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Ushio & Tora

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Ushio & Tora
File:Ushio and Tora vol 1 (2004).jpg
Cover of the first volume of Ushio and Tora, 2004 re-release
うしおととら
(Ushio to Tora)
GenreAction, fantasy[1]
Manga
Written byKazuhiro Fujita
Published byShogakukan
MagazineWeekly Shōnen Sunday
DemographicShōnen
Original runJanuary 1990 – October 1996
Volumes33 (List of volumes)
Original video animation
Directed byKunihiko Yuyama
Written byKenji Terada
Music byShirō Sagisu
Kei Wakakusa
StudioPastel
Licensed by
Released September 11, 1992 – August 1, 1993
Episodes10
Original video animation
Comical Déformer Ushio & Tora
Directed byKunihiko Yuyama
Written byKunihiko Yuyama
Music byHiroshi Okamoto
Etsuko Yamakawa
StudioPastel
ReleasedOctober 1, 1993
Runtime30 minutes
Anime television series
Directed bySatoshi Nishimura
Written byToshiki Inoue
Kazuhiro Fujita
Music byEishi Segawa
StudioMAPPA, Studio VOLN
Licensed by
Original networkTokyo MX, SUN, KBS, TVA, BS Fuji
Original run July 3, 2015 – June 24, 2016
Episodes39 (List of episodes)

Ushio and Tora (Japanese: うしおととら, Hepburn: Ushio to Tora) is a supernatural manga by Kazuhiro Fujita. It was adapted into three OVA series and an anime television series adaptation, the latter produced by MAPPA and Studio VOLN, which began airing on July 3, 2015, and finished airing on June 24, 2016;[2] it has been licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America.

Story

Main article: List of Ushio and Tora characters

Ushio and Tora centers around the travels and battles of Ushio Aotsuki, who is constantly being stalked and aided by a gigantic, supernatural, and sometimes invisible tiger-like monster named Tora.

Ushio's family maintains a temple in Japan, where 500 years ago, his samurai ancestor battled that same monster to a standstill, and eventually trapped him against a rock using a cursed spear called the "Beast Spear", which grants strength, speed, and endurance to the wielder in exchange for his soul. Ushio accidentally unsealed the cave Tora was trapped in.

Initially, Ushio refuses to remove the spear pinning Tora down (as Tora made the strategic blunder of mentioning that the first thing he would do upon being freed would be to devour Ushio), but Tora's unsealed presence attracts various monsters to the temple. Ushio is forced to free Tora, who would like to eat Ushio, but dares not since Ushio keeps the spear close by. The series focuses on their relationship, interspersed with battles against mythological foes, and with Tora's attempts to grapple with modern life. During the regular battles, Ushio slowly begins to notice that as much as Tora claims to be irredeemable, the demon takes to fighting evil and defending the innocent with more enthusasim than he cares to admit.

The story also includes Ushio's relationships with two girls: the tomboyish Asako Nakamura and the feminine Mayuko Inoue.

Episodic in nature, most of the manga consists of a series of fights with different yōkai or other creatures from Japanese myths. Major arcs in the storyline:

  1. The Beginnings
  2. Journey to Asahikawa
  3. Crisis at Kouhamei Sect Monastery
  4. The Kansai Yōkai Army
  5. Artificial Monster Technology
  6. Brainwash
  7. The Final Battles

Volumes

Main article: List of Ushio and Tora chapters

Anime

OAVs

Ushio and Tora was adapted into three OVA series: one with six episodes released from September 11, 1992 to February 1, 1993; one with four episodes released from June 11, 1993 to August 1, 1993; and one single episode OVA released on October 1, 1993.[3]

Television series

An anime television adaptation was produced by MAPPA and Studio VOLN. It was directed by Satoshi Nishimura and written by Toshiki Inoue and Kazuhiro Fujita, featuring character designs by Tomoko Mori and music by Eishi Segawa.[4] The anime was split into two parts: the first part (episodes 1–26) aired between July 3, 2015 and December 25, 2015, and the second part (episodes 27–39) aired between April 1, 2016 and June 24, 2016.[5] It has been licensed for a UK release by Manga Entertainment.[6] For episodes 1 through 26, the opening theme is "Mazeru no Kiken" (混ぜるな危険, Mixing Danger) by Kinniku Shōjo Tai while the ending themes are error: {{nihongo}}: Japanese or romaji text required (help) by Sonar Pocket and "Makeruna Chiisakimono yo" (負けるな小さきものよ, lit. Don't Lose the Small Things) by Wakadanna. For season 2, episodes 1 through 13, the opening theme is "Shuugawari no Kiseki no Shinwa" (週替わりの奇跡の神話) by Kinniku Shōjo Tai while the ending theme is "Kessen Zen'ya" (決戦前夜, lit. The Night Before the Decisive Battle) by Lunkhead.

Episode list

Season 1
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No. Title Original air date
Season 2
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No. Title Original air date

Reception

It received the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōnen in 1992.[7] Aside of it, Todd Ciolek of Anime News Network described Ushio and Tora as a "not-unwatchable demon-hunting series".[8]

References

  1. ^ "Ushio & Tora DVD". Right Stuf Inc. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
  2. ^ "Ushio & Tora Supernatural Battle Manga Gets TV Anime". Anime News Network. 2015-02-02.
  3. ^ "ビデオ編" [Video Releases]. 1998 Animage Pocket Data Notes. Animage Pocket Data Notes (in Japanese). Tokyo, Japan: Tokuma Shoten. March 1998. p. 96.
  4. ^ "Ushio & Tora TV Anime Confirms Split Season Plans, More Cast". Anime News Network. 2015-06-24. Retrieved 2016-03-16.
  5. ^ Komatsu, Mikikazu (2016-03-14). "Megumi Hayashibara Voices Hakumen no Mono in "Ushio and Tora"". Crunchyroll. Retrieved 2016-03-16.
  6. ^ "Manga Entertainment Acquires A Certain Magical Index: The Miracle of Endymion and Ushio & Tora". Anime News Network. April 29, 2017. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
  7. ^ 小学館漫画賞：歴代受賞者 (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved 2007-08-19.
  8. ^ "Fly With the High - The X-Button". Anime News Network. January 20, 2010. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
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