Tokyo Underground Volume 3 DVD Review

Warning: Review may contain some spoilers.

In Tokyo Underground Volume 3 (of 6), the upcoming release from Geneon, the fast paced action adventure continues. To catch up: in Tokyo there are two cities. The one on the surface that all know and then there's the city beneath; The Underground. A place few know about, this city built within a series of catacombs hides an entire civilization of people, some of whom have incredible elemental powers. Ruri the Maiden and her bodyguard Chelsea are on the run from the Company. The Company is the security (or threat?) in the Underground. But why do they want the Maiden so badly they are willing to kill? On the run the two women come across a fellow named Rumina. He is instantly smitten with Ruri. And she unlocks his Wind power just in time for when the Company comes to snatch her back! In the earlier volumes, Ruri was captured and taken back to the Company. There we discover that all may not be as settled as the Company wished. Ruri seems to be a power that will either allow the unscrupulous ones within the company to take over the Underground completely, and use Ruri to wreak vengeance upon the surface dwellers above them.

Volume three starts off with action right out of the gate as we watch the continuing duels between Chelsea and one of the Company guards' Rorec, as well as Rumina versus Rat Tail. During the four episodes contained in this volume we see the outcome of those battles and witness the beginning of dissension within the company as different players start to reveal their true motives. Ruri herself tries to escape and find Rumina and Chelsea again but with the ruthless Pairon at her heals and then a band of assassins, how can she succeed?

This anime is based on the manga and like many action driven adventures tend to go from fight to fight. One of the things that saves this from being humdrum is the interesting use of powers that the characters have. The fighters have intriguing elemental capabilities like Gravity, Fire, Wind, Water, Thunder, and they are displayed with a certain flair and creativity I expect to see in anime. The animation is solid as is the English voice cast and despite being a tad predictable, I found myself getting caught up in the story. The fast pacing helps the series greatly, moving the story forward though it could use more character development to give it more depth. It ranks 7/10 kendo swords.

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