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I'm not the type to start threads for new anime, never mind ones that are older than most of the members are, but I figured this could double as both a thread for the new series being directed by Satoshi Nishimura and animated by MAPPA (probably the best example of a hit and miss studio ever) as well as the old OVAs from 1992.
For those unaware, Ushio & Tora is a hotblooded Shonen about a strong-willed boy and a half-wit youkai who band together to save the world. Tora (not his real name) was defeated long ago by a samurai who pinned him to a rock bed and left him sealed for hundreds of years. When Ushio finds the sealed youkai and his home under attack, he removes the spear not only freeing the monster from his prison, but gaining tremendous power in the process. The two form an unlikely alliance, hating each other a little less as they save the world time after time. It's essentially part buddy comedy and part action show.
The original manga lasted from 1990-1996 and lasted 33 volumes, to say it represents the era it was made is not giving it enough credit since it was at the forefront of the Shonen high-tide of the time. It inspired three OVAs, the first of which is six episodes and only covers very early manga material, the second of which composes four episodes and covers two standalone stories from the manga, and a third which is primarily a hodgepodge of music and comedy sketches.
The new anime will be 39 episodes and is stated to end at the same place the manga does, meaning it will be adapting far more than the OVAs managed. This means it will most likely be streamlined to include the arcs from the manga and not the standalone material that does not feature major characters. The only material sure to be repeated are the first six OVA episodes and a certain story in the second OVA which means that even fans of the old OVA will have something to look forward to.
Why is this show a big deal? Well, it isn't really. It's an unapologetic hotblooded Shonen anime in an age where that is only acceptable if you're being ironic, have a stupid gimmick, or are sufficiently grimdark. It's also directed by the man who directed both Trigun and Hajime no Ippo, which means you know the visuals will be up to the task of modernizing what many probably wouldn't otherwise give a chance. The biggest plus for it is that you won't find much like it out there these days and that it is unapologetic in how fun it is.
The OP (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fw7d9PFzjs) and ED (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLaz8LzYIo4) are pretty great, too.
As for me, I'm quite enjoying it even if I've seen the current material before in the old OVA. Anybody else watching?
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It's the second best show this season after Snow White. That might not be saying much, since Snow White is the only above-average show this season, but I'm enjoying it and am optimistic that it will be a solid, entertaining series for it's entire run.
QuoteI'm not the type to start threads for new anime
Which is exactly what garnered my attention. I went to myself, "Boy, this must be good then." This sounds laughably, obviously and typically right up my angle. Please have it, CR...
By the end of the next episode they'll have adapted the entire first volume. Nishimura really seems to get the appeal of the manga, since he's emphasizing all the right things.
Quote from: gunswordfist on July 11, 2015, 01:52:29 PM
This sounds laughably, obviously and typically right up my angle. Please have it, CR...
It is, and they do. ;D
What? Really? ;D
New episode every Friday on CR.
As someone who doesn't usually keep up with new anime on the day and date of each episode, this is the first one that made me want to. It's Shonen fun the likes of which I haven't enjoyed in a while. Reminds me of why I like the medium so much like BBB did, but in a different way.
At the same time, both the creator of Flame of Recca, and the creator of Zatch Bell, got their start working on this manga back in the day. And the influence they took from it really shows in different ways.
I watched both episodes after midnight. It has decent comedy so far and the title characters are likable, especially Tora.
The newest episode was originally a two-parter in the original OVA. If you want proof of how good a director Nishimura is, I suggest watching episode 5 and 6 of the OVA and this episode. He managed to hit all the same and important beats without sacrificing any of the story and made his episode better in the process.
Next week he will be adapting an earlier episode of the OVA (which actually comes after "Tora Goes to the City" in the manga, so I don't get what the OVA guys were doing here) that introduces another very important character. After that, I believe they will have adapted everything from the first 6 episode OVA that can be adapted.
I had the AC on and a fan on my 360 so I watched it on that about an hour ago. Obviously a Tora episode so I liked it. I'm hooked.
This episode utterly destroyed its counterpart in the original OVA. Exorcist Hyou is so much better than he was there and his fight with Tora isn't even comparable.
In other news, the next episode was a two-parter in the second OVA which means at this rate we'll probably be through the OVA material by episode 8 (even though episode 3 wasn't in the old OVA) and into the main story soon enough. I believe Ushio's father will be back by then and setting off the events for the plot.
cool! ^ I just finished today's episode. Hyou's pretty cool and I liked the murder vs. revenge theme.
Two things about this episode. The first thing is that this was a two-parter in the second OVA (episode 7 and 8) and that Nishimura did a great job sharpening everything up as well as emphasizing that Ushio and Tora hate each other a lot less now after what they've been through already. The second thing is to be sure to watch until the end of the ED as it is a hint to the next part of the story. The next story, I believe, is the proper beginning of the story. Though since it wasn't in the old OVA I don't know for sure.
Either way, another great episode. I'm really enjoying it.
EDIT: On a sidenote, I do wish the anime could somehow use this theme (https://youtu.be/oaFN-StqqGM?t=1257) at some point. It's easily the best track from the old OVA, but so totally obscure.
And with this episode the main storyline has begun. There's still one OVA episode left, but I'm sure it happens a bit later. As it is, we're now in completely new territory for those of us who only saw the OVA since it never touched the main storyline. It's certainly getting better with each episode and I'm pretty well hooked now.
On a whole other subject, I've been looking up the author, Kazuhiro Fujita. I find it absolutely baffling as to why he has not gotten more attention even in Japan. He's been working constantly since Ushio & Tora started in 1990, and not little things either. All three of his works were major successes, not to mention his other work also did well, yet you hear almost nothing about him and he has gotten no anime adaptions. Check it out:
Ushio & Tora: 1990-1996
Ura no Uta: 1988-1994 (Short stories running at the same time as U&T)
Karakuri Circus: 1997-2006
Akatsuki no Yuta: 1996-2003 (Another short story collection at the same time as KC)
Moonlight Act: 2008-2014
All that material, and not a single anime adaption. He even did two one-shots in 2007: the only year here where he wasn't writing an ongoing manga. If you ask me, this show is about due for the man. He's been working constantly since 1990, for 25 years, and has been all but passed over even as anime and manga blew up over here. Considering some of the junk that has been made into anime, I find that pretty strange.
Anyway, just thought I'd bring it up. I'm clearly becoming the biggest U&T fan here.
Some mangaka just seem to get the shaft like that. Though it's rare that someone making multiple different mainstream series for so long doesn't get at least one of them made into a tv anime until now.
I heard about Karakuri Circus for the first time when WMR reviewed it last year. (http://weeklymangarecap.podbean.com/e/karakuri-circus/) I still haven't stared reading it, but it seems like a really interesting and cool series. If U&T does well enough, it'd be cool if MAPPA adapts that soon after. Though, we still haven't gotten a Historie anime announcement from Madhouse even though it's been a couple months since Parasyte's ended, so who knows.
U&T has been really fun so far. It's won me over very quickly, so I'm looking forward to seeing it dig into the main storyline and seeing how it develops.
It's weird since his works are basically the only popular Weekly Shonen Sunday series that have never even gotten an anime adaption that I've noticed. Flame of Recca's might not have been too great, but it still got one, and even a few less popular series got made into one.
If they're planning on going after "missed" series like U&T after this, especially Shonen Sunday series, more works by Fujita are the obvious choice to make. There are no '90s or '00s Jump series I can think of that have been missed (other than longshots like Psyren or MxO), that have been missed like his have been in Weekly Shonen Sunday.
Either way, if Nishimura is handling it, I'm definitely game.
Also, glad you're also enjoying it. I hope it's doing pretty well despite being so unabashedly old school.
There's a few popular 90's/00's Jump and Sunday series that I can think of that never got a tv anime for some reason. Off the top of my head:
Rookies
Rokudenashi Blues
Kyo Kara Ore Wa!
Sekimatsu Leader Den Takeshi
Niji Iro Togarashi
Though, the former three have had quite a few live-action tv adaptions. Only the latter two are battle shonen, though, so yeah, Fujita's other manga have little competition in getting dug up as a follow-up for U&T.
Unfortunately, it doesn't seem people here (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2015-08-13/ann-readers-school-live-also-current-top-of-summer-2015-anime-poll/.91588) or in Japan (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2015-08-06/zombie-anime-school-live-soars-to-the-top-of-summer-anime-poll/.91355) are particularly excited about the series. It also has a surprisingly low score on MAL, which isn't a positive sign of the general fandom's opinions in it. Interest might pick up now that the show is entering into the meat of it's story, though, so we'll have to wait and see.
That's a real shame. People who are actually watching it really like it, but I guess it's something more general fans would like. It's a show that would have gone over huge airing on Toonami back in the day.
Quote15. Gatchaman Crowds insight
16. Ushio & Tora
What.
Oh right: ANN.
Spoiler
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Ushio is nothing if not clever. That was a great action packed episode, being up in the air they had to change their usual way of doing things and still managed to come through.
The next episode is the final one to be adapted in the OVA from the 90s. Looks like the OVA changed it from being part of Ushio's journey to having it take place in his hometown. I guess they didn't want to hint at the main storyline back then and wanted to keep it only to the manga to get people reading. Either way, it will be a nice contrast to watch. On the other hand it looks like they might be skipping one story to get to it that looks rather important, "The Houriki Heretic", but they could just as easily put it in the next episode after, I suppose. He is still on the journey, after all.
I got around to episode 6 today. It made me like Onee more. :) I'll get to the other two hopefully tomorrow.
If you caught the clip at the end of the ED, you should be aware that the main story is starting. The last two episodes were part of it.
The preview? Yep, my scary ass always skips previews. :D
And that's the end of the OVA material. This episode was originally a two-parter in the OVA but Nishimura wisely culled a lot of the repetitive and slow parts (such as making Ushio look far too weak and the scene after scene of pointless gore) and distilled the plot beats out straight while leaving all the important bits. Especially cutting down on the whole soppy PSA stuff that the OVA had way too much of which was basically relegated to Ushio empathizing with a story of his own and thereby keeping it in character for that one scene.
The OVA went too far out of its way to make Juuro look like a victim and tried to make him sympathetic despite the fact that he butchered countless innocents. Here there is no mistaking the Juuro is the bad guy choking on his own rage who chooses death instead of repentance at the end even though Ushio doesn't want to kill him. It was an improvement as far as I can tell because Juuro did nothing that merited sympathy: he chose out of his own free will to do what he did and was even willing to let his siblings die. The only sad part was that he was too blinded by his own hatred at the end to atone for his mistakes and chose death instead.
I'm not going to lie, this was my least favorite part of the old OVA, so it was a surprise that it was so much better here. But the strange part about the anime so far is that I've enjoyed the stuff the OVA didn't adapt more than what they did. The last two weeks of episodes in particular were quite great. So I'm excited to see what comes next more than anything.
Just finished episode 9. I wouldn't want anyone to tear down my jungle gym either. I'll watch 10 later. Jeez, I'm farther behind than I thought.
I just watch ep. 10. I like how it felt like a small movie with some of its beautiful scenes. Also, I wonder if Zakfwrkgfwplkenaglrn expected Tora to kill Saya's family when she said she expected him to be far crueler. But it probably just means that she didn't expect him to risk a painful death while helping her.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on August 21, 2015, 04:51:26 PM
Spoiler
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:D
Episode 11 involved a few returning characters and a story that strengthens the relationships between Ushio and Tora and Asako and Mayuko. It was nice to see just what kind of an impact Ushio had back home now that he's gone.
Next week is the beginning of a two-parter that should close out the first 13 episodes. I'm excited to see what it'll be about. I'm assuming he'll finally be at Asahikawa and hopefully we'll learn more about Tora's past by then.
And I just got caught up in the series. It was nice seeing Ushio & Tora return home.
Whoa, things just got crazy. Ushio is up a creek and Tora has to finally make a decision whether to join him for real or not. Not to mention we now know who Hakumen no Mono is, and its one crazy bad guy.
Can't wait for part two next week.
I just finished the episode. Whoa, so much to wrap my head around all that was said.
On another note, I love how Tora can be such an annoying tourist. He's like a little kid whenever he gets on a new kind of transportation. :D
Spoiler
"My name is Tora!"
I think that cements whose side he's on.
Another great episode. I like how everything appears to be coming together now. Barring any more distractions, they should reach Asahikawa soon and we can finally learn the whole deal behind Ushio's mother and her relationship to Hakumen no Mono.
On the negative side, we'll probably be losing the ED next week. They've been teasing a second ED for awhile, so it'll probably play from episode 14 through 26 at season's end. I just hope it can stack up to the great one we already have.
That ED was just starting to grow on me.
I love how Hiti..whatshisname the snake scarred face guy showed how youkai have grown close to each other ever since the conflict started with how angry he was about how many have died and other things concerning them. Also, Tora's time pinned to the wall really did make him rethink his life, like I've been suspecting. I had fun rewatching part one of the Touno episode and then part 2.
We got a new ED, and it is actually really cool. The music in the show is really well chosen. Also the OP added some new scenes and swapped out some old ones which are also really good. Here's the second ED on its own. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2mqgbrjmOg)
The episode was another great one, the show just gets better and better. Some good focus on both Ushio and Tora this time and a bit of a cliffhanger to leave us off.
I watched a few seconds of the new ED. Was scared to watch more due to spoilers. The OP did have changes.
A lot happened in this episode. Two of the 4 would-be spear wielders showed up and posed questions to Ushio and Tora respectively. Also, I did not expect Hakumen to send forces at all.
Back in July, U&T ranked only 18th in a poll of the summer 2015 anime fans were looking forward to. But guess which show was #1 when all was said and done? (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2015-10-10/goo-ranking-picks-summer-2015-best-anime-shows/.93711)
Glad the show has really won over more of an audience in Japan, as it seems to have in the U.S. Here's hoping it continues to do so as the show keeps getting better and better!
It would be Christmas if UaT, JoJo and HXH all got on Toonami next year. :SHOCK:
Yeah, I've noticed that it's overall popularity has risen on Crunchyroll as well.
Quote from: gunswordfist on October 10, 2015, 10:41:19 PM
It would be Christmas if UaT, JoJo and HXH all got on Toonami next year. :SHOCK:
It would be pretty cool if Ushio and Tora replaced Parasyte when it ends since they're both modern adaptions of classic manga.
I'm surprised it jumped to #1, but not so much that it's been getting more popular, more that I didn't expect so many people to be into it. As someone only familiar with the OVA material, even I was surprised how much better the story got after that point ended.
Of course I also think a lot of the appeal is that they don't really make anime (or manga, honestly) like this anymore. It's refreshing to see a shonen hero that is legitimately heroic yet has faults without being the typical ones you see nowadays (massive idiot, eats a lot, doesn't have any actual motivation) and a buddy comedy relationship with a character who is actually tough and cool without being brooding or unnecessarily jerk-ish (Ushio and Tora always end up one-upping each other). There's also the adventure-style story of going from one place to the next instead of being locked to a school of some kind which is a definite nice change.
Some complain about 90s shonen tropes and, sure, they're there. The series is 25 years old and came out before Yu Yu Hakusho, for crying out loud, any tropes it has were not tropes at the time. You can complain about tsundere-ness if you want, but U&T handles that style of relationship in the only way I like it. Just like Yusuke and Keiko, or Ranma and Akane, as characters who are the same but coming at it from different angles. You could fault the "harem" aspect, even though, again, the way it's done here is not as blatant or in your face about it. The way they present it is just as him making new friends on his journey, which is very much the case. The monster-of-the-week thing (which is pretty much done now) might have failed if they didn't
all link to the overarching story. That has always been my issue with those stories, not that they are formulaic. It's a formula barely used, and it's used really well here. As far as I'm concerned, none of these aspects bother me.
I'm just thankful it's being made finally. Watching recent events have made me question if this ever would have been made in the 90s. If it did, I bet it wouldn't be directed half as well. Trying to imagine Toei animating the bus sequence in the last episode is pretty cringe-inducing.
Quote from: gunswordfist on October 10, 2015, 10:41:19 PM
It would be Christmas if UaT, JoJo and HXH all got on Toonami next year. :SHOCK:
Wow, I might consider watching it for the first time if it did.
You never watched Toonami? Or do you just mean since they have returned?
I finally was able to watch the most recent episode. The show just keeps grabbing my interest. I don't know where I'd rank it but it would be in a good spot.
Yep, it's definitely the anime I most look forward to each week.
Quote from: gunswordfist on October 15, 2015, 08:35:07 PM
You never watched Toonami? Or do you just mean since they have returned?
The latter. There's not anything airing there right now that would make me go out of my way to watch it.
It was the only anime I looked forward to but Lupin is apparently on CR now so :kabapu:
I watched Toonami here and there...when I had it. I watched it almost religiously at the end of last year, of course. :devil:
Right now, all I'm watching is Parasyte. Which is good, but I'm not crazy on the dub so far.
I dropped that after I watched the first episode on CR. Not bad, I just had mixed feeling and didn't feel the urge to continue.
Another great episode. Izuna is a great new character.
Spoiler
That ending, though. Oh man, we gotta wait a week to see what happens next? Brutal.
Brutal, indeed.
I also liked Izuna
Spoiler
Wow. Just about every character and plot point from the first half of the season just came back around again. Was NOT expecting that. Giving everyone he saved a chance to save him was an awesome twist I didn't see coming.
I just can't believe it's another cliffhanger. Man, so mean.
Damn, does this show know how to end episodes at just the right moment. These cliffhangers have been just killing me. Another great ep, next week just can't come soon enough.
I just finished the latest episode. :SHOCK:
Spoiler
I wasn't sure how Ushio could be turned but I was expecting this to be Tora and gang beating up Ushio at most. Not a really epic episode that brought everyone together. Everything Ushio has done in the series has lead up to this. Beautiful, beautiful buildup. I severely underestimated this show and that was after putting it in the 6th spot on my anime list today.
Another great episode of Ushio & Tora. A lot has happened since they met the first chosen successor of the Beast Spear. Scary face whatshername. Anyway, and it has only picked up even more after they encountered the one that was possessed and even after everything that happened over the last few episodes, the show is not letting up at all. I love it. ;D
Tora never gets to eat anybody. :-\
Now that our pal's back and we have the cave up ahead I'm wondering just what's waiting for them. It's got to be big if the Hiyou didn't want them to make it there.
Good point. It could be anything..
Really satisfying episode, with some great character moments from Tora and Asako, and a cute emotional scene with Ushio thinking about his friends to boot. I wasn't expecting Hyou to pop up when he did. Tora didn't seem too surprised to see him again; I'm assuming that in the manga they had encountered him a few more times before this. I'm definitely curious as to what's in the cave, and wonder if we'll finally see the remaining Beast Spear successor show up week.
The MV of the second ED has been released. (http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2015/11/03-1/video-tv-anime-ushio-and-tora-2nd-ed-song-full-mv-by-wakadanna)
I really like the music choices in this show. Like the old OVA, they fit this story so well.
Wow.
Now that was intense.
*sees the temple**still expects them to just fight a part of Hakumen No Mono*
Spoiler
*demon shows up and soon establishes itself as either friendly or neutral* *expects him to just give exposition* *they get thrown back in time* *my reaction to this and things to come* (https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fnew3.fjcdn.com%2Fgifs%2FFoam_d3fb86_860013.gif&hash=41f9ddd213a5062ee848dbee5d08bc3c9d51b327)
If I remember correctly, they hinted at Mayuko having some kind of special ancestory during the demon mirror episode. Either way, it was surprising to hear that she's related to Jie Mie. I liked seeing Ushio hang out with her and her family with him thinking about others from his time during it all. And the whole Hakumen castle scene started from it coming out of hiding :SHOCK: How HNM made Ushio completely stop and the beautiful animation on its widening eye :SHOCK: :SHOCK: !
Did you also notice the reveal from a recent episode that Hizaki Mikado, the young woman who sealed the demon family from Tora Goes to the City, is the same old woman who runs the Kouhamei sect? They mentioned her name and it was the same one.
I'm not sure how much Fujita thought his story out in advance, but it all seems to be connected in some way.
:SHOCK: What? No way. I was wondering if that episode was filler because the little girl, her descendant, was the only girl who didn't come back to help Ushio a couple of episodes ago.
So far everything that has been adapted to the anime has been plot important in some way. Nishimura's done a great job keeping everything so smooth and intense.
Also, we're at about the halfway point of the series. I can only imagine where it's going from here.
Quote from: gunswordfist on November 06, 2015, 05:04:41 PM
*sees the temple**still expects them to just fight a part of Hakumen No Mono* Spoiler
*demon shows up and soon establishes itself as either friendly or neutral* *expects him to just give exposition* *they get thrown back in time* *my reaction to this and things to come* (https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fnew3.fjcdn.com%2Fgifs%2FFoam_d3fb86_860013.gif&hash=41f9ddd213a5062ee848dbee5d08bc3c9d51b327)
If I remember correctly, they hinted at Mayuko having some kind of special ancestory during the demon mirror episode. Either way, it was surprising to hear that she's related to Jie Mie. I liked seeing Ushio hang out with her and her family with him thinking about others from his time during it all. And the whole Hakumen castle scene started from it coming out of hiding :SHOCK: How HNM made Ushio completely stop and the beautiful animation on its widening eye :SHOCK: :SHOCK: !
Spoiler
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Messed up!
The best kind of messed up!
I think I also thought the airplane episode might have been kind of unimportant. Of course, there's no point in thinking that anymore. :P Nishimura is doing an excellent job. :)
If there's some kind of midseason break, I'm rewatching the series. I already I am going to view things differently during that.
There's going to be a couple of months break after episode 26 and then in April they're going to finish the last 13. I'm guessing that means they're going to leave us off on something really crazy within the next seven episodes before the break. Honestly, I have no idea where the story is going next so I can't even speculate on it.
Good, you should be as surprised as I will be. :D
Then I'll do the replay during that time, thank you. :)
That was another great one. A lot of stuff has been explained. And next week it looks like we'll finally meet the fourth successor.
It's funny, when Tora said Ushio can't turn back now I thought the same about watching this show. I'm in until the end.
This episode showed a lot. Amazing.
Also, did anyone else thought Jie Mie's brother and Ushio were being a bit overdramatic this episode? :D Sorry, just an observation
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on November 13, 2015, 11:02:14 AM
That was another great one. A lot of stuff has been explained. And next week it looks like we'll finally meet the fourth successor.
It's funny, when Tora said Ushio can't turn back now I thought the same about watching this show. I'm in until the end.
I can't go back either. :)
Oh, almost forgot
Spoiler
I actually thought Hakumen No Mono would either have some good in him and that would have been shown or he had some redeeming quality to explain why the oyayume (sp? Dammit) have protected him for so long. ...Nope. He's evil and had a clever evil plan. Not that I'm disappointed.
So Ushio originally traveled back in time and was always supposed to literally be the chosen one? Hell, chosen by Jie Mie, her brother and Ushio's mother.
I think her brother's going mad made sense.
First, he learned the dark technique to make a weapon to fight against demons, but it required sinking to their level. He didn't use it, not really, and it ended up getting a LOT of people killed by Hakumen no Mono including his father (directly as the blade didn't work) and his mother (who froze due to fear). Then when he reveals he could have used this technique sooner, his sister sacrifices herself in order for him to make the blade that would kill Hakumen no Mono for good. Basically all these deaths are because he didn't speak up in the first place and now he has nothing left.
I can understand Ushio's reaction because these were good people who were forced into death and despair by Hakumen no Mono and there was absolutely nothing he could have done about it. Being that the whole series he was the one that always did something when things looked bad (an admirable quality that shonen protagonists used to have a lot of) and that there was nothing he could do here, probably stung him a lot. Remember when Jie Mie's parents died, the first thing he realized when he rushed Hakumen no Mono was learn that he couldn't stop the monster when he looked in its eyes and saw what it really was. This is the first time in the series, that he's aware of, that there was nothing he could do to save anybody. That was probably hard for him to take.
Spoiler
I also liked that Hakumen was that devious that it would pit the humans and youkai against each other AND save its own skin at the same time. He's the polar opposite of Ushio, and even Tora, who lives only torment others and destroy anything it can. It's going to be very satisfying when the two of them finally get to tear that jerk a new one.
No, everything that went on made perfect sense. I meant during the explanation of what he had to do. Try rewatching it and not laughing when Ushio is all wide-eyed when her brother first tells him it. I want to make a gif of that..
And yes, HNM is one devious bastard.
Well, if you say so. I don't remember that and my connection is on the fritz right now so I couldn't rewatch it if I wanted to.
:oo:
It was another damn strong episode. Everything in this show fits together so perfectly, it's like Fujita had it all planned out from the start. I sorta see what GSF means; some of the drama is a bit over the top, but considering the proceedings and characters involved, it's only natural they'd have as such strong and emotional reactions as they do. Regardless, this episode was perfect as a half-way point for the series as a whole series, and I can't wait to see how the rest of this season in particular will play out now, especially since we'll finally be seeing the fourth successor next week and there's still a whole bunch of people and locations in the opening that have yet to show up.
Kirio's got more than a few screws loose. But his "mother" is even creepier since it's obviously Hakumen no Mono.
I didn't expect the sect's headquarters and Ushio to be so easily trounced by one of Hakumen's monsters, and now that they've lost their leader, it looks like they're even further up the river.
Also, looks like she had children long ago. I'm guessing Mayuko is part of her line of descendants.
I wonder what consequences Hakumen's manipulation of Kirio is going to have. Though judging by the episode title of next ep, it looks like whatever he's going to do will be bad news for the Beast Spear. I'm interested in what his background is like and how his character arc will play out.
Poor Ushio, though. Yet another person he couldn't save...things have been rough for the kid lately. Wonder what effect this loss he'll have on him. The sect is definitely in trouble with their matriarch gone, and I have a feeling there is going to be a lot of internal conflict in the group as they try to restructure themselves and rebuilt their headquarters. I have a feeling that next week is going to be another big one.
Yeah, I was wondering if Mayuko could be related too, which would make Ushio and her cousins or something, right?
Also, it should be interesting to see what happens to the Sect.
This show, man.
So, Hakumen crept into the sect through Inasa's envy carried out through Kirio's pride. Destroying their trust and faith in Ushio and the beast spear by taking advantage of a weak moment staged by Hakuman no Mono himself. Just going through that abandoned place you can see how far they've all rotted away. It's pretty sick.
Then there were all those scythes. They were going to spread those useless weapons to the sect. How far gone was Inasa, anyway? He was all too willing to just sacrifice a random baby for his experiments. Now we know why Kirio is so warped, being that he was essentially made that way. And now we have to wait a week to see what happens next. These episodes are too short.
Oh, and Nagare and Tora are a real pair. :D
And another unexpectedly great episode. I didn't expect to learn so much about the 4th successor. That explains a lot. I'm sure HNM set all this up to destroy the spear and make a weapon strong enough to counter it.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on November 27, 2015, 10:11:57 AM
This show, man.
So, Hakumen crept into the sect through Inasa's envy carried out through Kirio's pride. Destroying their trust and faith in Ushio and the beast spear by taking advantage of a weak moment staged by Hakuman no Mono himself. Just going through that abandoned place you can see how far they've all rotted away. It's pretty sick.
Then there were all those scythes. They were going to spread those useless weapons to the sect. How far gone was Inasa, anyway? He was all too willing to just sacrifice a random baby for his experiments. Now we know why Kirio is so warped, being that he was essentially made that way. And now we have to wait a week to see what happens next. These episodes are too short.
Oh, and Nagare and Tora are a real pair. :D
Oh yeah and alladis :SHOCK: And I didn't even think about the dummy scythes. What a clever asshole Hakumen No Mono is. Makes Naraku look incompetent....er. :sly:
Yeah, I'm definitely going to rewatch the series after episode 26 and the break starts. The pacing really sucks you in, but I just know I've missed a lot because of it.
And HnM is a real turd. Stringing along Kirio even after the creep tried to kill his friends and outright lying up to the bitter end. Though obviously this isn't the last we'll see of Kirio or Kuin, it sure was one heck of a reality check for them.
I guess up next will be the final arc before the break, though I'm not sure what it could possibly be.
I finally finished catching up with this series. I really like it. It really appeals to that classic 90's battle shonen fan in me. I could easily imagine having watched this show alongside stuff like Yu Yu Hakusho, Dragon Ball Z, and Rurouni Kenshin, back on Toonami.
I also like the main antagonist of this series (so far?), especially with how he's built up over time until his ultimate reveal, and the reveal actually isn't a letdown. Hakumen actually feels like a legitimate threat in terms of both being powerful and intelligent, and I can buy into the fact that he's such a big deal that he would have to force Humans and Youkai to team up in order to take him out.
Another feature that this series executes well is it's own fictional mythology. I've seen countless shonen try and fail to build an interesting mythos and backstory to their worlds, but few actually know how to make it interesting by playing into the grander story. In a series like Naruto, you'll have new elements to the backstory and lore of the world just haphazardly thrown in when it's convenient to the plot, but it's so obvious that it was never originally planned for the series and it just ends up feeling like a random piece of information that you don't care about. I like how this series manages to introduce elements of the backstory and keep it interesting, but call back to certain things later on, which makes the lore feel all the more important, rather than a cheap plot-device to service the story. That is to say that: yes, obviously that's the intention of building a lore in your story in the first place, but the lore should give you the illusion of having always been the way that it was, and not just something that the writer came up with on the spot. Ushio and Tora manages to nail that aspect. Series like Naruto make it laughably bad. That's essentially what I'm getting at here.
And I just like the "buddy-cop" aspect that Ushio and Tora have developed, or I suppose you could say say that it's like a buddy cop and robber relationship with the robber turning straight. While I do think that Tora could probably drop the "I'm going to eat you as soon as I get the chance because I'm still a bad guy" act by now, I also don't mind it so much since he is such an amusing character. And while a lesser writer would probably just focus solely on Ushio and make Tora just an afterthought despite being in the title (note: this is basically what happened in Beelzebub, which is one of it's biggest problems among many), I like how both characters get equal amounts of focus in this series, and how their teamwork builds as the story progresses.
Overall, it's one of the better battle shonen anime that I've seen in a long time. It'll be tough having to wait a week at a time from now on for new episodes to be released. I could probably just read the manga, but I think that I'll stick with the anime for now since I have a ton of other manga that I need to catch up on, including a bunch of WSJ series.
That episode was very intense. Characters like Kirio almost always annoy me but with everything that happened to him, how could he not be like that, if not worse?
A pleasant surprise was Kirio's artificial demon companion. I thought he would just be there for Tora to show off on but in the end, he's the very first one to have ever cared for Kirio and went to protect him. He might become a well developed new ally here while in almost any other show like this, he'd just be one dimension and dead.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on December 04, 2015, 10:02:58 AM
Yeah, I'm definitely going to rewatch the series after episode 26 and the break starts. The pacing really sucks you in, but I just know I've missed a lot because of it.
And HnM is a real turd. Stringing along Kirio even after the creep tried to kill his friends and outright lying up to the bitter end. Though obviously this isn't the last we'll see of Kirio or Kuin, it sure was one heck of a reality check for them.
I guess up next will be the final arc before the break, though I'm not sure what it could possibly be.
I wonder if HnM's avatar actually cared about him just a little bit but maybe I'm giving that asshole too much credit. :D
You and me both, on the rewatch. So much has happened and it has been barely over 20 episodes. I'm going to enjoy seeign what I didn't pay attention to or even forgot and re-enjoying the best moments.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on December 04, 2015, 02:28:00 PM
I finally finished catching up with this series. I really like it. It really appeals to that classic 90's battle shonen fan in me. I could easily imagine having watched this show alongside stuff like Yu Yu Hakusho, Dragon Ball Z, and Rurouni Kenshin, back on Toonami.
I also like the main antagonist of this series (so far?), especially with how he's built up over time until his ultimate reveal, and the reveal actually isn't a letdown. Hakumen actually feels like a legitimate threat in terms of both being powerful and intelligent, and I can buy into the fact that he's such a big deal that he would have to force Humans and Youkai to team up in order to take him out.
Another feature that this series executes well is it's own fictional mythology. I've seen countless shonen try and fail to build an interesting mythos and backstory to their worlds, but few actually know how to make it interesting by playing into the grander story. In a series like Naruto, you'll have new elements to the backstory and lore of the world just haphazardly thrown in when it's convenient to the plot, but it's so obvious that it was never originally planned for the series and it just ends up feeling like a random piece of information that you don't care about. I like how this series manages to introduce elements of the backstory and keep it interesting, but call back to certain things later on, which makes the lore feel all the more important, rather than a cheap plot-device to service the story. That is to say that: yes, obviously that's the intention of building a lore in your story in the first place, but the lore should give you the illusion of having always been the way that it was, and not just something that the writer came up with on the spot. Ushio and Tora manages to nail that aspect. Series like Naruto make it laughably bad. That's essentially what I'm getting at here.
And I just like the "buddy-cop" aspect that Ushio and Tora have developed, or I suppose you could say say that it's like a buddy cop and robber relationship with the robber turning straight. While I do think that Tora could probably drop the "I'm going to eat you as soon as I get the chance because I'm still a bad guy" act by now, I also don't mind it so much since he is such an amusing character. And while a lesser writer would probably just focus solely on Ushio and make Tora just an afterthought despite being in the title (note: this is basically what happened in Beelzebub, which is one of it's biggest problems among many), I like how both characters get equal amounts of focus in this series, and how their teamwork builds as the story progresses.
Overall, it's one of the better battle shonen anime that I've seen in a long time. It'll be tough having to wait a week at a time now on for new episodes to be released. I could probably just read the manga, but I think that I'll stick with the anime for now since I have a ton of other manga that I need to catch up on, including a bunch of WSJ series.
I probably wouldn't mind reading the manga after I finish the series.
I did expect Tora to openly be Ushio's friend by now as well. I wonder if this'll tie into why he hates humans so much, which I'm guessing has to do with something they did to him in the past and something I fully expect them to show, if that's true.
One thing that I like was that while Kirio was tricked, he wasn't a total moron about it once HnM revealed itself. Once he saw what his "mother" was doing and that she was about to kill the sect members, he didn't hesitate to turn his weapon on her and kill her. He was still shaken up and emotionally devastated, but he didn't get thrown the idiot ball plot device in order to build up fake drama by continuing to listen to her and fighting Ushio for the rest of the series.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on December 04, 2015, 02:28:00 PM
I finally finished catching up with this series. I really like it. It really appeals to that classic 90's battle shonen fan in me. I could easily imagine having watched this show alongside stuff like Yu Yu Hakusho, Dragon Ball Z, and Rurouni Kenshin, back on Toonami.
I also like the main antagonist of this series (so far?), especially with how he's built up over time until his ultimate reveal, and the reveal actually isn't a letdown. Hakumen actually feels like a legitimate threat in terms of both being powerful and intelligent, and I can buy into the fact that he's such a big deal that he would have to force Humans and Youkai to team up in order to take him out.
Another feature that this series executes well is it's own fictional mythology. I've seen countless shonen try and fail to build an interesting mythos and backstory to their worlds, but few actually know how to make it interesting by playing into the grander story. In a series like Naruto, you'll have new elements to the backstory and lore of the world just haphazardly thrown in when it's convenient to the plot, but it's so obvious that it was never originally planned for the series and it just ends up feeling like a random piece of information that you don't care about. I like how this series manages to introduce elements of the backstory and keep it interesting, but call back to certain things later on, which makes the lore feel all the more important, rather than a cheap plot-device to service the story. That is to say that: yes, obviously that's the intention of building a lore in your story in the first place, but the lore should give you the illusion of having always been the way that it was, and not just something that the writer came up with on the spot. Ushio and Tora manages to nail that aspect. Series like Naruto make it laughably bad. That's essentially what I'm getting at here.
And I just like the "buddy-cop" aspect that Ushio and Tora have developed, or I suppose you could say say that it's like a buddy cop and robber relationship with the robber turning straight. While I do think that Tora could probably drop the "I'm going to eat you as soon as I get the chance because I'm still a bad guy" act by now, I also don't mind it so much since he is such an amusing character. And while a lesser writer would probably just focus solely on Ushio and make Tora just an afterthought despite being in the title (note: this is basically what happened in Beelzebub, which is one of it's biggest problems among many), I like how both characters get equal amounts of focus in this series, and how their teamwork builds as the story progresses.
Overall, it's one of the better battle shonen anime that I've seen in a long time. It'll be tough having to wait a week at a time from now on for new episodes to be released. I could probably just read the manga, but I think that I'll stick with the anime for now since I have a ton of other manga that I need to catch up on, including a bunch of WSJ series.
Glad to hear that you like it! It's really one of the best shonen anime out there. Probably helps that Nishimura is the director, but the core story is just so good on its own.
I hear you on the Tora wanting to eat Ushio aspect on the relationship, though this recent episode has shown that even he knows he doesn't mean it any more. We still haven't gotten to his back story yet, though, and it looks like its going to be a doozy when we finally get to it. Unlike other Youkai who just detest humans on principle, Tora actually seems to have a reason for it.
Also, Hakumen no Mono is the overall villain of the series. The only reason I know it is because when the series was first announced, Fujita said it would end with the "final battle with Hakumen", but I think there are other villains along the way like the avatars and those creepy scientists in the opening. From what I've seen of Fujita's works, his stories all center on his established core of protagonists versus a specific villain.
But if there is one thing I do want to point out about U&T is how every character feels like they have a place in the story and end up being integral to the plot in some way. Unlike a lot of shonen which toss characters off with new arcs, in U&T anyone could show up at any time and still be as useful as they were in their initial appearance. In shonen like Naruto or Bleach, the chance of that would be next to nil.
Ugh, yeah, if Kirio turned into Ushio's emo-y "rival", it would have reminded me of how bad that type of character can get. Think the first FMA's Wrath...
I'm happy to hear HNM is the Biggest Bad. It would have been awful if he had a boss and/or someone who made him look like a wimp. I did expect that and his avatars to be the villains before the last battle.
Yes, I was thinking about how freaking useless new Bleach protagonists can get...hell, Chad and Orihime did almost jack shit when I watched the show too.
Hey, we finally got a standalone episode! It's been a while and it's one focused on Tora and Mayuko at that! Though I'm still not sure what Tora's deal is with humans, there is another hint that he seems to be more of one than he is a monster.
That disguise ability is hilarious, too. I really hope we get to see him use it again in the future.
Only two episodes left in the season and it looks like we're diving into the H.A.M.M.R. arc right away. Love that acronym, by the way. Total '90s, but totally awesome at the same time.
At first I was a bit surprised that Tora could disguise himself in human form, and as someone he knows (of the opposite gender, at that). But then I remembered that it's a pretty common ability among many Youkai to take any human form that they want, so it does make sense that a higher class Youkai like Tora should easily be able to do it. I suppose he never used it before due to his general distaste for the human species in the beginning, before warming up to Ushio and his friends.
Anyways, this was a cute little stand-alone episode focusing on strengthening the bond of friendship between Tora and Mayuko. The motivation of the villains, here, was pretty trivial, but it served its purpose in showing that Mayuko is willing to die in the struggle against enemy Youkai, and that Tora really has taken a liking to her as a friend and would pretty much do anything to protect her.
It's funny how, despite the fact that he clearly doesn't want to eat any of them, Tora actually has a much nicer relationship with Mayuko than Ushio, seeing as how the latter duo always love to be at each others' throats, even though they are allies.
Is it just me or does Bal look a LOT like Tora? I wonder if there's a story there.
That was a great one showing that we're probably leaving this part of the series with a two-parter like the first 13 ended with. It's gonna be hard to go a whole cour without new Ushio & Tora, honestly. It has certainly shot up the list of my favorite anime really quickly. Certainly I will be looking up anything Fujita does in the future.
I do hope once it's done there's a chance that MAPPA and Voln could get working on Karakuri Circus next, but at this point I'm just grateful this was made at all. Still, Viz at least releasing the manga of U&T here would be awesome.
This was a great episode. We already knew that higher-ups from the government were aware of the increased presence of Youkai and knew about Hakumen no Mono, but it was nice to see a scientific organization involved in the conflict. It reminds me a bit of Gargoyles in that science and magic are often presented as two-sides of the same coin. Tora also sort of reminds me of the Gargoyles collectively, in that he was trapped away from society for several hundreds of years and emerged in present day, initially hating humans but slowly developing trust with a select few over time.
I also enjoyed how they brought the pilot back from the airplane episode. Everything always comes back around again in this show. Just like Tora's transformation in the last episode proved useful here.
The H.A.M.M.R. Institute reminded me of the weapon maker back in the Kirio arc. They started off with a noble cause to help defeat the evil of Hakumen and slid off the rails when they started losing their original aims. They were supposed to be doing research to help save them from Hakumen and what ends up happening? Their experiments cause Hakumen to be reborn in yet another new form due to their disgusting research on the captured youkai. It's an interesting event that keeps happening and how Hakumen always seems to be involved in it somehow. I really wonder how far the rabbit hole goes in how much he's screwed things up.
On the other hand I think there are three arcs left in the story, going by wiki. I think they skipped one to get this one done before the break, which probably means they'll be starting with the skipped arc next season.
And that's the season! Glad to see the H.A.M.M.R. arc wrapped up so well and am curious as to how it'll tie into the overall story when the series comes back. It's going to be hard to have to wait over three months for the last thirteen episodes, but it should be worth the wait.
Oh, and Merry Christmas!
So, not to triple post, but I noticed there has been complaining from fans of the manga that the anime staff is skipping stuff (though they could actually be rearranging, we don't actually know yet) and that they're upset this isn't a 1:1 adaption of the manga.
To that, I say . . . of course it's not?
For one, getting this anime made at all was probably a huge challenge in the first place seeing that the original work is 25 years old and Sunday was probably insistent that MAPPA and Nishimura adapt a newer series instead. That they didn't and stuck to this series shows a complete sense of faith in the material. The fact that it's 39 episodes long (a strange episode count for an anime) probably infers that it was the max they could squeeze out of the time and budget they were given. I know Fujita told MAPPA that he wasn't doing a full adaption and they planned accordingly, but his choice of words like "I want to see the final battle with Hakumen animated before I die" probably infers that if they did a full adaption it wouldn't make it to the end.
On the other hand, sure, it's not a 1:1 adaption. So what? Go read the manga, then. The same people complaining even turn around and admit that if you didn't read the manga you wouldn't know what was missing. That's actually a sign that they're doing their job right. The anime is exciting, tightly paced, and embodies everything people enjoyed about the original work. That is the point of an adaption in the first place. That is what makes Trigun, Yu Yu Hakusho, and Blood Blockade Battlefront, have such huge fanbases (even with fans of the manga) despite the fact that they aren't 1:1 with the original manga.
And one of the best things I can say about the Ushio & Tora anime is that it has made me want to read the original manga. Even without knowing exactly what is missing, I would still like to read it. This is why I'm hoping for the anime to be popular enough when it comes out over here (maybe even get added to Toonami) that the manga can get licensed in the process.
Now, would I have liked a 1:1 adaption? Sure. But we didn't get one and we probably never will. What's important is that what we got is good enough that it really makes no difference that we didn't get that adaption. We're lucky enough that this one was made in the first place and is as good as it is.
The Ushio & Tora anime reminds me of The Final Act adaption of Inuyasha. While it does not adapt everything, it still manages to present the key points of the story in a meaningful and entertaining way. It's worth noting that unlike the Parasyte anime, this adaption isn't being made to help promote a live-action film or any major product (U&T us currently having a manga re-release but I believe that was announced after the anime was greenlit). Like you said Spark, this seems to be a labor of love by MAPPA and Nishimura.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on December 30, 2015, 10:35:12 AM
This is why I'm hoping for the anime to be popular enough when it comes out over here (maybe even get added to Toonami) that the manga can get licensed in the process.
It would be pretty cool if Viz would pick up the U&T manga or any of Fujita's other major works as I'm really interested in reading them. I think Ushio & Tora has pretty good chance of getting on Toonami if Sentai gives them a brand new dubbed show for Akame or Parasyte's replacement.
The new U&T releases are the equivalent of VizBigs, too. 3 in 1 editions would probably be the only chance the series has at a full series release here.
Quote from: VLordGTZ on December 30, 2015, 11:16:46 PMQuote from: Spark Of Spirit on December 30, 2015, 10:35:12 AM
This is why I'm hoping for the anime to be popular enough when it comes out over here (maybe even get added to Toonami) that the manga can get licensed in the process.
It would be pretty cool if Viz would pick up the U&T manga or any of Fujita's other major works as I'm really interested in reading them. I think Ushio & Tora has pretty good chance of getting on Toonami if Sentai gives them a brand new dubbed show for Akame or Parasyte's replacement.
If it doesn't get a dub when it comes out here I'll be pretty surprised. Of all their recent licenses, it is the one most likely to achieve some form of mainstream success just like AnK and Parasyte have. I don't see Himouto! Umaru-chan, Monster Musume, or School Live!, as having much appeal outside of otaku circles.
Ushio & Tora is his biggest hit, but it doesn't look like his other stuff is too far off the mark, quality-wise. I've read the first chapter of Karakuri Circus, and it is definitely something else from U&T while still having his flair. I'm honestly stunned that his works have never been licensed before. North America completely missed out on the man.
I just finished episode 24 about 15 minutes ago. It was a pretty humorous one and we got a good peek into how Mayuko thinks. Also, I honestly didn't know that she's in love with Ushio.
She likes him but wants Asako and Ushio to be happy together so she doesn't want to butt in between them. That's why she gave up on him. Though she obviously likes a certain orange Youkai a bit more than Ushio, especially after that episode. ;)
I finally completed the last 2 episodes of season 1 right before 11 P.M. Central time.
I was just wondering about those scientists guys while watching the intro again 'VOILA' they show up in episode 25. Yet another part of the whatchamacallit sect that went rogue. It was pretty fitting to see these episodes have a lot of Asako. It was good to see her help for the first time since she helped turn Ushio back to human. I never really noticed how much alike the two are. I love how Tora was using his brain and patience with him faking getting captured and those hair tricks. I suspect we will see much more of his hair abilities. Also, I laughed pretty hard when his hair was pulled and he went flying fast through walls. It looks like Bal-can could be a decent addition to the cast and I still kind of sad to see what happened to Helena. Oh and nice to see that pilot guy again and the fact that he's working with Shigure. These 26 episodes have basically been cast building and I could not be happier. I can't think of a single anime that has made so many minor characters important. This season ended pretty well but the wait has me sadden. I want more Ushio and Tora NOW! :'( :cry:
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on December 11, 2015, 10:04:22 AM
Hey, we finally got a standalone episode! It's been a while and it's one focused on Tora and Mayuko at that! Though I'm still not sure what Tora's deal is with humans, there is another hint that he seems to be more of one than he is a monster.
That disguise ability is hilarious, too. I really hope we get to see him use it again in the future.
Only two episodes left in the season and it looks like we're diving into the H.A.M.M.R. arc right away. Love that acronym, by the way. Total '90s, but totally awesome at the same time.
Oh yeah, that reminds me of the monster that Hyo (sp?) said killed his family. I think I was thinking about that during watching this episode.
Wasn't General whatshisname's robot from Sym-Bionic Titan named H.A.M.M.R? That came to mind pretty fast.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on December 18, 2015, 11:41:42 AM
Is it just me or does Bal look a LOT like Tora? I wonder if there's a story there.
That was a great one showing that we're probably leaving this part of the series with a two-parter like the first 13 ended with. It's gonna be hard to go a whole cour without new Ushio & Tora, honestly. It has certainly shot up the list of my favorite anime really quickly. Certainly I will be looking up anything Fujita does in the future.
I do hope once it's done there's a chance that MAPPA and Voln could get working on Karakuri Circus next, but at this point I'm just grateful this was made at all. Still, Viz at least releasing the manga of U&T here would be awesome.
I forgot to mention how surprised I was with all those youkai from all over the world (Europe, Persia, India, etc.). If they expand on that, they can make the last 13 episodes even more interesting. I'm also glad Bal didn't just turn evil out of nowhere. I half expect him (her?) to freak out on Onee.
Lunkhead is performing the 3rd ED. (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2016-02-16/lunkhead-performs-ushio-and-tora-new-ending-song/.98734) Pretty good choice.
Though the fact that they haven't mentioned a new OP is pretty cool. Looks like they'll be keeping it! ;D
They better!
Season 2 visual:
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.animenewsnetwork.com%2Fthumbnails%2Fmax1000x1500%2Fcms%2Fnews%2F98830%2Fnews_xlarge_ushiototra3_mainvisual.jpg&hash=ffb4cb2cd02b949e0809c7af6e9ec9942bea7812)
AWESOME!
Interesting gloves and...feet gloves.
Also, bookmarked.
Quote from: VLordGTZ on December 30, 2015, 11:16:46 PM
It would be pretty cool if Viz would pick up the U&T manga or any of Fujita's other major works as I'm really interested in reading them. I think Ushio & Tora has pretty good chance of getting on Toonami if Sentai gives them a brand new dubbed show for Akame or Parasyte's replacement.
Right on, bro!! :e_hail: I've been hoping for the last few years that Viz will eventually license the manga. Really, what is stopping them? Yokai manga has done well here and it's visually similar to YuYu Hakusho and InuYasha. Not to mention, the Calvin and Hobbes dynamic between Ushio and Tora.
Can't wait to see the showdown with Hakumen No Mono in animated form!
It's mostly because modern anime/manga fans don't tend to buy older stuff.
The best way to gather attention would be to advertise the manga alongside the anime when it comes out here by releasing it in big editions like 3 in 1 editions to minimize risk. 11 volumes is a lot easier sell than 33. Viz is doing the same with Kuroko's Basketball by releasing them in 2 in 1 editions to minimize risk and U&T is much older so that would be the way to do it.
Then again, if Viz or whoever wants to put up a Kickstarter to release the manga and gauge interest over here, I'd dive right in. I just really want the series to get the chance it never got during the original anime and manga boom.
If Viz ever ends up releasing U&T over here, I think they'll most likely release the recent "Complete Editions" (which I believe are 2 in 1 volumes for the most part).
A kickstarter would be interesting, but I honestly don't see that happening anytime soon for a series of U&T's length.
11 or 16 volumes, either way is an easier sell for an older series. There's really no chance of them releasing them in singles.
Recap of the first 26 episodes. (http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2016/03/22/revisit-two-cours-of-ushio-and-tora-in-about-two-and-a-half-minutes)
Season 2 starts on April 1st!
:joy: OMG! This starts on April's Fools too? Jojo and UT are literally the first time I anticipated a series before it airs so idk. Well, outside of Space Dandy's simulcast.
Not that there was any doubt, but Crunchyroll will be streaming season 2. (http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2016/03/24-1/crunchyroll-to-stream-continuation-of-ushio-and-tora-anime)
:thinkin: I wonder if Hulu will have it since they do have season 1. Might just do a two week trial...or stop being a baby and just watch it on my laptop. :D
Each episode of season 1 was released on Hulu one month after they were released on Crunchyroll, so I assume it will be the same for season 2.
:gonk:
First, that new OP. WOW. So much awesome to look forward to!
I'd forgotten how good a director Nishimura was. Those first few minutes had some beautiful art and direction.
Spoiler
And we're already back into the deep end! Everyone has forgotten Ushio, Tora vanished and Hakumen is on the move again. Which is why it was awesome to see Tora still remember him even if everyone else did not. Everything hit the fan so fast. And I already can't wait for next week.
Oh, the ED is pretty cool, too.
Man, this show just doesn't skip a beat. There's no time wasted. Within a few minutes of the start of the new season, shit already hits the fan. It's a good reminder of why this series is so great.
Man, this episode was great! It looks like this final arc is going to be intense right from the start. I also love the new OP and ED. :swoon:
This show is unbelievable fast paced, yet never feels rushed.
Also, I loved how Ushio was thinking about how he might not live through the Hakumen No Mono battle and took a step at trying to be more mature with Onee.
(https://49.media.tumblr.com/01966477864982bc375c941c7e52386a/tumblr_o4z6cdx0E61sxydwio1_400.gif)
Tora's back!
Really dig the animation in this episode:
Spoiler
(https://45.media.tumblr.com/14678a162a0142c52a811479c55ada6c/tumblr_o4yveaVCvH1uqrfrco2_500.gif)
I love how Tora's hair raised. :D Did you make either of those gifs? :)
Just found them looking around.
It's really easy to find good shots of this anime. Nishimura at work.
Speaking of Nishimura at work, it looks like the OP features scenes from the upcoming episode exactly like Trigun did.
Wondering what the deal is with Guren since I heard from fans of the manga that there's more to him than we see at first. Probably has something to do with how much he looks like Tora. Not to mention those other Toras in the OP. I think we're close to learning about Tora's past. Other than that, it was typical U&T greatness, though I do wonder what the heck they're going to do to get everyone's memories back since everything really seems to be falling apart.
And what was the deal with Nagare at the end? Did losing his memories of Ushio and Tora mess with his head or something?
I think Guren and Tora are both from the same family or breed of yokais, which is why we see all those other Tora look-alikes in the opening. And considering they look so alike, I'm also willing to bet that Guren was the yokai that killed Hyou's family. Which I feel pretty confident about considering the OP shows them fighting and all.
I read a spoiler about what happens with Nagare a long time ago, and it looks like that's finally coming up in the next episode. It's definitely suspicious that he was the only member of the Koumei Sect not to be turned to stone, so seeing why should be interesting.
There's also Kirio, but I also have no idea where he is. I can't picture him sitting still and waiting for Ushio to get back, especially since he doesn't remember him at all.
Man, that was intense episode, though. Asako almost bit it, Mayuko is gone, and now Ushio and Tora are still on their own and forgotten by everyone else. Can only imagine what'll happen next.
Ushio and Tora just keeps on impressing me with each new episode. At first I liked it well enough as a general action/adventure show, but now it's the best animated series featuring mythical beasts and an extensive lore that I've ever seen since Gargoyles, and that's high praise considering how much I love that show.
I really like how Ushio and Tora do the noble deed of saving their allies even though they don't remember who they are, and unlike most series they aren't immediately rewarded for it. They only did it because it was the right thing to do. And, while things still look dire right now, this will eventually come back in a big way later on, just like everything else in this series does. What impresses me most about Fujita's writing is that he clearly planned out elements of his story in a way similar to Eichiro Oda with One Piece, to the point where there's hardly ever a wasted scene. Almost everything and everyone that you see early on plays a big part in the story later on as well.
Another great episode! I'm interested to see what the hell is up with Nagare. If the opening theme and the end of this episode are any indication, it seems that something might be seriously wrong with him.
Yeah, episodes like this are when I kick myself that I never sampled his work before. It's like the rest of the world outside of Japan completely skipped over his work the last 25 years. A real loss.
I mean, I already preordered his Black Museum from Kodansha, but I would like a legal way to read the work that put him on the map.
Oh my damn..I thought this episode would be great but this show continues to shatter all expectations. Mayuko shocked me when her powers started to really manifest. This episode was action-packed plus we got a peek at what Mayuko and Asako think of each other and Ushio. Then evil Tora(s) pop up and the show's pacing made them fit in well. This show's more effective in 2 episodes than entire seasons of many other anime.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on April 08, 2016, 03:18:46 PM
I really like how Ushio and Tora do the noble deed of saving their allies even though they don't remember who they are, and unlike most series they aren't immediately rewarded for it. They only did it because it was the right thing to do.
I loved the way Ushio said to Tora that getting thanks is not why they do this. I want to find a gif of that.
Well, I'm floored.
The origins of the Azafuse were not only revealed, as well as who killed Hyou's family, but how they all connect together with Guren. That is a pretty insane reveal, but not as crazy as what this probably means for who Tora really is. And again, these episodes are too short. Now to wait for next week for more answers.
"What a tweest!" :D
I just love how this story manages to surprise you at every turn, even when you think that you know everything. And unlike bad manga or anime which just shoehorn in plot twists because they think that it seems cool, but don't put any thought into how it serves the story or if it even creates any plot-holes, U&T actually integrates it in with the progression of the story and characters seamlessly, to the point where it actually feels like a more natural answer to your questions than what you thought that you knew before. This is just good writing.
Wow, this sure was twist. I had already assumed that Guren killed Hyou's family, but I certainly wasn't expecting the reveal of the Azafuse and their origin. Another great episode!
Oh man ohmanohmanohman. I am not sure when the last time I was this shocked and impressed by a plot twist. And the twist was hinted at just enough to make sense.
Spoiler
Seeing that another human used the spear was shocking enough. Not to mention that Hyou came back and they revealed who killed his family. I kind of hate it ended in "I'm leaving you alive for fun/I'll get you next time!" But at least Hyou changed and didn't stay the same unlike shows that overuse that trope.
I still wonder if Tora was human. Of course at this point, I probably already got the answer but still. More importantly, I can't wait to see why he hates humans so much.
This show continues to surprise and impress me.
H.A.M.M.R.'s back as is the Rock Eater armor and the Azafuse helping out Tora. Looks like we're really heading to the final battle.
My favorite part was the end when the two of them replay the events of the first episode. Seems like such a long time ago now. Looking at Ushio's treasures, all from the early episodes only puts that across further.
Another great episode.
Spoiler
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg1.ak.crunchyroll.com%2Fi%2Fspire3%2Fe854256ad35eef1ba2bcf0ff4a364b9e1461338519_full.jpg&hash=731cc3dd4f555ab2366a2444e13b8c7a89947222)
UT did it again - a lot of unexpected elements were brought back.
Spoiler
Who would have thought that the Rock Eater's armor would give Ushio his 1st real upgrade? I also loved seeing the toy phone, Jie Mie era clothes, food from Ushio's ancestor/the Sect Head and them showing that Ushio is also an artist and not just a hothead again. And the Ushio meets Tora reenactment was great. haha
This episode did a lot and I want to see much more. Only 9 episodes left.
I could probably go on and on about how great this series is, and how it just keeps on getting better, but it'd probably sound redundant at this point. Honestly, the only thing that I'm really unhappy about with U&T by this point is that it's already headed into its end-game, and while that's great for this story arc, I REALLY wish there would be more. I could watch tons of stories featuring these characters and never get bored so long as it maintained this level of quality with its writing.
The fight between Tora and Nagare was awesome. Really enjoyed hearing his reasons for what he was doing, too, and that ending was so well done.
And since Ushio is on his way to the pillar where Mayuko, his mom, and Hakumen, are it looks like something real bad is about to go down. Can't wait until next week!
Hmmm I didn't understand why Nagare turned. Still sad, the none less
Quote from: gunswordfist on April 29, 2016, 07:21:10 PMHmmm I didn't understand why Nagare turned.
He spent his whole life dumbing himself down in order to not stick out of the crowd and make himself and his mother a target. This made him instinctively hold himself back from everything and thereby made himself unfulfilled and empty in everything. He became a monk to forswear the material world and to focus on improving his interior life instead. But that changed when he met Tora and Ushio. His first fight with Tora was the first time he'd ever been completely outclassed and beaten in his life. Ushio saw through his facade of non-caring jokester to who he really was and it aggravated him because he hated himself for being so empty--that was why Nagare kept talking about the wind in the back of his head.
Hakumen took advantage of this, as he is wont to do, to twist Nagare's biggest weak-point and prey on it to use him as a tool against Ushio and Tora like he did to everyone else. That's probably what made this hit harder since Nagare was a good guy who fell along the way. Not seeing him in the final battle is going to be a real loss.
And it further solidifies Ushio & Tora as a favorite of mine.
Thanks.
No problem.
I found the last scene how it looked in the manga:
Spoiler
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi166.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fu100%2FJDesensitized%2FUampTmanga_zpsvllxfijt.png&hash=6489fd789a520cdc18b4f9a3b53ca21a5db6f29d)
Well . . . that's not good. Everyone's beatin the crap out of each other, and here comes big ol' Hakumen to spoil their fun.
The final battle is here, folks.
That was a really touching moment between Ushio and his mother.
And yeah, shit just got real. The hype is through the roof.
I am not worthy..My heart is still pounding from just finishing this episode. And they have to deal with that motherfucker for 7 more episodes?! How? lol
Also, early Happy Mother's Day, Ushio's mother. This one came out during the perfect time. My eyes are also a bit watered from this episode.
New visual for the last season. (http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2016/05/10/ushio-and-tora-goes-sepia-for-dramatic-final-anime-visual)
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg1.ak.crunchyroll.com%2Fi%2Fspire4%2F16920b63a855830607ce5ed77aa0d1561462895443_full.jpg&hash=e277204b05c6bcb685abf044d9cc26ac121bea37)
They also included the cover of the 14th volume of the "Complete Edition" omnibus out next week:
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg1.ak.crunchyroll.com%2Fi%2Fspire1%2Fa1c2ed3a0716b3c4ceeb1b61ff9c25d71462896261_full.jpg&hash=70d978e1e45965417f81e6f4202e992ecddbe7de)
Come on, Viz, jump on this, already!
It really amazes me that this show isn't more popular than it is. Especially after watching this episode. That was just incredible.
After 32-episodes of build-up, I'm glad to see that Hakumen no Mono did not disappoint. He lives up to his reputation of being the ultimate evil.
It reminds me a lot of how the MCU movies always keep building up Thanos, but I doubt that he can possibly live up to the hype after a decade of just sitting on his space toilet. With Hakumen no Mono, the mangaka wisely gave us little glimpses and tastes of what he was capable of throughout the series, so we knew that the threat was real, but still seeing him in full force in the present is absolutely without comparison. This is the type of villain where you say to yourself: How in the living hell will our heroes even stand a chance against him?
Things are looking REALLY bad and I really feel for Ushio. Hakumen's such a great villain. I like him more after this and I think this show just went up a spot on my list.
Also, I am glad that they clarified what happened with the keystone. I thought Hakumen was lying for a minute lol That adds so much more to this conflict.
I think that it's safe to say that this is a definite top 10 anime for you, Desensitized, and myself.
No question. This type of show is the reason I became an anime fan in the first place.
I just wished we lived in a world where we could get more from Kazuhiro Fujita. Whether having his other manga adapted, or just getting the manga officially released here. This anime clearly shows he's an excellent storyteller.
I am sure it is! I think UT just bumped past Jojo for me and is in my no. 3 spot.
Spoiler
One more thng! You could tell Nagare's death was tearing up Tora. But of course he could not bring himself to admit it. He even brought out his signature laugh to hide it. I am sorry but I think I laugh a little when he did the laugh lol
And now we know where Tora comes from.
I do enjoy how Fujita actually explains why Tora is the way he is. There's a reason he's the only Azafuse who retained his personality. There's a reason he has a particular grudge against Hakumen no Mono (who apparently is an actual demon in physical form). There's a reason he hates people, and a reason he seemingly can't die. And there's a reason Nagare's death hit him so hard. His background is suitably tragic, given how long he went bathed in misery and hate. His time with Ushio was really the first time he'd ever had anything resembling a normal life.
It should be fun to see how Ushio gets back in the game. Tora's not going to be able to beat Hakumen on his own.
I'm curious, does the manga actually continue past this point? If so, I wonder what could possibly have been added to the story after this arc. Everything that we saw early on in the series came back in a big way, and these last few episodes have been answering lots of questions and wrapping up various plot threads with a great sense of finality to all of it. This does suitably feel like we're in the full story's end-game territory.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on May 20, 2016, 12:41:01 PM
I'm curious, does the manga actually continue past this point? If so, I wonder what could possibly have been added to the story after this arc. Everything that we saw early on in the series came back in a big way, and these last few episodes have been answering lots of questions and wrapping up various plot threads with a great sense of finality to all of it. This does suitably feel like we're in the full story's end-game territory.
The anime's ending is confirmed to correspond with the manga's ending. So, it's pretty much the same.
The only thing the anime is missing are standalone stories and a few side arcs earlier in the story. Oddly enough, most of the cut material was between episode 13 and 14, and episode 26 and 27, including the arc that introduced the Kansai Yokai army which is now on Ushio's side. So, between the ED switches is where most of the missing material is.
As much as it is sad they couldn't adapt every story, I am impressed at how well they adapted the main story. It doesn't feel like anything is missing.
Words cannot express how I feel right now...I thought Ushio & Tora could not surprise me anymore after what was revealed in Hyou's last episode. The wait for Tora's origin was worth it. Him not openly getting along with Ushio or humans makes since now, finally, since learning about why he's full of hatred.
Wait, did Hakumen know Tora was there and just ignored him on purpose during the Jie Mie past episode? I can't wait to rewatch all of this series sometime after it's complete so I can pick up on more things like that.
Tora wouldn't have been an Azafuse at the time the Beast Spear was made: they didn't exist yet. Hakumen wouldn't have recognized him.
Oh, good point lol I need to rewatch to also wrap my mind around the show's timeline.
https://t.co/obmIUbn87N (https://t.co/obmIUbn87N)
Remember when Tora said whoever took the spear from the rocky peak should have just minded their own business? lol
I just noticed that the spot in Tora's shoulder that Hakumen burst out of, is the exact same place he was pinned with the Beast Spear for all those years. Nice touch.
But speaking of the episode, wow. Tora's been just as handily defeated as Ushio was. The final battle ain't slowing down for nothing, though this episode showed that things aren't quite so hopeless after all. Every single person Ushio and Tora helped out along the way are there to back them up.
Only four episodes left!
Damn! Tora got wrecked! Hopefully he can make a full recovery somehow, or at least enough to get back into fighting shape once Ushio and the others arrive.
I don't even know where to start. I'm becoming numb to how awesome this show is.
Was the past Azafuze Kirio saw Tora? I did not expect to see Tora vs Hakumen in this episode. (or Hakumen attacking cities. Whoa) The part where Tora decked him and then they replayed it was the best. So HNM didn't know who Tora was until now, huh? And things aren't looking so good for Tora.
The Beast Spear shards! Inuyasha had to have gotten influenced by that. I loved seeing Mayuko get her memories back and then everyone else. It was great seeing Ushio & Tora's human friends and just normal people help him, including Tatsuya, that guy from the painting episode and some random wrestler.
The monsters finally found out how wrong they were. I'm surprised they all survived. And finally thelittle green one returns.
Anyway, the final battle definitely starts next week. Finally bothered watching the ED since it is so close. Bittersweet seeing Nagare there. Wonder if Tora saying he felt a wind on his back was in reference to him.
Quote from: gunswordfist on May 27, 2016, 07:57:15 PM
Wonder if Tora saying he felt a wind on his back was in reference to him.
Might have been. It looked like he wasn't expecting to make it out of this alive. He probably also felt like he was missing something without Ushio by his side.
This episode made me glad Tora had never outright said he liked Ushio before now. It's the last barrier to their friendship and the last thing they need to overcome before Tora can finally be at peace. The last part where he said he still refuses to acknowledge Ushio felt like he thought he needed to shut him out in order to finally kill Hakumen. It was like they said, Tora needs to lose his hate before they can finally win.
Oh, and this:
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg1.ak.crunchyroll.com%2Fi%2Fspire3%2Fd24db0a5f69492699dd7c47287ee48821464364595_full.png&hash=b7d2f50689cba22defb3efcbbaab7521526b4514)
Heh, oh Hakumen.
You're right, Tora finishing his character arc soon would make it even better.
Spoiler
Pour one out for Hyou.
The end of this episode was
so satisfying. Ushio is making a comeback, the Beast Spear is back, and Guren finally got what was coming to him. Then there was Hakumen's desperate screaming at the end. Squirm, Hakumen, squirm.
Only three episodes left!
Fuck it. This series just got bumped up to my top five. HOW THE FUCK WAS THIS NEVER FULLY ADAPTED BEFORE!?
They tied this episode together perfectl. Saya's mother saying that those who are in the netherworld feel not but happiness and him going home with a smile on his face stopped makng me feel sad. I'll still miss him though.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on June 03, 2016, 09:57:41 AM
Spoiler
Pour one out for Hyou.
The end of this episode was so satisfying. Ushio is making a comeback, the Beast Spear is back, and Guren finally got what was coming to him. Then there was Hakumen's desperate screaming at the end. Squirm, Hakumen, squirm.
Only three episodes left!
So much happened!! The first real Ushio vs Hakumen fight has started. It was beautiful how the spear reformed and we got to see the Sect leader again. Everyone is really doing their part.
Also it's rare to see the main villain in this bad of shape with some episodes left. Many other shows would just make things as bleak as the last episode until the last minute.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on June 03, 2016, 11:04:22 AM
Fuck it. This series just got bumped up to my top five. HOW THE FUCK WAS THIS NEVER FULLY ADAPTED BEFORE!?
This show is better than it has any business being.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on June 03, 2016, 11:04:22 AM
Fuck it. This series just got bumped up to my top five. HOW THE FUCK WAS THIS NEVER FULLY ADAPTED BEFORE!?
Not only that, but that the manga was never licensed before. It was huge in Japan, and yet it never even got attempted to be released before. Such a letdown.
But as I said before, this series is the type of show that got me into anime in the first place. If this does not air on Toonami, I will be massively disappointed.
Nishimura, please give Flame of Recca the same treatment and you will be solidified as my favorite anime director.
I just got done bugging them about putting this on Toonami :D UT deserves to become huge in NA. Also, I'd get the manga in a heartbeat.
Fujita has been very supportive behind the scenes. (http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2016/06/10/animator-shares-encouragement-from-ushio-and-tora-manga-author)
As for this episode, we're clearly heading for the end. Hakumen is sealed and can't get away. This means its time to put it to him. It was also good seeing everyone work together from the earlier episodes.
Also, it was great to see Tora back again.
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg1.ak.crunchyroll.com%2Fi%2Fspire4%2F284628ada02d41066e0eb247548a76451465570289_full.png&hash=12dda0190a0342e2fc490961b19848e6d1bd8061)
Time to end it!
Spoiler
Tora's back!!! And so is my Crunchyroll account. Good to see this (and Jojo) on tv again. So Tora know's he was human now? Good to see that the hole in his heart has been filled.
I love the extra touch that the scientists knew each other all their lives.
Logically for Hakumen, I have no clue why he didn't release the Kouken earlier. Obviously it was for entertainment reasons for him to wait.
Tora and Ushio are finally reunited and everyone is helping. Very few anime series do giant team battles well and this takes the cake. Hakumen is in another bad spot at the end of an episode but he has a clear way of fighting back and freeing himself.
He didn't release them before because he wasn't desperate. Remember, Hakumen doesn't exist just to kill everything, but to terrify them and make them despair. But since he was about to die, he really didn't have any choice.
I like how the demon siblings (forget their names) completed their character arcs by working with humans.
Apparently the show really is also Chinese mythology influenced
Ushio's speech is what I'm talking about. Now THAT is a shonen protagonist. Tora's assessment of Hakumen after the latter smashed his confidence was great, too.
It's so cool seeing EVERYTHING from previous episodes come back in such a big way. Even Reiko's and Yuu's fathers came to save them. You can just feel that this is the endgame.
One episode left!
I feel like I've just had the entire philosophy of this series summed up for me in a single episode. Not just through balatant exposition alone, of course, but also through the actions of the characters and how the mythology really all fits together to support these notions. Now that's how you do a finale the right way.
Tora's comment to Hakumen at the end of the episode was priceless. :D
He's easily my favorite character in the series.
Special credit also goes to Nishimura's excellent direction.
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg1.ak.crunchyroll.com%2Fi%2Fspire3%2F95e33bc2b26f84060d0996aad314204e1466175532_full.png&hash=13f13fca29946e6418b468ccb189637d3fb09080)
I hope the rumor about MAPPA continuing to animate old series continues. With this quality, they can do whatever they want.
:'( I am sad. How magnificent this episode was made it hit home that this great series is ending. They managed to combine great battles with great dialogue. I love Hakumen and the heries' exchanges. I actually expecting this episode to be just an all out war and it managed to be deep and still have a huge battle.
Hakumen is my absolute favorite All Evil villain. Even despite him being pure evil, he manages to be nuanced. Not to mention him being so cunning makes him so interesting. I am happy that he gets to live until next week. I love watching him.
I also love the explanations for why the Azafuze (sp?) and Hakumen are similar. Good to finally see Bal again (the blue Hulk demon) and those girls fathers. I geeked out when the one from the painting showed up.
Thank you, MAPPA, Nishimura and Fujita.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on June 17, 2016, 11:14:31 AM
I feel like I've just had the entire philosophy of this series summed up for me in a single episode. Not just through balatant exposition alone, of course, but also through the actions of the characters and how the mythology really all fits together to support these notions. Now that's how you do a finale the right way.
Tora's comment to Hakumen at the end of the episode was priceless. :D
He's easily my favorite character in the series.
Tora's my favorite too! My favorite anime character in years.
I hope we get to see flashbacks of Ushio's ancestor that fought Tora and I can't wait to see the 9th tail.
And that's it!
What a wrap-up to a great series. The final battle with Hakumen was worth the wait and so were the closing of Ushio and Tora's character arcs. I have to give it to both Fujita and MAPPA for putting this together. They did a fantastic job.
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg1.ak.crunchyroll.com%2Fi%2Fspire3%2F48ccf0f2a325d33ea632c047bdc7a36d1466530848_full.jpg&hash=11c8b6fbba7fb927c8b7bb76a34b4e0374bc5921)
I might've teared up a bit at the end there. That was beautiful. :'(
After that conclusion, I can safely place this as my third favorite anime series. It's everything that I love about this genre and it stands on par with the other two best Shonen adaptations that I have ever seen, Ashita no Joe 2 and Yu Yu Hakusho.
As for the episode itself, in addition to it being the perfect thematic conclusion to the story and being incredibly heartfelt (I will miss these characters so much), I was just wondering if I was the only one who actually felt kind of sorry for Hakumen no Mono when he met his demise. Something about it hit me really hard, similar to something like Meruem's death in Hunter X Hunter, and to me that's very telling that despite all of the horrible things that he has done, there was still something more to this villain until the very end. For as much as he hated them, even Hakumen had his traces of humanity to his character, which was definitely a very clever and intentional writing decision by Fujita.
Speaking of Fujita, I definitely have to find a way to read his other works now. The guy is a master of his craft.
Hakumen was jealous of the light and let it poison him. Instead of joining with it, or accepting what he was, he let the darkness overwhelm him instead. His end was tragic, but it was well deserved for what he allowed himself to become. Also, I have to hand it to Megumi Hayashibara's top notch voice acting. She was perfect as Hakumen from day one until the end. Not to sell the others short, of course, they were all great. But her performance during Hakumen's last moments was intense and vicious.
But yes, the ending solidifed it as one of my favorites for sure, and remains the #1 manga I want to see licensed and #1 anime I want to see aired on North American television.
MAPPA and Nishimura did an excellent job adapting this series into 39 episodes, and I can only imagine what they have up their sleeve next. Here's hoping Karakuri Circus is a possibility.
Spoiler
I kind of feel like crying. I knew there had to be another major death and Tora was the most obvious target. I love how quickly Tora figured out how to beat blind Hakumen and how they tied in Ushio's ancestor and why he didn't just kill Tora. I was hoping that Nagare would come back and he did, with Hyou and they took out some tails. I was hoping Juurou would return right when his siblings mentioned him and he did! We got to see Jie Mie's family and her and her brother will still stay with Ushio, even after the spear broke.
I suspected that the youkai would become stone to stop Japan's sinking and/or it would be like Genkai's dream at the end of Yu yu Hakusho for demons to get along with humans and it ended up being both. Well done.
Hakumen was clearly shown to be 3 dimensional now. He hated humans because he didn't become one. I kind of thought the 9th tail would be for rebirth when he was clearly dying and it didn't become a Doomsday weapon yet lol.
Happy that Sumako survived. Thought she was destined to die ever since she was bleeding after Hakumen was released.
Lastly, I love this show so much. My favorite of any kind since completing Batman TBATB. Tora and Hakumen No Mono will go very high on my hero and villain lists, respectively.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on June 24, 2016, 12:10:17 PM
Hakumen was jealous of the light and let it poison him. Instead of joining with it, or accepting what he was, he let the darkness overwhelm him instead. His end was tragic, but it was well deserved for what he allowed himself to become. Also, I have to hand it to Megumi Hayashibara's top notch voice acting. She was perfect as Hakumen from day one until the end. Not to sell the others short, of course, they were all great. But her performance during Hakumen's last moments was intense and vicious.
But yes, the ending solidifed it as one of my favorites for sure, and remains the #1 manga I want to see licensed and #1 anime I want to see aired on North American television.
MAPPA and Nishimura did an excellent job adapting this series into 39 episodes, and I can only imagine what they have up their sleeve next. Here's hoping Karakuri Circus is a possibility.
Toonami better pick this up. No other series deserves to be big right now more than UT.
Quote from: gunswordfist on June 24, 2016, 01:39:38 PMToonami better pick this up. No other series deserves to be big right now more than UT.
I actually agree with this wholeheartedly. I remember going into this series expecting to just have some decent fun. What I got was that and MUCH, MUCH more.
I thought this was going to be like a villain of the week series, that they'd both really hate each other for awhile and I think I expected pretty much senseless monster killing. Basically, I thought it was that OTHER kind of 90s anime. lol I did not expect it would be this deep, even if I had a better clue as to what it was like, nor did I expect it to smash my expectations so many times and become my 3rd favorite anime series.
Sentai has confirmed that they will be dubbing Ushio & Tora. (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2016-07-02/sentai-filmworks-announces-english-dub-plans-for-7-anime-titles/.103898)
So we are getting it over here! :joy:
That's just one step closer to that slight possibility of seeing it on Toonami, but I only say slight because I don't think that Sentai has ever actually aired any of its shows on the current Toonami line-up. I could be wrong, though.
It looks like they also licensed Food Wars! and Amagi Brilliant Park. While my opinion on both anime is rather mixed, I do still enjoy each of them to an extent, so I'm still pretty happy to see them get licensed as well.
Akame ga Kill and Parasyte (which are licensed by Sentai) both did well on Toonami, so I think they would be more than interested in getting another Sentai show. I could see U&T airing once the current Parasyte re-runs are done.
OK, NOW there's hope.
We knew Sentai had licensed it, but that was a year ago. We had no idea what they were planning on doing with it. The fact that they waited for it to be done to even begin dubbing or talking about it has me hopeful for a Toonami run.
All part of the plan for Fujita to take over NA.
Step #1: MAPPA makes awesome Ushio & Tora anime
Step #2: Said anime is licensed and released it on most popular NA anime block
Step #3: It blows up
Step #4: Viz licenses the manga and releases the full series
Step #5: Rinse and repeat for Fujita's other series
Step #6: ??
Step #7: Anime is saved
Step #8: Togashi is inspired to pull it together to finish Hunter X Hunter within a year
So far, all according to keikaku.
That has me smiling like an idiot in public.
Holy shit, episode 20!
Called it!
Now you gotta watch til the end. :D
Episodes 19 and 20 are when the show started to really blow my mind. And it doesn't slow down from there!
Wow, this seriously is the perfect show for Toonami. There's enough shonen charm to appeal to the block's typical fanbase, and the story and characters develop more than well enough to reward those who stick around.
They would be foolish to not at least consider it.
Despite ANN and its fanbase ignoring it (outside their one reviewer), the voters have determined that Ushio & Tora was the best anime of the Spring 2016 season. (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2016-07-05/the-best-and-worst-of-the-spring-2016-season/.103981)
The series definitely gained a lot more attention around the start of the final cour. It's good to see that it was so well received.
All good news! In fact this pass week has been full of good anime news (like the fact that One Punch Man is guaranteed real popularity in just two weeks). I hope UT continues getting more love and a Toonami announcement.
It really is baffling how little attention U&T got. Unlike other 90's manga being remade like Hunter X Hunter and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, U&T had virtually no hype surrounding its release, and I never really came across any discussion threads talking about it on any anime forums that I visited. Yet whenever I do see any polls or lists of the best anime from this year or season involving it, U&T almost always ranks up pretty high with viewers. So, clearly people must have been watching it and liking it in order for that to happen. So then, why has there been no buzz about it throughout its entire run? That's really odd.
Also, what the hell is up with that one poster on ANN saying that the second half of season one was a mess? I have no idea what he's on about. The second half of season one is what cemented this anime as one of my favorites.
I found a pretty good (albeit short) video review summing up why the show is so great: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TL7FTh6eR9g
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on July 05, 2016, 01:10:11 PM
It really is baffling how little attention U&T got. Unlike other 90's manga being remade like Hunter X Hunter and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, U&T had virtually no hype surrounding its release, and I never really came across any discussion threads talking about it on any anime forums that I visited. Yet whenever I do see any polls or lists of the best anime from this year or season involving it, U&T almost always ranks up pretty high with viewers. So, clearly people must have been watching it and liking it in order for that to happen. So then, why has there been no buzz about it throughout its entire run? That's really odd.
It had no articles written about it like Kabaneri, Re:zero, or even Flying Witch, and yet it got high rankings every week above even those. It seems to me, unless it's something they can't ignore (like the "Big 3", AoT, or Dragon Ball), the anime media just doesn't give shonen the time of day. Which is odd, because it's the highest selling anime and manga type. You'd figure they'd want to hook in that bigger audience more.
But there is clearly an audience for stuff like this. If it gets a Toonami run, we might learn just how much of one.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on July 05, 2016, 01:10:11 PMAlso, what the hell is up with that one poster on ANN saying that the second half of season one was a mess? I have no idea what he's on about. The second half of season one is what cemented this anime as one of my favorites.
Yep. Two comments: one saying no one talks about the show, and the other saying the awesome second half of season one was bad.
I'm expecting the rest of the comments, save one or two, to either ignore U&T entirely like every other week or be butthurt about how well ranked it was. Same as every week.
My theory is that the people who watch and enjoy U&T simply don't hang around anime communities anymore. They still get high ratings and sales, but you never hear anyone talking about it. Just check out ANN's talkback threads for MHA. Most of it is complaining over tiny crap that was actually explained or obvious to anyone who pays attention. The MHA haters are quite the tryhards.
Still, there might be a reason for all this. I honestly don't think most shonen fans participate in the anime world anymore.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on July 05, 2016, 01:25:07 PMI think it sucks. It started off brightly, but as it went on it got cheesier and cheesier, consequently making Ushio's cliched dialogue more overbearing. I also found the forced relationship between Mayuko and Tora rather creepy, and felt it just highlighted how much of an unrealistic and poorly written character Mayuko was?
This is the amazing level of criticism shonen gets these days.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on July 05, 2016, 01:25:44 PMIt had no articles written about it like Kabaneri, Re:zero, or even Flying Witch, and yet it got high rankings every week above even those. It seems to me, unless it's something they can't ignore (like the "Big 3", AoT, or Dragon Ball), the anime media just doesn't give shonen the time of day. Which is odd, because it's the highest selling anime and manga type. You'd figure they'd want to hook in that bigger audience more.
Well, both Hunter X Hunter and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure also got a lot of media buzz surrounding them, and other shonen like Haikyuu!! and MHA get articles on sites like these as well. So I don't think it's so much that a lot of reviewers don't want to write anything about shonen anime, hence why I find it strange that U&T was largely ignored by the media as well as big anime YouTubers.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on July 05, 2016, 01:28:57 PMQuote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on July 05, 2016, 01:25:07 PMI think it sucks. It started off brightly, but as it went on it got cheesier and cheesier, consequently making Ushio's cliched dialogue more overbearing. I also found the forced relationship between Mayuko and Tora rather creepy, and felt it just highlighted how much of an unrealistic and poorly written character Mayuko was?
This is the amazing level of criticism shonen gets these days.
This comment actually legitimately made me laugh. As soon as I read it, the first thought that popped into my mind was: "Is this somehow the same poster who thought that Meruem and Komugi had a sexual relationship and that it was a combination of bestiality and pedophilia?" :lol:
Damn, Kirio.
Yep, on episode 23.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on July 05, 2016, 01:10:11 PM
Also, what the hell is up with that one poster on ANN saying that the second half of season one was a mess? I have no idea what he's on about. The second half of season one is what cemented this anime as one of my favorites.
lol I wanted to address that guy. While the last 6 episodes have my least favorite 2 arcs in the show from what I remember, they're still good and I obviously like them. But if he means the last 13 or so episodes, including the time two parter (my 2nd favorite part of the series), Ushio becoming a demon and the fight against the monk Hakumen possessed then that makes a 1000X less sense. At best, he's complaining about the last few episodes that switched around manga material. Basically, boo hoo.
I like how Kirio, in contrast to your typical brainwashed character, isn't actually an idiot. He is allured in by the false promises and fake feelings of love that Hakumen no Mono's avatar gives him, but on a subconscious level he knows that something is off, and when he finally comes to the realization that the person who he thought cared for him was a lie the whole time, his reaction is perfect. It's not that whiny tripe that most writers would shove down your throat. He straight up takes responsibility for his fuck-up and puts an end to Hakumen's avatar himself.
I loved that. Lesser series would have turned him into a whiny villain rival that doesn't get that what he's doing is wrong until the end of the series or arc.
I'm on the season 2 premiere now. I was going to wait until tomorrow, but the season 1 finale was too good for me to wait. :D
The build up to the battle against Hakumen no Mono is really tight, and the episode is off to a good start to get us prepped for the season.
The last third of the series (season two) is perhaps one of my favorite finales to any shonen series that I've seen.
U&T get Nendoroid figures. (http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2016/08/30/ushio-and-tora-idolmster-twinkle-star-co-de-and-kancolle-libeccio-nendoroid-figures-go-on-sale)
Some good poses in there:
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg1.ak.crunchyroll.com%2Fi%2Fspire3%2Fdacbd9cecc7c3b29cab8eb4fea3571011472584438_full.jpg&hash=6625e2ee088e04e1765b38630bad9d4b41d28b6e)
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg1.ak.crunchyroll.com%2Fi%2Fspire3%2Fa0b32632c654baa9c082ca6c5db609e71472584906_full.jpg&hash=3def01e3ebbc814c52c5a293ddb03ac4952de276)
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg1.ak.crunchyroll.com%2Fi%2Fspire3%2Fc7ff42a03ba8f936b9c2d005c624ab841472584561_full.jpg&hash=e05b380d4d2e6527a3c0cacbb60de95fc49af24d)
I'm glad to see this series still getting support even after having ended.
I don't usually buy figures, but I might make an exception for these. ;D
Wow! These actually look legitimately great. I would buy all three of those; especially the one of Tora eating the "hambarker". :D
Get me the first one!
I would love to see them get the SH Figuarts treatment. I would be like :worship: to Bandai.
I completed episode 8 of Ushio & Tora on my rewatch. I love how summer blockbuster the way Fusuma gets beaten is. Being reminded of how Ushio loves to try and encourage others through their character flaws makes me like him that much more. And: (https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi166.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fu100%2FJDesensitized%2FUampT8_zpsk2ctmkjm.png&hash=79ed0918dad088db9cfc5661c63487b6bec3aa9f)
That was my favorite "standalone" episode in the series. Both Ushio and Tora get some great moments, the action and setting is really cool, and the ending shot is one of my favorites.
Not a bad pick! I forgot to mention how much I loved Tora bouncing around the airplane like a flying little kid. Seeing them in public transportation is always funny. hahaha
I saw this posted in Sentai's newest Q&A on their site:
QuoteSINCE YOU GUYS WILL DUB GATE AND USHIO & TORA FOR #THEDUBSARECOMING DOES THAT MEAN GATE AND USHIO & TORA SEASON 1 & 2 SHOULD BE TOGETHER OR THERE ALL BEEN SEPARATE SINCE THESE 2 ANIMES HAVE 2 SEASONS?
All 39 episodes of Ushio and Tora are actually all part of one season, hence we are planning to consolidate them into one release (versus the split releases of the past for longer shows like Akame ga Kill! and Parasyte -the maxim-). (Our first non-split release was My Love Story!!)
So it looks like the series will be getting one release of all 39 episodes? Color me surprised. I wonder why they're doing it that way instead of putting them out in three sets of 13 episodes? You would figure more people would be willing to jump in at a lower price.
Guess we'll wait and see. I hope they release some details on it soon. The anime is almost two years old now.
There are pros and cons to releasing it this way. Pros being getting it all at once and it taking less shelfspace and possibly less cost overall. Cons being a high price which while potentially less than what you'd have to pay to get three separate sets is a bit of a turn off to spend all at once. Regardless, I want to have it so I'm hoping they give us a release date sometime soon.
This is amazing. I might completely hold off my rewatch until I get this.
Finally it has a release date of August 29th. (http://www.sentaifilmworks.com/news/sentai-filmworks-official-august-2017-slate)
There's also apparently a premium box set (https://shop.sentaifilmworks.com/products/ushio-and-tora-premium-box-set) for the series.
Not sure why it took so long, but glad to see it coming.
Sentai has released a clip of the dub! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xfr0ThVdw-U)
EDIT:
Here's the full cast list (http://www.sentaifilmworks.com/news/ushio-tora-english-dub-cast)
That's the original Tora VA from the original OVA! Wow, great get. Unfortunately, Ushio's VA died, but the new guy hits it just right.
Cast list includes the same VA for Asako and Shigure, too. (http://www.sentaifilmworks.com/news/ushio-tora-english-dub-cast) They really went out of their way for this dub.
Very good job on this, Sentai. I'll definitely be picking this set up.
Most of the casting seems spot-on, and it's a great touch that they brought back as many of the actors from the OVA dub as possible. The one casting decision I'm not sure about is John Swasey as Hakumen no Mono. He's done great villain performances, especially Crocodile in One Piece, but Megumi Hayashibara's performance as Hakumen was very feminine and whispery, whereas Swasey has a very deep and gritty voice. It'll be interesting to see how he performs the role in contrast to Hayashibara's.
To be fair, Megumi Hayashibara's Hakumen performance is really one of a kind. There are very few VAs who could pull that off, never mind a veteran like her. The dub might have decided to go another direction with it for that reason, but if its anything like this then I'm perfectly willing to give it a chance.
For context, someone listed what exactly the anime didn't adapt from the manga:
Spoiler
Chapters 35 to 74
*35 to 38 : "The Houriki Heretic" arc, a crazy monk story (some pages of chapter 35 were adapted. Appearance of Kyoura, the crazy monk)
*54 to 58 : "You'll be dry arc", an oni story (introduction of Katayama and Kagami, two musicians buddies)
*58 to 63 : "The Warped Night" arc, a vampire story (introduction of Ayumi, a girl Ushio, Katayama and Kagami meet in a ferry; Hyou reappears)
*64 to 68: "The guardian god of the lake", a demon like story (Ushio is still hanging with Katayama, Kagami and Ayumi)
*69 to 74 : "The mist comes" arc a mist demon story (Ushio meetsTokuno, a former yakuza)
These stories were enjoyable, with some scary ones.
*82 to 84 : "Beastly Karakuri" arc, a scary doll story (centered on Asuko and Mayuko)
Chapters 116 to 138
*116 to 121 : "The Snow doesn't vanish at dawn" arc, a yuki onna story
*122 : a funny transition chapter (no real plot there)
*123 to 132 : "Countdown railroad" arc, a giant monster story (Ushio travels with his father in a train to come back to Tokyo; Kyoura the crazy monk reappears)
*133 to 138 : "High Speed Eater" arc, a motorcycles illegal competitions story (more development betweek Ushio and Asuko)
*166 : a sports competition at school
Chapters 175 to 219
*175 to 179 : "The day I swang the swing" arc (introduction of Minoru, a boy turned blind after a plane crash)
*180 : A new year chapter
*181 to 191 : "The Seal of Gedou" arc (introduction of Minoo, a transfer student girl, who must retrieve a powerful demon to her village)
*192 to 218 : "The Western Bakemono War", a battle between the demons of the East and the demon of the West (introduction of Shinno, Ibuki and You, Kyou and Nao 3 western Kamataichi who didn't appear in the anime; Hitotsuki, the osa of Tonno, Raishin and Kagari come back; first appearance of Ushio's mother; first fight against the Hakumen no Mono)
*219 : "Full Moon", a 1-chapter story
Chapters 231-238
*231-234 : " , mandrill-like demons story (centered on Kirio, and how he went to live with Mayuko)
*235-236 : "Gouki arc" (Hyou comes back)
*237 : chapter centered on journalist Moriya,who follows Ushio's steps (more like a recap chapter)
246 : a transition, high school story
Found that comment on ANN. They look like cool stories, but with 39 episodes I can see why they were skipped.
Quote from: LumRanmaYasha on July 21, 2017, 02:07:47 PM
Most of the casting seems spot-on, and it's a great touch that they brought back as many of the actors from the OVA dub as possible. The one casting decision I'm not sure about is John Swasey as Hakumen no Mono. He's done great villain performances, especially Crocodile in One Piece, but Megumi Hayashibara's performance as Hakumen was very feminine and whispery, whereas Swasey has a very deep and gritty voice. It'll be interesting to see how he performs the role in contrast to Hayashibara's.
I'm sure it's already been said but it doesn't have to be the same thing.
The dub is being streamed on HIDIVE. (http://www.animenewsnetwork.cc/news/2017-08-16/hidive-streams-ushio-and-tora-english-dub/.120196)
Also, it's out on DVD/BR. I already have my copy ordered (though won't be getting it for awhile thanks to Sentai being Sentai) though its a shame it has yet to air on TV. It really deserves a Toonami run.
Toonami has ran/is running pretty much every recent anime that I've wanted to see. U&T is pretty much the last one.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on September 04, 2017, 03:45:40 PM
The dub is being streamed on HIDIVE. (http://www.animenewsnetwork.cc/news/2017-08-16/hidive-streams-ushio-and-tora-english-dub/.120196)
Also, it's out on DVD/BR. I already have my copy ordered (though won't be getting it for awhile thanks to Sentai being Sentai) though its a shame it has yet to air on TV. It really deserves a Toonami run.
I've been watching the dub on HiDive, and it sounds great so far! I'm curious to see how Hakumen is handled when he shows up though.