Ushio & Tora

Original Title: うしおととら
Romanized: Ushio to Tora
Literal: Ushio and Tora

Plot Synopsis

500 years ago, a demon plagued the innocent peasants of Japan. He would destroy their homes and eat them. The people were in dire need of assistance. One day, a samurai with the legendary Beast Spear challenged the monster. They fought for four days and four nights. On the fifth day, the stranger pinned the demon to a boulder with the Beast Spear, trapping him, but not killing him. Knowing this was the best he could do, the samurai became a monk and built a temple over the monster, sealing it. Ushio Aotsuki is the decedent of that monk... and he couldn't care less. Mainly because he doesn't believe the story. His Dad keeps telling it to him, and each time he falls asleep. But on one fateful day while cleaning a storage room, Ushio stumbles upon (or into) a trap door containing the infamous monster himself. The built up anger and hatred of the demon is released, attracting monsters from miles around. In a desperate attempt to solve the problem quickly (and before his Dad comes home) he frees the demon to employ his help. However, 500 years of captivity tends to make one a tiny bit disgruntled. Without missing a beat he attacks Ushio only to discover the reawakened power of the Beast Spear merging with Ushio's body. Fearing the Beast Spear, he agrees to help Ushio but promises himself that he will eat our poor hero. Our hero promises himself he will kill the demon, now named Tora. Thus, the ultimate 'buddy' series has begun!

Quick Review

Rating: 4 / 5
Reviewer: Legion
Review Date: 2003-06-25

Somewhere between hack-and-slash splatterfest and a buddy flick comedy with a big twist of anime wackyness, Ushio & Tora is a hard series to pin down. Though the plot was predictable and had some rough spots, the Japanese mythological tie-ins and character development kept it interesting, and the characters held it all together--a mix of appealingly down-to-earth types and wacky supporting cast. The art and animation were pretty good, and improved steadily until the particularly impressive final episodes.

In all, Ushio & Tora has a unique blend of violent action, drama and comedy. You'll have to accept a few hokey plot elements but as long as you don't mind bloody anime that has some intelligence, then Ushio & Tora is right up your alley.

US DVD Review

The DVD Complete Collection includes the entire series, plus some artwork and the "SD Theater" episode.

Content Guide

Rated 15-up by ADV on account of relatively graphic violence.

Violence: 3 - Pretty darn violent at times.

Nudity: 1 - There's some skin, but the good stuff is covered in some form or another.

Sex/Mature Themes: 2 - Asako's father. 'Nuff said.

Language: 3 - These are ADV subs, so there's probably more profanity then needed.

Notes and Trivia

Based on some early stories in a long running manga by Kazuhiro Fujita (not available in English as of this writing). Apparently the manga develops a solid story about Ushio trying to find his mother. A pity it was never animated.

The bonus SD episode was originally titled "Ushio and Tora - Comical Deformed Theater" (Ushio to Tora - Komikaru Deforume Gekijou / うしおととら コミカル・デフォルメ劇場).

Availability

Looking to buy? Try these stores: RightStuf (search) | AnimeNation | Akemi's a(nime)Store