Flame of Recca
Reviewed by Dan Peterson |
| Synopsis |
| It’s a show that feels very similar to Yu Yu Hakusho with a plot you probably feel you’ve heard thirty times before. Hanabishi Recca is an ordinary kid who wishes he were a ninja. His dad works in an explosives shop and provides him with explosives for his antics, but things get more serious when a mysterious woman appears to tell him of his past and to give ancient weapons of magical power to Recca’s friends. Soon, Recca learns that he was originally a ninja of the Hokage tribe who was sent through time to the modern era to be protected. He also learns that he can summon fire from his arm, an ability he must use to confront the evil Kurenai. |
| PLOT: 90% |
| It would feel like just another day at the anime office if it weren’t for the fact that, for some reason, the plot seems so intriguing. I found myself wondering what was coming next and caring about characters in a way I didn’t really expect given how cliché this show seemed like it would be. The plot has great arcs, great villains, great heroes, and wonderfully fun twists. It’s got action, adventure, romance…and for once, a female character who’s not useless! The best plot for a pure fighting anime I’ve seen. |
| CHARACTERS: 85% |
| The characters are all well-developed, and though some of them like Domon and Recca can be obnoxious, characters like Fuuko, Recca’s strong female rival who possesses the ability to control the wind, bring them back down to Earth. Kurenai is also a great bad guy with a fun backstory and relation to Recca that becomes obvious yet no less fun over time. Call them guilty pleasures all you want, these characters are fun! |
| ART: 75% |
| The art is pretty bland, but that’s expected, I suppose, since it is an older series. The characters are well-drawn for their era, and setting it decent though not stunning. The fight scenes are probably the best I’ve seen done for this era of anime, but they still aren’t anywhere near as stylistically beautiful as fight scenes of Samurai Champloo. Also, Flame of Recca does have some of those lovely long speeches before fights that we’ve all come to love from anime which makes the fight scenes seem even less spectacular. |
| SOUNDTRACK: 65% |
| Truly unspectacular. The theme songs are forgettable, the music in the anime seems a bit hokey, and the music in general doesn’t seem to have anything to contribute. Not huge disappointment, but some better music would have made me happier. |
| CONCLUSION: 81% Overall |
| Definitely worth your time. |
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