Anime Review - Togainu no Chi

Well for my first review of the year I thought I would go with an anime I watched last year Togainu no Chi. Togainu no Chi is based of the BL game of the same name, however this series is more violent then BL really. The story is about a young man named Akira and his best friend Keisuke who find themselves caught up in a violent game. The goal of the game is to attack other players in a violent part of the city know as Toshima and collect dog tags. The person who collects a Royal Flush in dog tags will have the opportunity to fight the strongest fighter "II-Re". Togainu no Chi is a beautifully rendered gritty anime, with dark tones. This anime is harsh and not meant to be pretty, it's about survival in a harsh environment where only the strongest survive. Amoung the violence Akira and Keisuke fight to survive as well as try maintain there fragile friendship. Along the journey Akira and Keisuke make new friends as well as enemies. Drug use is a theme heavily explored in Togainu no Chi, in the merciless city of Toshima many of it's residents turn to a drug called Line in order to futher there cause of winning in the game. Akira himself hold's the key within himself to Line. the voice work was very well done, no complaints there the actor's really gave that sense of tormented people stuck in a fate they couldn't control. All in all I would say this anime is worth checking out, I think its going to be one of thise anime's that will stay under the radar. It's not likely to be picked up by any company other then maybe Rightstuf, I am not sure if it is Funimation's cup of tea to tell you the truth. In any case post your comments and tell me what you think.