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The opening sequence of the first season of anime series _Ushio to Tora_
contains a series of images which might be distorted calligraphy, sort of like
what Picasso might have done. There are a set of 6 varied-color frames, a
short vertically scrolling sequence, and finally the title, which is clearly
calligraphic and much less distorted. After that, the credits actually begin,
now in a normal Japanese font. Here some are:

First:  
[![possible calligraphy 1,
red](https://i.stack.imgur.com/bxr6j.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/bxr6j.jpg)

Second:  
[![possible calligraphy 2,
green](https://i.stack.imgur.com/CrAiC.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/CrAiC.jpg)

Seventh:  
[![possible calligraphy 7, vertical scroll
red](https://i.stack.imgur.com/QOdaT.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/QOdaT.jpg)

Title:  
[![calligraphic title
plate](https://i.stack.imgur.com/fByho.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/fByho.jpg)

You can see them all beginning at time mark 4:30 of [episode
1](http://www.crunchyroll.com/ushio-and-tora/episode-1-the-fate-that-brings-
ushio-and-tora-together-682425). The _Seventh_ one is partial, a single shot
from a short, vertical scrolling sequence.

I don't know if these are distorted calligraphy or not. But going backwards
beginning at the _Title_ plate, there certainly appears to be a commonality of
design. If they are calligraphic, are they legible? If so I imagine they would
be concepts such as **courage** , **fate** , etc.

If they are not calligraphic, what are they? Do they symbolize something I
should recognize?


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2017-01-11T16:20:50.817
38380
2017-01-12T06:10:10.050
2017-01-12T06:10:10.050
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question
symbolism ushio-to-tora
Is distorted calligraphy used in the season 1 opening of Ushio to Tora?


I guess you could describe this as calligraphic. I don't know enough to say
whether this is what a calligrapher would consider genuine art vs. just being
writing with bold and swishy brush strokes.

This writing doesn't "symbolize" anything, though - it's just the lyrics of
the first verse of the OP theme as they're being sung.

  1. 混ぜんな _mazen na_
  2. 危険な _kiken-na_
  3. やつらが会いすりゃ _yatsura-ga ai-surya_
  4. 土壇場 _dotanba_
  5. 土壇場 _dotanba_
  6. じゃないか _janai ka_
  7. 混ぜるな危険のねんごろ _mazeru na kiken-no nengoro_ (written bottom-to-top)

I don't want to venture a translation here, but see e.g. [Lyrical
Nonsense](http://www.lyrical-nonsense.com/lyrics/kinniku-shojo-tai/mazeru-na-
kiken/) for one candidate translation.


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2017-01-12T06:09:30.663
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2017-01-12T06:09:30.663
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answer