Tokyo Twenty Fourth Ward: Season 1/ Episode 1 “RGB” [Series Premiere] – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)

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With the rare 40+ minute pilot, Tokyo 24^th Ward seems to want to set a difficult precedent for other anime to follow in 2022.

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Aired	1/6/2022
Network	VRV
Created By	CloverWorks
Directed By	Naokatsu Tsuda, Hidetoshi Takahashi, Ōri Yasukawa
Written By	Vio Shimokura
Genre	Action, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller, Young Adult, Animation, Non-English
Introduced This Episode
Koki	Kaito Ishikawa
Asumi	Manaka Iwami
Shuta	Junya Enoki
Kozue	Rina Hidaka
Gori	Taiten Kusunoki
Ran	Yuma Uchida
Shirakaba aka Kaba	Yōji Ueda
Mari	Yui Makino
Tsuzuragawa	Hitomi Nabatame
Kinako	Nanami Tomaru

This content contains pertinent spoilers.

Plot Overview

All barely out of high school, the group nicknamed RGB, due to their different colored hair, found their friendship coming to an end on 5/10/2020 when the G of the group, Koki, lost his sister Asumi in a fire someone caused at Takaro Elementary. The B of the group, Shuta, who Asumi would tease about wanting to be a hero, ran in and tried to save both her and Kozue, but, despite his best efforts, Asumi died while Kozue lived – because of Asumi’s sacrifice.

Nearly a year later, and being high school graduates, each member of RGB couldn’t be more different. The R, Ran, has become a notable graffiti artist within Tokyo’s 24^th district who plans to protest an autonomous train built by Koki’s father, Gori, the mayor of the currently autonomous special district and head of the Kizuna Construction and Maintenance company. However, thanks to their former teacher, Shirakaba, nicknamed just Kaba, everyone comes together on the annicersary of the Takaro school fire.

This isn’t an easy reunion for any of them, yet they keep finding themselves drawn together despite all the bad memories which make them want to pull apart. But what may finally coerce them together is a strange phone call from Asumi, or rather someone pretending to be her, and with that phone call comes a vision. One is which RGB’s mutual friend Mari will be stuck on a train track, and an autonomous train by Koki’s father’s company will either hit and obliterate her and her dog Daisy or derail and kill over 100 people.

The boys are given the task of making a choice, if not using suddenly bestowed powers to make it so neither tragedy happens. Thus setting up these three coming together, united under a mystery phone call, to potentially save one of their closest friends and hundreds more.

Things To Note | Question(s) Left Unanswered

Question(s) Left Unanswered

1. So is Asumi like a ghost in the machine who, between being part tech and part spirit, she can essentially hack RGB’s minds to go beyond human limitations?

What Could Happen Next

1. Hopefully, more life or death decisions, of which the boys don’t always find a way.

Collected Quote(s) or .Gifs

The fastest way to make money is to use money in a smart way.
— Ran

Graffiti is art destined to be erased from the moment of creation.
— Ran

Review

Highlights

Character Building

After a slow start, you get hooked easily by Koki, Shuta, Ran, and their divergent personalities and trajectories. Koki is an intern for his father’s company with hopes of having a career in politics. Also, he has this weird relationship with his father’s assistant, Tsuzuragawa, with who he definitely has (non-romantic) history.

Following him is Ran, who has his own street graffiti group, and rather than present him as just a delinquent, as shown with the quotes, there is more to him than just being a tagger. He is an artist with developed thoughts, a following, and a group who, beyond their eccentric personalities and looks, you can imagine there being something deeper there.

Then with Shuta, the hero complex is what is presented on the surface. However, with noting he is the one who held Asumi as she died, the possibilities of their relationship, and how he really taps into those powers and his trauma when he is moving about like Spiderman? I feel there is so much more there. Add in, unlike Ran and Koki, he doesn’t have something he is dedicated to right now, and it means going on a full journey with him, beyond what the ghost of Asumi could bring.

The Initial Thrill Of Wondering If They Can Pull It Off

I didn’t know if they would pull it off. With it being so vivid that there are two bad endings, and perhaps they could only pull off preventing one, I felt like we were set up for something bad to happen. Either Mari wouldn’t be saved, the train would have to be derailed, or maybe no one would die, but there would be injuries and ramifications for Gori’s business and political career because of it.

Yet, everything, mostly, was okay. Gori cutting corners to get this grand moment will likely be investigated, but people are currently fine, and that’s good enough for me. Gori likely having to answer for what could have been a catastrophe could set up a multitude of interesting moments throughout the season.

What Is Known & Unknown About Each Characters Relationship

Asumi’s death clearly altered the relationship of RGB. But, what isn’t clear is how they formed, was it just Asumi that led to them breaking up, if not graduating high school, and is there a way back to where they once were? Then, aside from RGB’s relationship, you have their relationships as individuals. Who is Mari to Shuta beyond a neighbor? Are feelings there, and when it comes to Shuta’s family bakery, does he like the idea of taking it over, perhaps see that as a backup, or has he dreaded the possibility of following in his parents’ footsteps?

Then with Ran, we don’t see his parents this episode, so it leads to the question of where are they? Alongside that, when it comes to this chosen family, what are their stories, what draws them to Ran, and when it comes to Kinako, who seems like a little sister to Ran, is that feeling mutual?

Lastly, with Koki, I do wonder how the events of this episode will make him feel about his father? They don’t seem close, nor would I say Koki seems to admire him, even if he does want to follow in his footsteps. For with the way Ran teases him, there is this thought he wants to step out of his father’s shadow and be his own man. Yet, he interns under his father and clearly is a visible member of the team. So his journey, too, should be fascinating as it establishes potential hypocrisy linked with his desire for autonomy.

On The Fence

It’s A Bit Slow At First

I must note, this is show started slow. Getting to know the boys, seeing Asumi’s final moments, I wouldn’t say what became the hook is what caught our attention. It probably wasn’t until Shuta was climbing up walls to get away from a member of SARG that an eyebrow was raised, and things started to pick up.

Initial Impression

Tokyo 24^th Ward could be this year’s Jobless Reincarnation in terms of being a show you may not have expected too much from, and yet it gives you all you could want and more. But, without any signs of perverted ecchi, this likely will be far easier to recommend.

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