I enjoyed reaing your summary of Inu-Yasha. I had not seen the first episodes, so your description of the beginning of the story gave me a little more perspective on how the journey began. I probably would have given the art a lower score, but you support your 8/10 nicely. Two thumbs up. ____ :pacman: oooo Auri oooo
Inuyasha tv Review
Story & Characters
It was on Higurashi Kagome's fifteenth birthday that she was taken away to the "Sengoku Jidai," Japan's feudal era that took place about five hundred years prior to modern-day Tokyo. On her arrival to the past, she discovers a young boy pinned to a tree with an arrow. The boy's name is Inuyasha and he's neither human nor youkai (demon), but a hybrid of both; a hanyou. Her arrival into this world awakens Inuyasha from a fifty year long slumber and he's still thirsting to get his hands on the legendary Shikon no Tama, a jewel that would grant immense power to whomever possesses it.
The jewel had disappeared fifty years prior to Kagome's arrival, at the hands of a priestess named Kikyou. It was Kikyou's duty to guard the jewel from evil and it was Kikyou who put Inuyasha into his eternal slumber when he tried to steal the jewel from her. She had poured the last of her strength into an arrow that would pierce him and then requested to have her remains burned along with the Shikon no Tama. The fact that the jewel has returned, hidden within Kagome's own body, proves that she is in fact Kikyou's reincarnation and the duty of guarding the jewel is then passed on to her.
Unfortunately, the jewel is soon shattered and Kagome is forced to team up with Inuyasha in order to find the scattered remains of the Shikon no Tama, hopefully before the youkai do...
"Inuyasha" is not a very simple story... connections between characters are many as Kagome and Inuyasha are joined up with various characters who all have some kind of tragic story to tell (usually at the hands of the youkai Naraku). Even Inuyasha's own relationship with the priestess Kikyou has secrets that are learned as the series continues and more is learned about the Shikon no Tama and the history surrounding it.
I fell in love with Inuyasha almost immediately after watching the first episode; not only was the story of the series very unique but the characters themselves were interesting and I yearned to see more of the series. I enjoyed the idea of a girl and a half-demon traveling together on some quest in feudal Japan, a setting that offers many unique opportunities for magic and mystisism. As more characters were introduced and more twists in the plot occurred, the more I became enchanted with the series.
One of the things that I like most about the series is the fact that although there are many, many characters (typical of a Rumiko Takahashi series), none of them go without a purpose that effects the plot of the story greatly. Each character adds their own unique touch to the series, which is probably why the series is able to reach a milestone of 400 chapters, with plans to go until at least 500. Even more amazing is the fact that each character (specifically the major ones) has a deep history, often intertwining with the histories of other characters in the series. No major player in Inuyasha is simple, nor do they lack intense character development.
Takahashi does an amazing job of bringing together the pieces of story spanned throughout so many chapters in tantalizing plot twists. Minor characters and tidbits that appear in various story arcs at the beginning of the series, reappear much later on in the story with great significance. It's complex story and intricate web of character relations makes Inuyasha a series that I would definitely recommend to other anime/manga fans.
Rating:
Art
The art for Inuyasha, unlike most of Takahashi's other series that have been animated, is very crisp and clean. the colours are very vibrant and watching the series can be very mesmerizing at times, especially since many of the special effects are digitally added into the scenes. Digital special effects, in many series, look more cheesy than anything but in Inuyasha, it adds to the mystic aura to the series.
Many people find Takahashi's art style unfavorable but personally, I find that it reflects the feeling of feudal Japan very well as it resembles the art style from that time period. The anime tends to modernize Takahashi's illustrations but it does it well without disrespecting her original works.
Rating:
Sound
The soundtrack for the Inuyasha anime is very fitting for the time period in which the story takes place. Most of the music is very intense and has a very "feudal Japan" feeling to it. The music tends to reflect the mood of the scenes very well, be it intense, action packed or just plain fun. ^^
I love instrumental music but out of most series that I've become a fan of, I find that the Inuyasha soundtracks are the ones that I happen to listen to most because of the wide range of mood and emotion portrayed in each of the BGM tracks. I also enjoy most of the opening and ending songs, most of which are performed by big names from Japan (my favourite of which is "Come" by Namie Amuro, the eigth ending song).
Rating:
Presentation
While Inuyasha shares many of the formulatic aspects that make up a Takahashi series, I believe it's her more original series. I found that her other series (specifically Ranma 1/2, Urusei Yatsura and Maison Ikkoku) didn't have any on-going story outside the characters interacting with each other. Inuyasha breaks out of this routine by having a plot that goes beyond the characters and their relationships. Not only can Inuyasha be serious, it can be light-hearted and fun with many humerous moments. I've had a lot of fun watching through the series and I soon found myself feeling as if I was part of Kagome and Inuyasha's gang. ^^
It's true that Inuyasha does feature the "collecting" trend that's so popular from shows like Dragonball, Pokemon or Cardcaptor Sakura but I believe that it's done in such an original way that it doesn't feel like it's a carbon copy of those types of series at all. The story is presented in a way that all fans of anime can enjoy it, whether they're a fan of romance, action, drama, comedy or fantasy.
Rating:
Final Verdict
8.1667 (good)
Reviewed by Urufudo, Mar 29, 2005
Comments
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Auraeliah Mar 30, 2005
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animelover214 Apr 01, 2005
its a good summery! Great job! ^-^
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Urufudo Apr 01, 2005
Thanks! :) Glad you two liked it and that it was helpful in some form or another!
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Robyraioki Apr 22, 2005
I think, Inuyasha it's one of the best cartoons what Rumiko has done.
All the hitory it's great the characters are very funy and romantic, and the must increreble it's, the characters do things what one normally person gone do ;)
that is one thing what i love in this cartoon.
It's very great^^
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bebakiki May 01, 2005
This is a very good summery!!!!!!!!! :)
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masterjesse89 May 13, 2005
Thanks for the summary.... Now I can tell my friends about it better :D
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Inuyasha-FAN Aug 07, 2005
man thats a really good summary!!!!! Inuyasha is the best show ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)
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ayukai Dec 03, 2005
Inu-yasha is da best comedy!
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shoimi Jan 13, 2006
this is my favorite show on adult swim i just wish it weren't once a week.
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UberDog Mar 23, 2015
Nice details to the review, couldn't agree with it, but it's not all that bad on your opinions.
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