Shaman King Review

Shaman King is the story of Asakura Yoh, a shaman, and his quest to become the Shaman King. Along the way, Yoh meets a boy, Manta, who has the ability to see spirits, an unusual feat for a human, attempts to find a powerful spirit that will be his main spirit and must withstand intense training from his fiancée, Anna, who dreams of living an easy life as the wife of the Shaman King. He also meets numerous friends along the way. Yoh is a great character. He is very laid back and rarely lets his emotions get the better of him. He fights for what he believes in and to protect his friends. The best way I can describe him is that he's mastered Zen philosophy. He can sit for hours thinking of absolutely nothing and believes that there is no point to worrying. Things will happen they way they do regardless of whether he sleeps or doesn't. Anna's pretty much the same way, except that she does worry about Yoh - not that she'd let him see that. The two have an odd relationship. Yoh's scared of Anna and will do what she tells him and Anna constantly pushes Yoh to get better and better. She doesn't seem as though she's capable of showing him how much she cares or maybe she's just scared he will let her down if he cannot become the Shaman King. Still, she believes strongly in him and shows she cares in odd ways like making him new clothes. The Shaman Fight is a tournament that takes place once every 500 years. An Oversoul is a technique whereby a shaman can shape his spirit into form. They do this by consuming materialization energy known as Furiyoku. During the Fight, Shamans battle one another until their Oversouls fade and all their Furyoku is used up. The shaman who uses all of his Furyoku first is the loser. My overall impression of is pretty good. I like the mix of philosophy, animation, humor, and fighting, and the characters introduced are interesting.