Summary: >

Five years ago there was a massacre around an apartment complex at Machida. Hundreds where killed, and only a handful survived; including Ranmaru and his sister. Both became police officers to hopefully get to the bottom of the mystery behind their parents deaths. Ranmaru takes the first step by being assigned to the Special Investigations unit, but finds it no more of a help then the rest of the police force. That's when he encounters members of section 2 - also known as Tokko. Clad in leather, bearing swords and tattoos; they look more like a biker gang than police officers. Their purpose is also shrouded in mystery.

Killings are becoming more frequent around the city. The official report is that people on drugs are violently killing each other, but the reality is that demon possessed people have to be destroyed by Tokko (as they're the only ones who can), and Special Investigations has to clean up the mess. Ranmaru starts to learn more and more about Tokko, and the more he uncovers, the more things point back to the massacre at Machida. The only way to avenge his parents and protect his sister may be by joining them.

Thoughts: >

I should get this out of the way first. The animation is absolutely terrible. It's bad enough to draw attention to itself even when little is happening, but it gets really bad when there's "action". On top of that, the artwork looks very crude. The characters look ok (aside from occasional odd poses), but there is a lot that looks awkward and out of place. If this plays a big part in why you watch anime, take this to heart because this might be enough to break this title in your eyes.

Tokko is a weird blend of a classic style cop show, with a "save the world from demons" anime. This works with the story in a level of intrigue, suspicion and drama within the police department as the cops try to figure out what is going on and who they can trust. It's not particularly origional, but is well thought out and the blending of these genres works fairly well. At no point did anything unexpected happen in the story, but I found it entertaining enough not to care about that. Keep in mind that there is no conlcusion, nor does it look like it will ever be finished. What story it does have is good enough to say I'd love to see a Tokko II.

Like the story, the characters also pull elements both from the cop and demon show elements. On the cop side there is the ex-biker chief who is the stereo typical hard ass. The new recruits. The hot woman in forensics who gets involved, etc. The members of Tokko are more in the vein of super group fighting demons. Brooding guy, brooding girl, and one woman who is the most inappropriately dressed police officer since Armitage. Again not so original, nor are they deep, but they still work well for the show.

The dub brings some interesting things to the table with a LOT of profanity added to the dialog. I've seen this kind of thing backfire many times, but I was impressed by how much this livened things up, and many conversations became much more amusing. This is one of those rare occasions where a dub doesn't just do well for itself, but manages to enhance the show.

I liked Tokko, but found the art and animation to be huge detractors, which is why I can't rate it above average. Story and concept may not be original but it does well for this genre. This could have been one grade A bad ass anime with better viduals and a conclusion, but as it is here it's only average. If you're looking for a "save the world from demons" kind of story, this one is worth checking out.