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So what is
this series all about? I doubt anyone would come here not knowing anything
about Flame of Recca *_*. Then again, that does happen. Before proceeding,
I'd like to tell you guests that the FOR (FLAME OF RECCA) version I am
more familiar with is the anime version. I have not read any manga issues,
save for manga summaries on the net. And we all know that what is in anime
is not necessarily the same as in manga. Now we got that straightened out,
here's my take on Flame of Recca/Recca no Honoo: (SEVERE
SPOILER WARNING!!!)
Flame of Recca
is the story of Hanabishi
Recca, a 16 year-old, first year high school student without a care
in the world. He's happy-go-lucky, sleeps in class and rubs it off
the wrong way with teachers. His fate is suddenly changed when he met Sakoshita
Yanagi, a pretty girl who had the misfortune of being the target of Kage
Houshi. While passing through a construction site, Yanagi almost got killed
by falling pipes. In the process of trying to save her, Recca gets lunked
on the head with pipes and is knocked unconscious. He is then healed
with the miraculous powers of Yanagi. In return, Recca had sworn to serve
and protect her as her ninja/personal protector. He calls her his "princess/hime."
This scenario leads
to a chain of events that would progress into the storyline of Flame of
Recca. First is the formation of the Hokage Ninja Team/Elemental Warriors
in the modern era. Made up of Recca's best friend Ishijima
Domon and his childhood buddy Kirisawa Fuuko,
they possess weapons/madogou of the Hokage Ninja
Clan of the 15th century. This was given to them by Kage Houshi, but not
without its price. A fourth member of the team is Mikagami
Tokiya, a reluctant recruit of Kagero since he possessed the ensui
(water sword). Together they form the Hokage Team. Each member of the team
represents an element (thus the tag Elemental warriors): Domon
for earth, Fuuko for wind, Tokiya
for water and Kaoru for metal.
Then came the abduction
of Yanagi by the forces of Mori Kouran (the series villain and the most
despicable character ever, if you ask me >_<), who wanted her healing
powers. It is at this story arc where Recca and his buddies came face to
face with Kurei, foster son of Mori, and his Uruha
Jyusshinshuu. Whilst they were able to rescue Yanagi, the Hokage Ninjas
are overwhelmed by the powers of Kurei and his
servant/girlfriend Kuranei (cray).
The storyline that
followed reveals Recca's past and true identity. He had been the son of
Ohka (The Leader of the Hokage Ninja Clan) and his second wife Kage Houshi
(then known as Bka Kagero). He was sent 400 years into the present to escape
the cruel fate of the Hokage Ninja Clan in the 15th century. Click
here for more details of Recca's past. Recca was found by a firecracker
maker, Shigeo Hanabishi and took him as his own son. Kagero, because she
had defied laws in using the time warp to save her son, suffered the punishment
of immortality. Four hundred years into the future, she finds Recca
and helps him discover the powers that lay hiding underneath his
tekkou (the arm band he wears on his right).
Recca and his friends
trained for over a month (during summer break, I believe) to enhance their
powers and skills. They were then invited by Kurei
(c/o his emissary Genjuro) to join in the Urabutousatsoujin
(The Arena of Death Tournament, if I'm not mistaken). Here they would fight
thorugh a tournament in order to acquire the Hokage weapons of the losing
team. If they lost, they would offer a wager. In the case of the Hokage
Team, it would be Yanagi Sakoshita. This tournament was merely a ploy for
Mori Kouran to acquire Yanagi. During this contest, they were joined by
Koganei Kaoru, formerly of the Uruha Jyusshinshuu.
And as the tournament progressed, each team member is able to discover
more of their powers. They were also able to meet new friends (such as
the Kuu Group) and face adversaries, whom they beat for the most, and lost
to at some point (Hey, can't win 'em all, can we? ^_^)
This is how far
I've gotten through the anime. Sources say that this was only part one
of the series (manga). There's a part two (Heaven and Hell) where new enemies
shall arise, much stronger and more ruthless that the previous. The anime
has only been up to part one, consisting of 42 episodes. I hope this isn't
the end of Flame of Recca, as I'm so totally in love with this show! At
first I was a little skeptical when they put this anime to replace the
recently ended Yu Yu Hakusho. And funny it was that it has a lot of similarity
with Togashi Yoshihiro's work. Later on though, I began to appreciate this
masterpiece by Anzai Nobuyuki! To be honest, I like it more than Yu Yu
Hakusho (ducks to evade angry, screaming YYH fans). The anime is prettier
and has a more meaningful storyline (*hides to avoid the reigun aimed at
me*). And Recca is much cuter than Yusuke,
don't you think ^_^? (Watch out for that sword, aaaahck!) No, this isn't
a YYH bashing I'm doing or a grudge match between the two series. I am,
after all, a big YYH fan too ^_^. Besides, if I am anti-YYH (which I am
most certainly not!) the first person to skin my hide would be my
sister, who is just the biggest YYH fan on this side of the equator.
If you want more
info on Flame of Recca, you can visit the shrines listed on the links
page. If I put here more than I already have, Fuuko will blow me off
the face of the planet. This is, after all, her shrine. That's all for
today folks. Keep on surfing!
BUT
WAIT A COTTONPICKIN MINUTE HERE!
Fuuko-sama has
agreed to let me give you all a glimpse of her teammates. There's no sense
in being selfish you know ^_^. "Besides, they
only have one page for each of them while I have the whole 50 MB of webspace
all to myself. Ha ha ha!" she laughs conspiratorily.
So if you want to take a look at the other members of the Hokage Team,
then click either on the links on the paragraph up there, or at these links
here:
SEND
ME BACK UP TO THE MENU!
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