The first Season of Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan is a very good modern fantasy anime. Yokai are Japanese spirits/paranormal creatures that are often considered evil. The Yokai are not necessarily evil though and it all depends on the person. They are however powerful, and fond of tricks some of which can prove fatal. Their relations with humans are often strained if not outright hostile because of this. Rikuo Nura is the grandson of the supreme commander of the Nura Yokai Clan, but he is also three quarters human, and cannot maintain a Yokai form at all times. In this series Rikuo must come to terms with both the different parts of himself, and the different worlds he must live in. Oh yeah and become worthy to be the leader of the Nura clan so he can protect his human friends. I really like this series and I will admit that I have stayed up later than I wanted to because I had to see what happened next. In fact that is the only thing about this series that I find I did not like. Its just too hard to stop watching.
The story follows Rikuo as he tries to balance two worlds, and very different sets of expectations. That of his human friends and classmates, and his Yokai companions and vassals. In addition for much of the series Rikou the Yokai and Rikou the human seem to be desperately trying to work out how to act in harmony. Since Rikou is the heir to the Nura clan he must prove himself to both the Yokai of the clan and the other clans in the area. At stake is the peace of his city, and the safety of his human friends. Every few episodes he must take on a new challenge or intrigue, and these challenges constantly push him to come to terms with his inner conflicts. In the end to prevent a neighboring clan from conquering his town and terrorizing the humans he cares about both halves of Rikou Nura must work together to become more than either of them can be apart.
This anime will appeal to anyone who likes modern or paranormal fantasy. It is very well done and the plots of the individual episodes have a lot of good messages about self acceptance, and perseverance in the face of massive discrimination.
You can watch this anime as a stream at www.hulu.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment