Inuyasha Rating and Review

Series: Inuyasha

Animation Studio: Sunrise

Original Run: 167 Episodes (193 including the second series) + 4 movies

English Licensor: VIZ MEDIA

Adaptation of: Rumiko Takahashi's manga "Sengoku Otogizōshi InuYasha"

Summary: "Inuyasha" is a fairytale adventure that takes place in feudal Japan. The story unfolds as young modern-day Kagome Higurashi is dragged down an old well on her family's shrine by a demon, and finds herself back in feudal Japan. However, in this Japan, demons, and monsters from folklore exist. Kagome ends up meeting Inuyasha, a half-demon who had been sealed to a sacred tree by her prior reincarnated self; who happened to be a powerful priestess. After unsealing Inuyasha from the tree, the heart of the story is introduced; the Shikon Jewel. The Jewel possesses great spritual powers, meaning it attracts a lot of demons who want to use that power for their own benefit.

Inuyasha had previously tried to steal the Jewel to become a full demon but failed when his ex-lover, the priestess, shot him and pinned him to the tree. The priestess (Kikyo) was mortally wounded, but asked her younger sister to burn the Jewel with her body thus, the Jewel was reborn within young Kagome (which explains why the demon dragged her down the well). Unfortunately this history puts a strain on Inuyasha and Kagome's relationship in the beginning of the story. (Especially when Kagome has no memory of her previous life.) 

 

On top of that, during a battle, Kagome ends up shattering the Jewel to pieces thus scattering the shards all across the country of Japan. Inuyasha and Kagome then must work together to gather up the shards to prevent them from being used for evil purposes. Along the way, they are joined by the young fox demon Shippo, the leacherous and cursed monk Miroku, the demon slayer Sango, and her twin-tailed cat Kirara.

The gang treks across the country searching for the shards. Yet they are not the only ones collecting them. A dangerous half-demon known as Naraku, is also scavengering around for the shards for an agenda of his own, and is also the one responsible for most of the group's problems. (Ex. Miroku's curse, Sango's family's death, and tricking and mortally wounding Kikyo which eventually lead her to sealing Inuyasha, etc.) I'm sure you can guess that he's the series' main antagonist.

The entire story is packed full of action, drama, comedy, romance, and plenty of fantasy for all to enjoy!

 

A.I.'s Rating: 9/10

A.I.'s Review: "Inuyasha", in my opinion is a classic; which is why I chose to review/rate it first. I grew up with this series so I'm pretty fond of it. Story wise, it is a very typical adventure plot but what sets it apart from every other "scavenger story" is the setting and characters. I love how the story incorporates a "fantasy-like" feudal Japan. To me, the setting is really what makes the story move forward. The characters are all memorable and the relationships they have with one another are too. Yet, like most "quest" stories, the ending is pretty predictable (but I'm not giving away any spoilers to readers that are interested). This is not necessarily a bad thing, in this case. Rather, it closed the story nicely. The background music is wonderful and unlike most animes I've watched, I enjoyed the ending songs more so than I did with the opening songs (but that's just my opinion). The art and animation are beautiful and I praise Sunrise for doing such a stellar job on it.

While this series is categorized as "shonen" (aka for young boys) the series also appeals to girls. Why? Simple. The romance. Yes, romance is also an important aspect of this series, believe it or not, and it does not take away from the fighting and action. Thus, I don't think guys should have a problem with that. The only thing I see as a potential "issue" is the length of the series. This one is definitely one of the longer ones, as most series span between 12~26 episodes in length. The anime is filled with "filler" episodes, meaning there are some episodes that just don't seem to move the plot forward or they simply move it along MUCH slower. But if you suck it up and plow through those episodes and take in the series as a whole, it really is wonderful. Thanks for reading and I'll see you guys next time!