Now Streaming: BLACK TORCH, Talking to Animals Is Just the Start

As a boy, Jiro learned a lot when he talked to his good friend, AKA the family dog.

Black Torch S1
The first episode is now streaming on Crunchyroll. Subsequent episodes will debut every Saturday.

Now in high school, Jiro has cultivated friendly relationships with all the animals in his neighborhood. He is always ready to come to their defense whenever they are threatened, and is prepared to offer them food and comfort as needed.

So when Jiro is alerted that a cat lies badly wounded in the nearby forest, he is happy to bring the black cat home and care for his wounds. The cat is rather surprised, however, when Jiro responds to what the cat says! Yes, Jiro can talk to the animals, just like Doctor Doolittle.

Among humans, though, Jiro would be noteworthy as a descendant of ninjas. He is receiving training when he makes the acquaintance of Rago, the black cat. Rago is not terribly appreciative of Jiro's care and feeding as he recovers from his wounds, which may be explained because Rago claims to be an immortal being, a mononoke.

Jiro takes Rago's claim in stride, taking it as a bit of boasting. His dismissal of Rago's claim is tossed out the window when a bulky stranger invades his property in search of Rago, leading to an intense fight, which leads to Jiro dealing with more invaders.

Clearly, there is much more plot to be developed, which is confirmed by the official synopsis:

"Jiro Azuma is no average high schooler. A descendant of ninjas and trained in the ancient warrior art of the shinobi, Jiro is also able to talk with animals. After a mysterious encounter with an injured cat named Rago, Jiro discovers the feline is actually the legendary Black Star of Doom! Joined by the Bureau of Espionage, they fight off swarms of mononoke lying in wait to exploit Rago's powers."

The first episode is solidly structured. The opening scenes not only illustrates Jiro's ability to talk with animals, but also reveals some of his personality: He enjoys helping the animals, and apply his talents to help them further. He is a kindly sort of person, and also someone who is quick to take action to help others.

All that makes him an appealing protagonist. The structure also leaves narrative threads open to develop his personality further, and to learn more about Rago, the other surprise invaders, and how it all ties into the mononoke. (The trailer below shows that there is much more story to unveil.) I am eager to watch more episodes, so onto my watchlist it goes.

Image ©Tsuyoshi Takaki/Shueisha, Project BLACK TORCH.

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