People with esper powers fight each other.

Tokyo ESP has a rather frustrating structure:

1. Start with the big climax and cliffhanger in the first episode.
2. Jump back to the setup in the past.
3. Training arc.
4. Finish the final battle.

They start off the first episode with all the best parts, and it’s downhill from there. It doesn’t help that in the end, we just replace the cliffhanger from the first episode with a different unresolved cliffhanger. *Sigh*.

Also, it seems like some sort of epic struggle from the first episode, but it ends up just being a catfight between two girls over their potential boyfriend. Oh anime….

The characters are cool, the setup is cool, the esper powers are cool, but they never really do much with them. What’s more, the main character is the most boring of the lot. This would have been a decent setup for a second season, but without one guaranteed it seems like a waste to air by itself. There are so many subplots which are just forgotten.

• Storytelling – C – Cool fights and setup, but poor use of its limited time.
• Voice – B – Not completely unique, but I like the powers and general feel.
• Characters – C – Some interesting ones, I especially like the kids and the thief. Sadly they never get to do much.
• Attention Grab – B – Kept my attention throughout, aside from a few of the training / backstory episodes.
• Production – B – Looks good.
• Overall – C

Recommendations – Index, Strike the Blood, Zettai Karen Children