Usho & Tora (1992 Anime OVA) Review.

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I like things that have a rhythm to them. Stories don't have to always reinvent or subvert a genre to do so. And Ushio & Tora is for all intents and purposes, a monster of the week adventure show that does exactly what its name says; tell the story of the boy chosen by a magic spear that can slay monsters, the Beast Spear and said beast, Tora, who was freed by him grabbing the spear out of him.

 

It's a story that as it goes, is based around a number of monster beings of various folklore in Japanese mythology being confronted by Ushio and the slow, very slow affection that develops between the two as they undergo this journey together. It's not a overly complicated dynamic and yet it's charming to watch. It's an older anime, so the art style is uite gorgeous to look at in turn and the action and music are quite a vibe to them, capturing an era of the early nineties quite well.

 

I don't really have much to say beyond this; not that it's bad but that it feels like there was also more story to tell but that was left unadapted. The latter half of the show was where emotionally things began to shine; a focus was placed on the character grow of each individual player a lot harder then it began, mirroring a few previous shows I've reviewed. Whether it's the length of the OVA or not enough material put in, there's enough good I wanted to watch more. There's a kernal of understanding that the idea of a 'monster' and what 'evil' is should be further looked into but not necessarily a denial of 'evil' either; some monsters that appear late openly describe themselves as such but are capable of acts of good, understanding and care and even themselves are understood in their actions. That's likely the central focal point of Usho & Tora itself; understanding one another being the greatest strength possible in a story such as this. I think that's the most admirable part of this show.

 

I'd recommend it. It doesn't have to be perfect to be good and there's a lot of good in this. So take that one when you watch it.

 

Image sourced themoviedb by NWEpic 

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