Ikebukuro West Gate Park is a strange beast. On one hand it explores serious realworld issues like racism but on the other hand it attempts to fit those conflicts and tell episodic stories with its diverse cast of characters that can sometimes hit home greatly or miss by a long shot. Storywise IWGP is an interesting take on the gang genre. The main character gets involved with different kinds of conflicts and attempts to resolve them without using forceful methods for the most part but occasionally seeks help from his friend who is the leader of a gang to help him out when things arent smoothsailing. These conflicts are certainly great choices to tell multiple stories that happen in Ikebukuro but there are times where it feels as if the episodes that tackle some of these conflicts feel like they are lacking the extra punch or oomph to really give viewers an impact that will be felt long after the ED plays save for a few that are actually pretty solid because it does have that extra punch like the twoepisode arcs. On the positive side IWGPs characters feel grounded to reality which makes sense as this anime basically is grounded too. Their experiences in life mostly revolve around the conflicts that the episode tackles which is a good way to set up the mood of the episode. While on the topic of characters the main character Makoto fights for justice and will use any means necessary so long as violence is avoided for the most part. Aside from that he also empathizes with those who seek help from him and help them out to make Ikebukuro a better place. Of course there are characters that are onedimensional but they are mostly just there for the plot and are unimportant for the most part. One drawback however is that I dont really feel interested or invested with some of the characters but for most of the time they manage to keep my interest. Moving on to its art and music its certainly not bad. Its minimalistic take on its character designs reminds me of another anime from this year from Doga Kobo which is Sing Yesterday for Me. Speaking of Sing Yesterday IWGP is kind of similar to it in a way that it doesnt really use too much music aside from a few scenes which makes me more focused with its dialogue and whats happening on the screen. Now while all these things sound positive I think that overall there is really nothing to write home about with IWGP in terms of art and music as I think it doesnt really make enough effort in order for it to at least let its art and music stick with me. In conclusion Ikebukuro West Gate Park is neither a great nor bad show. It is simply an okay show from Doga Kobo and heres to hoping that they manage to produce great shows in the future. Would I recommend it? If you have the patience Id say go for it as there are certainly aspects of the show where I can see people enjoy it but if you dont have the patience it would be in your best interest to skip it as you are not really missing out on a ton. 6.2/10
62 /100
32 out of 44 users liked this review