Ushio and Tora...
At first glance, you might think that Ushio and Tora is a cross between Tenchi Muyo and Zenki...
By the way, there's lots of gratuitous bloodshed and gore including slicing and dicing of bodies and some head chomping. There's also some foul language. I used to have all 5 volumes on subtitled VHS. I've repurchased Ushio and Tora on DVD. There's a nice rapport between Ushio and Tora throughout the series (Tora's one desire is to eat Ushio) and the last volume includes some super-deformed episodes. Sadly, since Tora is always around in his original form, unlike Zenki, there's no transformation sequence. I gave Ushio and Tora a 4 out of 5.
At first glance, you might think that Ushio and Tora is a cross between Tenchi Muyo and Zenki. Sure, Tenchi's grandfather does appear to be moonlighting as Ushio's dad and Ushio does just happen to free a demon buried under the family's shrine for several hundred years -- not unlike Tenchi. And sure, like Zenki, the demon does battle various other demons and does try to free itself from its master's control. But, really it's different and well worth more than a peek.Volume 1
Once, long ago, a small village was terrorized by demon, a horrible monster who gobbled up peasants like rice cakes. (This was, obviously, not a good time to be a peasant.) Then, one day, a mysterious stranger appeared and, with a magic spear, pinned the creature's shoulder to a boulder, trapping it forever! In the village there was much rejoicing and all was at peace with the world. That is, until 500 years later, when the stranger's descendent, Ushio Aotsuki, discovers a very alive and extremely irritated demon still pinned in the family basement! Although Ushio doesn't release the fiend, the awakened monster's aura acts like a beacon to other, equally nasty creatures and soon the whole neighborhood is crawling with demons. Lacking any practical demon-banishing experience (and desperate to handle the problem before his father gets home) Ushio decides to go straight to the horses mouth for advice and. well, you know what happens when you make a deal with a devil. Fortunately, so does Ushio, and this time it's the demon who's going to get the pointed end of the stick! (Or is that a magic spear?) It's a buddy film unlike any you've ever seen before as boy and beast form an uneasy alliance to rid the town of its infernal infestations! And if Ushio can get Tora to stop trying to eat him, they might just succeed!
Volume 2
You know, when Tora tries to devour Ushio he tends to take it personally. In an effort to gain a little justice (maybe it's only revenge), Ushio decides to enlist the aid of a travelling demon hunter to rid him of this troublesome (invisible) creature!
Volume 3
Tora isn't one to turn down some food (read: people), but he's been accused of ripping apart a construction crew. Now, to be fair, it DOES sound like something that he would do but this time he pleads innocence. Who'd have thought that this time he'd be telling the truth?
Volume 4
A trip to the seashore turns into the usual disaster when Ushio and his classmates go to sea with a certain invisible furry demon in tow! First the mysterious Old Man of the Sea shows up looking for help and then the horrendous Ayakashi starts swallowing up everything in sight... including Asako and Tora! Are Asako and Tora fated to be sushi for a sea monster? Will the Ayakashi get a fur-ball from Tora? Will Ushio and his magic spear give the Ayakashi a fatal case of indigestion, or will he end up being a second helping?
Volume 5
It's the wildest installment yet as both Ushio and Tora bite off a little more than they can handle in this special extended collection! First, the junior priest and the blatant beast confront a trio of not-so-happy wind demons. Then, in a special Super-Deformed presentation, things really get out of hand. A creature named Dirt-licker offers to help Ushio clean the bathroom; Tora encounters a kitten; and the whole thing ends up with a bizarre tribute to silent movies! Will Dirt-Licker take Ushio to the showers? Will Tora have to get a flea collar? Will the weasel-spirited wind demons blow our boys away?
By the way, there's lots of gratuitous bloodshed and gore including slicing and dicing of bodies and some head chomping. There's also some foul language. I used to have all 5 volumes on subtitled VHS. I've repurchased Ushio and Tora on DVD. There's a nice rapport between Ushio and Tora throughout the series (Tora's one desire is to eat Ushio) and the last volume includes some super-deformed episodes. Sadly, since Tora is always around in his original form, unlike Zenki, there's no transformation sequence. I gave Ushio and Tora a 4 out of 5.
