The Summer 2015 season of Anime has begun and today I am here to talk about a rather amusing series called Ushio to(and) Tora.
Ushio and Tora originally started as a Manga written by Kazuhiro Fujita and ran from 1990 to 1996. It had a ten episode OVA series and now in 2015 received the full on modern day anime treatment. This is the story of Ushio, a young boy whose father tells him tales of his ancestor who was a legendary warrior who managed to defeat a terrifying beast 500 years ago. What he does not know is said beast is still around and alive in his own home! One day Ushio noticed a hidden pathway in his house and as he walked in to investigate stumbles upon the demon who is impaled with a spear. The demon begs Ushio to remove the spear, but Ushio refuses and leaves. What he doesn’t realize is that a bunch of spirits have invaded his home and began to terrorize some of his friends eversince he first came into contact with that demon. He goes back and makes a deal with the demon that he will set him free if he helps fend off the evil spirits.
Ushio and Tora plays out like a Monster-of-the-week Show
So far each episode has been relatively self contained and as a result are very simple and easy to follow. You are given a glimpse of what the evil spirit of the week is at the beginning of each episode and the episodes focus mainly on that monster. We have seen a decent variety in enemies such as one who turns people into stone, giant flying centipedes or a painting that contains the soul of a deceased father who placed a curse on his daughter. I hope to see even more creative villains and enemies as the series goes on.
The interaction between Ushio and Tora is hilarious
Despite helping Ushio in battle, Tora’s goal is to find humans to eat and is craving a taste of Ushio. However whenever he tries to attack him, Ushio picks up the same spear that impaled Tora and uses it to defend himself rending Tora useless. Tora also follows Ushio around in his everyday life but many people are unable to see him. So whenever he and Ushio are fighting, it looks like Ushio is just flailing around like a maniac to all of his classmates. The expressions Tora makes always make me smile.
The opening is really badass
I dare you to tell me an opening like that does not get you pumped to watch these two fight! So far, Ushio and Tora is not a very deep show but knows how to deliver the fun. Give it a shot!
Ushio and Tora is currently streaming on Crunchyroll
