Tokko is a complete departure for creator Tohru Fujisawa from his previous success with GTO. It's a wild ride as Ranmaru Shindo continues trying to find his parents' killer.

Tokko Vol.2
2006, TV series (four episodes). Director: Masashi Abe. 100 minutes. DVD, bilingual, $24.98. Distributor: Manga Video.

Here is the second installment of Tokko. It is so hard to believe that this series came from the same awesome mind of Tohru Fujisawa, known for Great Teacher Onizuka (GTO). Tokko is a complete departure for Fujisawa and his proven success with GTO. Exploding with demonic battles and carnage, Tokko is a wild ride for those who follow along. Fujisawa continues to weave the story of Ranmaru Shindo, who is trying to solve the mystery behind who killed his parents and slaughtered the other 382 people living in his apartment complex in Machida five years earlier.

The first episode opens with what appears to be a mundane dream about Sakura's childhood. It is before the tragedy at Machida and she is sitting on a swing enjoying the day when she notices a strange man standing off to the side. Intrigued, she gets off to investigate who he is and is shocked to discover that he is carrying a sword. He winds up and with a powerful overhand swing slices right at her. There is a splash of blood and suddenly Sakura wakes from the dream sweating and shivering. Dreams seem to be the only keys to the truth that the members of Tokko have. And this dream seems to foreshadow what is to come.

Volume 2 is fairly expositional and covers a lot of history for Ranmaru, Sakura, Kureha and Ryoko. By the end of the first disk many characters were introduced and the episodes in the first volume concentrated more on how each character relates to the others. Ranmaru is the center but unaware of his significance, Sakura is somehow bound to Ranmaru, and all of the members of Tokko are survivors of the Machida. This volume is more interesting because it starts to delve into the why. Where the first four episodes of this series seemed a more straightforward demon-slaying title, now there appear to be deeper interlocking layers that make the plot more sophisticated. Plus the excitement gets ramped up as Ranmaru begins to understand his purpose.

In a departure from the first four episodes, the humor has really been dialed down. There is the occasional chuckle now and then, especially where Ramaru's chief is involved, but these episodes are far more serious. The harsh realities of what it takes to be a member of the mysterious second division costs Ranmaru more than he may have bargained for. Strange people call Ranmaru's home in the middle of the night offering to help him take revenge, but they are really trying to set him up; a mysterious organization has taken notice of Ranmaru and has warned him to stay away from the second division or else he will regret it; the demons appear to have help from those in the human world from those who seek power; and Ranmaru is forced to make a decision that he doesn't fully understand.

Overall this series is very dark and contains some pretty cool animated fight sequences. There is a ton of detail in the gore and environments. Courtesy of Manga Video.

Overall this series is very dark, which is exactly what I would expect from an ultra-violent demon-slaying anime. It feels very much like the older Doomed Megalopolis anime, where there is a certain claustrophobic feel to the world that the characters inhabit and the evil that is being fought is like a freight train on a collision course with the hero. The animated fight sequences are pretty cool and there is a ton of detail in the gore and environments. All of the movements are very fluid, with some cheating here and there. Masashi Abe does a good job of keeping the tension in the battles despite the fact that we know our hero will make it. So many times in shows like this one, the tension gets lost and the film quickly becomes a snoozer. On a cool note, these later episodes are a step up in the 3D cell shaded department. As in the previous episodes, it is primarily used on vehicles, but now these vehicles are very well done as they seem to be instances of product placement. If the quality of the integrated 3D animation stays at this level, I say bring on more product placement.

The audio for Volume Two is tricked out to offer both English and Japanese language tracks in not only 2.0 stereo, but 5.1 surround as well. Thank goodness someone has at least tried doing this. It is so frustrating when one language is neglected to "save space" on a disk. Funny how there is always room when a production company actually decides to do it.

The Japanese language is very well done, with nice expression and intensity, and the English track is not half-bad either. There is a little awkwardness in the intensity levels of the characters' voices in some of the scenes that pulls the viewer out of the moment, and sometimes what feels like forced dialogue. But for the most part it is forgivable. One complaint I do have is that the English version uses the F-bomb way too much. When used too often, it loses its intensity and in these episodes it is used all over the place. The heavy use of that four-letter word makes the dialogue sound like kids who don't know how to cuss trying to sound tough. Music is on a par with the previous volume and the 5.1 soundtrack does make good use of well-placed home theater equipment.