Flame Of Recca

Flame of Recca - A Ninja's Test (Vol. 1)
$24.92
Recca Hanabishi is a massive ninjaphile -- which isn't surprising, since he seems to be from a past era himself.

And while there are a few hiccups in the first volume of "Flame of Recca," this solid little anime series gets off to a surprisingly solid start. While the animation gets sketchy at times, the storyline and writing are pretty well-done, and it's not hard to warm-up to the flame-spewing hero.

After barely saving classmate Yanagi from falling lead pipes, Recca is badly hurt. But he's miraculously healed when his pretty "princess" touches him.

Impressed by her kindness and special power, Recca pledges to be her personal ninja. But then a shadowy woman named Kagehoshi appears, and attacks them both in an effort to make Recca show his "fire." Recca has no idea what she's talking about -- until flames appear on his hand. Kagehoshi further enrages Recca when she gives his rival/friend Fuko a magical bracelet, Fuujin, which allows her to harness the wind -- but also starts twisting the girl's mind, and might drive her to ehr death.

Then upperclassman Tokiya Mikagami (who has a magical water sword, Ensui) incorrectly deduces that Recca had something to do with his beloved older sister's murder. To make matters worse, Yanagi is the spitting image of his sister. Tokiya is smarter and stronger than Recca, and his Ensui seems able to extinguish the younger boy's flame -- but Recca won't give up.

The first volume of "Flame of Recca" is really just warming up -- introduce the characters, a villain, and have some preliminary fights amidst goofy comic relief ("Aagh! Caltrops!"). The first few episodes are also quite faithful to Anzai's original manga -- there are a few changes, such as Tokiya's motives in fighting Recca, but overall it maintains the original's flavour nicely.

And it does a solid job mingling kinetic action scenes with comic relief (Recca's very public adoration of Yanagi), and a bit of stock romantic tension, although the first two episodes are a little slow at first. But the dangerous ninja artifacts and the question of Recca's flames -- as well as mysterious men searching for Yanagi -- add a fantasy edge to a straightforward action story

The plot really picks up in third and fourth episodes, when the intense battle with Fuko segues into a clash with Tokiyo. It also introduces a darker edge to the story -- Recca nearly gets sliced to ribbons in a hall of mirrors, flashbacks of Tokiya's bloody past, and Kagehoshi even stabs herself in the heart.

It's worth noting that the animation is not that great -- characters' hair and faces often shift between scenes, and some of the hand-to-hand fights are merely decent.

What keeps this interesting is Recca himself -- he's a likable kid, who plugs after his weird goals wholeheartedly. Yanagi is a suitably sweet-natured love interest, but feisty Fuko and the big-ugly-punk-with-a-heart-of-gold Doman are good, quirky counterpoints to Recca. And haughty, beautiful Tokiya is Recca's complete opposite in every way, but his tragic past and fondness for Yanagi keep him from being too unlikeable.

"Flame of Recca - A Ninja's Test" is the springboard for this underrated anima series and while the artwork gets a bit sketchy, the elemental magic and wild action keep things interesting.

Flame of Recca - Secrets of The Hokage (Vol. 2)
$24.92
Having introduced the entire main cast in the first volume of "Flame of Recca," this action anime wastes zero time in tackling the main storyline -- exposing the secrets of the mysterious ninja weapons, and the identity of the mysterious villains who have been observing Yanagi. The second volume has more than enough action and plenty of creepy battles, and it only promises to get better.

Mr Tatesako is Recca's favorite new teacher: he's as much of a ninjaphile as Recca is. And he invites Recca and Co. to his house to learn about the mysterious Hokage ninja, a clan that has been mostly forgotten about. But suddenly a man and young boy break in and kidnap Yanagi and Mr. Tatesako, leaving Recca, Fuko and Domon all badly beaten (and Mrs. Tatesako severely injured).

To bring back his Princess, Recca enlists Kagehoshi's help and leads the other two into the vast mansion where Yanagi is being held prisoner. Yanagi herself has some other problems to deal with -- she's at the mercy of a psychotic masked fire-user, who intends to extract her healing powers for his creepy father. And he's not terribly concerned with how he does it.

Meanwhile Recca, Fuko and Domon find themselves assaulted by henchmen and cornered by a killer statue. But the danger really begins when they encounter Reiran Katashiro, a beautiful woman who uses a madogu to manipulate puppets -- and intends to kill Fuko with them.

Every series needs a Big Bad Character, and in "Flame of Recca" we finally get a good look at ours -- an evil megamogul, his psychotic masked son, and a bunch of madogu users who work for them. So with so many bad guys using ninja artifacts, you can bet that there are some truly bizarre, fantastical battles -- starting with the Puppet lady and the psycho plant dude.

But these episodes also inform viewers of some backstory -- about the mystery ninja clan who made the madogus, and about the mysterious Kagehoshi. Turns out she has an interesting connection to Recca (hinted at but only now explicitly explained) and intends to tell Recca "everything" if he manages to get Yanagi back from Kurei.

But that gets temporarily shifted to the side so we can have some solid fight scenes, which range from Fuko outwitting the laser-spitting "Maria" to the three teens fighting squads of killer henchmen in the shadowy woods. And the room full of blank-eyed killer puppets is just creepy -- as is Kurei's smooth voice and crazy eyes.

In fact, Kurei provides a lot of the tension in this volume, even though he never actually fights in it ("This is getting kinda fun," he chuckles as Recca sets of fireworks, right before knocking Yanagi unconscious). And Fuko gets to show off that she's not just a tough chick, but has a clever analytical brain and courage to match.

The second volume of "Flame of Recca" has plenty of action, drama and some nasty new madogu bearers -- and it only promises to get more action-packed after this.

Flame of Recca, Vol. 30
$9.99
R to L (Japanese Style)Becoming a ninja is just a childhood dream for sixteen-year-old Recca, until a fateful encounter reveals he has inherited ninja powers, including the ability to wield fire! As Recca learns to master the ancient ways of his ancestors, he is drawn to protect a mysterious girl named Yanagi...Old friends and enemies show up in force for the final battle against K���ran Mori. When Kirin joins the action, no one knows what to expect--least of all her old partner Rasen. Fuko takes on Raiha in the fight they've both been waiting for. And in the heat of battle, Fuko is reunited with someone she thought she'd lost forever...

Flame of Recca, Vol. 33
$9.99
Armed with the power to control flame, Recca Hanabishi finds himself in an awkward situation when a mysterious older woman pops into his life one day. Is she good? Is she evil? What exactly does she want with the young ninja firecracker? R to L (Japanese Style). The end is here. Recca and Kurei face off against Koran Mori in a battle that will determine whether the world succumbs to darkness...or heals at last. But not even the combined power of eight dragons of flame can stop what Koran Mori has started. When Yanagi's immense powers burst forth at last, will they be absorbed by evil...orr be turned to the forces of good? Becoming a ninja is just a childhood dream for sixteen-year-old Recca, until a fateful encounter reveals he has inherited ninja powers, including the ability to wield fire! As Recca learns to master the ancient ways of his ancestors, he is drawn to protect a mysterious girl named Yanagi...