FLAME OF RECCA


Reviewer:	Tanner
Email:		Private
Website:	N/A

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Flame of Recca


Episodes:	42
Seasons:	?
Movies:		0
OVA:		0

Price:		~$25.00 per DVD; 2 discs released so far, with a third
		due out by April 2005 (amazon.com)


Rated:		PG-13/R - Language could go either way, depending on
		translation; otherwise, see comments below.

Catagories:	Action
		Comedy
		Ninja/Magic

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Review


Synopsis:	Hannabishi Recca is your average 16-year-old Japanese
		schoolkid, except for one thing: he's obsessed with
		ninjas!  But when a mysterious woman reveals the details
		of Recca's unique heritage as part of a secret ninja
		clan, Recca learns he must master his hidden power, and
		with the help of his friends, must confront his past in
		order to protect his beautiful princess.

Age Rating:	~16.  Flame of Recca is not a kids anime.  The version
		I watched was a fansub, so the official translations may
		be better or worse than those I observed.  That said,
		the adult language covered the full spectrum, all the way
		up - although examples of the worst words were
		comparatively rare, they were still there.  Aside from
		language, Flame of Recca also contained repeated (but
		non-graphic) female nudity, constant non-graphic violence,
		and at least two references to drug use (along the lines
		of "What have you been smoking?").

Adult Content:	Flame of Recca contains multiple instances of full-body
		nudity, but most are obscured (by steam, distance, or what-
		have-you) in such a way that the end result is little more
		than a silhouette of the female form.  Most, but not all.
		About halfway through the series, one of Recca's friends
		must fight a woman who distracts her opponent by fighting
		topless.  Later, Recca's curvaceous friend Fuuko is forced
		to fight a pervert who cuts off her outerwear during the
		fight.  In fact, Fuuko's breasts become a running joke in
		the series, as pretty much everyone wants to see or touch.

Magic:		The Hokage ninja clan to which Recca belongs became
		powerful by creating elemental weapons, which allow their
		users to control elemental forces like fire or wind.
		In addition, Flame Masters control fire without an
		elemental weapon, and can summon flame spirits, like
		the Eight Dragons.

Overall -- What You Really Want to Know:
		Flame of Recca started out strong.  The characters were
		compelling, the plot was intricate and mysterious, and each
		episode left you with questions that you really wanted the
		answers to.  But be warned!  All of that changes shortly
		after the first season ends, and Flame of Recca becomes a
		very different sort of anime.  Late in the second season,
		after we've met all of the characters and learned about their
		various histories and motivations, our pubescent protagonists
		are drawn into a winner-take-all underground fighting
		tournament by the villain.  This tournament runs for the rest
		of the series, and started to feel a lot like Dragonball Z in
		that each episode ended with some new super-opponent looking
		like he was just about to kill one of our heroes, who is at
		the beginning of the next episode miraculously saved at the
		last moment by discovering some new super-ability of his or
		her own.  Flame of Recca has several key advantages over DBZ:
		even during the tournament, the characters had some depth; the
		comedy in Flame of Recca was often actually funny; and perhaps
		most importantly, Flame of Recca had a discernable end.  By
		the end of the tournament, the main characters had resolved
		their individual stories, and there was a gratifying sense of
		closure.  Flame of Recca is definitely intended for older 
		viewers and ends very differently from how it started, but
		overall was a mindless good time.  6/10.


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