In the latest episode of Tokyo Revengers, titled "Christmas Showdown," we finally see the conclusion of the current story arc, which has been inconsistent at best. While there were some entertaining moments in the episode, it was ultimately a mixed bag.
One of the highlights was the flashbacks to the childhood of Mitsuya and Draken, where we got to see how the founders of Toman first met. It was entertaining to see the young delinquents getting into mischief and playing poker with sex workers in the backroom of a brothel. It would be interesting to see more of Draken's wild childhood in a spin-off. It was also nice to see Mitsuya's realization that even his less-than-ideal family situation had its blessings.
However, the subplot involving Hina and Takemichi was a letdown. After the dramatic meeting between them at the end of the previous episode, arranged by Mikey, nothing really happens. Takemichi apologizes, cries, and is instantly forgiven without any real explanation or resolution. Hina doesn't even question Takemichi about the specific things he promised to protect her from, and there's no reckoning with him lying and hiding things from her. It was a missed opportunity to build their relationship beyond the basics and to let Hina in on her own impending doom.
Overall, the story arc feels like it hasn't really gained or lost much. While Hakkai and Yuzuha are in a better place and Black Dragon is disbanded, we didn't even know about those characters until this arc. We haven't learned anything new about Kisaki's motivation, and there's no indication that he won't try his plan again once Takemichi slips back to the future. The only significant development is that Chifuyu is now in on things, which may help steer things in the right direction between the two timelines.
While I hope I'm proven wrong, the episode left me with the impression that we've been spinning our wheels for weeks on end. I sincerely want there to be some kind of lasting, dramatic change to the story's status quo.
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