Flame of Recca

Flame of Recca (Japanese: 烈火の炎, Hepburn: Rekka no Honō) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nobuyuki Anzai. It was serialized in Shogakukan's Weekly Shōnen Sunday from April 1995 to February 2002, with its chapters collected in 33 tankōbon volumes.

Flame of Recca
Cover of the first tankōbon volume, featuring Recca Hanabishi (right) and Yanagi Sakoshita (left)
烈火の炎
(Rekka no Honō)
Genre
Manga
Written byNobuyuki Anzai
Published byShogakukan
English publisher
ImprintShōnen Sunday Comics
MagazineWeekly Shōnen Sunday
DemographicShōnen
Original runApril 5, 1995 – February 13, 2002
Volumes33
Anime television series
Directed byNoriyuki Abe
Written byHiroshi Hashimoto
Music byYusuke Honma
StudioPierrot
Licensed by
Original networkFuji TV
English network
Original run July 19, 1997 – July 10, 1998
Episodes42
Game
Flame of Recca: The Game
DeveloperKonami
PublisherKonami
GenreFighting
PlatformGame Boy Advance
ReleasedDecember 20, 2001
Game
Flame of Recca: Final Burning
DeveloperKonami
PublisherKonami
GenreAction, Fighting
PlatformPlayStation 2
ReleasedJune 10, 2004

The series was adapted into a 42-episode anime television series by Pierrot, broadcast on Fuji TV from July 1997 to July 1998. The series has also spawned two video games and other merchandise. Both the anime and manga were licensed for North American distribution in English by Viz Media. The anime has since been picked up by Discotek Media who re-released the series on DVD in 2015.

The Flame of Recca manga has had over 25 million copies in circulation, making it one of the best-selling manga series.

Plot
Main article: List of Flame of Recca characters

Flame of Recca follows the story of a teenage boy named Recca Hanabishi, who is interested in ninja and claims to be one himself. He often gets into fights because he made it publicly known that the person who manages to defeat him will earn his services as a loyal ninja. Despite this, he eventually pledges his loyalty and services as a ninja to Yanagi Sakoshita, a girl with the innate ability to heal any wound/injury, because of her kindness and compassion. Recca soon discovers that he possesses the innate ability to control/manipulate flames, and eventually learns that he is actually the son of the sixth generation leader of the Hokage, a ninja clan that was wiped out in 1576, roughly 400 years before the series' present day.[3][4]

The Hokage ninjas wielded mystical objects called madōgu (魔導具), which are referred to as "psychic devices" or "mystical weapons" in the English versions of the series. Madōgu grant their users special abilities, such as allowing their users to manipulate certain elements (as in the case of the Fūjin, which allows its wielder to manipulate the element of wind) and enhancing their user's strength/skills (as in the case of the Dosei no Wa, which increases its user's physical strength and the Idaten, which increases its user's running speed). Oda Nobunaga had invaded the Hokage in 1576 for the purpose of acquiring these weapons, and the series' main antagonist, Kōran Mori, is searching for a madōgu that will grant him eternal life. Recca and his friends become entangled in Mori's quest for eternal life as he attempts to kidnap Yanagi, believing that her healing powers will help him achieve immortality. This leads them to join the Ura Butō Satsujin, a tournament wherein the warriors that wield madōgu gather to battle each other. After winning the tournament, Recca and his teammates discover that Mori was on his way to acquire the Tendō Jigoku (天堂地獄, Heaven and Hell), a madōgu said to grant its user eternal life, and once again attempt to stop him.

Media

Manga
Main article: List of Flame of Recca chapters

Flame of Recca, written and illustrated by Nobuyuki Anzai, was serialized in Shogakukan's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Sunday from April 5, 1995, to February 13, 2002,[5][6][7] with a total of 329 chapters. The series was compiled into 33 tankōbon volumes published by Shogakukan from September 18, 1995, to April 18, 2002.[8][9] Shogakukan also released the manga in 17 wideban volumes from January 18, 2006, to March 16, 2007,[10][11] and a bunkoban edition from July 15, 2010, to October 15, 2011.[12][13]

The manga was licensed for North American distribution in English by Viz Media and United Kingdom distribution in English by Gollancz Manga. Viz released all 33 volumes from July 30, 2003, to November 10, 2009,[14][15] while Gollancz released ten volumes between March 6 and November 28, 2006.[16][17]

Anime
Main article: List of Flame of Recca episodes

Flame of Recca was adapted into a 42-episode anime series produced by Studio Pierrot, and aired in Japan from July 19, 1997, to July 10, 1998 on Fuji TV.[18] Pony Canyon has released the entire series on DVD and laserdisc, while Geneon released it in two DVD boxsets on April 22 and June 24, 2005, in Japan.[19] Flame of Recca was also aired across Asia on the satellite network Animax.[20]

In North America, Viz Media released the series in ten separate DVD volumes between October 26, 2004, and January 9, 2007.[21][22][23] Discotek Media re-licensed the series in 2014 and released it on DVD in February 2015.[24][25]

Soundtrack

The Flame of Recca anime series featured background music composed by Yusuke Honma. The series featured "Nanka Shiawase" (なんか幸せ, lit. "Something Happy") by The OYSTARS as its opening theme, and used "Love is Changing" (西田ひかる) by Hikaru Nishida and "Zutto Kimi no Soba de" (ずっと君の傍で, lit. "By Your Side Forever") by Yuki Masuda as its ending themes for episodes 1–32 and episodes 33–42 respectively. All the songs were released in singles, and all except "Zutto Kimi no Soba de" were included in the original soundtracks.[19] Flame of Recca Original Soundtrack Vol. 1 was released by Pony Canyon on December 6, 1997, and features background music used in the series, as well as the series' opening song and first closing song.[26] Flame of Recca Original Soundtrack Vol. 2 was released by Pony Canyon on May 4, 1998. It includes more background music used in the series along with a special CD drama entitled Recca no Honō Special CD Drama: Daitōron Kai Tsuyoi No Wa Dareda?! (｢烈火の炎｣ スペシャルCDドラマ: 火影大討論会 強いのは誰だ?!, lit. "Flame of Recca Special CD Drama: The Great Debate, 'Who is the Strongest?!'").[27]

Video games

Flame of Recca: The Game (烈火の炎 -THE GAME-, Rekka no Honō: The Game) is a fighting game released by Konami on December 20, 2001, for the Game Boy Advance.[28]

Flame of Recca: Final Burning (烈火の炎 -FINAL BURNING-, Rekka no Honō: Final Burning) is an action/fighting game released by Konami on June 10, 2004, for the PlayStation 2.[29][30] A limited number of soundtrack CDs and sets of four bookmarks with character illustrations by Nobuyuki Anzai were given out along with the game CD.[29]

The series' protagonist has also appeareded in the 2009 Konami fighting game Sunday vs Magazine: Shūketsu! Chōjō Daikessen for the PlayStation Portable.[31]

Reception

The Flame of Recca manga has had over 25 million copies in circulation.[32]

Jason Thompson, author of Manga: The Complete Guide, described the Flame of Recca manga as "polished and quick-paced", and that it "reads like a more carefully plotted, more extreme version of Yu Yu Hakusho."[33] Patricia Duffield, a columnist for Animerica Extra, felt the story and artwork continuously evolved with characters and their unique weapons. "Although the series seems to have a tendency toward male fan service, Flame of Recca can be as enjoyable for gals as it is for guys." Duffield concluded, "If lots of ninja action with supernatural flair interests you, give Flame of Recca a try."[34]

In 2010, Mania.com's Briana Lawrence listed Flame of Recca at number four of the website's "10 Anime Series That Need a Reboot".[35]

References
  1. "The Official Website for Flame of Recca". Viz Media. Archived from the original on October 19, 2020. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
  2. Beard, Jeremy A (October 22, 2003). "Flame of Recca". THEM Anime Reviews. Archived from the original on July 29, 2018. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  3. Tibbey, Chris (October 11, 2004). "Flame of Recca Vol. 1". DVD Talk. Archived from the original on July 8, 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  4. Feldman, Chris (September 12, 2007). "Memory of The Flame & Ghosts". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on July 8, 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  5. 週刊少年サンデー 1995/04/05 表示号数16 (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Archived from the original on March 24, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  6. 週刊少年サンデー 2002/02/13 表示号数9 (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Archived from the original on March 24, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  7. 烈火の炎. WebSunday (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on June 24, 2013. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  8. 烈火の炎 1 [Flame of Recca 1] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on September 10, 2012. Retrieved November 6, 2010.
  9. "烈火の炎 33" [Flame of Recca 33] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on January 11, 2013. Retrieved November 6, 2010.
  10. 烈火の炎 1 (コミック文庫) [Flame of Recca 1 (Shonen Sunday Comics wide version)] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on October 13, 2012. Retrieved November 6, 2010.
  11. 烈火の炎 17 (コミック文庫) [Flame of Recca 17 (Shonen Sunday Comics wide version)] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on October 13, 2012. Retrieved November 6, 2010.
  12. 烈火の炎 1 (コミック文庫) [Flame of Recca 1 (Comic Bunko)] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on October 28, 2020. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  13. 烈火の炎 17 (コミック文庫) [Flame of Recca 17 (Comic Bunko)] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on October 28, 2020. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  14. "Flame of Recca, Vol. 1". Viz Media. Archived from the original on May 19, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  15. "Flame of Recca, Vol. 33". Viz Media. Archived from the original on May 19, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  16. Flame of Recca Volume 1. ASIN 0575078499.
  17. Flame of Recca Volume 10. ASIN 0575080884.
  18. "studioぴえろ 作品年表(テレビシリーズ/テレビスペシャル)" [Studio Pierrot Works Chronology (TV series/TV special)] (in Japanese). Studio Pierrot. Archived from the original on December 27, 2009. Retrieved November 6, 2010.
  19. 烈火の炎(ファンカタログ) - ぴえろ [Flame of Recca (Fan Catalog) Pierrot] (in Japanese). Studio Pierrot. Archived from the original on April 22, 2005. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  20. Torre, Nestor U. (April 4, 2006). "Religious 'wars' on TV turn viewers off". Philippine Daily Inquirer. p. A2-3. Retrieved May 11, 2015 – via Google News Archive Search. 'Flame of Recca' From Monday to Friday at 5:30pm, Animax Asia screens "Flame of Recca." Enter the secret world of Ninjas in this action-packed anime based on Nobuyuki Anzai's popular manga series.
  21. Koulikov, Mikhail (July 19, 2004). "Anime Expo - VIZ LLC". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 11, 2014. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  22. "Flame of Recca, Vol. 1 (DVD)". Viz Media. Archived from the original on September 7, 2006. Retrieved November 6, 2010.
  23. "Flame of Recca, Vol. 10 (DVD)". Viz Media. Archived from the original on January 25, 2007. Retrieved November 6, 2010.
  24. Loveridge, Lynzee (June 17, 2014). "Discotek Licenses Flame of Recca TV Anime Series". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on July 2, 2018. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  25. Ressler, Karen (February 24, 2015). "North American Anime, Manga Releases, February 22–28". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on May 3, 2019. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  26. "｢烈火の炎 ｣サウンドトラックVol.1" [Flame of Recca Soundtrack Vol. 1] (in Japanese). Amazon.com. Archived from the original on January 9, 2016. Retrieved November 6, 2010.
  27. "烈火の炎 ― サウンドトラック2+スペシャルドラマCD" [Flame of Recca Series 2 Special CD Soundtrack] (in Japanese). Retrieved November 6, 2010.
  28. "烈火の炎〜THE GAME〜" [Flame of Recca: The Game] (in Japanese). Nintendo. Archived from the original on November 15, 2012. Retrieved November 6, 2010.
  29. "烈火の炎 〜Flame of Recca FINAL BURNING〜" [Flame of Recca: Final Burning] (in Japanese). Konami. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved November 6, 2010.
  30. IGN Staff (June 15, 2004). "Now Playing in Japan". IGN. Archived from the original on September 13, 2012. Retrieved November 6, 2010.
  31. Spencer (March 2, 2009). "Konami's Manga Fighter Contains A Ton Of Characters". Siliconera. Archived from the original on October 11, 2012. Retrieved November 6, 2010.
  32. いつ見るか？ 今でしょ！ あの林先生（林 修）が漫画の授業に初挑戦！ 「HEIWA PRESENTS 烈火の炎塾」6月11日（火）正午より開講！. PR Times (in Japanese). June 11, 2013. Archived from the original on June 15, 2013. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  33. Thompson, Jason (2007). Manga: The Complete Guide. New York: Ballantine Books & Del Rey Books. p. 108. ISBN 978-0-345-48590-8.
  34. Duffield, Patricia (May 2001). "Flame of Recca". Animerica Extra. Viz Media. 4 (6). Archived from the original on July 16, 2004.
  35. Lawrence, Briana (February 16, 2010). "10 Anime Series That Need a Reboot". Mania.com. Archived from the original on August 10, 2011. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
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