Ushio and Tora

Ittermat Mar 21, 2014

8

Hey do you like inuyasha?yes? or no?It doesnt matter because Ushio and Tora is better! (and it came out first!)Like...loads better.Its premise is basically Inuyasha but without all the crap you dont care about. It doesnt drag on, and its actually pretty enjoyable to watch.It has its corny moments- OF COURSE it does- its from 1992.I mean check out this trailer-If that doesnt scream out at you old style anime, I dont know what will.I remember watching the trailer on my friends crystania: the motion picture Vhs- and I always wanted to see Ushio and Tora- I found it on amazon for $2 and I was not dissapointed- Its one of my all time faves now.Mainly because of Tora. I admit- Tora makes this show immensely more awesome.Okay Im getting ahead of myself here-Storyline-Like I said its very Inuyasha- Theres a demon/Bakemono (Tora) Trapped in the basement of the storage shed of the shrine Ushio's family owns- How he never noticed the GIANT trap door- I have no idea.I wasnt kidding.Anyway Im sure you can guess what happens next. Yep.... he falls in, finds demon- demon lies in a deal to make Ushio set him free blahblahblah... Inuyasha all over again.BUT WAIT! theres a twist!Alot like how Kagome and the jewel can control Inuyasha- The beast spear controls Tora- in other words- Ushio constantly kicks his ass with it- In the same way as Kagomes "SIT BOY!"However this spear does something else- Im sure you noticed in the trailer that Ushio's hair becomes CRAZY long when hes weilding it- It has the name beast spear for a reason you know? Its because it basically turns the Wielder into a beast...Or maybe...a Bakemono? (*Cough*SpoilerCough*) There is also a REASON that Tora is affected by the spear... but I wont get into that cuz I would be giving away WAY Too much.Basically The anime is a fun romp through killing demons, meeting characters, Ushio trying to hide Tora from everyone while trying to save everyone... And really, Its alot of fun to watch. The best parts besides the random awesome animation during fight scenes- (seriously sometimes they step it up a notch)  Are the characters.The Characters MAKE this show.And Tora is the best one.However there are Honorable mentions to the Water wheel spirit whos always asking people to "rotate him". And the three weasels, who each have a part to play-one will distract a person, the other will cut a person, and the third will bandage the wound.I dont know eitherBut even still, throughout this rather short series- Its fun to watch Ushio and Tora become "friends" They act like they hate each other- and Tora is constantly saying he'll eat/kill Ushio, but he never does- instead he saves him time and time again with the excuse that "hes the only one allowed to eat ushio"Suuuuuure Tora... sure.Im not sure what else to say about it- If you're into that kind of thing definately give Ushio and Tora a chance- Its probably better than you're thinking it will be- But as I said its definately old style anime- Drawn old style- storyline old style. But I Like that sort of thing.Oh right- the Dvd extras-There are alot of extras on the Dvd (which you can find some of them on youtube if you want...)- shorts and musicals, you can tell they had fun with the show-And thats always a plus to me. But my alltime favorite extra is the one about Tora and the little kitten- It makes me Baaww everytime I see it. And the song Doki doki waku waku is pretty catchy too.Oh right- Also- I found out Brett weaver (the voice of Nabeshin from excel saga) Does Toras voice...So now I cant help but imagine Tora singing the Afro song..I even couldnt resist and drew a picture of it. hahaa...However even the anime doesnt give you the entire story- which is fine- theres still enough there to enjoy. I've also read pretty much ALL of the manga. So I know alot more of the storyline, but even before then it was still a fun thing to watch.So check it out if you're curious- Its short, sweet- and to me ALOT better than inuyasha.~Ittermat

XxSamuraixX Jan 5, 2010

8.5

Ah....Ushio and Tora....brings back memories......ok enough....I feel like an old man. Ushio and Tora is a very good anime...though corny and sometimes childish this series is very humorous. Ushio and Tora fits all of the stereotypes of bad shonen anime: ugly character designs, lots of fighting, and a "save the female love interest" plot line. However, get past all of that and you have a genuinely funny ova series. If you get sick of shows like inuyasha that stretch on forever but somehow miraculously get nowhere...I highly recomend Ushio and tora. It is only 10 episodes long and its truely a great series. The plot goes something like this...Ushio thinks his father's tale of an ancient ancestor impaling a demon on a temple altar stone with the legendary Beast Spear is nuts, but when he finds the monster in his own basement, Ushio has to take another look at the family legend!  Fortunately, Ushio knows it's best to let sleeping dogs lie and leave captured demons where they are. Unfortunately, the release of the monster's evil energies begins to beckon other demons to Ushio's hometown! To save his friends and family from the invading spirits, Ushio is forced to release Tora from his captivity. But will the cure prove to be worse than the curse? Will Ushio end his life a Tora-snack? Or will the Beast Spear keep Tora in line long enough to save the city? Ushio thinks his father's tale of an ancient ancestor impaling a demon on a temple altar stone with the legendary Beast Spear is nuts, but when he finds the monster in his own basement, Ushio has to take another look at the family legend! Fortunately, Ushio knows it's best to let sleeping dogs lie and leave captured demons where they are. Unfortunately, the release of the monster's evil energies begins to beckon other demons to Ushio's hometown! To save his friends and family from the invading spirits, Ushio is forced to release Tora from his captivity. But will the cure prove to be worse than the curse? Will Ushio end his life a Tora-snack? Or will the Beast Spear keep Tora in line long enough to save the city?