Ushio & Tora (2015)

SPOILERS I was inclined to write this review because every other review for this show before they started being removed had less than 12 episodes seen, which means it was still in the "monster of the week" formula and it still had the potential to become something interesting. Disclaimer i dropped this show at the end of the first cour (12 episodes) because while it tried to start to have a plot it was still episodic. I should have dropped it for good because the plot that started to appear is nothing special or even creative, the episodic stories about different monsters are far more interesting thanthe main story. i will give a rundown for the topics: Story: It started episodic, which is fine but it took to long to start with the bigger story, more than half this show (13 eps) are of monster that we will never see again. But now for the actual story, should i say its "generic", i dont really wanna use that word but you are not getting here anything new or creative, the villain also doesnt have any motivation besides being evil. The villain is also super all powerful and nothing can defeat it except for our special snowflake protagonist with his super secret powerful weapon. Nothing fascinating about it, it has been done a million times already and much better than it is done here 2 Art and Animation: Really well done and it has a nice 80's/90's feel to it, looks really good. Still nothing super impressive about it like from other shows but it looks nice and it is consistently good 7 Sound: this is the one i have no clue what to give it, i liked the op but i didnt really feel any impact from the soundtrack in itself. I dont really remember anything from the OST, and it didnt really feel impactful during the show but it didnt feel out of place either. So i guess the score of average not good but not bad perfectly describes the sound for Ushio to Tora 5 Characters: At first i loved them, i still love Tora he is the high point of the show but he isnt enough, the side characters are all uninteresting and the biggest problem of the show has become Ushio. Ok spoilers in this paragraph so i can explain why. The reason i say this is because he hasn't developed one bit, he is still the same exact person he was at the start, his "strategy" to fight any and all youkai is full frontal attack, which not surprisingly always fails. So the show becomes super repetitive because of this, Ushio has to save everyone as is typical of every shounen Mc but the only way he goes about defeating youkai is running at them and trying to poke em with a spear, over and over again. The youkai eventually wins over Ushio and then Tora comes in and saves his ass. EVERY SINGLE TIME. And to someone who as almost died 7+ times during the show you would expect Ushio to develop a bit and start thinking of other ways to go about it, unfortunately he doesnt so it feels like you are in a loop with different youkai to beat in each episode. Even when the story starts to develop he just stays the same. Villain is just boring, its the same thing we have come to expect from these shows. Pure dark, no motivation for actually doing what he does except for the fact that it is evil. I would talk more about why the villain sucks but it would go into spoiler territory, so ill leave it at its boring. Tora is the best thing about this show without a doubt, he is entertaining to watch he develops through the show and hes actually interesting. He does have a problem with his power level tho, its all over the place. Every other character doesn't matter, no really they don't. They aren't even particularly interesting and when one actually is interesting at the start he just becomes a boring one after a few episodes, only there to help Ushio and Tora. 3 Enjoyement: It is clear that i am not enjoying this show, i dropped it once and then caught up to it again, but it was hard to do so because of how uninteresting this show was. If i wasnt watching it while it was airing i wouldnt have given it a second thought (dropping it). This show is something i watch in the evening so that i can focus on other things, because it destroys my desire to watch anime for the rest of the day. Even watching this show sped up like 1.5x the normal speed doesnt help (at least for me), it is a great show to put yourself to sleep with. I dont know if i should mention that i almost always fall asleep on the second half of the episodes. Because some people will say that the reason i find it uninteresting is because i did sleep through it. Its not like the story is hard to follow, in fact its pretty basic. I did eventually watch the parts i slept through to see if i had missed anything important. This show has the highest score for making me fall asleep which in itself is actually a pretty big deal. 2 Tl;dr: + Tora + Art style and animation + 80's feel - Ushio and side characters - Repetitive monster of the week show - The actual plot latter on - Villain - Character development - Story This show might work for some people, especially people who havent seen many shounens of this type. It does have some pretty fun first episodes, which made me stick to it. The second half of the show is just boring. I now know the reason why they kept the episodic gig for so long, because the actual plot is uninteresting compared to it. Ok so after finishing the last 3 episodes i have to say that, the animation of this show + artstyle works really well for it, unfortunately it still has the problems i listed before (it also seemed the relationship of our mains regressed on the last episodes, and again Tora got an amazing random power for no reason at all). I stand by my word, this show should be skipped because it doesnt do anything special.

Depending on who you are, this show might tickle your fancy. Or it might be that stale TV dinner you've eaten alone in your bedroom at night for the third time this week. For me at least, it accomplished tickling my feet and making me giggle like a schoolgirl only to have an odd desire to kill something with a spear. Straight to the point, this show is a good action series with some insane moments. There's always that hair-raising transformation Ushio goes through and occasional demon-like smile that makes the show what it is. Just some good ol action. If you're willing to giveit a couple of episodes, i'd say this show won't betray you. The downsides to this show is that it can be a bit repetitive. It kind of recycles similar moments in the show so some encounters seem like deja vu. That and the overly moral nature of the main character can come off as a bit forced and turn you off depending on who you are. This show will just come down to a personal enjoyment factor. For me, I enjoyed it a lot. It is a hell of a lot better than most recent anime, but it's definitely not an epic everyone will talk about. Just a little above average. For a more fair rating, i'd give it a 7/10. But, because i'm biased for my love of this show, i'll give it an 8/10.

Adaptions of older manga works are always a pleasant change to the current ones, as these often have a slightly different execution or narrative to the more modern adaptations: besides, the art style can be an interesting aspect to it as well. In the case of Ushio to Tora, it was a disappointment: although it started with a generic, yet interesting premise, its execution was bad and repetitive , and the characters were uninteresting, as well as underdeveloped. In addition, it was amassed with all shōnen clichés together, the art style being the positive aspect of the anime. ~Story~ The story of Ushio to Tora is generic,centered around Ushio, a teenager whose father plagues him with an ancient story of an ancestor impaling a demon with a legendary Beast Spear. Naturally, the protagonist refuses to believe such nonsense, but to his surprise he encounters the very same impaled demon, releasing the spirits surrounding it; Ushio's friends being targeted by these, he is left with no other option then to retrieve the legendary spear, and with that, the demon itself. What will the consequences be for the young boy? Was it really worth it? The premise is interesting, making the viewer question what the consequences are for releasing the demon. This is done initially through events of episodic nature, introducing Ushio's life and his surroundings, whilst presenting the hardships dealing with the demon that goes by the name of Tora. There are some comedic elements present as well, which in some cases are amusing, yet was overall rather uninteresting and repetitive. It is also dedicated to introducing the various characters, as well slowly showing audiences with the different types of monsters in the world, essentially making it a "villain of the week" type of show. Nevertheless, these are interesting, which seemingly hints at the bigger events to come linked with both the spear and the demon; which it does, yet this is where all the issues with the anime begin. First of all, when actual story developments takes place, this is not innovative, and is badly done: it is very generic, and often done better in other anime/manga with similar content, being the progression as well as the pacing inconsistent. This often caused by the characters themselves, but this will be discussed later on. Another issue are the action scenes in the anime: these are throughout the whole story basically the same and tensionless, with Ushio always rushing in head straight and loosing, consequently being saved by someone else. The power levels are very inconsistent as well, characters being stronger or weaker whenever the plot demands it or is convenient for story progression. ~Characters~ The story itself could have worked out well, if it wasn't for the characters: these were basically the main issue with Ushio to Tora, as the story relied heavily on them. The cast of character presented are not huge, yet sufficient for the story: these were in addition varied, ranging from diverse demons, humans, and organizations. The problem was that most of these were uninteresting, generic and one-dimensional, the majority having no convincing motives for their actions, besides of changing in their actions and motives whenever it was convenient for the plot. The fact that characters didn't undergo any development or fleshing out wasn't of any aid either. These issues were very clear when actual story development took place, the episodic ones had actually some interesting characters as well as motives. Other problem is the main character Ushio; he is the typical shonen protagonist, dumb, and values life and friendship above everything. He tries to solve his problems with shouting and rushes into fights without any thought. He hardly develops throughout the series, and fleshing out is nearly nihil as well: as a character he was hardly likeable at all, at some points even becoming annoying. However, what kept the anime somewhat interesting was Tora, who underwent character development as well as some fleshing out, as opposed to Ushio, albeit not huge either; in fact, I personally would have liked to know more about the demon's past. Tora could be described as one of the biggest Tsundere character in anime, yet with its own personality and motives. These were however rather lackluster as well, and the change in character was a bit too drastic for my likes, which however was a bit unavoidable given the nature of the anime. The main villain of the story was certainly of interest, yet its motives were lackluster. The background information provided for these were alluring, which could be said for the different demons as well. In fact, I found myself much more interested in the demons and their backgrounds, as well as their motives, which couldn't be said about the humans. The organization to ward against demons was of interest, yet was never really expanded on, which was a drawback personally. ~Animation and sound~ One thing that can be said about Ushio to Tora is that the art style is alluring and very detailed in some cases, especially for the various demon designs - that certainly took quite some work to implement. These were often very interesting, menacing, their design intriguing the viewer for its story. As for the humans, these were somewhat varied but distinguishable, and different of current anime, which was a welcoming change. The backgrounds were well done, being detailed and befitting of the atmosphere it was trying to portray. As for the animation quality, this was well done, with fluid motions; it didn't really shine because the fights were too repetitive. The soundtrack use in the anime was passable as a whole with some well implemented compositions, yet as a whole forgettable, which could be said about the openings and endings as well. It must be said that the opening theme was suitable for the anime. The voice actor performed their roles well, yet in some cases, because of the one-dimensional characters such as Ushio, could get a bit annoying. ~Enjoyment~ Despite all the problems Ushio to Tora had, I personally enjoyed a bit, especially the beginning of the anime: what however was very disappointing was the remainder of it, being badly written, with uninteresting and generic characters with no real motives. I personally enjoyed the different demons presented, as well as the art style of the anime. It was recently announced that the 2nd season of the series was greenlit, which I sincerely hope will be much better than this one. I really can't recommend Ushio to Tora, unless viewers don't mind the generic characters and story, or have the intention of watching the 2nd season. Thank you for reading.

Ushio to Tora... Gotta be honest, I have a far different opinion on this series compared to what some other people might say about it. ========================================================== ~Story~ The story of UTT is quite simple, it mostly focuses on our two main characters: Ushio and Tora. It shows the long history of this world: how the spear was made, it shows what Ushio's family history is like, how the world has advanced over time, the history of Tora and all the other monsters in the world. But for the first half of the show it is quite simply an "monster of the week" type series which I personallyam totally fine with, but for the second half of the series most people might have a problem with but personally I enjoyed it even more than the first half... which this second half is where the story actually gets started and talks about the several things that I mentioned above. ~Characters~ The cast of characters in this series is vast and severely underdeveloped and this is where most people have the biggest problem with the show, but the thing that makes me completely fine with it is how this show is a journey where the two main characters travel from town to town. It is with this large amount of traveling that makes me completely fine with it, because the two main characters might end up meeting many different people along the way in which they serve their main role in the episode or two that they star in... and then Ushio and Tora move onto the next town where they end up meeting the next person. (One other thing about how people complain about the episode where they have girls comb Ushio's hair... it is mostly there in my eyes just to give more screentime to those character whom we have never seen since the episode they starred in.) As for the main characters: I love them... but of course they are not the most well written characters, but they work well with this world and more important with each other. You can tell throughout the entire series that there is a love hate with one another, they pass jokes around with one another, they make fun of one another, and even fight/argue with each... but in the end they are always willing to get each other out of trouble, no matter the circumstances and over time you can tell how they are growing closer to one another as the episodes go by. Also... Tora is best boy of the year. ~Comedy~ The jokes in this series as I mentioned above, it is mostly just back and forth fighting between our two main characters: Ushio and Tora. And is mostly there for the sake of being comedy relief and in my opinion, it works really well. Every so often it is poorly timed, but it only exists for maybe a quick one liner or so, just long enough for the character to make fun of the situation and then later snaps back into reality and becomes serious about the situation once more. But just remember comedy is entirely subjective, but personally I really enjoyed it. ~Music~ The Soundtrack isn't amazing but it isn't terrible either, but it does work extremely well with the show. The opening is very 90's focused and I feel as if it helps get you in the mood for the type of show that this show is, it isn't the best opening ever but it does work really well with the context. The Ending themes, they are both really well made songs but personally I have a lot of fun with them but... I feel as if I will forget about them by the end of Winter 2016 season. ~Art/Animation~ The art makes me feel as if I am watching an 90's shounen, which is exactly what the show should feel like, because it is an 90's shounen except it is made in the current modern time. The animation itself is solid, it is always consistent, and there are no animation derps or horrible cgi... if there even is any in the first place. ~Dialogue~ It is not anything extremely thought provoking or memorable for the matter of fact, but it works for the type of series that Ushio to Tora is. But if I was to make one critique about it, is how the writers of the show really need to learn about "Show Don't Tell". Here is a screenshot I took that was near the end of this season, but I felt like it needed to be addressed http://i.imgur.com/zK7YmoM.png ... It mostly shows how there is a female character who is upset about an action that was made by another character's actions, but instead of showing the raw emotion that the character is feeling through different facial expressions or body movements or even just make her her yell about what her thoughts are don't just flat out say "I am angry", because by saying that you are telling that you are angry yet on screen you do not appear to be angry at all. In the long run, I remember seeing this show listed on anichart just before the show aired and I wasn't expecting much, it looked good but I wasn't entirely positive about whether I would love the series or hate it so I went in not expecting much (this also occurred with Rokka no Yuusha & Arslan Senki). In which I ended up being extremely blown away about how much I loved this series, and ended up noticing how I continuously loved the next episode more than the last and this cycle continued throughout the entire series. This series was one of the few where I was counting down the days till the next episode was released. BUT one thing I had to mention is how even tho this show got mixed reviews, I still raved on about how much I loved it and this ended up pissing off a few people because it just ended up being a coincidence about this show got mixed reviews (where this is also the case with Arslan Senki). It isn't my fault about how much I love a series, if I really enjoy something I will talk about it... shouldn't that be common sense? Anyways, I am really excited to see where this story is heading with the upcoming Season 2 that is going to airing in Spring 2016. But no matter the problems I have with the series the positives far outweigh the negatives. And in this case, I give Ushio to Tora my first 9/10 for any series I've seen that aired this year... and also has earned a spot on my Top 10 favorite series that I have seen to date.