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 little of the manga, save for manga summaries
on the net. And we all know that what is in anime is not necessarily the
same as in manga. I'll try to include a little of the manga after the anime
summaries. If you want more details about the manga, I highly recommend
Shuusai's
site. Now we got that straightened out, here's my take on Flame of
Recca/Recca no Honoo: (SEVERE
SPOILER WARNING!!!)
Before anything else, Flame
of Recca or Rekka no Honoo is a manga series by Anzai Noboyuki, which first
saw the light of day in 1996 and made into a 42-episode anime series by
Studio Pierrot/Shogakukan around 1997. The anime has stopped at volume
16 of the manga. Presently the manga series is running at volume 28. It
is also running at Shonen Sunday.
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.
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 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 was only part one of the
series (manga). There's a part two (Heaven and Hell)/Tendo Jigouku. This
begins at volume 17. Recca and company go on personal journeys into self-discovery.
Kurei, initaly thought dead, is actually alive. He was rescued by Neon
and nursed back to health. Mori Kouran starts to lust after the madougu
Heaven and Hell (Tendo Jigouku) since it would give its possesor eternal
life and power. The Uruha Jyushinshuu is disbanded and the members go their
separate ways. The Hokage comes face to face with the Ura Uruha, led by
a member of the Jyushinshuu, Rasen and his "purpose" Kirin. They eventually
end up battling each other, with the Hokage predominating. The Hokage also
reunites with their old friends Team Kuu and by new allies, namely old
members of the Uruha. Renge is revealed, a genetic experiment from Kurei
and Kurenai's genes. Mori Kouran kidnaps Yanagi again hoping to acquire
her powers *again.* And the Hokage are on their way to rescue her and face
the final battle with Kouran Mori and his new ally Kaima (maker of Tendo
Jigokou). Whew! That's a pretty much chopped up summary of everything.
For more details, you could jump over the links
section and see the more general Recca sites to view the happenings in
the manga. This is supposedly a mere character shrine. ^^;;;
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:
©1999, 2000, 2001
The Bluhdy One
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