Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo | |
Director: | Michael Chang Ben Jones Matt Youngberg |
Producer: | Glen Murakami David Slack |
Writer(s): | David Slack |
Release Date: | February 6, 2007 |
Running Time: | 76 mins |
More Information | |
Full Credits | Trivia |
Home Video | Awards |
Soundtrack | Reviews |
Merchandise | Characters |
Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo is the first animated film in the Teen Titans animated film series. The plot revolves around The Titans in Tokyo, Japan to catch a Japanese criminal.
Plot[]
The Teen Titans spring into action when a new threat, the dichromatic ninja Saico-Tek, appears in their city. A chase across the city ensues, which leaves Titans Tower heavily damaged. Saico-Tek is interrogated by Robin with the aid of a translation program when he appears to speak Japanese, and reveals the identity of the one who sent him: Brushogun. The ninja then escapes his bonds and vanishes after destroying a fire sprinkler, and the Titans' only choice is to head to Tokyo and search for his mysterious master.
Beast Boy is overjoyed to finally get a vacation, but once the Titans are in Tokyo, the language barrier poses some trouble until Starfire uses her inherent skill to absorb language by kissing a passer-by (much to the shock of most of her team-mates, especially Robin). With directions to Shinjuku thus acquired, the team heads off, but they don't get very far before trouble shows up in the form of "Gorgo," a gigantic reptilian monster that is tearing its way through the city. The monster shares the regenerative powers of Saico-Tek, and the Titans' abilities have no effect on it; thankfully, Tokyo's own super-normal defence force - the Tokyo Troopers, led by Commander Uehara Daizo - arrives to stop the beast in its tracks with an energy cage.
Daizo shows the Titans around the Tokyo Troopers headquarters, and when Robin questions him on Brushogun, he informs the Teens that he is nothing more than an urban legend. Left at a loose end, the Titans can do nothing more than bow to Beast Boy's desire to enjoy Tokyo as tourists. Cyborg takes in the local cuisine at a sushi restaurant, where his bottomless appetite quickly rouses the ire of the chefs. Raven's desire for reading material leads her to a local magazine shop, where she mentions the languages she can read in. To her disappointment, the shop clerk only gives her a small package of gum, which is written in English. At the same time, he winks at her, Raven then shudders, showing her disgust for him. Beast Boy, meanwhile, attempts to visit the publishing house of his favorite manga, only to find it closed. Instead, he relaxes with a manga on the steps of the building, and soon catches the eye of a cute girl. The girl leads Beast Boy to a karaoke bar, where he finds more girls who love his performance and don't want him to leave....
Robin and Starfire, meanwhile, visit a video game arcade where Starfire's game skills attract a lot of attention. Afterward, she and Robin retreat to a rooftop to discuss more intimate matters - Robin recalls how Starfire kissed him when they first met and now understands that it was to learn English but Starfire has now learned that on Earth the action means "more." Robin, however, is focused on his mission to apprehend Brushogun; he and Starfire are heroes and for now, much to her dismay, they cannot be "more." Then, Robin says "we have no time for this," "A hero is what I am," "and if you don't like it, then." Starfire cuts him off and says, "Robin, I'll like it more than you'll ever know." Then Starfire flies away crying.
Investigating alone, Robin is attacked once more by Saico-Tek, and they get into a very violent fight which ends with Robin pummeling the ninja into the ground. But when Saico-Tek does not rise, the crowd watching believes Robin has murdered his opponent. Commander Daizo apprehends Robin, despite the hero's protestations of innocence, but as he is transferred, a slip of paper bearing the name "Brushogun" flits into the armored car carrying him and explodes, freeing him. Now on the run, Robin co-opts the identity of a Shinjuku mugger who tried to shoot him, and reunites with the other Titans, who have themselves been attacked by strange creatures that look like they have leapt straight out of a Japanese comic book. He and Starfire spend another tender moment again ... which is suddenly interrupted by the other Titans.
Brushogun, as Raven relates from the book she found, was an artist who had fallen in love with a woman he had drawn, and had attempted to bring her to life using Japanese black magic. But the spell turned against the artist, and was transformed into a being of paper and ink - ink that he could use to bring any creation he could imagine to life. With this new information, Robin has no trouble deducing Brushogun's hideout: Beast Boy's favorite manga publishing house. Breaking in (after being chased by a majority of Tokyo's citizens), the Titans discover a horrifying sight: the frail, withered form of Brushogun, wired into a printing press that draws on his powers to create the enemies the Titans have been faced with. The true villain turns out to be Commander Uehara Daizo, who has used Brushogun's powers to lie and create the villains and monsters that his Tokyo Troopers (also Brushogun's creations) were made famous by capturing. He also had Robin framed.
A massive battle between freshly-printed versions of Brushogun's creations ensues, culminating when Robin faces Daizo on a walkway above the factory floor. With no options of escape left, Daizo hurls himself from the catwalk, into the ink reservoir of the press below, taking control of Brushogun's powers and transforming himself into a giant, hulking mass of ink and machinery, with Brushogun himself at the center. As the other Titans battle the warped creations that Daizo hurls at them, Robin frees Brushogun from the monstrous conglomeration. As the old man fades away in his arms like ink fading with time, his powers disappear and Daizo is left defeated and exposed.
In the wake of the battle, Robin tells Starfire that this whole experience has shown him that it is possible to be something more than a hero. As he stumbles out an explanation of his feelings, Starfire simply says, "Robin, stop talking." Robin and Starfire kiss, as Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Boy are smiling, and Cyborg simply says "Well, it's about time." A short time later, the Titans are awarded medals of honor by the mayor for their actions, and the inhabitants of Tokyo welcome their new heroes with some individual rewards as well. Such as, lots of girls in love with Beast Boy, the chefs giving Cyborg a real "all you can eat" buffet and Raven's advertisement for the gum she tried earlier (whom she refers to as "becoming the pet of...). Robin and Starfire are seen tenderly holding hands, confirming that they have become a romantic couple. Beast Boy then declares that next year, he wants to go to Mexico, and Raven smacks him off the screen, concluding a long-running gag and the movie.
Cast[]
- Scott Menville as Robin and Japanese Boy
- Khary Payton as Cyborg
- Greg Cipes as Beast Boy
- Hynden Walch as Starfire and Mecha-Boi
- Tara Strong as Raven and Computer Voice
- Yuri Lowenthal as Japanese Biker and Scarface
- Robert Ito as Bookstore Owner and Mayor
- Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Brushogun
- Keone Young as Commander Uehara Daizo, Saico-Tek and Sushi Shop Owner
- Janice Kawaye as Nya-Nya and Timoko
Gallery[]
Videos[]