Everyone, welcome back to the 90’s badassaryapalooza that is Ushio and Tora. So, does this episode live up to the badassary of the previous episodes? Short answer, yes. yest it does. Long answer? Well let’s just start this review up and you’ll see for yourself.
So the episode starts up with this badass Chinese exorcist showing up at these two thugs guy’s doorstep. Turns out that they’re really werewolves in disguise. After destroying one of them, the other one pleads to be let go, but he sees that the two had killed a kid. And this exorcist guy does not like that. So he kills him too.
He then sees on the news about how in Japan Tora was seen, and thinking this is a target he’s been looking for, he heads off to Japan.
Meanwhile we cut back to our two main characters. Ushio’s trying to sleep and Tora decides to be an asshole and try to kill him while he’s sleeping. Ushio stops him, but he’s very much not happy about it.
Tora leaves, with Ushio now knowing he can’t trust him, and he’s going to have to destroy him. As he’s taking a walk, we see the exorcist guy attacking some thugs who were threatening a guy and his daughter. Before he can kill them, Ushio stops him telling him that he can’t kill random people. Thinking he works with the demon as he can sense Tora’s presence on him, he attacks Ushio. However, once he sees that he wields the beast spear, he apologizes.
That’s when we get into this guy’s backstory. And I like to dub this EVERY VIDEO GAME BACKSTORY EVER.
Stop me, if you’ve heard this one before. A guy is really happy with a wife and kid-
Yeah you already interrupted me in your head because you know where this is going.
So yeah apparently a demon whose shadow looks like Tora did it and now he’s on a quest for vengeance to find this demon and destroy it. And he thinks Tora’s it. At first Ushio is going to tell him that it’s not because Tora has been stuck in the basement for 500 years, but decides against it as if this guy were to kill Tora, it would save him a lot of trouble.
Ushio then leaves and the exorcist senses that Tora’s near, and they get into a battle. Which, I kid you not, lasts for over 24 hours.
And no, that’s not top to bottom, that’s left to right, top to bottom. That’s even MORE than 24 hours…that’s like…28 hours. Hot damn.
Anyway, as this ridiculously long battle’s going on, Ushio’s daydreaming a lot thinking about the two of them fighting and something’s bothering him. After a good talking to by bitch girl he knows what he has to do and stops the two of them from fighting, telling the exorcist that it really couldn’t have been Tora because he’s been sealed up for 500 years. Basically insane from battle at this point, the exorcist doesn’t want to believe him and tries attacking the weakened Tora anyway, however Ushio jumps in the way, taking the hit and knocking some sense into the guy.
The exorcist finally realizes that this isn’t the one who killed his family and heads off, to one day find the monster who DID kill them.
That night, battered and bruised, Ushio sleeps without the beast spear with Tora looming over him, but deems that he’s not going to attack him for a while, claiming that hamburgers taste better. And that’s where the episode ends.
This episode had a lot of things going for it. First things first, I like the exorcist guy. But dear sweet jesus is his motivation and backstory generic. Then again, I almost feel as if that was the point. It was almost as if this character were a tongue in cheek reference to the 90’s over how stereotypical that origin story is. He is very badass though and while his story is about as trite as it comes, it’s hard not to like this guy, even when he’s batshit insane.
The only thing that really detracted from this episode was Ushio moping around that Tora might die for something he didn’t do and it’s bothering him. Which…I mean.. I can KINDA see where he’s coming from… he knows he didn’t kill this guy’s family but he also did kill a bunch of people 500 years ago..and Tora IS trying to kill Ushio on a regular basis. So I can see where he’d have a hard time here. Still though, the scenes with Ushio moping kind of did drag the whole episode down at times. Also I didn’t like the pep talk from bitch girl because that means she’s being important….and I don’t LIKE bitch girl being important.
This was an episode that definitely brought these two closer together and I think relatively soon we’re going to see these two becoming more friends and less “trying to kill each other” (granted that’s mainly on Tora’s end)
“Aww mannnn!!”
All in all, a solid episode. Hopefully next one will leave out the moping though.
Episode 6.5/10
-Hideki
It really is such a blast watching Ushio and Tora bond (as well as with others)! It really is the heart and soul of this show as you pointed out and I’m so glad that the ending theme carries that vibe. I began watching this show out of curiosity over the 90s style (quite the contrast to Parasyte which was updated), as well as wanting some action that didn’t constantly deal with mass death (God Eater) or underworld activity (Gangsta). I’m glad that I found so much more in this show! Thanks for covering it.