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One is a priest - and the others a beast
Basics
Once, long ago, a small village was terrorized by demon, who gobbled up peasants like rice cakes. Then, one day, a mysterious stranger appeared and, with a magic spear, pinned the creature's shoulder to a boulder, trapping it forever! That is, until 500 years later, when the stranger's descendent, Ushio Aotsuki, discovers a very irritated demon still pinned in the family basement! Although Ushio doesn't release the fiend, the awakened monster's aura acts like a beacon to other, equally nasty creatures and soon the whole neighborhood is crawling with demons. Lacking any practical demon-banishing experience (and desperate to handle the problem before his father gets home) Ushio decides to go straight to the horses mouth for advice. It's a buddy film unlike any you've ever seen before as boy and beast form an uneasy alliance to rid the town of its infernal infestations! And if Ushio can get Tora to stop trying to eat him, they might just succeed!
Ushio and Tora combines the wacky found-a-demon-in-a-well hijinks of Tenchi Muyo with the time-honored American buddy-picture tradition of partners who are always at each other's throats. Tossed into the mix are liberal doses of violence and gore, Japanese monster myths, love triangles, silly fish-out-of-water stories, and goofy slapstick. Despite a few flaws, this unholy combination of story elements is very entertaining and highly watchable.
Ushio's amusingly antagonistic relationship with the demon Tora is the highlight of the anime. Tora can't quite deal with the modern world of humans, and wants nothing more than to devour Ushio in his sleep. Ushio, fortunately, is the wielder of the mystic Spear of Beast. Tora reluctantly helps Ushio battle a gaggle of demons haunting modern-day Japan under the threat of having the Spear used on him, while Ushio needs a demon of Tora's power to help him slay all the other demons. Ushio and Tora is at its best when the personalities of the two main characters bounce off each other, as they go from bitter enemies to best friends.
This anime combines violent and very serious battles between Ushio and Tora and their demon opponents with the comedic antics of two characters who hate each other yet are forced to live together. This split personality works very well, with neither aspect overshadowing the other. Unfortunately, the two elements are often so far apart the graphic violence may turn off comedy fans, and action fans may wish that the silly stuff had just been taken out. On the whole, though, if you don't mind the odd combination, Ushio and Tora is worth picking up.
Rating: G / PG-13
U.S. Distribution Rights: ADV Films
Genres: Action, Comedy
Overall Grade: 88% (B+)
My Rating: 4/5 (Due to how short the series is. 10 episodes.)
You are now listening to, Vampire Hunter from Unknown. Maybe Vampire Hunter D.
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