REVIEW: ‘Black Torch’ Episode 1 – “The Future Is in Our Hands”

Black Torch Episode 1 sets up a supernatural tale about mononoke that’s interesting but not without its flaws. Azuma Jiro (A.J. Beckles) is a student of the shinobi who has the unusual ability to communicate with animals. This strange superpower is the backbone of an intriguing story that sorely needs to find its voice. The exposition-heavy premiere uses its entire runtime setting up the rest of the series, leaving little time for much else.

Black Torch Episode 1 establishes early on that Jiro’s ability has led him to have an extraordinarily high moral compass when it comes to animals. While his compassion for animal welfare is endearing, the series leans so hard into it that it comes off as exaggerated or overly moralistic.

Early on, we see Jiro as a young boy talking with his dog. In the very next scene, he’s older and fighting off bullies who are picking on a cat and bird. Fortunately, he knows martial arts and can save them. In the next scene, that same bird comes to find him because there’s a different injured cat that’s been abandoned in the woods. Individually, all of these scenes are fine, but together they paint a picture of someone whom the series has determined can’t be effective at caring for animals without conflict leading the way.

The appearance of Rago, a Mononoke, pushes the story further.

The cat in the woods is Rago (Keith Silverstein), but he’s not really a cat. Rago is an eternal spirit or mononoke. There’s a group of people looking for Rago by name, but there’s no immediate context about who they are. After nursing Rago back from the brink, Rago attempts to leave but is stopped by Jiro’s compassion.

In the process of arguing over whether his presence is a good idea, the answer comes knocking when a demon appears. Rago, knowing that  he is being hunted for his mononoke power, flees. However, his escape is thwarted when the demon catches up with the wounded Rago and seems poised for victory until Jiro appears. 

The ensuing fight leads to Jiro’s death and leaves Rago with a choice. As the demon reminds him, he can eat Jiro and renew his own strength. Instead, Rago pours himself into Jiro to heal his wounds and becomes part of him. His renewed vigor and Jiro’s shinobi skills work together to end the demon once and for all. The activity attracts the attention of the humans who had been looking for Rago, who identify themselves as the Bureau of Espionage.

There’s a lot of promise in Black Torch Episode 1 but the series needs to dig deeper.

The fight scenes in Black Torch Episode 1 are riveting, fun, and exciting to watch. After Rago and Jiro combine, it’s especially impressive to watch them take on the demon. Still, it’s hard to get too excited when so much happens without any context for the average viewer.

Where Black Torch Episode 1 truly shines is in its potential. So much world-building is done in the premiere that it demands the audience come back next week for the payoff. A simpler story might not need multiple episodes to lay the foundation, but Black Torch would have benefited from an hour-long premiere. Still, the series boasts a great idea, asking the audience to invest time in seeing it come to fruition.

Black Torch Episode 1 starts to tell an intriguing story, but it is asking for a lot of unearned patience from viewers. Still, all the ingredients are there: action, mystery, even supernatural forces at work. Black Torch Episode 1 gives viewers just enough reason to stick around for the next episode, but it needs to step out of the prologue and move the story forward.

Black Torch Episode 1 is out now on Crunchyroll. 

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