Flame of Recca: My TV and Anime Review

Just done watching this famous anime that was aired before at my beloved home country Philippines at GMA Network, where me and my childhood friends of the 90s wait every 6 PM just to watch this promising anime way back 1999.

Rekka no Hono is the original title of Flame of Recca in Japan. It has 42 episodes and produced by Studio Pierrot and was directed by Noriyuki Abe. This was based on the adaptation of the shonen manga series by Nobuyuki Anzai entitled with the same name.

Flame of Recca was originally aired in Japan from July 19, 1997 to July 10, 1998 on Fuji Television, and was also aired on the satellite netwrok Animax in Japan and Asia.

The opening theme entitled “Nanka Shiawase” (Something Happy) is one of the signature soundtrack that can instantly familiarize a 90s kid about Flame of Recca. The opening theme is composed by Yusuke Honma and performed by The Oystars band.  Its closing themes “Love is Changing” by Hikaru Nishida and “Zutto Kimi no Soba” (By Your Side Forever) by Yuki Masuda are also one of the most famous closing themes among animes back those days.

This anime centers on the life story of Recca Hanabishi and his 5 other friends who gathered together to safeguard Yanagi Sakoshita against Koran Mori, a main antagonist in the story who hungers to possess immortality by claiming Yanagi, for she has the power to heal. Koran Mori is also the father of Kurei, the half brother of Recca 400 years ago who lives in the present day with him. Recca has his 4 friends, who  after saving Yanagi at Koran Mori’s mansion, Kurei had made a deal to challenge he and his friends for a tournament in exchange for Yanagi. If they win, they can save her from an unrefusable gamble.

Recca’s group in the tournament has mystical objects called “madogu” which are considered as  their mystical weapons that can give them strength, can be used as weapons, or can summon any elements, etc. His 4 team mates in a tournament that comprises the Hokage Group are: Domon Ishijima, he has superstrength and wields the madogu “Dosei no Wa”(Ring of Saturn) that enhances his physical strength; Fuko Kirisawa, a boyish teen girl who has the madogu called Fujin, that can make her control wind; Tokiya Mekagami, a wielder of madogu called Ensui, a sword that utilizes water to create its blade that can control all states of water (liquid, solid, gas); and the last is a former member of Kurei’s Uruha named Kaoru Koganei, a little boy skilled in fighting who wields Kogan Anki, a puzzle-like weapon that can be formed into 5 different weapons.

Recca as the leader of Hokage Group is the most powerful among the team for he was a son of the former leader of Hokage ninja clan existed 400 years ago. He is guided by Kage Hoshi whose real name is Kagero, his real mother who helps his group as their advisor. Recca can summon 8 flame dragons, each giving him different skills and powers. His 8  flame dragons are namely: Nadare, Saiha, Homura, Setsuna, Madoka, Rui, Koku and Resshin.

This anime series is really a throwback series for me. I just finished watching this because I had skipped some of its episodes long ago when I was watching this way back as one of the 90s kids. So I’m glad that I was able to make it and done watching its 42nd episode as its last episode entitled “The Deadly Battle! When the Candle of Life Burns out.”

So guys, I can strongly recommend this anime if you do have kids that also love watching animes with this type of genre. Another two thumbs up for this reminiscing throwback anime series that made my childhood days memorable. It’s one of the original Japanese anime long before One Piece, Naruto, Bleach, and Fairy Tail made their fandoms.

Doomo arigatou gozaimasu Recca Hanabishi!!!