Do you like cool and quirky characters complex and multilayered plots and awesome knife fights? If so you came to the right place. This anime has all that and more. Weve got Lin the straight crossdresser who looks irritated almost all the time buts a lot brighter than you give him credit for. Weve got Banba the easygoing enigmatic and downright cool guy whos totally reminiscent of Spike Spiegel. Weve got Enokida the obligatory hacker whos actually pretty interesting by himself the perpetually unlucky Saitou who really is just not cut out to be an assassin and the Submarine Ninja who despite the goofy name is a shorttempered lone wolf. Thats just to mention a few. Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens has a massive and extremely diverse cast and all the characters are important in one way or the other. Its a lot like Durarara In that regard lots of minor events in the city have ripple effects that can alter the entire course of the story. You never know if that one guy you bump into whilst shopping will be the assassin that tries to kill you later or the pitcher for your baseball team. Its part of what keeps the anime exciting and seriously there is rarely a dull moment. Sure not everyone gets a load of screentime and thats to be expected in a mere 12 episodes but you get to know their personalities nonetheless. Lin as the MC is well developed we get to see past his shell and into his backstory. The others are mainly developed through their interactions with each other. The characters are sort of like a family but not like the Fairy Tail type. They tend to look out for themselves first and foremost but will show up if someones in real trouble. They dont show affection often but it is somewhere under the surface. Its less cheesy and melodramatic that way plus all their snippy banter is quite amusing to listen to. Instead of a story revealed straight from the beginning theres a set of seemingly random episodes that introduce you to the city of Hakata and the weird bunch that inhabit it. There are some relatively heavy topics dealt with murder torture human trafficking but the anime doesnt go all philosophical on you. Everything except killing is bad and even then you should only try and kill those who deserve it mainly organisations dealing with the aforementioned activities. Its a show about various groups of hitmen after all and an action series at that so you would expect it to take a somewhat lighter approach to the killing aspect. Besides we get to see a lot more fights that way. Which brings me on to the art and animation. Both are good nothing outstanding but the city is well drawn the fights are animated nicely and the characters faces show their emotions properly. The sound is really great. The op theme felt really nostalgic for some reason and the jazzy ed is also worth a mention. Distinct Cowboy Bebop vibes there. To conclude I did enjoy this anime a lot. It was fastpaced and entertaining. Some parts were downright clever and the mysteries and fights were thrilling. I got taken in by a fair few of the twists and I was always eager for the next episode. Id definitely watch another season of this. Id recommend if you like anime like Durarara Cowboy Bebop or just anything fastpaced fun and actionpacked. XD BTW the baseball aspect did catch me a bit off guard but it ends up being more than just a distraction from all the killings. Its used both to show the neighbourhood dynamic and as a shared activity that helps to foster teamwork and trust. Its also part of what makes the anime unique instead of a cult or secret society they have a baseball team. And the best part? Watching them play baseball is made even more fun by just how absurd it actually is.