supernatural show Tokyo Majin may be the way to go. This first volume was a blast and though it felt cliché in parts I have to admit that there was a certain guilty pleasure associated with it. The cast was designed well enough and there is plenty of intrigue to keep the concept going. Hopefully the next installment will hold this level of quality. Until then consider the first volume recommended.

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