Flame of Recca: Part 1

  

Based on: manga of the same name by Nobuyuki Anzai 

Adapted to anime by Studio Pierrot

Starring: 

Japanese cast: 

Kousuke Okano (Recca Hanabishi), Yuki Masuda (Yanagi Sakoshita), Akiko Hiramatsu (Fūko Kirisawa), Nobuo Tobita (Domon Ishijima), Hikaru Midorikawa (Tokiya Mikagami), Motoko Kumai (Kaoru Koganei), Kotono Mitsuishi (Kage Hōshi)

English cast: 

Scott Roberts (Recca Hanabishi), Carol-Anne Day (Yanagi Sakoshita), Onalea Gilbertson (Fūko Kirisawa), Adam Hunter (Domon Ishijima), Paul Hunter (Tokiya Mikagami), Brett Bauer (Kaoru Koganei), Mariette Sluyter (Kage Hōshi)

This was a fun, fantastical series that served a lot of mythology with good potential in its opening arc. 

But this will be a shorter blog because I suffered from lack of focus and only made it about a dozen eps in before I switched shows! I saw that there are about 40 total eps in this series, and that's just way too much for me to handle all at once. Since no website gave me season breaks, I simply searched for the first recognizable plot arc conclusion to pause my viewing and switch to something else. It will be on my list to return to later. For this reason I also only included the cast of the limited characters who appeared in this first arc. 

It's important to be clear that this was not from lack of interest. As I stated in my first sentence, that first arc gave a lot of really interesting mythology to play off for the next 25 episodes. If it's not obvious from my love for Avatar, I'm a big fan of elemental magic, and this definitely served. Most users wielded magical devices called "madōgu" that seemed to grant them powers (often elemental), though others, like Recca, have the innate ability to manipulate their element. Some of his allies wielded madōgu that gave them wind or water manipulation, though one also had superstrength. The enemies' powers were more diverse, with plant manipulation and puppeteering abilities. 

Recca, Fūko, Domon, and their ally trying to rescue the kidnapped Yanagi

But more interestingly than Recca's innate magic is what its source actually is. In the last episode I watched, he unleashed his full power in an effort to save his life, and a giant dragon spirit manifested from the flames. It was easily more than powerful enough to consume him, but instead it saw his righteous intend and agreed to lend him its power to defeat his enemies. Once that is done, however, things might change. I appreciate the fact that the dragon was both immensely powerful and could recognize a righteous cause. I'm very interested to see how that plays out. 

Recca meets his fire dragon spirit

Over the course of these first dozen episodes I also learned that Recca is a member of an ancient ninja clan and his family used magic to send him forward in time to the present day to escape some sort of massacre. Some other ninjas around him seem to also be from that time and want different things from him; it's been a bit difficult for me to discern who has his best interest in mind, or even who all of them actually are. 

The only disappointing thing I found is honestly common to most anime: the "fan service," which for those unfamiliar means the purposeful sexualization of female characters. This show seemed conflicted with itself; it couldn't decide whether to give its female heroes a strong platform of leadership or to use upskirt shots to show us their underwear. It's a bit awkward doing both. One shot says "this woman is a real person with feelings and complexity," the other says, "she's nothing more than a body for you to enjoy."  

The first arc was interesting but (obviously) didn't capture my focus quite enough to keep me going in one go. The characters were all interesting and good, but nothing truly grabbed my attention to a deep or significant level. It's enough for me to feel comfortable either walking away or watching more. So for now, I'll watch some other shows that have a bit of a stronger hold on me. When I return, I'll be interested to see how the time travel elements carry forward and how Recca's relationship with that dragon spirit evolves.