what is it with the nose? it started off normal and then got progressively weirder and pig like. rest of the manga is a standard shounen cliche. boy gets power, boy yells a lot and power amplifies. friendship, something blah blah blah. the usual tropes.

An incredible good manga. The style may seen a bit outdated at first but soon you'll get inside the story. While simple, the story has a perfect pace and the characters are great, you'll love all of them. The action gets perfectly mixed with comedy and drama, as only good shonen artist know.

Fujita Kazuhiro is a phenomenal author and everyone who loves manga should taste his works (it's a pity Karakuri Circus scanlation goes so slow and that most of his works are unnoticed out of Japan)

... Last updated on October 25th, 2010, 8:55am

So far, I can say that the manga is...unique in its own way. However, it kind of reminded me of Kekkaishi, what with the exterminating of youkai and ayakashi, but without any political intrigue (so far).

Yes, the art is messy, but it does eventually get better. The only thing that bothered me was their noses, particularly the nose of Ushio. Honestly, that dude's nose kinda creeped me out.

Pacing is good, albeit a bit repetitive, what with the fight after fight after fight, and the storyline has just enough of mystery that makes a person keep reading.

What a wonderful series. I just can't understand why no one cares about Fujita-sensei's works. Just because they are not in Jump doesn't mean they're not worthy. I really hope this will be fully translated someday, along with Karakuri Circus.

Ushio and Tora is an oldie but good. I read through the whole manga at least 5 times more than 10 years ago.

Despite the old, anti-anime/manga moeblob, and perhaps messy, but very artistic drawing style, which fits it nicely, the story is actually it's strong point. The character development is second to none, and you really get attached to them. The story is also a lot deeper than "one youkai after another", and it builds up slowly to a significant and exciting plot. The ending is also perfect; it leaves you warm and fuzzy, like the afterglow of a sex session. There's lots of details in the story, and it's not only well written, but well executed by the author. The story wouldn't be anywhere as good if not for the very stylish drawing too.

You'd find yourself teary eyed at least a handful of times throughout the manga, if you ever get to read all of it. And you'd also be laughing your guts out at the ever so expressive Tora and his silly faces.

I'm glad it's getting translated, and I hope someone has enough dedication to translates the whole thing. The world deserves quality manga, and this is one of them. I'm quite surprised it's well received so far. It's not well known because it came out so long ago, and the anime version was only a fraction of what's in the manga.

Tell your friends! Get the word out about this series and maybe it will be finished one day. It's not terribly long, only around 30 volumes.

PS: the drawing gets progressively better. It maintains it's style, but gets more detailed. It's something you DON'T see in modern day mangas, what with white backgrounds and lack of shading.

... Last updated on November 26th, 2009, 5:46pm

For a manga of its vintage, it is really quite impressive. I won't say it is a masterpiece: the art is dated and messy and the story is straightforward and simplistic with the standard comedy/action main character of its time (a similar character template to ranma 1/2, for example)

Nonetheless, the art gives the warm feeling of a classic and the story grows on you if only because of Ushio and Tora's antics.

Don't expect crazy slapstick, deep drama or thrilling fights but if you are looking for light read, with classic art and humour mixed with some supernatural action, Ushio to Tora is definitely worth taking a look at.

(You might feel my rating doesn't match my comments but that is only because I am very harsh in rating manga, mainly for my own convenience when browsing my reading list)

... Last updated on July 10th, 2009, 4:57pm

Art: Drawing style is old, but as the story progress, you will see that it changed better and better. Personally I like it, it has its own unique style that fits into the story (it's a ghost story! come on!)

Story: Excellent story. Not many action manga has as heavy plot as this one. The pacing is good, none of it seemed rushed or stalled (to extend story like Bleach or Naruto...). Each encounter brings light to the mystery behind the spear and the world around it.

Characters: Funny characters! Complex nonetheless ( **spoiler** the dad, for example). Have depth beneath what's seen from the surface.

Kind of an old drawing style, soft like, but other than that it's better than some of he mainstream action shounens. Read it if you're into that kinda thing, I know I am.

As I said above, this manga is so wonderful. although it's an action manga, but it's very touching. not so cool drawing, but the emotional expression is really good.