Winter 2018 Anime: Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens

Synopsis

In a city known as Fukuoka, crime exists in the underworld beneath a seemingly peaceful surface. In the Hakata ward of the city, there are various individuals with special talents consisted of professional killers, detectives, informants, and professional revenge seekers. Furthermore, according to an urban legend, an individual known as “killer of professional killers” has shown up in the city.

Comments

Zacky Dhaffa Pratama (The Indonesian Anime Times)

At first, I was quite confused why the title doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the story. Then, I remembered that one of the way to describe Hakata Ward in Fukuoka City is its tonkotsu ramen.

That trivia aside, the series seems to show its first episode from different perspectives, which I think is very intriguing. It might be confusing for those who are not used to it, but by considering that it is quite effective in narrating a mystery story, I guess the audience should adapt to it.

Furthermore, since the story’s setting is based on a real life city, in this case the Hakata Ward, the way that the anime depicts its city atmosphere is notably accurate. Due to my recent visit to Hakata, I feel that some scenes are like flashbacks of places that I had visited, like Tenjin, the Hakata Station itself, and so on.

Speaking of urban legend, the way that the story presents underground criminal activities is somewhat relevant for me. As I am currently staying in Japan where crime activities have low rate, it’s also not a tightly kept secret that beneath this “peaceful” things going on, there is also something lurking in the shadows.

Thus, personally I would like to recommend this, especially to those who like mystery and crime related stories.

Facts and Figures

Screenshots and Trailers

The Indonesian Anime Times