Ushio & Tora

[gunswordfist]

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.

[Spark Of Spirit]

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.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

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.

[Spark Of Spirit]

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.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

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.

[Spark Of Spirit]

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.

[Spark Of Spirit]

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!

[Spark Of Spirit]

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.

[VLordGTZ]

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.

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. 

[Spark Of Spirit]

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.

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.

[gunswordfist]

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.

[Spark Of Spirit]

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. 

[gunswordfist]

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! 

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.

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.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Lunkhead is performing the 3rd ED. Pretty good choice.

Though the fact that they haven't mentioned a new OP is pretty cool. Looks like they'll be keeping it! 

[gunswordfist]

They better!