Ushio & Tora

Episode 24

Move over, Ushio & Tora! It's time for my favorite new spinoff show, Mayuko & Tora! What, it's only one episode? That's too bad, because the relationship between sweet Mayuko and tsundere Tora is one of my favorite dynamics in the entire show. This episode left Ushio and Asako off camera, while Tora & Mayuko teamed up to fight the bad guys themselves.

Ushio is precious, but Mayuko is a ray of sunshine. Despite featuring a monster with a gruesome murder M.O., this episode somehow stays light and adorable. It's most likely because Mayuko's ability to brush off Tora's inflammatory statements like water off a duck's back has managed to kick Tora's facial expressions into overdrive. From docilely munching a hamburger to bristling under the affections of a doting Mayuko, Tora's face gets some exercise this week. And due to the plot, Mayuko is also much more expressive than usual. If you're running low on anime reaction gifs, this episode should get you all set for 2016.

Ostensibly, this episode is about Mayuko and Tora managing to outwit a pair of monsters that attempt to entrap Mayuko. However, it's really about human nature. Neither the monsters nor Tora understand how humans can be altruistic, sacrificing themselves to help others. That's why Tora doesn't get why Mayuko doesn't run when he saves her—she stops to help out another victim. He also doesn't get why, if Mayuko likes Ushio so much, she's going to let Asako go spend time with him alone. This romantic subplot threads through the episode, and its most charming moment has Mayuko and Tora acting out a play marriage. Mayuko is just the right combination of feigned ignorance and ebullience to keep Tora along for the ride. Is there shipping potential here, between a human girl and a yokai? Possibly, since Tora's reluctantly increasing affection for Mayuko is paralleled with Asako and Ushio's budding relationship. Mayuko's cheery monologues listing her favorite things bookend this episode, and they seem to hint at a heightened appreciation for “Tora-chan.” It's left pretty open, however. If the concept of such a relationship squicks you out, look at it as a growing bond of friendship.

Either way, it's Mayuko, not Ushio, who fights alongside Tora this time around. Seeing Mayuko take Ushio's role for an episode shows just how different (and similar) Tora's relationship is with the two humans he knows best. While Ushio lets every one of Tora's needling remarks get to him, Mayuko simply moves past them. There's no room for conflict when Mayuko refuses to engage, and Tora is confused—his ordinary means of control don't work on her. There's also another difference: Mayuko is not a skilled fighter like Ushio, and she certainly doesn't have any supernatural weapons to help her out. She's a damsel in distress, but she never loses her cool. Her weapon is trust—an overwhelming belief that Tora will save her no matter what—and this trust makes her strong. If you think about it, Ushio is often in this position, too—holding off until Tora can save him. The fact that Tora always does save these two shows how vulnerable he is to the cryptic kindness of human nature that frames this episode.

It's hard to believe this is a “filler” episode, because the great facial expressions, too-human story arc, and charming dynamic between Mayuko and Tora made it one of my favorite episodes of the show. Ushio & Tora's ability to include light, funny moments—and even full episodes—in an increasingly darkening storyline is its greatest strength.

Rating: A

Ushio & Tora is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Lauren writes about anime and journalism at Otaku Journalist.