Ushio & Tora

Ushio & Tora (Japanese: うしおととら, Hepburn: Ushio to Tora) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kazuhiro Fujita. It was serialized in Shogakukan's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Sunday from January 1990 to October 1996, with its chapters collected in 33 tankōbon volumes. The series follows the adventures of Ushio Aotsuki, the son of a temple keeper, who after having reluctantly released the imprisoned powerful tiger-like monster, Tora, the two begin a journey together, fighting against supernatural beings threatening the world. An 11-episode (including an additional episode) original video animation (OVA) adaptation, produced by Toho and animated by Pastel, was released from September 1992 to October 1993. The series was later adapted into a 39-episode anime television series by MAPPA and Studio VOLN, which aired from July 2015 to June 2016. In North America, the OVA was licensed by ADV Films in 1998, and re-released in 2003, while the anime television series was licensed by Sentai Filmworks in 2015. Ushio & Tora won the 37th Shogakukan Manga Award in the shōnen category in 1992 and the Seiun Award in the Best Comic category in 1997. By 2015, the manga had over 30 million copies in circulation. The series has earned positive reviews for Ushio and Tora's compelling dynamics and effective blend of action and humor, though some critics found the plot somewhat simplistic. The OVA adaptation drew particular criticism for its tonal inconsistency due to graphic violence.