Forum - View topicBlack Torch (TV).
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Edjwald
 Posts: 3738 |
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Black Torch (TV) Source: Manga (completed @ 5 volumes by Tsuyoshi Takaki) Demographic: Shounen Animation Studio: 100studio Genres: action, supernatural Themes: anthropomorphs, factions, gore, monsters, ninja, police, secret organization, sorcery, spirits, superpowers, transformations Plot Summary: Jiro Azuma is descended from of a long line of shinobi, and he also can talk to animals. Although he may appear rough and tumble, his compassionate side emerges when it comes to furry critters. But Jiro's soft spot for animals gets him in major trouble when a suspicious stray cat fuses with him, granting him exceptional power but also dragging him into humanity's hidden battle against powerful, menacing spirits. Air Date & Platform: July 04, 2026 (Saturday) Available on: Crunchyroll Episode Count / Runtime: Pending Trailer [EDIT: Fancy opener stuff edited. -TK] Last edited by Edjwald on Fri Jun 26, 2026 4:56 am; edited 1 time in total |
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smurky turkey
Posts: 5243 |
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I still wonder why they decided to adapt an axed manga that was not that popular.
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smurky turkey
Posts: 5243 |
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1:
I liked the first episode. Sure, the premise is mostly typical shounen stuff but Jiro is a lot more likable than most shounen mc's and being able to talk with animals is something you do not see all that often. The story is nothing special with two sides duking it out and one of them being a shady secret organisation. The animation is rather nice. Knowing this only got 19 manga chapters I am curious as to what they will adapt and if they will change things up. |
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Blood-
 Bargain Hunter Posts: 25689 |
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Yeah, that was enjoyable. I agree that adapting a 19 chapter manga is an odd choice and I have to assume it means they will have to come up with some original content. Anyway, will be sticking with this for some more.
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Eilavel
Posts: 557 |
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Oh no, our shounen lead has been sealed with the power of the one-tailed-housecat jinchuuriki!
Its fairly standard fare but well enough executed. The pet dog backstory is clumsy but the animal talking is generally a positive, the pacing is nicely brisk. Mainly, it appeals to me above a lot of similar shounen precisely because the source material is so short that it can't end up with dozens of episodes of meandering fights of the week. I'll give this some more. |
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Edjwald
Posts: 3738 |
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I also liked the first episode a lot more than I was expecting. I mean, I wasn't expecting to dislike it, but I thought I'd be getting something on the same level as the recent Dead Account, which I liked alright. Instead, the voice acting, animation, and characterization were on a higher level IMHO.
I also like the lead. The whole delinquent with a heart of gold thing isn't exactly a new, but in this sort of anime it often leads to a lot of angry screaming that has me reaching for the remote. The Boy and His Dog angle (Classic Harlen Ellison story and cult classic movie BTW) worked for me here. It seems like the cat immortal has a demonic abyss side to watch out for, so their partnership or fusing or whatever is a fluid middle ground between Yuji and the psycho demon in Jujitsu Kaisen and Denji and his beloved demon pooch in Chainsaw Man. I hope the show maintains this level of interest for me. |
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Gina Szanboti
 Posts: 12828 |
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Even though the manga predates it, I'm seeing strong parallels to Eleceed, which is getting an anime next year. So I'm wondering if someone didn't go, "Hey, wait, we've got a property with a guy and his mentor who's a cat and factions fighting, why don't we make an anime too! We can just fill in the blanks with stuff from other series as needed." |
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Sobe
 Posts: 906 |
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They need to work on their BGM and audio choices. The scene under the bridge, seriously, that BGM choice wasn't great since it was low volume rap (I guess). The volume of the BGM for the fight scene in the forest made it difficult to hear the cast after they spoiler[fused]. Outside of those two things, I'd say Black Torch is my favorite series of the Summer 2026 season so far as I expected. The interactions between Jiro and Rago are definitely better than I expected from the trailers and the premise is interesting.
I've been eagerly waiting for this anime and I'm hoping we'll see at least 24 episodes regardless of the original material. 12 episodes would be seriously way too short for this premise. It's not perfect (given we've only see one episode so far) but I'm very happy with Black Torch for now. |
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smurky turkey
Posts: 5243 |
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2:
I appreciate that while the show contains plenty of tropes it does not follow all of them. That goes especially for the way things ended with gramps. Not only did they hash things out in their own way but gramps was not killed by a shady villain setting Jiro off on some revenge mission. The flashback was used very well. Besides that I liked that the talking with animals element is staying relevant (plus fun) and that the banter between Jiro and Ragou is amusing and lively. @Gina about the best reason I have heard thus far. |
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 25689 |
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Yep, pretty solid follow up to the first episode. Starting to smell a bit like a keeper. I hope the snarling and squawking gets dialed back a bit. At the current level, it could get a bit annoying.
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 12828 |
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I'm not disappointed yet. I thought it was funny when Shiba was surprised Jiro knew about the Oniwabanshuu. I'm not even Japanese and I know about them, as does everyone else in here.
Jiro must've taught his crow friends to share. Normal crows would be mercilessly harassing whichever one currently had the bag of treats. If you like the cat angle, I do recommend Eleceed (on Webtoons). The setup is a bit different, but the Jiro counterpart gradually collects a harem of normal cats (plus the strays he feeds) and the artist really gets cat behavior. There's always something hilarious going on in the background of any scene they're around for. The author is the same guy that wrote Noblesse, but this is an improvement. Or was - after the 2nd season it's run into the same endless battle structure as Noblesse did, so despite the still wonderful cats and still engaging characters, it's kind of flagging, with some chapters mainly just colorful speed lines and explosion splashes with bam! whoosh! boom! SFX. Pity. And sadly, I expect the anime is going to suck as hard as what they did to Noblesse. C'est l'anime. |
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Edjwald
Posts: 3738 |
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I'm cautiously encouraged as well.
We haven't really seen enough of the redhead beyond the mild tsundere routine and lingering shots of her hotpants to tell how she's going to play out, and the division head or whatever he is seems like a pretty familiar semi-sketchy-trickster-in-the-cause-of-good type. But it's a fun type. The MC continues to be less annoying than the usual rebellious hothead you see in shonen anime - I think the Dr. Doolittle thing Jiro has going on really helps in that regard. And gramps actually took the time to have a conversation and come across as a complex human somewhere in the middle of all that screaming and fighting. The fights are pretty vivid too. And the cat isn't as good of a magical animal companion as Fel or Madara yet, but he's cool. |
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Eilavel
Posts: 557 |
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I'm fairly sure I've seen a scene very similar to the crow one before. I don't care, trading favours with crow bros will never not entertain me.
Enraged grandpa was also enjoyable. Its pretty standard Shounen fare, but its well done and briskly paced- I expect I'll see this through.
The one thing that is a bit above expectations is that they've integrated the hot-blooded-friend-to-all-creatures shounen archetype with the Dr Dolittle one not only seamlessly, but in a way that makes both sides make more sense (and pretty much removes the annoyingness). |
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 12828 |
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I was actually surprised that Jiro isn't the only Dr. D. in the household. Is that a learned or inherited talent?
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TJ_Kat
Posts: 919 Location: Saskatoon, Canada |
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I agree. It was unexpected but not unwelcome. |
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