Re:_Hamatora

Re:_Hamatora (Re:␣ ハマトラ) is the 12 episode follow-up/conclusion to Hamatora.  The series aired in Japan during the summer of 2014.

   Beginning a few months after the events of Hamatora we discover that Nice has survived Art's attempt on his life.  The group, faced with more public exposure to Minimum Holders, has to figure out what Art's motives are as joins forces with radicals set on recreating Yokohoma for their own benefit.

    This wraps up the story nicely and doesn't leave much of anything to questions...except for, how the hell did some of the characters survive in the end!!  I'm somewhat confused by that and I don't think it was explained clearly.  But I'm jumping ahead of myself and perhaps spoiling some things.  Hamatora is what you would get if the X-Men were originally a Japanese creation and in many ways I like it more than that classic mutant drama.  The show has its ready for cosplay character designs but it’s a rather interesting story, even if it suffers some cliché’s.  There is a good balance of brainless humor and savage realism in the show.  A ton of people get killed throughout the course and their deaths hold consequences some times.  While I continue to compare this series with the X-Men it has way more in common with Elfen Lied.  At its roots it’s about a bunch of kids who exhibited special abilities and shady government organizations who exploited them. The events in the series are a direct result of the way the government treated, abused and exploited the characters when they were vulnerable children.  With this being a semi common theme in anime one has to wonder where these deep seeded fear and mistrust comes from.

    If you enjoyed the first half of this story you must watch the second half.  Don't watch it without going through Hamatora as nothing will make much sense to you.  There is also a manga that is a prequel of sorts that I should probably actually get around to reading, which may also clear up some of my confusion.

    I don't usually get into series like this anymore but am glad I did and stuck with it.  Worth the time I think.  It was simulcast on Crunchyroll but there is no word and any sort of disc release for either series in North America.