Tonkatsu DJ Agetarou

Tonkatsu chef by day, professional DJ by night—this is the aspiration of Agetarou Katsumata, whose family owns a small tonkatsu shop in Shibuya.

One night, Agetarou delivers an order to a staff member at a nightclub and gets invited inside as a token of thanks. Although nervous at first, he soon finds himself absorbed by the atmosphere, falling in love with the dancing girls, flashing lights, and groovy music. Agetarou starts visiting the club regularly until a certain night leads him to a chance encounter with a legendary American DJ: Big Master Fly. Putting on a spectacular show, the DJ sparks an epiphany in Agetarou—the groove of mixing music appears to be strikingly similar to the rhythm of preparing tonkatsu. Thenceforth Agetarou sets his sights on becoming a master of both disciplines.

With the help of his neighborhood friends and his mentor DJ Oily, Agetarou pursues his dream all the while dealing with familial problems, love issues, and many other kinds of trouble. Tonkatsu DJ Agetarou is a hilarious tale about an impulsive young boy trying to find his own path in life, while still fulfilling his familial and social responsibilities.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Katsumata, Agetarou Main

Yamashita, Daiki Japanese

Big Master Fly Supporting

Chafurin Japanese

Oiri, Iori Supporting

Fujiwara, Keiji Japanese

Katsumata, Agesaku Supporting

Ishii, Kouji Japanese

Mizokuro, Gorou Supporting

Matsuyama, Takashi Japanese

Fujii, Raita Supporting

Seki, Tomokazu Japanese

Oshibori, Shuugo Supporting

Tsuda, Kenjirou Japanese

Katsumata, Koromo Supporting

Totoki, Rio Japanese

Katsumata, Katsuyo Supporting

Tojo, Kanako Japanese

Komagiri, Joe Supporting

Maeda, Takeshi Japanese

Matsuda, Keiichi Producer

Daichi, Akitarou Director

Tanaka, Kazuya Sound Director

Kosaka, Harume Episode Director

Reviews

Jun 26, 2016

MetaThPr4h

Recommended

Tonkatsu DJ Agetarou is my clear choice for underrated anime of this Spring 2016 season, it's a shame that few people gave it a try because it's a really enjoyable anime.

Agetarou works at his family's tonkatsu (a Japanese food which consists of a breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet) restaurant, he doesn't like it much, but destiny made him discover the disc jockey world, and, for his surprise, he realizes more and more every episode how similar is cooking and working in a tonkatsu restaurant to being a DJ in the details about them.

Something that I really like about this anime is the "bro" feeling it has, ... everyone is just so cool to the others and there is little to no drama, when Agetarou fails, he won't go in a neverending despair, nor blame anyone for his mistakes, he accepts it and looks for a way to improve, and, with the help of the great and likeable cast of side characters, he always comes back and shows what he learned, this makes for a really entertaining and positive experience every episode in his way to become the best disc jockey.

The art may look ugly, and it arguably is, but it just fits the series so well that can't be complained about, the sound part is amazing, I find myself moving to the rhythm of the music every episode thanks to the catchy themes this anime has.

Tonkatsu DJ Agetarou is an anime that totally deserves a watch and if you're looking for a feel good experience with lots of fun and cool characters, this anime is just for you.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Jul 6, 2016

ultra_aleph

Recommended

You see all sorts of musicians in anime - jazz, rock, death metal, classical, pop... But until now there has not been, to my knowledge, an anime series devoted to electronic music. Tonkatsu DJ Agetarou has righted that wrong at last and put electronic music in the spotlight where it deserves to be. As a fan of electronic music, I really cannot begin to express how much I enjoyed the series.
It takes electronic music seriously, it shows both the artistic and the scientific side of it. Being a DJ requires vast knowledge about different types of music, the ability to imagine how various tracks can ... be put together and the technical skills to operate the equipment. But this anime also shows one of the main aspects of electronic music - its creativity. Anything can become rhythm and melody, from the pitter-patter of raindrops to the sizzle of oil in the fryer. Music is everywhere, but it takes a talented person to discover it, and Agetarou is just that person.
His wonder at discovering the DJing world is infectious, you cannot help but root for him, because he goes through things most people understand - chasing his dream, learning things about the world, trying to connect with people... The anime has a rather accurate depiction of the path of a young DJ, including the difficulties he faces and the obstacles he has to overcome, including stage fright, inexperience and envious rivals.
The art differs very much from the moe aesthetics and does not have and 3D, so it might take some time to get used to it for some people, but I personally found that the rather simplistic art style often reminds of graffiti, contributing to that feel of night clubs and underground parties. The music is on point, some of those songs will stay in your head for a long time. The series has quite a bit of humour too, just take a look at those character names - Big Master Fry, DJ Oily, there is definitely a theme there.
And I really like how despite tackling serious themes with accuracy, the anime stays light-hearted and has a general feel-good atmosphere. Agetarou has good friends and a nice family and is surrounded by helpful people, and is himself an overall nice guy, and at times it really brought tears to my eyes when his music once again showed the best in people and united everyone.
All in all, this anime is a must-see for any fan of electronic music. And if you are not a fan, you should still give it a try, maybe it will change your perspective on this type of music! Good chill.

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Apr 2, 2018

Arachnophobic

Mixed Feelings

This show is a poor man's Shokugeki no Souma - with the added conceit of synthesizing cooking and DJ-ing. Call it Shokugeki no DJ. I must admit that was a fun idea. I liked some of those nutty reaction faces, and the c h i l l o u t moments were quite easily the highlight of the show. I liked the trusty friends' group and that weird background guy in traditional clothing who showed up everywhere to dance. You go, guy! Oh, and there were some puns, beware. I liked those too though. At some level, this show had potential to be something quite ... fun, but it dropped the ball across a lot of departments.

The art and animation is Sasuga DEEN™ level at barely functional, but watchable. There are ways to work around this by constantly stealing the viewer's attention away with absurdity (Inferno Cop and Cromartie High School manage to do that really well), but it didn't do that as often as it could have.

What bothered me most was that the music, the one department where the show really had to shine to do justice to its premise. But most of the tracks weren't great to begin with, and were beaten down to yawn-inducing with overuse and little variation.

I appreciate they tried to end it at a kind of decent place, but it's still a 'read the manga' ending because the plot has only progressed halfway at best. And given that the manga is languishing in obscurity, the anime clearly did not do its job of promoting the source material.

Overall Score: 4.5/10 rounded up to 5. I'd skip it.

All in all, if someone wants to get introduced to the basics of hip-hop, I'd rather suggest the more hands-on approach of the amazing '44th Anniversary of the birth of Hip-Hop' Google Doodle.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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	What Do The Party People and DJs Think of This Show? JPhardboiled - Jul 24, 2016	3 replies	by MORDAPUDZIANA »» Sep 18, 2023 5:09 PM
	Songs in this anime. Kureiji-Otaku - May 15, 2016	12 replies	by IridescentJaune »» Aug 2, 2022 11:01 AM
	Poll: Tonkatsu DJ Agetarou Episode 6 Discussion Stark700 - May 15, 2016	33 replies	by Swiggy »» May 14, 2020 2:40 AM
	Poll: Tonkatsu DJ Agetarou Episode 2 Discussion Stark700 - Apr 17, 2016	24 replies	by WAQR »» Apr 15, 2018 5:45 PM
	Poll: Tonkatsu DJ Agetarou Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Apr 10, 2016	51 replies	by WAQR »» Apr 15, 2018 5:35 PM

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