Mar 10, 2018
Alright, as a wrestling and anime fan, i feel the need to review this show. (First review ever, so dont judge too harshly. or dont. who cares.)
So, Tiger Mask W. Whoof. This series had some massive ups and downs. As a wrestling fan (particularly NJPW) it had a lot of good fanservice, but that's almost it's downfall. I feel like one of the selling points of TMW is that it has so many references to real-life wrestlers, but if you're not at least tangentially aware of who these people are (Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi) you're gonna miss a lot of content. Okada's first appearance in
...
the series is treated as a big deal, but if you're not aware he's the current longest-reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion, it's going to mean nothing to you. There's even a joke later on in the series involving Tanahashi that you wont get unless you're in the know. But i digress.
Being a Toei production, the animation is all over the place. At the least, it's good when it counts in the fights, and that's all we can really ask for. Even so, it means that we dont have a fully fantastic animation quality, and that's sad.
The Story, while cliche, is a fun story to follow. Naoto fights to get revenge for his father figure, while his childhood friend does the same, with different means. It was a fun story, but nothing inherently special. The characters are probably the best thing about the series, even if they are also nothing inherently special. Haruna was probably the best part to me, her energy and sense of humor was the best thing that kept the series fun to watch at any given time. The rivalry between Naoto and Takuma was engrossing, if a bit cliche. Obviously there was also the frequent cameos of real-life NJPW wrestlers, which was a great source of making the series feel grounded, even in the impossibilities of the wrestling shown.
Overall, if you're a wrestling fan (especially a NJPW fan) you'll likely get a good amount of enjoyment out of Tiger Mask W. It's DEFINITELY cliche by anime standards, it's story being a very old-school style of storytelling. But even so, it has heart. It may have gotten a 6/10 from me, but it kept me enjoying it, if only for it's over-the-top style and it's fanservice. Give it a try if you're a wrestling fan, but i'd probably stay away if you're not, or are into shounen that try new things.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
