A violent paranormal action anime derived from comics, Ushio & Tora takes the mismatched-buddy-superheroes trope to extremes, with two avengers who perpetually threaten to kill each other. Teen Ushio, exploring the cellar of his priest-father's temple, discovers a "yokai" monster from Japanese folklore that was impaled by a spear some 500 years ago. Withdrawing the blade, Ushio reawakens the monster, who is eager to devour him and only kept from doing so by the mystic "Beast Spear" that is able to prevail against the many yokai who persist among magical sects in the shadows of modern Japan. Kept under control—but only barely—by Ushio, the tiger-like monster dubbed "Tora" winds up being an unlikely ally in fights against rogue yokai, culminating in war against a giant monster so evil that monsters and humans must unite against him. Tora's arc from monster to good guy (or at least a monster who kills other monsters) is consistently entertaining. Presenting all 39 episodes from 2015-16 in separate dual-language DVD and Blu-ray editions, rated TV-MA, this is recommended. (C. Cassady)
Ushio & Tora: Complete TV Series
(2015) 975 min. DVD: 8 discs, $99.98; Blu-ray: 5 discs, $129.98. Sentai Filmworks (avail. from most distributors). Volume 33, Issue 2
Ushio & Tora: Complete TV Series
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