Ikebukuro is home to many different businesses and gangs. This includes Makoto Majima: the infamous "troubleshooter" who mediates between warring factions. Makoto knows all of the ins and outs of the bustling Tokyo district and strives to maintain peace alongside the G-Boys, who assist Makoto in his troubleshooting endeavors. Led by the charismatic and ruthless Takashi Andou, the G-Boys is the most influential gang in all of Ikebukuro.
However, when the new faction "Red Angels" begins to move in on the G-Boys' turf, immediate tensions rise between them. With numerous enemies scattered around and within the G-Boys, navigating through the streets becomes more difficult for Makoto. While continuing to troubleshoot problems, he slowly unravels a plot that may trigger an all-out war and threaten the entirety of Ikebukuro.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
slavemaster_1991
Tell me, what did you expect after reading synopsis? I expected a criminal drama, where our mc tries his best to find out the truth while being caught between two fighting gangs. What I did not expect was to see a bunch of boy scouts instead of a gang who do such horrible gang crimes as dance performing, helping single mothers and immigrants and guarding peace in the neighborhood. If it does not sound even remotely close to crime drama - you are not the only one confused. 10 episodes out of 12 are wasted on showing how mc is a good "fixer" guy. Imay be wrong, but that kind of introduction should only take an episode or two at best, not most of the season. I could get it if those stories were linked in any way to the actual drama, that is shown in the last two episodes - it would be some insanely long build up, but if executed correctly it would justify all those unlinked meaningless stories. But you see, when you put a bunch of those stories and forget to give them any link to or place in the main plot line - what is even a point of having them? It felt like the first 10 episodes were a giant filler, and they are here just to waste viewers time instead of showing them the show they came for. As for me, cause of this mess I arrived at ep11 already bored and there was not a single chance that anything would redeem this huge waste of time. I doubt I have ever seen such big problems with pacing before.
If we move from discussing the plot - things are still pretty bad. Characters for example - there are lots of them. But only a few have a constant place in this show, and even those few are pretty undeveloped and feel more like the tools that mc uses to solve problems in the neighbourhood. Like what do we know about the King, who is literally the most influential character around and a great pal of our MC? Well, he is cool and respected, basically it. The rest of the cast either gets that kind of treatment or even worse.
Visuals? They are fine, being a real world it is not really hard thing to draw adequate, but nothing more is done to make the visuals stand out and be something above mediocre.
Sound? Well, the choice of tracks fits the theme, but it is not my type of music so I can't call opening and ending good. For bgm in episodes themselves - I can't even recall if there was a bgm to be honest.
Enjoyment? Story and paicing ruined any enjoyment for me.
Conclusion: a huge unfun waste of time. You may like it if you like unconnected shallow stories, but for most people I would advice skipping this anime entirely.
KANLen09
The anime that is in every sense of the word, akin to Durarara!!, yet the majority of the people make the assumption/mistake that this series was a rip-off of the former. In actual fact, this show came FIRST (debuted in 2001), and the former (debuted in 2004) was merely inspired from it (that was leaps better in every way). If you're watching this show, please take note of this pointer. I do have a legitimate worry for people and studios trying to capitalize on decades-old source materials that were lost in time. If you remember the 2 shows that aired in Spring 2020: Yesterday wo Utatte(produced by Doga Kobo, based on a manga) and Kitsutsuki Tanteidokoro (produced by Liden Films, based on a novel), both were late-90s source materials that if were adapted right and close to their original magic, could usher in the new revival of old-school adaptations. Sadly this wasn't the case, with the former getting a rushed adaptation (for the 2nd half) and the latter being better in its original material (because it's so boring to watch). Fast forward to Fall 2020, and Doga Kobo is back with adapting another early 2000s classic: Ikebukuro West Gate Park (or IWGP for short), written by Ira Ishida and based off a novel, a live-action TV series and a manga (that was a loose adaptation of the live-action TV version).
But what is this show about, you ask? In a nutshell, as mentioned in the beginning, think of it like Durarara!!: the crime-ridden city of Ikebukuro, where majority of the city is ruled by violent gangs and frequent clashes of turfs for the taking, only less refined. The MC is the city's gang mediator-cum-troubleshooter, Makoto Majima (who's living together with his single-family mother). A 20-year-old guy who often sees himself getting caught in frivolous acts of crime from seemingly both related and unrelated cases, and has ties with the gang that has a majority stake of Ikebukuro: the G-Boys, lead by his old schoolmate, the goofy and serious two-faced Andou "King" Takashi. In this aggravating city where crime does not pay, the single-family supporting son must tread through the vast wilderness of violent outbreaks that range from rival factions to sporadic situations, and even requests from strangers and close friends requiring protection to loved ones being victimized for revenge in the process, solving these various cases and resolving them faster than the local police could, before more lives are lost.
Now here my problem with this adaptation: Ira Ishida's material undoubtedly gives off the old-school vibe, but to adapt the 4 volume manga seems like a waste in comparison (as akin to just watching the 2000 TV version instead, albeit with a few differences). So, I'd presume that the scriptwriters made up their own version of IWGP by composing entirely new story scripts to reflect the modern-day standards of Japan in the classic episodic story format, and truth be told, the execution is both hit-and-miss. There are some instances where the episodes are really good (I love that one story where they focused on Japan's treatment of foreigners), but the rest were just the same-old cardboard cut-outs of unlinked, repetitious self-contained stories with mindless rival gang fighting over turfs that maintain the power balance of the gang environments (if you don't count the episodes featuring another formidable gang: the Red Angels). If you're looking for a story to be worth investing your time into, this show will most likely turn you off from its episodic format as there are little overarching plots (that span 2-part episodes at max).
Unfortunately, there is little to highlight about character development, as most of them tend to be 2-faced: neutral, or (un)necessarily triggered. For the few (like Makoto's mother), they do have personality and past histories to back their hard-lived environments and growing-up circumstances that shape their "organizational behaviours" to both friends and strangers through kinship, but sadly those are far and few in-between for a setting like this (that I'd really like to see more of). Most of the gang members (between both G-Boys and Red Angels, save for the respecting leading duo of King and Kyouichi, along with troubleshooter Makoto) are one-note, and is about what I'd expect of the typical one-note bad rap of gangs that are in for the violence and overflowing revenge.
Doga Kobo's in-house director Tomoaki Koshida is back from Senko-san to direct this series, and the visuals are just about as expected: replicating Yesterday wo Utatte's old-school palettes of art and animation to match, only this time, adding the dark mystery vibes that are associated with drama-type shows, and I have to give some good credit to the studio for a pretty good and consistent production from start to finish. Sure, there isn't as much Sakuga that you can cherry-pick with some decent action, but at least the action was solid, no questions asked. Good job Doga Kobo, double thumbs up.
The music...is another hit-and-miss department, I'm sad to say. I remember watching the horribly-made adaptation of "Junji Itou: Collection", and THE PINBALLS's OP "Shichiten Battou no Blues" (that screams "ISOLATION DOPE!!!") was so freaking excellent, it has remained memorable to me (even to this day). So to my amazement when "Needle Knot" came out, it was...OK at best. The same "in-your-face" bombastic quality signature of the group, but kinda missing the "OOMPH!" factor somewhere in between. A good effort, but nothing close to the quality that was once hearkened. And what better way to reflect the gang setting through the rapping ED by INNOSENT in FORMAL, but to be frank, the more I hear this song, the more I relinquished it as pure white noise. Their 2nd ED song "Omou mama" on the other hand, it's a calm and collected, but fantastic sounding song that I'd wished had appeared more. Maybe it's my personal preference of a bias to have heart-warming songs that are in stark contrast to dark and mystical shows like this, but in this case, along with the fine line of different story plots, this payoff really worked well.
In a season full of many average-to-decent (and few great) shows, this show I can only classify this as part of the middle-road package of being decent. Nothing eye-popping really stands out (other than the lore of gangs/crime aspect), and since this show hasn't had a clear direction (other than both start and end points), it's easy to be distracted by boredom, even if you tell yourself to "stick to the end". Let this sentence ring true: "If it ain't CGDCT (which is Doga Kobo's work ethos), you're gonna be hung about a 50-50 chance of watching a good or bad show." Nevertheless, for the 3 of you who likes gang/crime settings like Durarara!!, this is the show for you, otherwise, give this the unquoted 3-episode rule treatment.
Conan3dogawa
While the anime is about two gangs in Ikebukuro, you could be very mislead if you think that the"gangs" in the anime are gangs of criminals or actual Yakuza. The term gang definitely has a negative connotation, but in this series a gang is merely a group of people, that protect each other and can be hired for certain services. It actually shows that a gang can also be a good thing. Even though the gangs in the series become agressive very quickly, which is definitely a flaw that they still have, their main intentions are to make their district a better place and providesecurity for thir members.
I think this concept was very interesting, but the thing that definitely carried the show the most was its Main Character. The outside perspective that he has on these gangs gives the perfect angle to narrtate the story, which is honestly otherwise not that great. His role as problemsolver shows what a genuinely good guy he is. He helps people just to make sure as many of the citizens of Ikebukuro as possible are happy. And the thing that deifferentiates him the most from alll the other "good guy" characters is that he neither brags with his good deeds, nor does he talk excessively about his philosophy. He just helps people because he wants to and doesn´t make a big deal out of it. But he has also a very impressive side to him, which he shows in the way he solves all the problems he is confronted with. The way he makes use of his connections to all kinds of people (including the gangs) and his way of thinking make him a very cool and admirable character.
That alone managed to make the series great for me.
Jim--anime
I watched this all today and I really hope for a season 2 Makoto is one of the most interesting characters I've had the pleasure of watching and when joined by Takashi you know that you're in for a great experience I absolutely loved every episode excluding number 5. The art style is pretty standard but appealing to witness while the main interest in the series at least for me is the relationship between the characters and how that reflects Ikebukuro in general. The story was a unique spin on the gangsta trope. The art style fit the story perfectly. All the characters were pretty well rounded excludingsome of the more minor characters which the series didn't take the time to develop. They were relatively grounded.
I'd rec this to anyone looking for a fun action series if they like things like Tokyo Revenger or the Yakuza games or films like Why don't you play in hell? They'll love this.
YelZoM
Now.... For the silly sausages that are giving this a low rank, its mainly because you was mislead by the trailer and tags. IWGP was hard to judge on what sort of anime it would be, based off the trailers shown and provided to us before release, as so, it shocked me. I was expecting fighting every EP, however this was not the case. Each EP provided different stories to the viewer, lore and also emotional attachment to each character. The last few episodes is where it all kicked off, and left it open for a second season. Yes i agree, in some stories provided, it seemed rushed (information leading up to the reason WHY was missed out for the viewer ). But in general some of the stories was funny and incredible.
I would highly recommend giving this show a watch, as it was one of my favourites of 2019.
laylarei93
I am a fan of the Ikebukuro west gate park, the live series. It was amazing. Characters with actual personality, a very realistic approach to a social problem Japan used to have (the colour gangs), mental issues, illegal immigration, drugs, prostitution, relationships, hikikomori... All of those issues were very present in the series. I was so excited about it becoming an anime that I rewatched it for like the fifth time. Turns out, I was excited for nothing. I can tell they were trying to adapt the series to the modern times and that's fine... But whoever wrote the script seems to have very little reallife experience with the issues at hand. Probably not even second hand experience... I watched the whole thing expecting it to get better at some point... To be fair, it did get from an overall 1 to an overall 2.
Huge waste of time. It's the opposite of what the live action version was.
If gang series are your jam, you're better off watching the live series.
Timman47
With Fall 2020 coming to a close and having seen all the anime I wanted to see, Ikebukuro West Gate Park (IWGP) was not of the initial anime I thought about when entering this season. I pretty much only started watching it when episode 10 aired after a friend told me he was watching it and I decided to give it a shot after reading the synopsis. Here's my review of Ikebukuro West Gate Park. This is my first review on MAL after 4 and a bit years of using this site and I know I wanted to write one about this anime because I honestlyenjoyed the episodes I watched. Essentially, IWGP follows our mc Makoto Majima who lives in Ikebukuro and he is the Mr. Troubleshooter, going around fixing different problems. Makoto is involved with the leader of the biggest gang operating in Ikebukuro, King (Takashi Ando) and he helps them out as well while not officially being part of his gang which is called G-Boys.
What I think IWGP does well in is the representation of the gang life, which I found to be relatable, as I come from an area with prominent gang activity and basically being like Makoto outside of the fact that I don't risk my life doing half the stuff he does. It's so common to see youths getting revenge on their opposition because one of their own got attacked/harmed in some way and IWGP shows this happening consistently with the turf wars between the G-Boys and the Red Angels (the main rival gang) and the G-Boys getting back at the antagonists of the episodic structure IWGP uses with Makoto dealing with different individual's problems. So yeah I enjoyed that.
Like any series or medium, IWGP does have its cons, which I don't think are game changing, but hold it back from being a super good anime to me in my opinion. I mentioned earlier about IWGP's episodic structure of Makoto being handed a problem he has to solve and the episode is spent with him resolving that issue. That is all fine and dandy to me but the synopsis does not highlight this at all, when that's how the majority of IWGP. That is not the fault of the anime, but by the person/organisation that wrote the synopsis. The event where Makoto "losing a loved one" and the "rising tide of violence" doesn't even happen until the latter episodes, when the synopsis makes it seem like that's the series is going to focus on, I don't know, just lets my expectations down a little bit. I feel like they could've spent much more episodes on that conflict when at this point, we've seen a good amount of how and what Makoto does in Ikebukuro so we didn't need more "Hi Makoto, I got a problem for you to solve."
Concluding here, Ikebukuro West Gate Park was a fun watch for me, I enjoyed Makoto solving problems throughout his town and how he deals handling with the chaos that ensues in Ikebukuro's ongoing gang activity. I'm now obsessed with the opening which slaps.
Best_of_the_3
Ikebukuro West Gate Park (IWGP) was one anime I was really looking forward to watching. The synopsis sounded amazing. Quote: "Crime-ridden Ikebukuro is a haven for violent gangs, the Yakuza, and home to Makoto Majima -- when a rising tide of violence results in Makoto losing a loved one, can he ride out the storm, or will he drown in all the spilled blood that floods his streets?" Does that not sound amazing? Gang warfare, intrigue, mystery, blood and violence. Complicated criminal and gang activities while following the perspective of a 3rd party. And while there were certainly moments that had aspects of this, they're incrediblywatered down. To the point of near non-existence. And what little there was had such wasted potential. It wasn't bad, but there's very little I could recommend. Very much style over substance, and it will not leave a lasting impression.
In summary, I would not recommend this anime. It's mediocre personified at best and a let down at worst. For a spoiler free explanation and recommendation for similar anime, please continue reading.
From what I understand, IWGP was an urban mystery novel produced in the late 90's. And again going by the synopsis I figured this sounds like a great premise for an anime. My major worry however came when I read the synopsis above, and saw the show with no rating (I believe this has since changed to PG-13). There was a massive disconnect to what was happening in the show and what the description of both the original novel and anime. Ultimately this had led to the disappointment that most will feel when thinking back on this show. This however was not the only negative I found when watching. The actual structure of the anime was in my opinion, lacking. For a 12 episode anime I was expecting rather tight story telling. But after finishing I feel like I've watched 9 episodes of fluff and filler (emphasis on the fluff as a lot of these episodes completely contradict the synopsis), and barely 3 episodes of the main story. And I say the story very loosely as most of it was pushed through in post episode narration. A lot of it was told at the end of an episode through exposition and flash forward. There was no time given to reflect or to think about what had happened and effects these may have. But worse is that most episodes had no lasting effect or any play in future episodes. It was very episodic in nature.
Further to this, it felt like the story was shrink-wrapped down and only the bare minimum was allowed to seep through the cracks. There is a wide cast of interesting looking characters. Perhaps in the novel these are expanded upon but in this show they are mostly for window dressing. I couldn't really tell you any of their names other than the MC, and even the ones that appear more regularly are not given any time to be fleshed out or explained. At most, they are just there to turn the tide over while the story is told around them. There was a lot of wasted potential here.
I wouldn't say the entire show was bad. The art direction was OK with interesting characters and the show had a catchy intro and outro. That being said I wouldn't say there was anything standout, and any BGM playing throughout the show is forgettable.
In all I was hoping for a lot more but in the end they were all dashed. I was hoping for an in-depth look at interesting characters in a gang warfare setting. There was very little of that latter and the parts we got to see were not that interesting. I was hoping that the episodic and sporadic nature of the show would come together for an amazing ending. While it did try to do that with the final 2 episodes, it again felt rushed and wasted compared to what it could have been.
I can not recommend this anime to anyone interested in it unless they have a lot of time, and even then I would likely say to watch something else. For an alternate recommendation I would go with:
Banana Fish - Similar setting with gang warfare and intrigue, but a slower paced feel giving you time to breathe. A much better fleshed out story and overall more enjoyable while hitting all the notes I was looking for.
Thank you for reading.
OneFaintingRobin
This is one of those shows I gave a try on a whim, just to give something a try. I wasn't sure what I'd make of it. Turns out, the answer to that is quite a lot. Conceptually, this is pretty simple. It's a show about gangs in Ikebukuro, a guy working as a troubleshooter doing his best to keep the peace, and solving the various problems that get pointed at him on a regular basis. There's plenty of fun to be had with this premise. Think 'Durarara!!' without any of the fantastical aspects. And those parts are well done. Ikebukuro feels like a well-fleshed outsetting, with the titular park being a great central location, and the other recurring settings feeling lived-in and distinct. The two main gangs we see both feel like they have some substance to them, we get to know a handful of members of each, and generally find everyone interesting and likeable. The two leaders, Takashi and Kyoichi, feel unique and distinct, and both the mutual frustration and respect they have for each other is really compelling.
And, of course, there's our protagonist Makoto, the man who stands in the middle of all of it and makes sure it doesn't blow up in everyone's faces. He's perhaps not the most unique protagonist in the world, but he still fits the bill perfectly; charming, caring, a little awkward, but incredibly smart in the ways he needs to be, always coming to the best solution to any problem. It doesn't always quite go to plan, but he makes the best out of bad situations and always comes out on top.
With all of that, there's a clear and simple show that comes out of it, which is, in a lot of ways, more or less what you'd expect. But, as I watched it, I found something sitting under the surface, and I find it absolutely fascinating.
Because this show, about the grimy world of crime, about gangs and con-artists and hitmen, manages to be one of the most wonderfully kind-hearted shows I've seen in a very long time.
I know that sounds ridiculous, but, honestly, what this show is about, more than anything else, is empathy. That's probably the key thing that I tactically ignored that makes Makoto the protagonist he is; a deep sense of wanting to understand people, and an acceptance of who they are. Through that, the show engages with a variety of social issues; immigrant workers' rights, the difficulties of single parenting, far-right nationalism, as well as taking a nuanced look at themes of justice and crime and forgiveness; hell, it even takes time at one point to specifically state the validity of sex work as a form of legitimate labour. It's a small thing, but I don't think I've ever seen that in an anime before. Maybe not a TV show
And what all of this gives us is a show that is deeply invested in some really important ideas; be curious about people, do what you can to learn about them, and there are no misunderstandings that can't be cleared up. This show about small-time gangs is about empathy, and about the importance of seeing things from someone else's perspective, about learning to accept others for what they are and learning to live in community together. To make a show about criminals, about people at the fringes of society who don't always behave in ways we can entirely approve of, and to make it about the reality that humans are so much more than 'good' or 'evil', that even hardened street thugs can be people you can understand and accept... It's the sort of story you don't see often. It's certainly not the story I was expecting.
Honestly, I think that this messy show about messy people living messy lives is, in its own way, kind of radical. And it's the sort of show I want to see more often.
ESER10
I'll admit that I was a bit disappointed to how this show ended up turning out. I feel it had potential to be very good, but in the end, it didn't. That being said, this is still a decent show, that could potentially be enjoyable for many (either way, OP bangs, so at least check that out~) The story is relatively straightforward. We have our MC who is involved with a gang (but not actually a part of it). You get introduced to some interesting characters, and then you see some examples of the ways our MC helps Ikebukuro with the help of his connections thathe has for some reason. Except that ends up being the entire show. Every episode, we get a new problem come up, or a new person to help, and Makoto (the MC) works to solve them. Rinse and repeat. Some of these solved issues end up being somewhat relevant in the future, in the sense that some character interactions develop, but that is essentially limited to small interactions. Their influence on the overall arc (which exists, don't get me wrong) is relatively small. Thus, this is essentially a slice of life, following someone that has a bit of an uncommon daily life. I will add that there are some pretty dark themes, which you may expect from a setting involving gangs, but it gets quite serious in some episodes, so keep that in mind. So at this point, you can gauge whether or not you would enjoy this. I was expecting this to be a longer story where we'd be able to explore the setting and the characters because that was the vibe I felt from the first episode. If you are expecting something like that, then you'll be disappointed. However, if you go into this knowing that the format will in fact be essentially a slice of life, then you may get more enjoyment out of the show, because there are things to like about it.
Because of the set up of the show, we don't end up with any actual fleshed out characters. Actually, that may be slightly wrong. There are actually some character development, but it's pretty much entirely reserved for the side characters who are helped in each episode. They may start with a problem, and develop and grow by the end of it. And then we don't see them again for the most part. But the actual main characters don't change much. They are pretty interesting, but we don't learn enough about them, so realistically, they end up being a bit bland. The setting itself was interesting, and there are many moving parts in the background that culminate in the final arc (which is two episodes), but I don't personally feel like enough was done in the setting.
So, should you watch this show? If you're expecting a complex story and fleshed out characters, this may is likely to disappoint. However, if you're up for a sort of "slice of life" in a pretty unique setting (with gangs and some dark themes), then this is a pretty interesting show that does that.
MissBluebelles
I really liked this serie. Having a main character helping out delinquents and the like despite not being a part of a gang himself was super-intriguing. The layout of the eipsodes was nice where one person got help each episode. And they still mangaed to tie the episodes together for a wholesome storyline that made sense. Many people we got to see again and it was nice to see they hadn't been discarded immediately as supportive characters when they had fulfilled their purpose in one episode. They went back and forth with different issues and morals and showed how thoughtless actions can have (very) severeconsequences.
The characters felt realistic despite the fact that they exist in a different world, in the sense that they are mostly a violent bunch of delinquents. They weren't "just" violent, but could show kindness and reason with people which I like since sometimes characters only show one side to themselves, and that's not realistic at all imoho.
There were few parts I didn't appreciate as much, but all in all, Makoto made a super nice main character that was levelheaded pretty much all the time. It was a nice breath of fresh air. Their design was nice and the colour scheme of the gangs, while kind of classic now, spiced it up.
I recommend it a lot ♥
BlackSea773
Makoto is a guy that solve problems and protects Ikebukuro if it was in a trouble. This is it, if I could finish the review here I would but MAL wouldn't let me, so I will try to say more. King and the red angle guy are not likeable, Makoto isn't that bad but not so great either, so how can you make an anime that has no goal, no comedy, no story, and no characters a good anime idk, this is so mediocre to the point that I can make "Ikebukuro West Gate Park" as a reference to measure other anime, its in the exactmiddle, not so low that its trash, or high that its good, when you watch it you say "oh this is a problem" and at the end "That's a good way to solve it, oh well".
Maybe the last 2 eps are good, but there is something generic and been done a lot of times in them so it is nothing special. I think the first 10 eps are preparation for the last 2 because the are not important and boring, just knowing new characters that are not interesting.
To conclude this essay, I don't recommend this if you want to watch some problems in Ikebukuro go watch Durarara!! its 100 times better, and it has many good characters unlike this one.
Thanks for reading my perfect review of this anime and have a great day (probably your day will be better than mine).
TheCeeJayz
Ikebukuro West Gate Park is a strange beast. On one hand, it explores serious real-world issues like racism, but on the other hand, it attempts to fit those conflicts and tell episodic stories with its diverse cast of characters that can sometimes hit home greatly, or miss by a long shot. Story-wise, IWGP is an interesting take on the “gang” genre. The main character gets involved with different kinds of conflicts and attempts to resolve them without using forceful methods for the most part, but occasionally seeks help from his friend, who is the leader of a gang, to help him out when things aren’tsmooth-sailing. These conflicts are certainly great choices to tell multiple stories that happen in Ikebukuro, but there are times where it feels as if the episodes that tackle some of these conflicts feel like they are lacking the extra punch or “oomph” to really give viewers an impact that will be felt long after the ED plays, save for a few that are actually pretty solid because it does have that extra punch like the two-episode arcs.
On the positive side, IWGP’s characters feel grounded to reality, which makes sense as this anime basically is grounded too. Their experiences in life mostly revolve around the conflicts that the episode tackles, which is a good way to set up the mood of the episode. While on the topic of characters, the main character, Makoto, fights for justice and will use any means necessary so long as violence is avoided for the most part. Aside from that, he also empathizes with those who seek help from him and help them out to make Ikebukuro a better place. Of course, there are characters that are one-dimensional, but they are mostly just there for the plot and are unimportant for the most part. One drawback, however, is that I don’t really feel interested or invested with some of the characters, but for most of the time, they manage to keep my interest.
Moving on to its art and music, it’s certainly not bad. Its minimalistic take on its character designs reminds me of another anime from this year from Doga Kobo, which is Sing “Yesterday” for Me. Speaking of Sing “Yesterday”, IWGP is kind of similar to it in a way that it doesn’t really use too much music aside from a few scenes, which makes me more focused with its dialogue and what’s happening on the screen. Now while all these things sound positive, I think that overall, there is really nothing to write home about with IWGP in terms of art and music, as I think it doesn’t really make enough effort in order for it to at least let its art and music stick with me.
In conclusion, Ikebukuro West Gate Park is neither a great nor bad show. It is simply an “okay” show from Doga Kobo, and here’s to hoping that they manage to produce great shows in the future. Would I recommend it? If you have the patience, I’d say go for it, as there are certainly aspects of the show where I can see people enjoy it, but if you don’t have the patience, it would be in your best interest to skip it, as you are not really missing out on a ton. (6.2/10, but since 6.2 isn't an option on MAL, I'll just round it off to a 6.)
Okamii_JA
Sometimes you don't have to check review or rates to dig into something , and this anime provide the right example about a good show with low rate , I know everyone has a taste but let's be honest sometimes animes aren't just for fun sometimes can be for relaxing and chilling and this one really made relax it's enjoyable it's interesting and perhaps the story not that deep but it has really good moments , the anime can be a god damn emotions sometimes if you looking for some action or shounen bullshit this anime definitely not for you and I'm not gonna suggestthis like watch it when you bored , I'll say watch it if you interested in it . and yeah its episodic and everyone one kinda has a story
additionally I liked the opening and ending song so much , and lemme tell you rap isn't my taste at all I'm into jazz but for some reason I found myself enjoying this vibe , and the anime has really special atmosphere i dont know how to explain it exactly but it's just not other things you have watched before , ppl said it's sucks because they thought something deep , well lemme tell you not everything simple is boring .
TheNerdGaming
This anime is a solid 8 and definitely worth a watch! The story is great in my opinion. Until the final act the series consists of a bunch of smaller stories from each episode woven into each other and connecting with re-occurring characters etc. Some of the stories also tackle underlying problems in society (main focus on Japan ofc) and humans. Of course it’s also made to be enjoyable to watch but the underlying themes are still there. The art itself is a stylistic view on gangs with bright colors and exaggerated leaders. The leader of the G-Boys walks around in a dress all the time whilethe leader of the Red Angels dances ballet in his free time.
But it still manages to hit that sweet spot between stylistic but not over the top unrealistic costumes/ gang attire.
The characters are sometimes very well written and sometimes cliche but they work good together overall.
When I initially went to the MAL review page I saw many lukewarm reviews of this anime. That’s why I decided to write this. I think you should give it a shot, it might be a 1 or 6 for you, but you can also like me think that this anime is a solid 8 and worth a rewatch in the future!
yukihaneda
This anime was brilliant kadokawa never disappoints us, it gives out blockbuster anime one after other this anime is based off of an old manga where it initially starts with makotos girlfriend getting killed in a gang war and then he quits and becomes the makoto that we see in the anime. so anime skipped that part and i suppose in future seasons we might get insight on makotos past which is heartbreaking by the way, he is such a nice person he just deserves so much better. i loved the artstyle, the animation and the city vibes, its all too good and makes me want to visitikebukuro someday. also the red angels are so pretty like they look like angels in reality their hairstyles and clothing its all so pretty
i loved takashis character too, i want to know more about takashi and makotos history, it wasnt briefed as to how they both know each other so well.
looking at makoto and takashi it feels like they both are childhood friends... but it isnt specified and probably only mentioned in manga.
anyways, i loved the season and i will be waiting for more seasons, this anime is definitely a must watch on my list!
philia95
I wasn't expecting much but it was actually pretty good! o)The show dealt with a lot of real life issues such as immigration policies, welfare for single parents and an unfair justice system. It was nice to see some social commentary even if it was a little too obvious. Many of the characters situations were relatable and made me feel for them. o)I liked the optimistic themes of family and forgiveness. o)The overall plot and build up to the final episode was simple and well executed. Every character played their role well and everything was wrapped up nicely. x)That being said the animation was pretty bad.x)Most of the characters were simple and one dimensional apart from the MC but for only 12 episodes that was expected. The show was definitely more plot driven than character driven.
Conclusion: Slow start. Better than I expected. Definitely worth a watch! 7/10
Hellschwarz
As far as I know this show is a remake of some old show/manga. While you don't get any women in refrigerators here, it's stil very dark at times, but light hearted at others. It starts episodic, but later on you get a little more of a story arc - while not much and feeling pretty rushed, it seems to set up more for the future. If this gets a S2 I will watch it, but it is nothing that I will miss if it gets dropped. The show looked promising but didin't fully deliver. It's like ordering fries - they are a little soggy, stiltaste good, but not as good as they do when you get them freshly made.
If this show was a drink, it would be diet coke.
I don't know if you're getting what I try to describe here, but that's the closest I can get: It looks great, but there is something off and you can't excatly point it out. There is some flavour missing here, some crispiness there... not too much, but you notice it subconciously.
The themes are great. The MC is nice and has a quirk (he orders everything he eats with fruits, his Ramen looks like a fruit salad), the side characters are interesting...
But sometimes the pacing is off, sometimes it's the delivery of the plot twist - sometimes the whole motivation of some characters.
It's a 6/10 for me - above average, but not much. Could be an easy 8, if done well, tho.
nate_iskm
Story: The anime is an adaptation from a novel which is a adaptation of a TV Series, so it's kinda like that we have an original work here because of this whibbly wobbly adaptation stuff. But beyond that, we have an unique storytelling using little individual arcs that grow into a climax at the end. It's a resource very used on tv dramas and well applied over here, but it fall down when it comes to major story at the climax, being one of the most easiest clichés ever. (7/10) Art: The art isn't bad, but it clearly doesn't fit into a action/drama anime, the oppositewhat happened when this studio animate Yesterday wo Uttate which fits perfectly in the way that the story goes. Besides that, it's still a good art for the scenes where it needed but always keep the watcher wondering about "the animation don't have a peak?" and etc. (7/10)
Sound: In opening and ending was perfect, the style combined to the storytelling fits the songs perfectly, but sound design in general has nothing too splendid to focused or even any memorable scene with the sound in the background. It's just fair (6/10)
Character: The characters follow the premise of the anime and are only developed inside their own arcs, no more to tell and no less about. The only one who have being focused all along the anime was Makoto, which make clear the idea that all the stories and arcs passed through him in someway. (7/10)
Enjoyment: I really enjoy, I really do, but it wasn't enough to take my attention and wanted to see every week. The fact I only finished after 3 months explain that pretty well. Could be more but I'm grateful that wasn't less. (6/10)
OVERALL: Wouldn't recommend it, but it is a simple anime with simple arcs and plot, with simple story wanting smple watcher. Has nothing great to offer, but what offer is good enough to keep you liking it. (6/10)
