Flame of Recca

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"harry-ki-ray") = how one commits suicide by using a sword and stabbing it through your heart</div> <div> <I>"Sankyu" </I>= "Thank You"</div> <div> <I>sensei </I>= "teacher" or "instructor" (of any kind)</div> <div> <I>"Ara"</I> = an expression meaning "Oh, my!" (also heard in the anime <I>Hand Maid May</I>)</div> <div> <I>chibi</I> = "little kid"</div> <div> <I>ganko</I> = "stupid" or "pigheaded"</div> <div> <I>tekkou</I> = "arm protector" (what Recca wears on his arm to protect his flame powers from overloading)</div> <div> <I>karyuu</I> = "fire dragons"</div> <div> <I>ozizuu</I> = a prayer statue</div> <div> <I>ryu</I> = a dragon</div> <div> <I>kitsune</I> = a fox</div> <div> <I>bishonen</I> = a term applied to a handsome or cute male person</div> <div> <I>"ninpo utsusemi"  </I>= "substitution"</div> <div> <I>katanashi</I> =  an illusion</div> <div> <I>tetsu</I> = iron (the metal)</div> <div> <I>gaeshi</I> = to return or to come back</div> <div> <I>Hisame</I> = "freezing rain"</div> <div> <I>oyagi</I> = "father"</div> <div> <I>"kuchiyose"</I> = the Ninja method of having another object talk instead of the original person talking for real</div> <div> <I>hotoke</I> = a "god"; "Buddha"</div> <div> <I>tsume</I> = a nail</div> <div> <I>kaze</I> = "wind"</div> <div> <I>ryu no</I> = "flame of dragons"</div> <div> <I>"Hajime!"</I> = "Begin!" or "Start!"</div> <div> <I>haiku</I> = a 3-line, 17-character Japanese poem with each character representing a syllable; 5 syllables (characters) on the first and third lines, and 7 syllables (characters) on the second line</div> <div> <I>tanka</I> = a 31-character Japanese poem</div> <div> <I>oni</I> = "demon"</div> <div> <I>angilas</I> = a "fighting show monster"</div> <div> <I>bakayarou</I> = a "super-duper idiot"</div> <div> <I>Zettai Raido</I> = "absolute zero" (a chemisrty/science term)</div> <div> <I>"Todaima!"</I> = "I'm Back!"</div> <div> <I>tsuara mai</I> = "The Dancing Icicle" (a special move of Mikagami's)</div> <div> <I>Momotaro</I> = a "legendary fairy tale hero"</div> <bR> <div> Out of the 42 fantastic episodes of <I>Flame of Recca</I>, episode #17 is my favorite. During this episode, Recca and his team are signing up for the Ura Buto Satsujin, and to be accepted into the battle, you have to put something up as a "sacrifice". Recca and his friends debate on what to sacrifice. Recca and Mikagami had nothing to give up. Domon wanted to sacrifice his prize possession: a T-shirt with his favorite pro wrestling star on it -- Anjon Youji. Unfortunately, he was rejected, since a mere T-shirt wasn't good enough. Next, Fuko sacrifices her own God-given "prize possessions" -- her "hoots"! Her "funbags"! Anyway you say it, the "juicy girl" of <I>Flame of Recca</I> offered her own breasts to be touched in her very own "Breast Squeez Coupon" as a sacrifice. Would you turn down a once-in-a-lifetime offer like that? Well, duh, of course you wouldn't! But shockingly, Fuko was turned down, and her lovely "blessings" had to go untouched (An offer that nobody can refuse was refused…I just can't see how!).  As a comical copycat twist, Ganko offers her prepubescent body in a "Chest Touch Coupon" (which leads Recca and Domon to hitting the sign-up manager for considering it). Since all offers were turned down, the last thing that the manager wanted was Yanagi as a sacrifice. Yanagi, being quite a naive girl, told the manager: "Me, a sacrifice? You wanna touch my breasts? But I don't have that much…". This is a very titillating scene (mostly on Fuko's part), but I was laughing more than anything else during this scene. This was a very, very funny episode.</div> <div> Speaking of the "juicy" Fuko, during a scene in one of the later episodes, Kondo the fox accidentally lands on Fuko's gorgeous "upper frontals", and Kondo believes that he is "swimming in heaven" -- which actually leads Fuko to grabbing him by his neck and telling him that was his "fatal move"! When will the references to Fuko's attractive body parts ever stop?</div> <div> Here's a fact about the <I>Flame of Recca </I>manga series: Fuko and Mikagami are...::gasp::...oh, my gosh - they're in love! Can you believe that? Believe it or not, the lovely Fuko and the water sword-slinging Mikagami are lovers in the manga series. What...did you think Domon was going to get to Fuko's "juiciness" first?</div> <div> Recca and Mikagami don't really get along until it is their time to double-team against Miki and Neon from Uruha Oto. Deep down inside, Recca and Mikagami have respect for each other, although it really doesn't show.</div> <div> During some of the fights, you'll see little "Science shows" where some of the Recca gang teach us about how science is applied to fighting -- in their chibi form. Chibi Recca and Chibi Tokiya show us how to correctly stop the turbine blade of a fan. Instead of touching one of the blades, you have to touch the center of the fan to stop it from spinning. That's a lesson that Mikagami remembered…and Recca didn't!</div> <div> It's nosebleeds-a-go-go in this series! Whenever you see a character have a nosebleed in anime, it means that the character is in a situation in which he (or rarely she) is having a lusty moment, triggered by a stimulating force (like a beautiful woman, for example). Recca, Domon, and many other male characters have a nosebleed "moment" from time to time. It doesn't necessarily mean that the person is perverted, it just means that the person is attracted and "turned on" by something sexy. Pass the Kleenex, please!</div> <div> You will notice that the linguistics and slang of the <I>Flame of Recca</I> characters is highly modernized and  "urbanized". For example, you'll see many slang expressions being used, such as "You better ask somebody!"; "It's all good!"; "You go, boy!", and numerous others. I guess that this is the scriptwriters' and creators' way of telling us that they scripted this to be "funky fresh" and "fly" to the core -- and they succeeded!</div> <div> Whenever you see a character give another character the "anime raspberry"  (which is a playful way to be rude by sticking out your tongue and pulling down your lower eyelid of one of your eyes), it sounds as if they are saying the word "bead" with it. Notice how Recca and Fuko both do the "anime raspberry" in episodes 2 and 3 of the series. In almost every anime, you will see a character do the ol' "anime raspberry". Try it out on your friends! (j/k) :P </div> <div> Hanabishi Recca's tagline (#1): "<I>Don't be dissin' the ninja!</I>"</div> <div> Hanabishi Recca's tagline (#2): "<I>My soul is a burning flame…</I>" (ok, you can laugh now, 'cause this line was the funniest!)</div> <div> Mikagami Tokiya's tagline: "<I>Don't misunderstand</I>."</div> <div> Kirisawa Fuko's tagline: "<I>I'm puff'n, puff'n!</I>" (episode #17)</div> <div> Okay, I said I'd reveal who the real assassin of Mikagami Tokiya's sister is. His name is <B>Meguri Kyoza</B>. I don't know much about him…he is said to be, in one episode, the master of "Mi-chan". But he is the one responsible for doing this horrendous act.</div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=387 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I><B>Flame of Recca</B></I></div> <div> <I><IMG SRC="1123f510.gif" border=0 width="319" height="337" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></I></div> <bR> <div> <I>Flame of Recca/Recca no Honou</I></div> <div> Copyright ©1995 Shogakukan/CX/Studio Pierrot</div> <bR> <div> Created by Anzai Nobuyuki</div> <bR> <div> <U>Opening Song: “Nanika Shimawase" ("What Happiness?")</U></div> <div> Performed by: The Oystars</div> <bR> <div> <U>Closing Song: “Who! Love is Changing”</U></div> <div> Performed by: Hikaru Nishida</div> <bR> <div> <U>Closing Song #2: "</U><U>Zutto Kimi ni Soba de" ("Throughout and Close to You")</U></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>GENRE:</B> </div> <div> Action/Adventure/Comedy/Drama/Fantasy/Martial Arts/Suspense</div> <bR> <div> <B>CHARACTERS:</B></div> <div> Recca Hanabishi, Domon Ishijima, Yanagi Sakoshita, Fuko Kirisawa, Tokiya Mikagami, Koganei Kaoru, Kage Houshi (a.k.a. Kagero), Fumio Tatesako, Hiroko Tatesako,  Kurei, Mori Kouran, Reina, Ohka, Kondo, Raiha, Reina, Katashiro Reiran, Primela (a.k.a. Morikawa Ganko), Sekioh, Jishu, The Triad [Kuchibashimaru, Hanemaru, Tsumemaru], Saruji, Uruha Ku [Kukai, Daikoku, Minamio, Fujimaru, Saicho], Uruha Maboroshi [Genjuro, Nagai Mokuren (a.k.a. "X"), Shiju, Meno], Uruha Oto [Neon, Aki, Miki], Uruha Ma [Tsukishiro, Kashamaru, Gashakura, Magensha], Uruha Kurenai [Noroi, Kai, Mikoto, Joker], Meguri Kyoza, the Referees [Inuko, Yoko, Umi, Tatsuko, Demi, Toraha, Sasami, Enma], The Human Flame Dragons [Saiha, Nadare, Homura, Setsuna, Madoka, Rui, Koku, Resshin], and others</div> <bR> <div> <B>SYNOPSIS:</B></div> <div> A young wanna-be Ninja with an appetite to fight and an incredible historical background bravely saves a girl in which he calls her his "Hime" (princess), in which he becomes her "ninja", and swears to protect her forever. The young man, who holds the unbelievable power of controlling the element of dragon-enhanced fire, is visited by his mysterious mother, who hopes to reveal all the answers of his supernatural power. The teenager has a long and deadly adventure awaiting him, as his friends and his "<I>hime</I>" join him on a quest to control his flame power, while meeting new deceptions, surprises, allies, and enemies on the way to stopping an evil maniac and his son from achieving the everlasting gift of immortality.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> Ready for a history lesson, kids? I hope so. Okay, this is how the story starts. Over 400 years ago, in the Hokage village in ancient Japan, a mother named <B>Kagero</B> has a baby (awww, how cute!) named <B>Recca</B>. During the same time, a woman by the name of <B>Reina</B> is raising her 5 year-old son, <B>Kurei</B>. Everything seems hunky-dory, right? Wrong. There's one thing I forgot to tell you…Reina and Kagero both had their children by the same man -- named <B>Ohka </B>(Maury Povich alert!!). Recca and Kurei are <I>oniisans</I> (or "brothers"). Reina and Kurei are not totally my idea of perfect next-door neighbors. You see, during this rural time in Ancient Japan, The Hokage Ninjas, a group of highly skilled ninjas who possess the techniques of time-manipulation and controlling flames, was the order that Recca belonged to. Unfortunately, one of these two children, Recca or Kurei, could possess the power of the flame. And of course, being the little darling that he was, Recca received the 400-year technique from Reina, leaving Kurei infuriated. Kurei became a little jealous hothead, stooping down to low acts of mischief -- his biggest act was when he gave Recca's cheek a big, bloody gash with a sharp dagger -- causing Recca to cry and scream like a banshee, and causing Kurei to spend a life sentence in jail (at such a young age? How dreadful…kids back then, I tell ya…). While Kurei was a jailbird, the Hokage village was under massive carnage from another, more powerful order. Kagero, who wanted to save her son, used the Hokage technique of time manipulation to send her son 400 years into the future. Unfortunately, Kurei, who escaped jail thanks to a blaze in the firehouse (which actually gave him power), jumped into the time-manipulated realm along with Recca, causing them both to become part of the future.  As time passed, Kagero was made an immortal, in which she changed her name to <B>Kage Houshi</B>, and she roamed the world endlessly to find her son, Recca. It took her 400 years to do so. As for Kurei, a reckless, wealthy megalomaniac named <B>Mori Kouran</B> took him in. The new lives of the brothers Recca and Kurei are beginning.</div> <bR> <div> And that's the lesson, kids! Hope you were paying good attention. If you weren't, don't worry about it -- I'm not testing you at all. Let's now read about our characters, in the future present.</div> <bR> <div> Our hero is <B>Recca Hanabishi</B>, a descendant of the Hokage clan who is a high-schooler who has aspirations of being a professional Ninja. Through his many schoolyard and domestic adventures, he lives day by day, hoping that he will be the ninja for a "Hime" (Japanese for "princess"). How does that work, you ask? Well according to the series, a ninja becomes the long-term loyal ninja and servant to whomever may beat him or her in a battle. Recca loves to fight, but nothing too serious with his school buddies. Sporting a backwards cap, a blue school uniform, blue high-tops, and a bandage on his left cheek (which was made by his brutal bro Kurei over 400 yrs. ago), Recca is a very agile, swift, and smart teen, with the intuition and skills that all ninjas (and wanna-be's) need. When he's not chomping on hot dogs, or kicking his foster father in the face for smoking (don't take it seriously, folks…he does this because his foster father is a fireworks maker and smoke plus fireworks equals <I>kablooie</I>, so think of this as a safety precaution), he loves to throw around fireworks -- he and his foster father are both fireworks makers, and they can put on quite a show! Recca also uses smoke-screen balls, and a special technique in fighting called <I>utsusemi no jutsu</I>, which is a Japanese term meaning "substitution", in which you quickly replace yourself with a stuffed dummy. A very cool technique, practiced by a very cool guy!<I> </I></div> <bR> <div> One day, while Recca was eating lunch, he saw a beautiful girl on the other side of the cafeteria he was eating at (causing him to spill his lunch…well, what would you do if you saw a pretty girl like that? Losing your lunch that way is noble!). Suddenly, the girl, and the children she was watching over were put in danger, thanks to a slip-up at a construction site. Recca, being the fast guy he is, saved her life in a miraculous split second, but he is crushed by a massive pipe and is left unconscious; in his unconscious vision, he saw the same girl, who became his "Hime" (you know what it means!). A period of time passed after he passed out, and the girl and Recca met again, and their unexpected friendship started. The girl's name is <B>Yanagi Sakoshita</B>, and she is a sweet, loving, caring, and lovely girl, who possesses the unbelievable power of healing. She and Recca are schoolmates, and she reluctantly becomes Recca's hime. Why is that? You will find our later! It's just that everyone believes that she beat Recca in a fight or something, which is far from the truth. Recca calls Yanagi "Hime" because…he wants to. Sounds like an Apple Jacks commercial, doesn't it? Well, anyhoo, Yanagi and Recca's boy-and-girl, ninja-and-hime relationship grows as their adventures continue.</div> <bR> <div> For healing Recca's construction wounds, he takes Yanagi to a special, dark warehouse, where he can show off his fireworks to her. Before a full show could be presented, a strange woman appears out of the darkness, searching for Recca -- her name is <B>Kage Houshi</B>, and if you remember, she's the real mother of Hanabishi Recca (her real name, <B>Kagero</B>, was not revealed to them until a much later episode). Kage Houshi, despite her dark, yet beautiful appearance, is really a good woman, who tests Recca over and over again by forcefully putting him in battles against his friends. Why does she do it? Because that's <I>love</I>. But, for the real reason: She wants to see if Recca still has the Hokage power to control fire through his hands. Ms. Houshi is a true, know-it-all prophet of the Hokage period, and she helps guide Recca and his friends through their fiery adventures, while revealing the truth behind Kurei and Recca's Hokage Ninja heritage. Recca's friends, as well as a lot of other characters, all have special powers via Hokage Elemental Weapons, which are special, diverse weapons that are powered by some source of some element in nature. And her elemental weapon is the "Eikai Ball", which is a special crystal ball that can see into the present (it can see things that are going on in different places).</div> <bR> <div> Who are Recca's buddies? Let's find out about them. First, there's <B>Domon Ishijima</B>, a tall, brawny guy, who sports a scruffy mohawk hairstyle, and a gold nose ring (which only he thinks is cool). Domon is very strong, powerful, and has the title of "Strongest High School Street Fighter". Despite it all, Domon can also be slow-witted, and very amorous with the ladies. Recca and Domon have been fighting ever since they met in school, and Recca always seems to win -- not just in fighting, but also in the name-calling department -- Recca calls Domon "the nose-pierced Mongoloid". Domon is lucky by getting away with calling Recca a "little monkey". Can't you just feel the love between these two? Seriously, they are good buddies, and they both look out for Yanagi with all their heart and skills. Domon, nicknamed "Domon the Oni" (<I>oni</I> = "demon"), receives the elemental weapon called "Saturn's Ring", which is a tiny, nose ring-shaped ring which gives the bearer ultimate, enhanced strength. He also gains another weapon which is a chained claw with hooks, which he wins from another warrior in a battle -- you'll hear more about this later.</div> <bR> <div> Recca's next friend (also from the same school as Recca, Domon, and Yanagi) is probably one of the most sexiest fighters you'll ever see in anime. Her name is <B>Fuko Kirisawa</B>, and she's one girl who's as sweet as sugar, tough as steel, logical like a rocket scientist, and as gorgeous as they come! Sometimes she is called a tomboy, despite the sailor suit she wears to school and the sexy outfits she sports in the whole series (makes me wanna sweat!). But don't take her for granted -- she's all woman, and a skilled and serious fighter, and just like Domon, she has a strong sense of pride that she cannot lose -- but due to her fights with Recca, she wants that pride back. She and Recca are considered to be "natural enemies", and they have been fighting since they were literally babies. For over 10 years, she has not been able to whoop his butt. But she has come very close. Fuko fights with special needles that she throws at her enemies, and when her martial arts skills aren't enough, she uses the most deadliest, weakening weapon any woman can use -- her female charms. Yes, they really work! You'll hear more about the "juicy" Fuko later. Fuko now joins with Recca, Domon, and Yanagi on their adventures, and to help her out, Kage Houshi gives Fuko the Elemental Weapon known as the "Fujin" (<I>Fujin</I> = "God of Wind"), which is a special wristband that gives her the power of wind…if she doesn't control her windy ways, she will be obsessed with fighting with anybody in her way, which does happen between Fuko and Recca. But I can assure you, it was one mini-battle that blew some people away!</div> <bR> <div> The next person who joins the group is named <B>Tokiya Mikagami. </B>Called an "uppity snob" by Recca, he is a serious, highly intelligent person with nerves of steel, but even with the naked eye, you can see that he is also sometimes arrogant, and a bit of a leader over Recca. But he's a cool character, and his friendship with Recca grows slowly throughout the series -- don't expect too much sunshine out of him yet. Tokiya is the guy who wants to find the assassins of his sister, Mituyu, who was killed 7 years ago. As a farewell gift, Mituyu gave him an elemental weapon called the "Ensui", which is a sword powered up by water, which gives Tokiya the power over all forms of water -- steam, ice, and regular fluid water. Tokiya "joins" the group after he is defeated in battle by Recca's flame in a very peculiar place -- an amusement park mirror house! It's a very confusing place to be, but a great, challenging place to fight! </div> <bR> <div> The next person you'll meet is the youngster in the group -- his name is <B>Kaoru Koganei</B>, and he's a spunky, high-energy, and quick-witted kid who can come up with quickie comebacks on the drop of a hat! At first, he's on the side of evil, under the possession of the villain of the <I>Flame of Recca</I> series -- you'll hear all about the villains later. Anyhoo, Kaoru is a young fighter (he's in junior high), and he fights with the Hokage elemental weapon called the "Kougon Anki", which is a sword-like weapon made from special metals that can transform into 5 different weapons: "Kiba" - the halberd; "Ryu" - the chained sickles; "Kyoku" - the scissors; "Mikazuki" - the boomerang, and "An" - the bow, which is also the "true form" of the Kougon Anki. Koganei has mastered each transformation down, and how does he do it? Simple -- he's a fan of the <I>Transformers</I>. If you can master Optimus Prime, you can definitely work with the K.A.. Kaoru is really a great kid, despite the times he fought against Recca and his friends to kidnap Recca's hime, Yanagi. But he was under a different power. So why did Kaoru-kun change his ways and became a traitor of the evil side? Easy -- he likes Yanagi, too, and he wants to protect her as much as Recca wants to. Recca wants to kick Koganei's high-spirited traitorous butt at sometimes because of this, believe you me. But it's all good, since Kaoru now fights on the right side, and he now joins the Recca group to fight against the evil that awaits them (did I just say "It's all good?" Now I'm beginning to sound like the series!).</div> <bR> <div> Now, before we get to a massive list of villains, here's one more character that proved to be a very valuable person to the <I>F.O.R.</I> cast. His name is <B>Fumio</B> <B>Tatesako</B>, and who is he, you ask? Mr. Tatesako is Recca's hilarious high-school History teacher, and he's also a know-it-all on subjects like ninjas and the Hokage clan. Recca and his schoolmates believed that he was a single man, who lived in a small apartment somewhere, but they were so wrong when they found out that he lives in an elegant temple with his lovely, but never mentioned wife <B>Hiroko</B>! How did the kids find out? Well, Mr. Tatesako invited Recca and his group to his temple, and then he revealed some of the deepest, darkest secrets of the Hokage Ninjas. He's a very smart man who tells Recca why his culture is so important, with facts backed up by Kage Houshi herself.</div> <bR> <div> And now, friends, time to talk about the villains. Save all your "boo's" and "hiss's" until the explanations have been concluded. Ready to go? Here they are!</div> <bR> <div> Let's start out with the "big cheese" bad guy of the <I>Recca </I>series. His name is <B>Mori Kouran</B>. He's an extremely wealthy, opulent-looking man (probably a descendent of Hugh Hefner, in some ways), whose only goal in life is to be an immortal, and to gain eternal life. He seeks the lovely Yanagi (a.k.a "Hime") to do "tests" on her, and to suck the healing power out of her so that he may have that power, which he believes is the key to immortality. To make good with the citizens of the area, he does extremely nice, outlandish deeds, like donating thousands and thousands of dollars to the poor (what a kind gesture from a rotten crook!), and making public speeches. But he's not doing it from his heart -- he's only doing it to cover up his underhanded ways. In his own words, Mori believes: "People judge other people by image, not by who they arena good image creates an icon." That's his theory on being an icon. But really, he's a greedy, cock-eyed, selfish, unyielding maniac who thinks he can have his way, just because he has money and power (which he wants even more of…is there any left for us?). Mori is also a bit of a recluse is his difficult-to-find mansion, but he loves to have little social parties with wine and guests dressed in masks.</div> <bR> <div> Mori Koran's adopted son is named…yes -- you guessed it -- <B>Kurei</B>. Bad boy Kurei is back in the house, y'all! Known as the "Mad Flame Master", he was taken in by Kouran as a young teen, in which he was taught to be a "Mini-Kouran". Kurei does just that -- he is basically a maniacal, yet calm villain who has the power of Kurenai, the mad flame (who is actually the spirit form of a woman named <B>Kurenai</B> that he once knew). Just like his little goody gym-shoes brother Recca, Kurei's flame is burning bright, and ready to take on Recca and his friends anytime. Kurei also sports a red outfit, purplish-blue hair, and a metal mask (if you watch the series, you'll also notice that he wears purple lipstick and green earrings…hey, even villains have to be glammed up to fight in the spotlight!). Endlessly, he waits around in his father's mansion (which he owns and looks over), watching television screens that prowl the halls and outside boundaries of the mansion, waiting for the day when he will see his little <I>oniisan</I> ("brother") again, and for the day when he will fight him to the finish. He also uses people with good intentions and turns them into people full of hatred, angst, and passion to fight.</div> <bR> <div> Those are the two main villains of <I>Flame of Recca</I>, and the two you should look out for. Now, for the rest of the bad dudes and dudettes you'll see in the series (plus a couple characters that go from bad to good):</div> <bR> <div> One of the very first monsters you'll see in <I>Recca</I> is named <B>Sekioh</B>, and he's a very large, bulky, fight-happy monster who served a 200-year jail sentence (for murdering), but he was then hired by Kurei to be his bodyguard. Sekioh uses the elemental weapon called the "Sekichu" (no, that's no <I>Pokemon!</I>), which is a magic ball that gives him the power of controlling stones -- he can turn his beefy body into a rock-hard bod of rocks! He is one guy who's bad to the bone, yet he is defeated by the slow-witted Domon, who, just like the <I>Three Stooges</I>, uses an "eye-jab" technique, which knocks him out cold -- "<I>soitanly"</I>! </div> <bR> <div> The next bad boy we meet is <B>Nagai Mokuren</B>, who you may consider calling the "giggling torturer". He and Koganei were once literal partners in crime, but then, as I've said before, Koganei decided to go splitsville -- at the right time, too. Nagai is another elemental weapons master who uses the "Kodama", which is a special weapon that gives him the power over plants. With the Kodama, he can turn into anything -- a mighty tree with deadly, grabbing branches; a vicious plant with strangling vines, or even an azalea (if he's ever out of ideas and just wants to fight with "prettiness"). All joking aside, Mokuren is a deadly dude, and he loves to torture Recca's hime, Yanagi -- he was the one who kidnapped her, and tried to get every bit of information out of her about her little friends. Now that Mokuren's once-loyal partner Kaoru has turned into a good guy, he's ready to seek revenge on him, too…he just needs some sunlight and some water. ;)</div> <bR> <div> In the artistic, lengthy halls of the Kouran mansion, there rests a gorgeous villain known as <B>Katashiro Reiran</B>. She's a lady in a blue dress who may be very pretty, but with the elemental weapon called the "Kata Kugutsu", she has the power of turning inanimate objects -- in her case, mannequins -- into real-life, moving and talking objects; in other words, she has the power to make things come alive. She uses her elemental weapon to control the mannequins in the halls of the mansion, making them do whatever she wants. Reiran has two main "dummies": First, there's her <I>Venus DeMilo</I>-ish statue named "<B>Maria</B>", who is actually a laser-spitting, stone statue guardian, and she comes upon a battle against Recca, Domon, and the feisty Fuko in a couple of episodes; and second, there's Reiran's little doll girl, named <B>Primela</B>. She's a downright cute and sweet girl, but her fatal flaw is that she only out to do bad things. Now, that's all I have to say about Reiran and her mannequins…oh, wait -- hahaha, I just remembered -- Katashiro Reiran's not a human -- she is actually another mannequin who was controlled by the same person controlling all the other mannequins -- you guessed right, kids -- Primela. Believe it or not, Primela is the one using the powerful elemental weapon to control over inanimate objects. You see, it's a long but sad story (that I will be happy to shorten). Primela (whose real name is <B>Morikawa Ganko</B>) was your average little girl, until her mother was killed, leaving her in a lonely world. One day, while she was walking alone on a sidewalk, she looked in a store window, and saw a mannequin that looked <U>exactly</U> like her mother. She wished that the mannequin was alive…that was a good wish turned into a nightmare, when Kurei stepped into the picture (how does this guy keep popping up everywhere, huh?). Kurei offered the crying Ganko the Kata Kugutsu, only if she would join him and do him some fatal favors. Having her mom back was the most important thing she wanted, so Ganko sold out to Kurei, and then she had the power of giving the mom-resembling mannequin, as well as all mannequins and inanimate objects, new life. So you see, this lonely girl, who didn't have many friends or someone to talk to, gave her mommy-mannequin, Katashiro Reiran (yes, her!) new life, which made her happy. Ganko had to cover up her real identity by acting like a possessed doll all the time, but then after her mannequins and her mommy-mannequin was defeated by an angry Recca, Domon, and Fuko, she then decided that there was no way out -- she then joined the good guys, and became a very impetuous, serious, and funny part of the group. Oh, and please don't make fun of her name, like the crazy Recca and Domon did -- you see, the word <I>ganko </I>is Japanese for "stupid" or "pigheaded". She may be the youngest, and she may be short, but she can hold her own when it comes to beating up hecklers! </div> <bR> <div> Our heroes (Recca, Yanagi, Domon, Fuko, Mikagami, Koganei, Ganko, and Kage Houshi) go through numerous adventures together, and little do they know what awaits them as they continue on. As our group tirelessly sallies forth, Recca's strength is put to the challenge when Mori Kouran begins a hardcore fighting competition called the <I>Ura Buto Satsujin</I> (Japanese for "an underground fighting tournament"). In this fiery battle to the finish, different fighting groups from all over test their skills and their strength -- both mental and physical -- and risk their most prized possessions in an attempt to fight to keep their stuff (and gain new things). In a <I>Ura Buto Satsujin</I>, you and your teammates keep on fighting and advancing until you reach the top -- where you become the winning team, and you receive all the useful, cool "sacrifices" that the other teams wagered. The determined Recca and his team Hokage enter this competition, because Recca knows who's waiting at the final stage of the competition -- his brother Kurei.  </div> <div> Yanagi, Recca's "hime", puts herself up as a "sacrifice", and because of that, Recca and the Hokage group swears to win every single match, and to not lose even one battle.</div> <bR> <div> In the big competition, you will see a load of brand-new characters. Prior to the underground battle, you will meet a group of three guys known as the <B>Triad</B>, and they are a trio of assassins who are out to get Recca. The Triad consists of <B>Kuchibashimaru</B> (the Beak King), <B>Hanemaru</B> (the Wingman), and <B>Tsumemaru </B>(the Nailbiter). If you think that they are a trio of serious killers, think again! These clumsy, idiotic assassins have a hard enough time getting their act together, while we're personally having a hard time pronouncing their names! They do appear in few episodes, along with their watchman <B>Saruji</B>, who resembles "Wolverine" from <I>X-Men</I>. Just don't take them too seriously.</div> <bR> <div> Also, for some added comic relief, the stuffed animal character (brought to life by Ganko's Kata Kugutsu) named <B>Kondo</B> appears on the scene. He is Ganko's little companion, and he's a yellow, smart-talking, witty fox who knows how to be funny! He is known to have a Kansai accent, and his knowledge in hip lingo and comedy will keep you laughing! Here's his theory on his life: "<I>I ain't no Beanie Baby!</I>"</div> <bR> <div> Okay, now that we have those characters out of the way, it's time to meet the five groups of <I>Uruhas</I> (Japanese for "death squad" or "assassins"). First up, there's <B>Uruha Ku</B>, comprised of <B>Kukai</B>, <B>Daikoku</B>, <B>Minamio</B>, <B>Fujimaru</B>, and <B>Saicho</B>. <B>Kukai</B>, a laid-back native of Tohoku, is the leader of Team Ku, and he's a laid-back, yet immensely strong dude. He may pick his nose at certain times (in his case, it's not nasty), but watch out…with his elemental weapon called the "Oni", after he is hit three times, the power of the Oni, which is a bead necklace, powers him with a near-indestructable armor of strength, and near-indestructable spirit for killing. Kukai went too far with his elemental weapon once before, and because of an impetuous Recca, he almost gets wiped out of his existence for good. Believe me, Kukai's a real softy until the Oni goes into effect. The next fighter is <B>Daikoku</B>, who is the b-master of Team Ku. His deadly bo-staff can spin wildly like the rotor of a fan. Next, we meet <B>Minamio</B>, whose elemental weapon is the "Nan-ball" (he keeps it in his mouth), causing him to have a body of soft rubber. Next, we meet the highly perverted Ku fighter <B>Fujimaru</B>, who uses his elemental weapons (scythe-hooks and a claw glove) against the Recca team. He's also a very deceptive person, using tears and whining to make an opposing fighter lose his or her guard. Now, you wonder why he's so perverted…well, he was the one who went up against Fuko, and, well, fighting against a beautiful girl like her can cause you to lose your maturity…no matter how cool you are! Fujimaru wishes to see the lovely Fuko naked, and he makes sure that every blow from his weapons strips off a bit of her clothing! Little does he know that Fuko doesn't like it when men mess with her…use your imagination to visualize what happened to Fujimaru in the end (you may also imagine Fuko naked…if you want to be perverted! Go ahead…nobody will notice!). The last Ku fighter is <B>Saicho</B>, who is the youngest fighter on the team. He uses his elemental weapon, the "Shiki Gami", which gives him the power over paper. With his elemental weapon, he also has the power over origami cranes! That is a cool power, since he uses it as an attack on the Hokage team.</div> <bR> <div> That was the first Uruha team. Next, we meet the second team, <B>Uruha Maboroshi</B>, comprised of <B>Shiju</B>, <B>X</B>, <B>Meno</B>, and <B>Genjuro</B>. <B>Shiju</B> is the bloody, bestial fighter with a heart of destructiveness. He has the power of turning into his alternate form, "Chimera Takuya" -- the human lion. Shiju is an extremely fierce and strong fighter, who doesn't know the meaning of the word "tame". Next, there's the Maboroshi fighter known as <B>"X"</B>, who is actually another bad guy you've read about…can you guess who "X" really is? Hint: He loves plants and laughs like life is a padded cell to him. Any guesses? You're right! "X" is actually <B>Mokuren</B>, one of Kurei's lackeys. As you've read, Mokuren (or "X", take your pick) has the power over plants. In his battle against Koganei Kaoru (who becomes a good kid and joins the Hokage team), he eats him up -- literally. Koganei was inside Mokuren's tree-like body for a while, until Mikagami settles the score with his Ensui. You've heard enough about "plant dude", and he's one guy you'll be sure not to "root" for! Our next Maboroshi fighter is actually a schoolgirl by the name of <B>Meno</B>, who is a schoolgirl gone <I>bad</I>. How did it all start? Well, her father, Sakura Kazuo, a scientist, rejected to work for one of the Uruha members, and then he had to pay the penalty -- he was molecularly shrunken to a size smaller than an action figure, and he was kept inside an hourglass that regulated 10-minute periods (caused by the elemental weapon "Mugen", which gives the bearer the power over cell reduction and the power to minimize anything). For Meno to see her father again, she would have to be implanted with her own elemental weapon called the "Shiki Gami" (not to be confused with Saicho's Shiki Gami, which controls paper), which gives her the power over -- and get this -- hair! Now there's an elemental weapon for the millions of people suffering from bad hair days! But it's always a bad hair nightmare for Meno, who uses her hair in deadly ways -- she can strangle or slice her enemies with her long blue locks. But she only can fight in a period of 10 minutes, because her father could drown in the fatal sandtrap that was created by one of her teammates. I bet you're wondering who's the guy responsible for creating such vicious team members. His name is <B>Genjuro</B>, and he's an old man with more liveliness than you could imagine. He has the uncanny power of "psychic surgery", which allows him to perform incredible operations without any tools but his own bare hands. All he has to do is concentrate, and his hands can go into your body like a hot knife through butter. When he's not acting like a cast member of "Trapper John, M.D.", he uses his special fighting move called the "Genjutsu Wokemi", which is an illusion technique that can create dozens of images of himself. He's one powerful, wise man, and he's the man responsible for "fixing up" Shiju, Meno, and Mokuren.</div> <bR> <div> Our next team of fighters are the Pointer Sisters! No, just kidding. But the next trio of vivacious, seductive fighters are actually sisters who love to kick butt seductively and vivaciously! Take it from me, these girls don't mess around. Their group name is <B>Uruha Oto</B>, and the girls' names are:<B> Neon</B>, <B>Aki</B>, and <B>Miki</B>. First up, let's talk about <B>Aki</B>, an incredibly swift lady with natural powers of "deception-by-seduction" (which gives Domon a run for his nose ring!), and special powers created by her elemental weapon called the "Kotodama", which gives her the power over illusions. Whatever your greatest fears and desires are, you will be the only person to see them and be affected by them, which is the main effect of the Kotodama's powers. Aki also has the power over snow and cold weather. The next member of Uruha Oto is <B>Miki</B>, who is the fastest girl on the team. She has the powers of super-speed thanks to her elemental weapon, "Itaden". Miki also has another elemental weapon called the "Yamabiko", which is a mirror that reflects anything, including soundwaves. The lovely leader of the girls is <B>Neon</B>, an unyielding woman who will stop at nothing to make sure that she and her girls win every match. Her elemental weapon is the "Fukyo Waon", which is a flute whose tones and notes can make destructive, fatal soundwaves. She may not be beneficial towards the Boston Pops orchestra, but she's perfect for the Uruha Oto.</div> <bR> <div> Here's the next team, and let me tell you about these guys…they may be extremely harmful and fantastic fighters, but they can turn the fighting arena into a circus! Welcome <B>Uruha Ma</B>, the second-to-last team that Recca's Hokage team goes up against. Uruha Ma's fighters are: <B>Tsukishiro</B>, <B>Kashamaru</B>, <B>Tashakura</B>, and <B>Magensha</B>. The first Uruha Ma fighter is probably the subject of a Carly Simon song…because he's so <I>vain</I>! He must probably think the song is about him…anyhoo, the guy's name is <B>Tsukishiro</B>, the "pretty boy" of the team. He at first hides in bandages, but then he explodes out into the open and fights with his two elemental weapons: first, his "Oboro", the cloak of invisibility; lastly, the "Kaigotsu", which is a boomerang blade sword, which is a bit like Koganei's Kougon Anki. Despite his vain personality, he's a pretty plausible fighter. Next, there's <B>Kashamaru</B>, a highly skilled Ninja who uses the Ninpo skill of temptation. His elemental weapon is the "Nisehi", the "False Flame". Next we meet <B>Tashakura</B>, the Ma co-captain. He's one big, big guy (no wonder he's co-captain…he can be anything he wants!) who uses a 500 kg morningstar, which is a spiky ball connected to a chain connected to a wooden handle (just to let you know, 500kg=almost 1,100 lbs). Along with he medieval weapon, he uses his elemental weapon called the "Magagumo", which gives him the control over spiders. Heartwarming, isn't it? Anyway, the leader and the final member of the Uruha Ma is <B>Magensha</B>, who is the most powerful one of the Ma group. He's the captain with immortality who has the powers of creating dimensions and sending whomever he wants to those dimensions. With his deadly elemental weapon, the "Houmashin", he can create these dimensions, as well as other forms of himself. And that's the Uruha Ma, one of the most powerful uruhas in the series. Now, it's time for the final group of ambitious fighters…</div> <bR> <div> …the team known as <B>Uruha Kurenai</B>. They are the last team that Recca and his friends fight against, and it's one heck of a match, if I do say so myself. The Kurenai members are: <B>Noroi</B>, <B>Kai</B>, <B>Mikoto</B>, and <B>Joker</B>, along with their vengeful leader, the one and only <B>Kurei</B>. Let's meet these unbelievably powerful fighters, okay? Here we go! <B>Noroi</B> is first up, and he is nicknamed "the Butcher". His elemental weapon is the "Bakaju", which happens to be his very own head! Sick as it may seem, his fleshless head has the power of floating around and attaching itself to any body -- in other words, his elemental weapon can virtually revive a dead body into a fresh, live one! <I>Freak-y</I>! But he's one great and powerful warrior with some great powers. Next, we meet <B>Kai</B>, the cloaked man who <U>supposedly</U> was the assassin of Mikagami Tokiya's sister. Kai is the original inheritor of the "Hyomon Ken", a special sword with incredible powers, which would have gone to Tokiya, but unfortunately, he didn't get it. Kai, just to let you know, is NOT the killer of Tokiya's sister, but the person who did will be revealed later in this webpage. Our next fighter is the mysterious woman named <B>Mikoto</B>, a porcelain-masked lady who uses a large folding fan as a shield against attacks. Now, you may think Mikoto's able to do everything by herself…but little did Fuko-chan (the opponent at that time) know that Mikoto is actually a robotic elemental weapon, controlled by a girl who lives within the robot! The nameless girl who is trapped in the robot has the powers of trickery, deception, and speed, and she uses her elemental weapon poison needles called "Doku Mashins" to her advantage (the poison from the needles could be eliminated from a person's body by eating a "Gedoku Gan", which is an "antidote pill"). Everything she does to Fuko is evil, but she was no match for Fuko's equally cunning mind! The second-to-last member of the Kurenai team is <B>Joker</B> (no, not the villain from <I>Batman</I>!). I apologize, but due to his one-minute appearance on the series, there's not much I can say about him. Let's assume he's a guy full of tricks and bad treats, who dresses in flamboyant, metal, jester-like clothing. Because of his boredom and lack of pride (and because he simply didn't want to fight a small fry like Kaoru), he forfeited his match, and that was all we heard from him. The last battle was between the fiery Recca and his equally hotheaded brother Kurei. And the winner was…well, I guess I'll not tell and I guess you'll never know until you watch the series! All I can say is that their match was intense and very awesome.</div> <bR> <div> During one match, Recca was in another place, fighting against the human forms of his flame dragons -- each one he defeated would put the Japanese character of that dragon on his arm like a tattoo, and Recca had eight dragons to control. Recca's eight dragons are, in order of ascending power: <B>Saiha</B>, <B>Nadare</B>, <B>Homura</B>, <B>Setsuna</B>, <B>Madoka</B>, <B>Rui</B>, <B>Koku</B>, and the big daddy of the <I>ryus</I>, <B>Resshin</B>. With special tips and tricks to controlling these unbearably flaming dragons, Recca can combine the powers of dragons to make cool moves, and he can call out as much as all 8 dragons at once -- but it's a dangerously risky move.</div> <bR> <div> Also, during the matches, you'll hear commentary from various sexily-dressed referees. The names of these ravishing ref's are: <B>Inuko</B>, <B>Yoko</B>, <B>Umi</B>, <B>Tatsuko</B>, <B>Demi</B>, <B>Toraha</B>, <B>Sasami</B>, and <B>Enma</B>. Each of these beautiful, bickering commentators dresses like a different animal. One's a bunny rabbit, one's a tiger, another one's a bird…not only can I not remember the other animal costumes, but I can't even remember who was what! But believe me, the girls were cute and fair. If only they were a bit nicer towards each other…</div> <bR> <div> I'm very happy about giving you the endless info about this spectacular series. In my opinion, it's one of the best series I've ever seen. The cliffhangers on each episode really leave me "hanging" -- and that's a good thing! The numerous characters are all special and created nicely, and the whole storyline and comedy routines are fantastic. Best part: the action scenes. Very well done. I just have on teensy-tiny little complaint…the ENDING! My friends and I have seen the series and we all have the same agreement that the ending was kinda confusing. I won't tell you what the ending is, but please be surprised when you see it. Above that minor discrepancy, <I>Flame of Recca</I> is "Recca-tastic"! Lots of tasty episodes and tons of fiery action and funny comedy, with a couple of sexual innuendoes. It's a well-balanced anime with the perfect blend of suspense and humor. I HIGHLY recommend this rarely mentioned anime, <I>Flame of Recca,</I> to everyone.</div> <bR> <div> So, what will become of Recca, his friends, and his mortal enemies? Watch this great series to find out. <I>Flame on</I>!</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B><U>EPISODE GUIDE:</U></B></div> <div> 1: Hime and Ninja Powers Awaken!!</div> <div> 2: Flame against Fujin -- Dangerous Temptations!!</div> <div> 3: The Water-knight -- The Sword of Revenge!!</div> <div> 4: Labyrinth of Mirrors -- The Flame's Do or Die Spirit!!</div> <div> 5: Shadow Ninja Group -- Mystery of Hokage!!</div> <div> 6: The Mad Flame Master, Kurei!!</div> <div> 7: The Stone Guardian Deathgame!!</div> <div> 8: Dollhouse! Fuko's Deathmatch!!</div> <div> 9: Domon the Oni! Unknown Power!!</div> <div> 10: Crashing Flames! Two Hokage!!</div> <div> 11: Kougon Anki! Five Blades!!</div> <div> 12: Kurenai, the Flame! Angel of Death!!</div> <div> 13: The Ultimate Flame! The Legendary Karyu!!</div> <div> 14: Rebirth of the Past! 400 years of Truth!!</div> <div> 15: Curse of Time! A Mother and her Son!!</div> <div> 16: Fighting Determination! Recca's Challenge!!</div> <div> 17: Team Hokage Appears! Ura Buto Satsujin!!</div> <div> 18: The Sword of Shura! Mikagami's Match!!</div> <div> 19: Iron Fist Misfire?! Demon's Trump Card!!</div> <div> 20: Explosion! The Secret of a Girl's Skin!!</div> <div> 21: Dancing Paper! Infused Life!!</div> <div> 22: Sudden Change of Buddha! Other Face!!</div> <div> 23: Desperate Trials!!</div> <div> 24: Roar of the Beast Soldier from Hell!!</div> <div> 25: Shock! Lightning quick Conclusion!!</div> <div> 26: Mokuren Revived! Menace of the Human Tree!!</div> <div> 27: Tears Shed Because of a Girl's Skin!!</div> <div> 28: Blazing Judgment -- Setsuna Shun En!!</div> <div> 29: Suspicious Tongues Fear of the Kotodama!!</div> <div> 30: Temptation of the Beautiful Women -- The Deadly Duo</div> <div> 31: Cursed Fire -- Kurenai's Past!!</div> <div> 32: Invisible Enemy Battle Against Fear!!</div> <div> 33: Dragon Twins! Imitation Technique!!</div> <div> 34: Fierce Fighting Fuko!! Countless Injuries on Bare Skin!!</div> <div> 35: Girl's Invocation Awakening the Fujin!!</div> <div> 36: Flame Dragon Combo! Opponent Outside the Ring!!</div> <div> 37: Escape the Evil Dimension! Battle in another Dimension!!</div> <div> 38: Fear! Reanimated Zombie!!</div> <div> 39: Mikagami's Battle to the Death! Heedless Hyomon Ken!!</div> <div> 40: A Wicked Woman's Trap! Angry Fujin!!</div> <div> 41: Round Two! Recca versus Kurei!!</div> <div> 42: Battle to the Death! Until Life is Extinguished!!</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id20.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Anime Site"><U><B><U>^v^ BACK TO THE ANIME PAGE ^v^</U></B></U></A></div> </td> </tr></table></body>