Inuyasha

Title:Inuyasha
Dog Boy
Inu Yasha
Inu-yasha
犬夜叉
Overall:Rent
Keywords: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Notables: Animation - KYOTO
Animation - SUNRISE
HIDAKA Noriko
KUWASHIMA Houko
KYOUDA Hisako
MIRORIKAWA Toshiyuki
Music - Avex Mode
Music - WADA Kaoru
NAGASHIMA Kouichi
NAKAGAWA Akiko
NARITA Ken
NOGAMI Yukana
OGATA Kenichi
OOKI Tamio
ORIKASA Ai
Original Concept - TAKAHASHI Rumiko
R1 License - Viz Media (Shopro)
TSUJITANI Kouji
UEDA Yuuji
WATANABE Kumiko
YAMAGUCHI Kappei
YUKINO Satsuki
From the manga of the same title, this follows the adventures of Kagome, a modern day Japanese teenager, and Inuyasha, an ancient and powerful hanyou (half youkai/half human) warrior, as they scour the landscape of mythical Japan for the pieces of the legendary jewel, the Shikon no Tama. Together with Miroku, Sango, and Shippou, they must keep the powerful hanyou Naraku from obtaining the full gem.
[167 TV episodes]
[edit] The ↗Inu Yasha franchise:
See also Takahashi-sensei's other works such as Urusei Yatsura, Maison Ikkoku, and Ranma ½. Fire Tripper is considered by many to be the Takahashi-sensei title that paved the way for Inuyasha.
Episode Details 
1, 2, 3, 132, 133, 134
OverallArtAnimationCharacter Design MusicSeries StoryEpisode StoryReviewer
Buy 8 7 8 10 10 9 Anonymous #3161 [series:288#3161]
Inuyasha was the first anime I ever watched, and I really enjoyed it. Inuyasha has a whole ton of genres packed into it, so it was really quite interesting. The story was very good, and the music in this anime really fit in well. The openings are all epic and intense, and the background music while you are watching, really fits into an historical anime.

Last updated Monday, September 14 2009. Created Monday, September 14 2009.
Rent 7 6 7 7 7 7 Ggultra2764 [series:288#1552]
Inuyasha sticks out as a series that mostly doesn't stick to conventional elements of a long-running shounen title. This series is more of an adventure title in its focus on Kagome and Inuyasha begrudgingly having to partner up in gathering shards of a powerful jewel called the Shikon no Tama whose power is sought by both humans and demons alike to amplify their abilities or make their wishes a reality. The two come to bond better with one another throughout the course of the series and come to gather several allies who join their cause in gathering the jewel shards and later coming to blows with the manipulative villain, Naraku, who is also on the hunt for the shards. Drama, romance and comedy are also mixed into the story with its focus on the varying character relationships, interactions and backgrounds that are explored throughout the course of the series.

Inuyasha offers up a good amount of exploration on its feudal era world and the characters that inhabit it, with the series being mostly inspired through Japanese folklore and historical events from the Sengoku era. The plot is somewhat standard as Kagome and Inuyasha track down more jewel shards, encounter various locales affected by either demon attacks and/or the Shikon Jewel, gain new allies who assist in their adventure and eventually coming to grips with Naraku. The story is well-paced for the most part as it doesn't take its time with battles as most shounen titles tend to do nor does it speed through events just to progress the plot, as many points in the series have their role to reveal more about elements to the plot or characters besides shifting things in another direction or making a surprise plot twist. The only shortcomings to the plot for this anime adaptation are the title's tendency to milk filler episodes that do nothing in advancing the plot (notably shown for a decent stretch after episode 80-81ish) for the most part, having long recaps at points throughout the show's run and the lack of a proper finale since the first series concluded during the middle of its manga source material's run.

Characterization is one of Inuyasha's strongest areas as many of the prominent characters in the series are fleshed out enough for you to understand their backgrounds, personalities, relations with other characters and possible connections they have to Naraku and the Shikon Jewel. A number of characters deal with tragic developments thanks to Naraku and/or the Shikon Jewel and characters gradually undergo developments where their abilities, personalities and beliefs improve throughout the course of the series. For instance, Sesshomaru is shown to undergo some of the more significant changes to his character throughout the course of the series in regards to his treatment of humans; the love triangle with Inuyasha, Kikyo and Kagome is a rather complicated one due to their ongoing struggles against Naraku and Inuyasha's past history with Kikyo; and Naraku makes for an intriguing villain who exploits the emotional baggage of much of the cast for his personal gain and is responsible for much of the tragic developments that befall the major characters in the series.

Visually, the series is a bit of a mixed bag. Scenery and character designs are solid as they sport clean details and vivid color, with some unique designs for many of the demons seen throughout the series. However, animation is quite subpar with frequent use of animation shortcuts such as speed stripes, still shots and reused animation frames getting employed. Noticeably, hand-drawn animation is employed for the title's first 98 episodes and then moves to digital animation from episode 99 and onward, with occasional use of CG animation employed for attack animations or renderings of elaborate effects. The music for the series is mostly memorable sporting opener, closer and insert tracks that are very fitting for comical, dramatic and tense moments throughout the show's run, though insert tracks do get repetitive with time due to lack of variety and later opener/ closer songs milk use of generic or upbeat J-pop songs that aren't very fitting to an adventure title like Inuyasha.

Overall for all its hype from my early years as an anime fan, I'm actually a bit surprised with how solid Inuyasha is for a long-running shounen title. It is a mostly solid adventure title that also mixes elements of comedy, drama and romance with how the Shikon Jewel effects Inuyasha and his allies in their journey, whose shortcomings mostly only come from its manga source material still being ongoing throughout the anime's entire run. If you're a big shounen anime fan, this is likely a title worth looking into.

Last updated Saturday, July 05 2014. Created Saturday, January 05 2008.
Buy 0 0 0 0 0 5 Anonymous #2269 [series:288#2269]
Inuyasha episode 5 Aristocratic Assassin, Sesshomaru: This episode starts off with an unknown demon followed by a weak imp searching for something then attacked by wolves. Right away you can tell how powerful this demon is, not knowing what the furturs holds is he an friend or a foe? This demon comes upon a soldier camp and when a human got in his way he killed with ease, following the imp finished the humans off with a staff he seemed to carry and torched them till nothing was left!! On a small boat the two travled across the water, hating the comment the imp made about suggesting to as our very own hreo Inuyasha, the demon kicked the imp into the water and held him under with his own staff. He spoke that he'd perfer not to think of him he waited for the imp to say he was sorry...He let the imp resurface but the imp spoke of our hero once more and was pushed back under water with the staff.

Then stage switched to showing the bone eaters well, the very same well our young Kagome the girl that was responsible for shadering the jewel of four souls. You see a tire of a bike come up followed by Kagome, she seemed to have trouble at first but finally pulls it out of the well. She stares at the scenery for a moment then get on her bike and rides making her way to the village where Kade lives the old pristess, sister of kikyo. On a rock you see the Flea demon resting claming hes been traveling non-stop for 3 days. He hears the tirs of kagome's wheels but doesnt move fast enough and is ran over. Kagome wonders what she hit but ignores it.

She comes across Inuyasha laying in a tree and she tells him to come down. But as usual he is stuborn and says no, So Kagome says Our favorite word Oswana (or comonly known as SIT!) and pulls out a first aid boxand asks to take a look. Then it shows Kade walking and talking with some village children and happen to see Kagome on top of Inuyasha tring to take off Inuyasha's shirt. Kade said something and Inuyasha got up and Kagome fell off of him. She yelled at her and said he was fine and showed her his chest telling her he heals faster than humans. Then Inuyasha said Oww and they look to see something on his chest. It was the Flea Demon we saw earlier. He was sucking on Inuyasha's blood until He smacked the Flea and said "If it ain't Myoga the flea". Myoga told the about the strong demon earlier that was looking for something and said he was apperantly looking for Inuyasha's father's grave site or Tomb. Kade asked about Inuyasha's father and Myoga told a story about him and also mentioned his Mother and Inuyasha walked out. Kagome followed behind shortly after hearing the rest of the story.And thought about how Inuyasha felt and how much he seemed to dispise his mother and she thought of how much she cared for her's.

Then the wind picked up and Inuyasha pushed Kagome to the ground and she slightly yelled at him but as cut off when he told her to be quiet. He stood up and looked at the moon and saw a carrage in the sky with a woman in it. Inuyasha froze and said "m-Mother". They saw she was bound by chains and imps surrounded her. Then out of know where a hugh demon hand comes from the clouds and grasp the carriage and shows his mothr in hand. Inuyasha jumps to attack the demon but a streak of fire comes from the shoulder, it was the imp and the unknown demon. Inuyasha looked up and said "it is you..." and he yells the name of the demon with anger "Sess-homa-ru!!!". And Sesshomaru said in a taunted voice "I've quite missed you as well...Little Brother". Kagome was in shock about that, but sesshomaru didnt wait he asked about the tomb and inuyasha refused to tell him and they began to fight. First he took care of sesshomaru's demon and gave his mother to kagome to watch. But the demon attacked and the mother save her son wtih a flower and they went to another world or as they say the border of the spirit world. His mother spoke softly and comforted him in her lap and showed him what it used to be like when she was alive before she died. Kagome woke up for she blacked out when the mother used the flower. She saw the mothers reflection in the water but she had no face and She couldn't move nor speak. Trying so hard to tell him to snap out of it the episode ends.

I thought this was one af my favorite episodes because it opened the book alittel more on Inuyasha's family. It talked about his father being the lord of the west and his mother a human princess. An also showed his full fleg demon half brother sesshomaru and how the dispise each other. It also showed alittle some thing about how Kagome is starting to feel about Inuyasha and how she wants to help him. (this review done by Faye_speigel@yahoo.com)

Last updated Wednesday, June 14 2006. Created Wednesday, June 14 2006.

Watch 9 9 9 8 7 6 TheVince [series:288#1124]
I keep reading about "this series is too long" everywhere I go. Maybe it is, it sure took a long time to watch, but it was a fun journey, I just finished watching to 167 and well.. the artwork is nice, I found the diversity of the characters to be really great, the animation is good, sometimes better then alot of other shows. there's excelent music in this show, some of the best. I pretty much agree with AstroNerdBoy's whole review.. except.. WHAT THE HELL DID I JUST WATCH ALL OF THAT FOR!?!?

eherm. spoilers below, don't read if you don't want to know anything at all about the ending!:

I thought.. maybe they'll make more.. just a few.. I find messages about "they'll release more once the manga advances". these messages were posted in early 2004.... no recent news.. I mean, they were SO FRIGGIN CLOSE to the END. How can you just end it like that! what the hell!! Do you really think i want to read 600 volumes of manga just to know what happens after!! if it has to go on to 250 episodes then PLEASE do so, but don't follow the path that many anime based on manga have chosen... I'm so tired of unfinished anime. "ends with a sense of adventure?!?", that's not what it felt like to me.., If they decide to eventually make more, then i'll say it's a fairly good anime. not the best, but a good one. but until then. I don't know what to say.. I'm still in shock.. If that's all there is to the collection then don't waste your money.. I'm keeping my fingers crossed though!

Last updated Tuesday, November 29 2005. Created Tuesday, November 29 2005.
Avoid 7 7 8 8 0 8 Anonymous #2109 [series:288#2109]
So this is what's going to happen. You're going to sit down and watch 165 episodes and then when you get to the 166-167 (which is supposed to be the final) you're going to feel hosed. They never finish the story in this piece of junk. Wasted time is all I can say. At the end when you realize you've been hosed and the main story never gets resolved you're going to be pretty violent. I was. Take some advice from me DON'T WATCH IT!!

Last updated Friday, November 04 2005. Created Friday, November 04 2005.
Buy 10 10 10 10 10 Violet D [series:288#1393]
Inuyasha is another favorite of mine. After watching all the episodes on Adult Swim. I just had to buy the first movie and then the second one came out and I bought that one too. In this one Kagome kisses Inuyasha to bring him back from the full demon he is becoming to the half demon he is. Later they have a little fight about it and Inuyasha accuses Kagome of being the first to kiss him and that is kind of how it ends. On Saturdays are the newer episodes and Inuyasha visits Kagomes era. The evil morocu is still there but the emphasis isn't as much so far. I like watching Inuyasha and its' story line. It is cute and full of demons and fantasy. There is a new menace that has come to the feudal era. They are three brothers that Naracu brought back to life with jewel shards and they are mean. They are out to get Inuyasha and anyone who is with him. Inuyasha is not the only one who wants to see Naracu destroyed. There is Coga, Sango, Mirocu, Shoshomaru not just to name a few. I wonder will they ever get this evil menace? I keep watching to find out. Oh my I watched it last Saturday and Kikyo showed up and Mount Hakare is falling apart and Naracu has a new body and his one victim was Kikyo not Inuyasha and he decides to kill her. So he pushes her off on the Miasma. Shoshomuru shows up and sees what has happened and Inuyasha shows up but he is too late and his older brother reminds him of the fact. So while he was rescuing Coga for Kogome Kikyo was being Killed by Naracu. Is this Demon ever going to get his. I'm watching this Saturday to find out.This is a great anime and there is never a dull moment for this one. Now Inuyasha is on Early tuesday motning. I'm afraid I have to admit it I'm a Inuyasha fan and I accept the good with the bad and the bad is Kikyo may be back so what is going to happen to poor Kogome? Well that is how I look at it and I have been watching Inuyasha for a couple of years and waiting for them to get it together which they sort of do in the 2nd movie. But If you are an Inuyasha fan like I am you also will take the good with the bad and the continuing affair with Inuyasha and Kogome.Inuyasha finished up the series a couple of months ago. Still the villan demon remains. But Inuyasha has a deep caring for Kogome Yea. This is one of my favorites and I can watch it again and again and do sometimes. A couple of weekends ago they had a Inuyasha marathon Frome movie 2 to movie 4. I watched them all and have them all. I guess you could say I'm a Inuyasha fan. I do like the others that are comming to adult swim. But Inuyasha like Fruits Basket holds a special place in my heart.

Last updated Sunday, January 28 2007. Created Thursday, April 07 2005.
Watch 10 8 8 10 7 9 Rei [series:288#1829]
Inuyasha, of course, is probably one of the most popular animes released to American television out there now, competing with Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and DragonBall Z. Just like those named series, Inuyasha drags on endlessly. It starts off with Inuyasha and Kagome; Kagome's the reincarnation of a priestess named Kikyou, she unseals Inuyasha, Inuyasha tries to kill her, Inuyasha ends up saving her when his evil brother Sesshoumaru attacks and Kagome takes a liking to him. We learn of Kikyou and Inuyasha's past love, Kikyou's desire for revenge, and Inuyasha's desire to be a full-blooded demon. We meet a pervert monk named Miroku and a slightly naive demon slayer named Sango, who also eventually fall for each other. Everyone wants to kill this big bad half-demon Naraku. Blah blah blah.
At first, it really seems like a good, interesting series. But around about when it introduces Kouga, it starts getting old. If you like long, dragged out series with repeated attack names and stereotypical Rumiko Takahashi characters, this is your series. And my opinion? One Ranma 1/2 is good enough.

Last updated Tuesday, February 01 2005. Created Tuesday, February 01 2005.
Buy 9 9 9 10 7 7 Jon [series:288#1787]
Definitely a buy. This anime interested my wife and kids and there is not much we watch together as a family. I don't see why anybody here would give it a bad review. Although, I thought the series ending sucked. Kinda left you hanging. I hated it. But overall, an excellent series.

Last updated Tuesday, January 11 2005. Created Tuesday, January 11 2005.
Rent 10 10 10 10 6 5 Courtney [series:288#1779]
Inu Yasha is a series that makes a huge splash into whatever country it is aired in - and for good reason. Rumiko Takahashi's charming tale of a contemporaty teenager joining a band of misfits in feudal Japan is an interesting premise. However, this series' popularity has also contributed to its own downfall. While Inu Yasha retains its lion share of fans, it has also lost some due to the lack of direction this story has acquired. The anime has gotten so far off track that the animators have given this show a temporary hiatus in order to focus on what the series is really about. Many will agree that the story has strayed too far from its original concept of locating the lost shikon no tama fragments. It seems as though Takahashi has compiled a set of storylines that she likes to address every couple of epsiodes, which include: the gang coming across either Kikyou, Sesshomaru, Kouga, Totousai, Naraku and his minions, and a handful of new characters that no one needs to remember because they will disappear in a few episodes anyway. Different relationships are formed between these characters and the heroes. I would normally congratulate Takahashi on being able to manage the interactions between everyone, if she had been capable of doing it in a more organized fashion. The transitioning is horrible and jumps from one plotline to the next with no sense of connection. Yoshihiro Togashi did a much better job of transitioning between changes in Yu Yu Hakusho.
Another qualm I have with Inu Yasha are the characters, which are, in my opinion, the highlight of the series. Characters like Sango, Miroku, Shippou, Sesshomaru, and Kikyo are all wonderfully developed and could each have a series that revolved around them. However, I felt that the two most lacklustre characters in the show are the two protagonists - Inu Yasha and Kagome. Inu Yasha's only notable quality is his grunpy disposition. Other than that, his personality is completely void of any depth. Yes, he is torn between Kagome and Kikyo. However, the viewer knows the outcome of Inu Yasha's decision even before he has to make it. I myself am a Kikyo fan, due to her tragic lifestyle. Despite being composed of dirt and stolen souls, Kikyo has a lot more substance than Kagome, who is there to fill the role of a modern girl. Kagome's contributions to the team are minor and she has no motivation for her actions. I feel Kagome is underdeveloped and can be summed up in one word: generic. I also feel that the monsters of the week are blasé and lack in development. There is no need for these characters because in a few episodes they will be dead and no one will refer to them ever again.
When the Inu Yasha-gumi aren't fighting the monster of the week, they could be exploring other such filler episodes or brooding over a lot of filler/flashback material. This is uncreative and never advances the story. These type of episodes add nothing to the plot and serve only as an excuse to delay the end of the story.
Of course there are many plus sides to this anime - the artwork and music are beautiful. I feel that Inu Yasha is a show worthy of a strong fanbase and does not deserve to lose all of its followers. I merely feel that the creators need to hurry up and end the series so that Inu Yasha's fans won't get tired of waiting around.

Last updated Wednesday, February 02 2005. Created Saturday, January 08 2005.
Watch 7 8 8 9 7 7 llxl [series:288#1778]
Inuyasha is a fairly good anime, with funny, interesting characters and a pretty good storyline. I used to love it... but it sometimes it drags along... I wish Kagome and Inuyasha's relationship would GO somewhere...after 50 episodes!!! so i gave up watching it. -but no, try it.

Last updated Friday, January 07 2005. Created Friday, January 07 2005.
Buy Anonymous #1590 [series:288#1590]
great series but really long (not complaining though) ive only seen up to episode 74 or something like that
anyways characters:
- Inuyasha- half human and half demon, puts on an act like he dont need or love anyone
- Kagome- reincarnation of Inuysha's first love Kikyo (prietess, really nice and caring, almost motherly in a way, has control of Inuyasha using the word SIT (he he he funny stuff)
- Kikyo- priestess that loved Inuyasha and was loved by Onigumo who becomes Naraku (sorry for those who didnt know that but you had to seee it coming, killed by Naraku (saw that one two)
- Miroku- monk who really like butts, also a conman (that crap bout an aminous pressence- but the people fall for ti every time), has a curse that wa placed on his family by none other than Naraku
- Sango- demon slayer who lost family and village to ..... Naraku again
- Shippo- cute fox demon who really likes Kagome, father killed by the Thunder Brothers (Hiten and Monten)
- Keade- sister to Kikyo and also a priestess, teaches Kagome about herbs and other things, she occassionally gives advice
- Myoga- a flee who sucks Inuyasha's blood whenever he shows up then he gets smushed, provides a lot of important info to Inuyasha and the others
- Totosai(cant spell)- maker of the Tetsaiga(?) and Tensaiga(?), often fixes the sword and tells Inuyasha about the swords purpose and everything
- Sesshomaru- Inuyasha's half brother who is full demon, wants Inuyasha's sword, later forms a very short alliance with Naraku, fights Inuyasha a lot in the series (I wonder if they are filler episodes?)
- Jaken- a little thing/demon that is ever faithful to Sesshomaru
- Rin or Rim- a little girl who was saved by Sesshomaru *GASP can it be?*
- Naraku- half demon who wants to kill practically everyone
- Kagura, Kanna, Muso, Juromaru &Karguromaru, and the big purple one- Naraku's demon puppets all die except Kanna and Kagura
sorry but i dont have a life so i had to name most of the characters or the most significant characters
sorry if i left any out
story line is great it also unfolds with time so everyone can watch cause i garuntee u will find something you like

Last updated Wednesday, September 15 2004. Created Wednesday, September 15 2004.
Buy 8 7 7 10 10 7 Cedahlia [series:288#1520]
InuYasha follows the story of a young girl who was pulled down an ancient well located near her family's shrine and brought to Feudal Japan, where she meets a hanyou named InuYasha. The young girl, named Kagome Higurashi, is actually the reincarnation of InuYasha's former love, Kikyo. And this causes some problems. The plot is revealed when Kagome shatters the Shikon no Tama, a jewel that holds great and terrible powers. The shards are scattered all across Feudal Japan, and Kagome, feeling guily and pressured by InuYasha, promises to keep returning to the past to help collect all the shards before they can be used by wicked demons. All in all, InuYasha is a pretty good anime, though over-rated a lot of the time. I would reommend the manga, which is more detailed, and is of course lacking all the pointless filler episodes. The art in the manga is also better. All anime fans should see/read this series, though try to avoid the fandom online; very biased and vicious they are.

Last updated Monday, January 16 2006. Created Saturday, July 31 2004.
Buy 9 10 10 10 10 10 Christina [series:288#1484]
hm..this show is very funny, romantic, sometimes sad, adventure. This movie is kind of R rated. it's for teen-adult. actually, doesn't matter which episode you started to watch because each episode is very brief, easy to understand, great animation, and very interesting.

Last updated Monday, July 12 2004. Created Monday, July 12 2004.
Buy 10 10 9 10 10 9 Princess Atlantica [series:288#1469]
It's Funny! That's all I got to say about it! You can get me to watch any anime, so I fell in love with it quick. My 2 fav ending songs are' Every Heart' and 'My Will'. 'Every Heart' kinda has that R&B beat to it and 'My Will' seems like a song you could dance to in a club. But damn! You think they could've kept Kikyo out the way. She makes me SO MAD! Just about everybody that watches Inuyasha can't stand her! Oh,and there are adult Inu scans. Who would've known? Contact me for help.
Favorite character: Snago, who's always getting perved by Miroku

Last updated Saturday, July 10 2004. Created Saturday, July 10 2004.
Watch 9 9 9 9 9 9 bordem [series:288#1311]
this is a good show but its oddly similar to another show by Takahashi Rumiko, Rumik World: Fire Tripper... hmmm. though my only gripe is the dubbing(you can see my original review below to get a good idea of what i think)
Truely what can be called the best of American translated anime shows, but the dubbing definately takes the sharpness away from the speach, the show is onl on at 11 pm and midnight so it would be nice if they would put the non-watered down dialouge with curses and all that stuff. i dont like the fact that the script is something like this "you f ire tr ucking bas sist re tard" it hink you get the point. but other than that they did a good job keeping the story together in translation.

Last updated Sunday, May 09 2004. Created Saturday, May 01 2004.
Buy 10 9 9 10 10 8 Daughter_of_Seriyuu [series:288#1354]
Demons, magic, Priestess' and Ancient Japan. Inu-Yasha is definetely a tale worth watching. The story is actually well played out and even though you some how KNOW that Inu-Yasha and kagome fall in love, it takes them forever to even hug one another!!!
This story is very well written, it doesn't rush the charcters into love, or kill off our favorites!
Theres only one thing I could think of to complain about. When ever Inu-Yasha stands at a certain angle, his head looks square and his features are too far apart!
A small defect in the animation, which is why I gave that a 9.
Other than that, theres nothing thats actually wrong with it, that I can see. So, it doesn't have much sap, a good thing for some and the blood isn't overly gory. Thank Kami for that!
Some people prefer more Shoujo tales to this, though I say: INU-YASHA EIEN NI!!! Or, Inu-Yasha Forever!

Last updated Thursday, April 22 2004. Created Thursday, April 22 2004.
Buy 8 8 9 9 8 8 Kira [series:288#1286]
The first time I saw Inuyasha, I thought how cool it was to see an anime about demons. Then, as I started watching more and more, I realized what a wonderful plot the show had, and how it all fit together. Also, you didn't truelly know what to expect next. How many people truelly expected Sesshomaru to save a human girl?? The title fits very well with the anime, afterall, Inuyasha is a dog-demon which is exactly what Inuyasha means. The title is actually catchy if you think about it. I have seen Ep. 1-94 and I still want to see more...I bought the DVDs. The characters are very detailed, with very detailed backgrounds. I would have to say this anime is one of my favorites. I'm just glad I stayed up later then I was supposed to so I could see Inuyasha for the first time...lol.

Last updated Sunday, March 21 2004. Created Sunday, March 21 2004.
Buy 8 8 9 9 9 9 Buzze [series:288#1034]
Another Takahashi masterpiece. I've seen 60 episodes so far and haven't grown tired of it yet. You might think that chasing Naraku for more than 40 episodes sounds boring though.
Inu Yasha can't be compared to Ranma 1/2, although some typical things show up in both series: the lecherous type (but Miroku isn't half as lecherous as Haposai, who wrote the manual), the love triangle (then again: Inu Yasha's love can't be compared to what Ranma is experiencing), ...
Takahashi managed to keep the story fresh, even over a longer period and the characters keep on developing. The art might not look too great compared to recent titles, but I've taken a liking for it nevertheless.
Best character: Kagome's grandfather who keeps on inventing new diseases to excuse Kagome's absence at school.

Last updated Sunday, January 25 2004. Created Sunday, January 25 2004.
Buy 7 8 8 7 9 9 Tom [series:288#1086]
I very rarely like anime better than manga, but this is one of my exceptions. Inu Yasha is a dog demon who was pinned to a tree for fifty years, then released by a girl who is the reincarnation of the girl who put him there in the first place (and she has come from the future via a well on her families shrine). They need to find shards of the jewel of 4 souls, which can give incredible power to any demon who posses it (so of course all the demons want it). They make many friends and just as many enemies on the way, and why is Inu Yasha helping Kagome you may ask? That would spoil a great piece of the story, so you'll have to find out on your own.
This anime is great. The characters are awesome,not only well drawn but you'll find yourself actually caring about them. There are lots of fights in this anime, which I love, but they're not cliche slugfests, our heros actually have to use their brains to survive. And of course the story comes from Rumiko Takahashi, so of course it's good, as well.
You'll love this anime (and you'll love Kagura, or at least I do, she's soooo hot) if you like action with a good dose of character development and some touching moments put in for good measure.

Last updated Sunday, November 30 2003. Created Sunday, November 30 2003.
Buy 7 7 10 8 10 8 rainmusic [series:288#1069]
i absolutely love this anime.although i've mostly seen the dubbed version, it is still very good. the plot is long, with many twists to keep you interested.
i think the animation and art are okay, though a little average. the music is good, in my opinion.
the best thing about inu yasha is the characters. they are VERY well developed. and unlike other series where the characters proclaim their love within 30 minutes of meeting each other, these characters actually have time to grow.
they change for better or worse, just like humans do. things happen gradually, and the plot is not rushed. the voices are also well done, with the exception of kagome's voice. she sounds too childish and juvenile for her character, who is actually mature and one of the few anime characters with common sense.
also, each character has their own little quirks and that makes the anime even more interesting. it's not much of a comedy though, even if it's classified as a horror/comedy/action
i think of it as action/romance.
the setting of the story is also very original. how many other animes do you know of that is set in fuedal japan, or sengoku jidai?
of course, the dubbed version of this anime is slightly worse than the japanese one.but thats to be expected.
having seen the first 50 or so eps. i really recommend this anime.

Last updated Thursday, November 13 2003. Created Thursday, November 13 2003.
Buy 10 10 10 10 10 10 Anonymous #1057 [series:288#1057]
Inuyasha is one of my favorite anime titles. It features great animation and an awesome story line. It is a must see for any anime lover.

Last updated Wednesday, November 05 2003. Created Wednesday, November 05 2003.
Buy 9 9 8 10 9 8 ugahill13 [series:288#1014]
For those looking for a great story series to get into, you cannot beat Inuyasha. Having seen anime that has carried on for 26 episodes, or 30 episodes, and that seems too long, Inuyasha is amazingly fresh even after 125 episodes. It took me much less time to watch the existing 114 subbed episodes than any other anime I've seen or owned. The story moves fluidly; the trick, I believe, is that not everything is involved with Inuyasha and Kagome.
The characters are particularly creative; there is one for every personality type. One MUST get through at least 20 episodes to understand and appreciate Inuyasha, because it is only here that the split storylines unify into a solid cast. And while the lingering story questions are yet to be resolved in most of the cases, even at episode 114, they lead to great plotline developments later on in the series.
The English dub is okay; like all anime I've seen I highly recommend and much prefer the Japanese version. I love Richard Cox as a voice actor, and he does a fantastic job as Inuyasha, even if he does add a bit of "west coast" to his accent. The only grumble I have is Kagome, who sounds much too immature for my taste. The Japanese version of her is a much greater blend of the maturity (coupled with her occasional youthful vigor!) that her character possesses. In the English she's too much the valley girl victim; the Japanese version has more spunk. However, the Adult Swim version of the show is one of the newer styles of anime dubbing, with little edited from the original, which I much prefer to the clip and strip styles of other dubbing companies.
I happen to love the music to the series; even if the opening and closing titles are Japanese pop they still sound great. The orchestral score is magnificent; for any doubters, listen to Kikyo's theme just once and take my word that the perfect pitch is not easy to attain.
This isn't, as many have mentioned, an incredibly deep, thought provoking anime, but it isn't shallow, either. There is poignancy, history, a great, debatable love triangle, and, as most tend to forget, a simmering undercurrent of racial tension. After all, Inuyasha's "half-breed" nature is the hallmark of the series. His ostracism from two different yet powerful societies have shaped the character and often underlie the choices he makes.
There is also the simmering issue of what constitutes good and what constitutes evil; from "dead but wronged" vengence-seeking ghosts to "proud, skilled full-bloods" who disapprove of half-breeds. Even Miroku, the lecherous monk, is something of a debate within himself. So while Inuyasha may not be as over the top with intriguing issues, it is not a stupid anime, either.
If you're unaware that Inuyasha has 3 movies to its name, you're missing out; the movies are incredible. Their animation is jaw-dropping and the storylines fantastic. Further, they provide interactions between the characters that are not seen on the TV series.
Check out other options for purchasing the series than the 3 episode set sold on the general market. There are subs available that are 18 to a set for less than 30$. Search around and find it, because as other fans have mentioned, this series is LONGGGGG and your budget will be blown. Plus, you can jump about 90 episodes ahead of everyone else who waits for the dubs.
This IS an anime you can watch again and again--trust me, I have--but only if you're a person who loves to get involved in storytelling sagas. The investment is worth it if you're into Rurouni Kenshin, Gundam Wing, Blue Seed, or anything containing a connective, romance laden saga.

Last updated Wednesday, October 08 2003. Created Wednesday, October 08 2003.
Buy dhrachth [series:288#962]
I can't emphasize BUY enough on this one. This is a long series with a giant cast of character and a lot of plot details. It also clocks in at 19 min per episode after promo, recap, and beginning & ending titles are taken out.
Watching this show an episode at a time and having to wait between bits, make it seem a lot longer than it is and much slower. To really appreciate this, to give it a fair chance, you really need to watch several episodes in a block. (Keep in mind that 6 episodes of Inuyasha are equal to one short movie in run time.)
Inuyasha is an excellent blend of action, comedy, drama, and romance. The characters are all well developed, the villains as well as the heroes. There's a plot, that actually makes sense all the time rather than only on rare occasions. It's just a very solid piece of work all around.
If you're looking for one of those animes with deep philosophical meaning, stay away from this one. But, if a really well done escapist epic suits you just fine, Inuyasha is a good one.
Admittedly, it does get a bit repetitive in places, but usually not for too many episodes in a row. There are 120 episodes and counting in this series, not all of them can be brilliant, a little filler is only to be expected.

Last updated Thursday, September 11 2003. Created Thursday, September 11 2003.
Buy 8 10 10 7 9 10 Anonymous #931 [series:288#931]
a wonderful series. It's main creator (in my opinion) is Takahashi Rimiku. He has also created other animes of which include ranma 1/2 and Uresei Yatsura...fortunately thats already stated in the above paragraph :)
Well anyways, the series is wonderfully enticing and is humorous very often. The characters melt together in the strange plot that this series has. It has many similarities to ranma 1/2.
1: is the main characters have many funny quirks. Such as being impatient or not too bright!
2: both ranma and inuyasha have their girlfriend (or fiance) and they are constantly pummeled by them for doing stupid things...Or the girl is in a grumpy mood...more in akane's case
3: both have the same english voice actor (for ranma, the voice changed many times, but his voice was used for a while)
4: they have a similar art and animation throughout the series.
Inuyasha has a great plot. At first, it seems the characters are screwing around, but eventually the series caps off with a final episode(s). The final bit is about the entire team going to hunt a demon with their newly aquired friend Tongo. They originally start off with just Inuyasha and Kagome. Eventually they find the rest of the characters as they move along. (my personal favorite is tongo, the crazy female demon hunter with the giant boomerang...where can i get one of those???) The plot actually isnt a plot as what most people think of. It's actually like ranma in that way. most episodes it does not follow any specific plot. it turns into a plot every few episodes, and then it just goes back to random episodes. It is a very fun way to run a series, but its nothing like evangelion(my personal favorite anime...check it out sometime!)
this is a definite buy none-the-less. It is great in almost any way you look at it, unless your a neo nazi thug.

Last updated Thursday, August 21 2003. Created Thursday, August 21 2003.
Buy 8 9 10 9 10 Lonesome Summoner [series:288#860]
This series is one of my favorite anime series if not my favorite. The art is a little plain but still nice and the animation is good (although not really much CG are mixed into it). The opening and ending music is very good and enjoyable and the background music is incredible. This is because the background music is very traditional in a sense that most are old traditional Japanese intrumental music which matches very well with the setting and the emotions that are expressed at that moment. The characters are very well developed(and are memorable) and so is the story. The series is a great blend of action, romance, and commedy which makes this series so-far, an incredible and memorible one. I would definately recommend this series to all anime fans.

Last updated Sunday, July 27 2003. Created Sunday, July 27 2003.
Rent 6 7 8 9 8 Anonymous #875 [series:288#875]
Inuyasha starts off as a great fast-paced series. It has a very involved story and you can get a little lost if you miss key episodes. But if you watch it from the very start, it's unlikely that you will miss any. It is very addictive.
The story is much like a soap opera in the way that it involves a lot of romance. The main plot revolves around it, but there's lots of action in between to keep most male watchers satisfied.
Characters in the show are likable. Inuyasha is a young, violent, often shallow half-demon but has many redeeming qualities brought out by Kagome, who is utterly nice. Not so much that she seems inhuman though, and her jealousies and irritation at Inuyasha make her all the more likable.
Art and animation in the show are average. There are no special effects, but the characters are well drawn and not awkward like in some series.
Music in the show is good, and original sounding, even though there are only about 5 songs that they ever use aside from the beginning and ending themes. The beginning and ending themes are usually popular pop songs in Japan, and leave much to be desired. Thankfully, they are changed every 30 eps or so.
Overall the show is pretty good for a typical anime like this. It is geared towards preteens and teens, so it can be juvenile at times. The subbed shows are much better than the dubbed ones shown on Adult Swim in the USA, and can be less kiddie-like.
So far Adult Swim has only shown eps 1-36, but this series has 100+ shows in all. After a while, parts of the story seems to drag on too long, and filler eps get repetitive. So for that reason, I recommend that you rent the series instead of buying it. There are an abundance of them to see anyway, no need for re-runs.

Last updated Friday, July 25 2003. Created Friday, July 25 2003.
Buy 9 9 10 8 10 9 HunterD [series:288#606]
Inuyasha is a very well written story with many characters and good character development. I really like the animation style of this show it doesent have any CG in it that so many shows these days use so it feels more classic. The episodes are very fast paced it's rare that you feel bored during an episode. After each episode your just begging for more. The music is decent in it I liked the second end song the most of the ones i've seen (im at episode 109 so about 3rd 4th end song now) The english dub isnt to bad but it's not my cup of tea. I prefer the japanese voice actors it just feels more in place. The story takes place mainly in feudal japan, sometimes they go to modern japan to visit kagomes house to get supplies or for her to take a test. On an episode by episode basis the episodes are mainly 2 part things and every once in a while a funny laid back episode.
The characters (spoilers)
Inuyasha: is a Hanyou or Half-Demon in search of the shikon no tama to become a full youkai. He has the sword his father left him Tetsusaiga. If parted from the sword and he's pushed into a life and death situation his youkai blood takes controll and he becomes a total madman seeking nothing but killing. He loves Kikyo and Kagome ( i think he loves kagome more)
Kagome: is a girl who on her 15th birthday got pulled into a mystical bone well to feudal japan and is the reincarnation of Kikyo who sealed inuyasha to the sacred tree. She had the shikon no tama in her and a bird steals it she shoots an arrow at it and the shkon no tama shatters and thats how the journey begins. She also loves inuyasha
Sesshomaru: inuyasha's brother is a full youkai and doesent get along with inuyasha very much. He has a toad thing jaken that follows him around and is pretty much useless but funny. he also befriends a human child Rin whom he saves with his sword that his father left him Tensaiga.
Miroku: no character is quite like miroku he is a perverted housai/monk who has a air void in his right hand which is a curse from naraku. He does alot of schemeing but when he has to fight he does have buddhist powers.
Sango is a youkai exterminator who was on a mission with her family when her brother got controlled by naraku and killed everyone she is on a journey to seek revenge against naraku. she loves miroku
Shippo: is a fox demon child who's father was killed by the thunder brothers he joined inuyasha's party when kagome was kidnapped by the thunder brothers and is a comical character throughout the show that helps out in most siutations and trys his best.
Naraku: is the main villian of the story he manipulates people into his traps and never does the dirty work he uses his puppets or his detachments like Kagura to get their hands dirty. He is also collecting shikon shards and has quite a few.
I highly recommened this series to anyone who likes light comedy and action mixed with romance. Hofully Viz Video will get its act together and start releaseing the show with more than 3 episodes per disc.

Last updated Sunday, July 13 2003. Created Sunday, July 13 2003.
Buy 10 10 10 9 10 10 Shmee Moose [series:288#818]
This is an extremely good anime and manga. The characters are all different-none are the same. I don't think anyone is quite like Miroku... Well, Happosai from Ranma 1/2 might be. ^^;
I've only seen a couple episodes (4-6) on the DVD I bought at Best Buy. I really think Viz should put more episodes, though. Like, maybe 5 or 6? I don't pay $20.00 for nothing!
So, if you like Ranma 1/2, it's safe to say that you'll like Inuyasha as well. Inyasha and Kagome sort of take the places of Ranma and Akane in a different setting. But I prefer this because there's more action and fighting. I don't think there's an episode without it... Well, there could be, but I dunno.
The animation is smoothe and clean, and they don't rely on much CG, so it's doesn't look fake. (Has that been said before? o_O;;;) And the music is pretty catchy. I couldn't get "Change the World" outta my head for 3 days. @_@ The plot is really good, too.
Overall, very well done.

Last updated Monday, June 30 2003. Created Monday, June 30 2003.
Buy 8 9 8 8 7 7 Kari [series:288#798]
One long ass series. Inu Yasha's a dog demon, Kagome's a student from present day Japan...ect, ect. Basically Inu Yasha and Kagome are Ranma and Akane in a different setting, and with an actual purpose.

The animation is crisp and clear. The show doesn't rely on a lot of the CG that's used so much these days, that everything ends up looking weird. The characters are endearing...with the exception of Kikyo.

I enjoy the original Japanese version of Inu Yasha. How can you not, when Kappei Yamaguchi's voicing him? However, I also love Richard Ian Cox as Inu Yasha. He's done a great job portraying Inu Yasha. I also like Moneca Stori as Kagome. Kirby Morrow plays the very perverted Miroku. I think Morrow pulls off this role perfectly. Paul Dobson plays Naraku and Myouga the flea. A very good job by Dobson. Kelly Sheridan is great as Sango, and Jillian Michaels sounds very cute as Shippou. David Kaye does the voice of Sesshoumaru excellently, and I love Scott McNeil as Kouga too. All in all it's an acceptable dub.

The Italian dub for Inu Yasha is okay too, but I didn't like Massimiliano Alto as Inu Yasha half as much as Kappei Yamaguchi or Richard Cox.

Inu Yasha is a show that's well over 100 episodes. It's currently being released on DVD by Viz Video. That's a big problem for me, because Viz has a bad habit of releasing neverending shows like Ranma 1/2 and Inu Yasha on a DVD with only 3 episodes per DVD. I recommend buying this show in boxed sets of each season.




Last updated Sunday, September 24 2006. Created Sunday, June 22 2003.
Buy 10 10 10 10 10 10 I am just a wanderer...thats all that I am. [series:288#745]
the anime itself:
Very good anime. Hard to follow if you dont know whats going on, but even so it gives you kinda preety good feel even if you dont. it takes place in the fuedal era of japan, wich is very different from the "fastasy japan" that we all know...its very realistic.
the charactors:
Inuyasha is the main person (hence the name)he is a preety much act tough guy, but he can back it up. he has feelings for kagome, who is a a preistest (kikyo) reincarnated. he has a legendary sword called the "tetsugaiga" (i think its spelled rite) made from his fathers fang, he uses it to "smite the demons"
kagome: female tag-a-long. has feelings for inuyasha(doesnt show it very well) she found him when she stumbled into a well in the late 20th century, she was taken to fuduel japan. she is the kikyo(who inuyasha first loved) reincarnated. she says sit to inuyasha...makin him sit(because hes part dog) she really makes him "sit" when he does something wrong
other chars. I wont tell any more...i dont want to take up space and i dont want to spoil anything sooo...if u want to know more...WATCH THE THING!
sound/animation: done very well...everything shades out nicely...what more is there to say to such a great series?!
final overview: EXELLENT!!...(kagome is so HOTT!!...YOU COULD THROWS EGGS AT HER TO MAKE BREAKFAST!!, man if i was inuyasha id get funky like a monkey on a saturday night with her...[dont ask where that came from]) the animation is very good too...the story line is well written and the characters leave you in utter breathless awe of amazing bliss!!(KAGOME!!!^_^) from sesshomuru to naraku to that funny little gnome guy wth the evil paint to uh...um..*thinks hard* neway...its a good anime...if your in the mood for a series that will releive your anime cravings...pick this up...its well worth it...(i heard they have inuyasha hentai now...must look into that. *makes mental note*) so...i leave you for now...if thers another good anime out there that needs a good review...youll find..DARK SHOGUN AND HIS SIDE KICK...THE SOBERING BUNNY...*runs around and acts like he can fly* WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH *runs into wall and dies...for now*...............

Last updated Monday, June 16 2003. Created Monday, June 16 2003.
Buy 8 9 9 7 10 10 SnowFae [series:288#668]
This show has inspired quite a cult following. In Japan there are 100+ episodes, Two movies, and an extensive manga. It's no wonder.. with the incredible characters, a storyline that never gets boring, the sharp writing- and the brilliant balancing act between tense drama, exposive fight scenes, romance, and comedy. It's among my favorites. Right now the dubbed version (which isn't too shabby) is showing on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. Watch it, and perhaps you'll fall under it's spell just as i have.. ^_^ It's excellent, and very addictive.
Also reccomended: Rurouni Kenshin, Ranma 1/2
Get It From: Try downloading fansubs from Kazaa.

Last updated Saturday, May 24 2003. Created Saturday, May 24 2003.
Watch 8 8 8 7 8 8 Azusa [series:288#718]
it's a pretty good story if u know whats going on i guess....Inu yasha is quite new to me but i find it is quite good and that it is somewhat a historical era as the setting ....somewhat creepy and a bit scary are those zombie people .. :S

Last updated Friday, May 23 2003. Created Friday, May 23 2003.
Watch Stretch [series:288#628]
I was introduced to Anime thanks to Cartoon Network, and when ads started airing about a new series about "the reincarnation of an ancient warrior" and a "half man, half demon" my feeling was that it would be hard to go wrong watching this show. However, after watching the premiere episode, my impression was "well, that was OK, but it didn't exactly reach out and grab me". It's hard to put my reasons into words, but it seemed almost as if this series was slightly patronizing me, expecting me to roll on the floor laughing at jokes that were only average, and to be awestruck by action scenes that were good but not great. Lines like "I like not the looks of it!" seemed more appropriate to a play by Shakespeare than medieval Japan. In other words, the series seemed to me to get off to a kind of a slow start--perhaps because a lot of episodes went by before all the principal charachters made their appearances. Admittedly, I have only seen the English-dubbed, TV-friendly version shown on Cartoon Network. I guess one thing which disappointed me was that the series didn't turn out to be just what I was expecting. I had hoped Inuyasha would come forward in time to present-day Japan as often as Kagome would go back to the past--wouldn't the situations he would find himself in today be hilarious? Actually, this seems to be happening more often recently--I like these comedy episodes better than most of the ones featuring repetitive fights with countless demons. Anyway, once I accepted that this series wasn't going to be exactly what I had hoped for, I realised that it's not bad at all. I have taped every episode Cartoon Network has shown, and get a good deal of enjoyment out of the show. The banter between the principal charachters is amusing, and Naraku's plotting and manipulating people can be intriguing. Here's hoping that Cartoon Network manages to acquire the entire series, instead of cutting off somewhere in the middle.

One thing which still confuses me--If Kagome is the reincarnation of Kikyo, how was it possible to revive Kikyo with more-or-less the same personality she had before her death? Can a person's spirit be in two different places at the same time?

My favorite line--"Iron reaver, soul stealer!" --spoken by Kagome while playing hop-skip-jump in the forest.
5/03

P.S: I noticed Inuyasha in the "Most Visited Yesterday" column, and thought I'd update my review. Sadly, I have completely lost interest in this show. It's been several years since I saw a new episode, and I hear there never will be any resolution to the struggle with Naraku, or any serious romance between Inuyasha and Kagome. I've waited long enough. Even if any new episodes did come along, I would have to rewatch ten VHS tapes crammed full of old ones to refresh my memory as to what's going on! This kind of pisses me off, and I've consequently downgraded Inuyasha to a "watch". If you're curious about anime series with a dog motiff, take a look at Inukami!

Last updated Sunday, February 17 2008. Created Thursday, May 08 2003.
Buy 7 8 8 6 8 8 Bushie [series:288#682]
Good series, only thing i feel i need to say:
It doesn't take place in "mythical Japan", because the time period and land are that of Japan's Feudal States era...

Last updated Thursday, May 08 2003. Created Thursday, May 08 2003.
Avoid 7 7 7 4 3 3 .hack//Phil [series:288#656]
I have to be honest here, after all the great reviews and friends bugging me to watch it... I found it utterly dissapointing. I watched 6 episodes and couldn't stand it anymore. Looking at this forum it seems as if I'm the only one with a negative opinion about Inuyasha, that or people are afraid to bash it. Frankly I found Inuyasha stupid, pointless, and painful to watch(I'm only being honest). I realize it's popular but I can't see why. Stick to other anime series, such as: .hack//SIGN, Mobile Suit Gundam, or Cowboy Bebop.
Phillip
www.freewebs.com/anime_reviews

Last updated Wednesday, June 25 2003. Created Saturday, April 26 2003.
Watch 9 10 8 9 9 7 AntitrustSpider [series:288#542]
I do have to say this is a wonderful anime. My friend mentioned it to me so I figured I'd give it a try. There were only about 30 episodes released in Japan at the time so I started downloading. I had most done but it took a while to get episode 1. When I got episode 1 I began to watch and loved it. Little did I know it was so long. I started MONTHS ago downloading, getting an episode every week or two. I'm currently up to 96 episodes and still going. I really like this anime, and If I didn't, I wouldn't waste my time an hard drive space on it...Just for a update for many months later...I'm at 138 episodes ::sigh::

Last updated Saturday, February 07 2004. Created Sunday, February 16 2003.
Rent 8 8 9 10 7 8 AstroNerdBoy [series:288#436]

I initially started watching Inuyasha when I caught it on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block. I caught the show when it was around episode 17 and it was interesting. At that time, CN only had 36-episodes and didn't want to re-run it, so I turned to fansubs to see those first episodes. I was stunned to see that there were well over 80-episodes out, so I immediately began grabbing everything. I liked what I saw. It may have been a shounen series, it was a fun one.

Considering that Takahashi-sensei has been cranking out massive fan hits going back to Urusei Yatsura and Ranma 1/2, it is not surprising that her streak would continue. The overall story arc has the hanyou (half-human, half-youkai) Inuyasha, the girl from the "modern times" with special miko powers Kagome, the youkai-hunter Sango, the houshi (priest) Miroku, and the child youkai Shippou searching for the jewel fragments from the shattered Shikon no Tama. There are six seasons to the series. The first couple of seasons follow the manga more closely than the later seasons do. As such, the first couple of seasons are better. The third season begins to do more "filler" episodes in order to pad the season as there is not enough manga material. As such, we get the story about the Panther Youakai story which was not in the manga, but which I found very enjoyable all the same. Also the wolf-youkai character of Ayame was created, whom I would have enjoyed seeing more of before the series ended.

Season 5 (episode 102-125) is the low-point of the series and is shouldn't be. Seven very powerful dead mercinaries known as the Shichinin-tai are brought back to life by the series villian Naraku to fight Inuyasha and his party. So the entire season is dedicated to this. It COULD have been a good season and at times was, but because the writers don't inject the standard "filler" episodes to fill the season, but rather stretch out encounters to the breaking point. So we get a lot of episodes with Inuyasha and an opponent trading insults for a long time. Then while Inuyasha's companions stand around with their thumbs in their collective rear's, they cry "Inuyasha!" but never raise a hand to help. I was completely ready to stop watching the series, but I struggled through to the end of the season where it actually got good again.

The series final season brings back the fun we'd seen before. While the manga continued on (and as of this review is still being written), the anime found a nice place to end with Naraku still on the loose, the Shikon no Tama still incomlete, and a sense of the adventure continuing in the air.

The characters are fun and memorable. Takahashi-sensei does create the stereotypical villian in Naraku, though he didn't start out that way. Some characters like Inuyasha's half-brother Sesshoumaru-sama turn out to be much deeper than initially conceived. Ditto Kagura. We get a bit of romance between Inuyasha and Kagome, but it never advances beyond a certain point and thus gets frustrating. Ditto Sango and Mirkoku, though to be fair that couple goes further than Kagome and Inuyasha do. This reflects a weakness in Takahashi-sensei's writing a series that goes on for an extended period of time. She can't allow her characters or story progress beyond a certain point as to do so would end the series (as she sees it). The series would have been much better had these relationships been allowed to grow.

From the DVD point of view, those fans used to fansubs (like those done by Anime-Kraze) will be sorely disappointed by Viz's subtitles. No culture notes, no honorifics, and certainly none of the fun Japapanese terms like "youkai". While the Engish dub is fine for what it is, the Engish dub comes off as more juvenile than the Japanese dub does.

Bottom line: all in all, a fun shounen title that Takahashi-sensei fans should enjoy. Mostly good writing, good humor moments, good music, and good characters make this a good rental title.

Last updated Saturday, February 05 2005. Created Friday, February 14 2003.

Rent 8 8 8 9 8 kakyuu_prince [series:288#404]
Inu-Yasha is now airing on cartoon network's Adult Swim at 11:00 p.m. so I've been watching it dubbed. The dub is pretty good and Treize's dub voice from Gundam Wing did a pretty good job of playing Sesshomaru. Inu-Yasha had a good voice and Kagome was good, not amazing or great but good. Anyway, the story is very interesting and keeps you hooked, with the recent addition of Sesshomaru into the show makes for some great rivalry between him and Inu-Yasha. The animation is far better than Ranma 1/2 and so far it's stayed consistent. The music was very nice, the opening theme was catchy and the ending theme was very nicely sung and I'm still humming both of them for the rest of the days between each episode. I'm glad to see that Takahashi Rumiko can do more than weird comedy and tell a story of epic proportions.
UPDATE: After seeing more of this show, I don't like it as much as I did, it's still good but it just drags on and on with all these filler episodes following the same formula. Don't try and collect the whole thing because it's going to be hundreds of dollars and it keeps dragging on in Japan with no end in sight.

Last updated Monday, June 16 2003. Created Saturday, October 19 2002.
Buy 8 8 7 7 Celyia [series:288#255]
New to anime? Or perhaps you are looking for a new series to delve into? You may very well find it here with Inuyasha. My siblings, avowed haters of all that is anime (*looks ashamed of her family's taste*), have become utterly addicted to this series, which speaks of Takahashi's incredible ability to balance a story with action, romance, and humour.
Extremely pleasing to the eye, this series has been drawn with seemingly an intent to keep it as close to the original manga style as possible. Character designs aren't really detailed, but are uniformly pleasing. Background art varies from boring to beautiful, but it mostly stays on the pretty side.
Keep in mind that this is a lot more bloody and violent than Ranma/UY viewers may be used to. Bloodshed, although not graphic like what you'd see on Akira, is quite common with bodies being torn apart and heads cut off.
The plot is rather intriguing and you will find that there are more arc stories than "monsters of the week" ones. You won't find incredible depth or philosophies spouted from this series, but it does ask several intriguing questions as well.
Characters are the typical quirky Takahashi type, each with faults and redeeming qualities. You may notice similiarities between these characters and those of, say, Ranma or UY, but you will soon find that each character *is* truly different from any seeming predecessor. Also, unlike a lot of series, the main characters are actually likeable. Yay for Kagome- the first female lead I've seen who actually possesses, dare I say it? common sense!
In short, I agree completely with Newman-chan. This is a series that *will* become a fan favourite once it is widely available. As it stands now, this is definitely my absolute favourite anime.

Last updated Saturday, December 22 2001. Created Saturday, December 22 2001.
Buy 8 9 8 8 Barry [series:288#122]
Having only seen the first five episodes (which I downloaded from the Internet) I have to predict that this show, which premiered just last year in Japan, will be a big hit when it's brought over the pond to the States. Equal parts Escaflowne and Dragonball, sprinkled with Takahashi's trademark slapstick humor and quirky characters, and loaded with a ton of fascinating Japanese mythology, Inuyasha is a very interesting and clever title. The art looks great, as well as Takahashi's character designs which I've always loved, and the animation is stunning for a TV show. There are some very cool and subtle digital effects mixed in as well. The music ranges from cute to epic and the opening theme is as catchy as any I've ever heard from one of Takahashi's series.
My bet is that Inuyasha will be one to look out for once American otaku catch wind of it.

Last updated Saturday, April 28 2001. Created Saturday, April 28 2001.

Other Sites
NameURL
The Anime Shrine http://theanimeshrine.da.ru
Just an anime site that covers many good anime, including Inu Yasha
Inuyasha Online http://trabia-garden.net/inuyasha/
Good fansite with lots of cool Inuyasha stuff.
Inuyasha World http://www.inuyashaworld.com/
Nice fansite with lots of information and goodies.
Ear Tweak http://ear-tweak.com/
This is a good fansite to keep up on the latest info on the TV anime series, the movies, and the manga.
Inuyasha Companion http://furinkan.com/iycompanion/
A well-done Inuyasha site covering the manga and anime.
Youkai http://www.angelfire.com/falcon/x_youkai_x/index.html
Just an Inuyasha fan site. Not much up yet. (I was grounded from the computer, so yeah...)
Inuyasha--Sengoku o-Togi Zoushi http://web3162.servers.instant-web.co.uk//Inuyasha/
Translations of the Inuyasha comic to date and other Inuyasha information.
Inuyasha's Paradise http://www.angelfire.com/dragon/kaoru98446/index.html
For all those Inuyasha fans that enjoy the music, the images, the fanfics, and more.
Fan Fiction http://www.fanfiction.net
Hey! Check this site out! All the best fanfics from, who knows, all over the world! But, try and stay away from the Inu/Kik stories. They'd make you flip.
'Round the Campfire http://autumney.net/iy/index.html
Another good Inuyasha info site.

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