Weekly Review: Ushio to Tora
Plot / Story
Ushio to Tora is a revived anime series. The original series was adapted, much like this new series, from the manga, but that was back in the early 1990’s. This series was set to launch in the Summer of 2015, which it in fact began airing in July of 2015. The main character and protagonist is a boy named Ushio, up until now he has just been a normal boy that goes to school every day. His family has been entrusted with guarding a sacred temple, to which his father guards at this point. His father always told him stories about his ancestors and mystical monsters known as Youkai. Ushio always took it as a joke, thinking they were just that, stories.
One day Ushio found a hatch in the floor of the temple, after he finally gets it open, he decides to journey down into the darkness. What he finds shocks him; there is a tiger-like orange monster that has been impaled by some sort of spear. The monster, in fact Youkai, that was once known as Nagatobimaru, is this very monster. His name used to spread fear among the world as his savagery was matched by no man or monster. Nagatobimaru asks Ushio to remove the spear that has been holding him prisoner there, but also states that he will devour Ushio the moment he is free, so he doesn’t get very far. After going back and forth, and finding out that there is an oncoming threat of Youkai due to the aura that Nagatobimaru puts off, Ushio decides to release him.
Nagatobimaru probably would of devoured him right then and there, but he didn’t plan on Ushio being a very special person. He is an ancestor of the one that fought Nagatobimaru decades before, so he can wield the mighty spear known as the Beast Spear. Ushio transforms into a strong and fast warrior whenever he wishes to fight with the spear. In fact, the only thing you see differently is he gets some crazy long hair. After, somewhat, settling their differences, they are able to come together to repel the Youkai attack. It’s at this time that Nagatobimaru states that he will haunt Ushio until the day he can devour him. This is also when Ushio names the monster Tora, which is good because later we find out that he actually detests the name Nagatobimaru.
This is where our adventure begins. Ushio and Tora have to face the ever coming waves of Youkai, some more powerful than others. Ushio also starts out on a journey to find out the truth about his mother, and ultimately, where to find and kill a powerful Youkai named Hakumen no Mono. Hakumen no Mono is a Youkai that devastated the entire world in its day, it took a combination of Youkai and man to seal it away. However, it appears that now it will be a greater threat than ever.
Overall
I actually rather enjoyed this anime, the old animation style and art really took me back to when I used to watch these kind of shows as a child. I really love the way the show can go from super serious to comedic in a split second, it makes for a good comic relief. Ushio and Tora are both fascinating main characters, more Tora though. Tora’s character is interesting since he is a scary, powerful Youkai, but gets fascinated with little things such as flying in an airplane or eating a hamburger. You should definitely check this one out if you are a fan of the old style.