JAINITUOS ANIME REVIEWS – Yashahime – Princess Half-Demon

Yashahime – Princess Half-Demon

Studio: Sunrise

Genre: Adventure, Fantasy

Hello my friends.

Now the time has come for me to review…

But first, I must apologise to all of you, my friends, because I tried to finish the Part II of My Own Impressions entry of Inuyasha; unfortunately I had to work last Friday (I thought I didn’t have to, but then some misunderstanding took place), without mentioning that I overslept due to the Daylight Saving Time. The good news is that the first thing I did was to check out the first episode of Yashamine: Princess Half-Demon. And with that still fresh, I’m ready to write.

But firstm the usual questions:

Are you my friends ok? Feeling healthy?

If the answer is yes, then I am happy.

Having said that, let’s go on the review,

PREMISE

Moroha just doesn’t back off!

SOME SPOILERS AHEAD. BE CAREFUL!

Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon takes after the events of Inuyasha: The Final Act. Naraku has been defeated, the Shikon Jewel has been destroyed, Kagome decided to stay in Feudal Japan with Inuyasha, Sango and Miroku got married and have offsprings. Even Sesshomaru himself. Two twin daughters – Towa and Setsuna.

At some point, the sisters are separated, and while Setsuna remains in Feudal Japan, Towa enters the Bone Eater’s Well and transports herself to modern era, where she is adopted by the Higurashi family. Now, ten years later, they get reunited, however… Setsuna doesn’t anything about her childhood.

Now both must embark into a new journey to recover the lost memories of Setsuna, along with Moroha, the daughter of Kagome and Inuyasha.

Takahashi-sensei (Rumiko Takahashi) designed the characters, and the studio behind Yashahime is Sunrise, the same one that produced Inuyasha, Inuyasha: The Final Act, and the four movies, something that I am personally grateful about. So no complains, at least not the ones that came from One Punch Man, season 2, and Nanatsu no Taizai: Wrath of the Gods.

Another detail that I really cherished is the return of Kaoru Wada, who also composed the complete soundtrack of Inuyasha.

Finally, Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon will consists in two cours (23-24 episodes).

STORY

Well. Before I start talking about the first episode of Yashamine, I must quote some «trending topic», and that is…

What did you say?

Ok. Hear me out.

I am quoting Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker, because one of the biggest criticisms of the movie was the ridiculous and messy use of fanservice to attract the fans at the expense of the story, something I can’t argue with, especially because it «inherited» all the flaws from both Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Last Jedi, especially the worst of all: introducing the classic characters like Han, Leia and Luke in the lousiest, disrespectful way possible, but when Rise of Skywalker was released, it destroyed any trace of subtlety, if there was any.

Anyway, my point is that Yashahime starts introducing Towa Higurashi in Feudal Japan, as a way of tease, and then, the story goes six months after the end of Inuyasha: The Final Act. It takes its time to visually explain what happened to our classic characters, Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku, Sango, Shippo, Sesshomaru. After all, none of Yashahime will be possible without them, and the new anime focuses in the daughters of Sesshomaru, Moroha and their relationships, so it makes sense to start from the classics, revealing how Towa, Setsuna and Moroha became who they are in the most organic way possible, and finally, giving Inuyasha, Kagome and the others the respect they earned. Not just deserved… earned, with their stories and individual developments.

If something, giving us a satisfying ending to what Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku, Shippo, Sango and Sesshomaru started before expanding them as characters. Something that Star Wars sequel trilogy FAILED to do. Instead, all of its movies turned Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie and Lando, into generic filler cast.

I am making it sound like Episode 1 is another adventure from Inuyasha and company, and for the most part… It is. Setsuna and Moroha appear almost at the end, but don’t worry, I’ll get there later. Again, Inuyasha and company (including Kohaku) are in their best shapes; as awesome and badass as in Inuyasha and Inuyasha: The Final Act, there are two changes. 1. That Miroku and Sango have a new son, Hisui. 2. Kagome has become stronger and braver. So rest assured that our beloved characters are still great. And now, they must hunt a Root Demon that Kikyo sealed, even before meeting Inuyasha. They win, but… nothing seems what it is.

And the preview of Episode 2 confirms that it will expand what episode 1 started, and answer how Towa and Setsuna got separated.

So again, the story:

1. Respects the identity of Inuyasha and company as characters.
2. Is making a proper transition between one story and the other.
3. Teases us delightfully with our loveable heroines.
4. Gives us some references about Reiwa Era. (Times goes by)

I must confess that one of my favourite elements of any kind of story is a timeskip properly done (i.e. Naruto, Ben 10, Mortal Kombat X, God of War 2018). And this is why I am excited about Yashamine: Princess Half-Demon. Can’t wait until episode 2.

CHARACTERS

Like I said, it is still too soon to start talking about Towa, Setsuna and Moroha, but, for now, I am pretty satisfied with how this new series is developing the classic characters. So, I will talk about the design of the three of them. I think they look really beautiful. Towa has this vibe of modern-era Japan, combined with that awesome, charming onee-chan, if I am correct about her role in the Higurashi family. Setsuna looks like the cool, stoic character that has a lot of potential for the story, and there is plenty of both Inuyasha and Kagome in Moroha. After all…

«The apple never falls far from the tree.»

Takahashi-sensei, from my perspective, is an expert in creating characters, both physically and mentally, especially in Inuyasha, and despite from having a manga… yet, Yashahime has a lot of potential.

I will be for episode 2.

CONCLUSION

There you go! After finally completing the cycle of Sword Art Online: Alicization, it is good to move on and see different proposals, and I believe that Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon worth the attention.

But I am not done yet. I will come back for My Own Impressions of Inuyasha – Part II very soon. And I need to watch Fire Force – season 2, Re:Zero – season 2; Haikyu!!, and The Misfit of the Demon Academy.

I will be pretty busy writing in my blog. So no more Star Wars sequel trilogy. For the fans… Can you forgive for not loving it that much?

I guess not.

JAINITUOS ANIME REVIEWS – INUYASHA – MY OWN REFLECTIONS – PART I

Inuyasha

Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Romance

Studio: Sunrise

Hello guys.

Welcome to another entry of my blog. I want to start by posting this image.

Why am I saying this? Because I want to start by doing something very special. Not just a normal anime reviews, but also a really beautiful gem that I have come to love and care with the path of time, or, in other words, I realise that it is more wonderful than you think. And since we are just days from the release of Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon, I consider appropriate to talk about this.

But first, I have a question for you;

Haven’t you seen a TV series, a movie, a cartoon, a song, that you are simply curious about, but then you see that, with the path of the years, has become something more valuable and loved, like a symbol of one of the greatest times of your life?

Sorry for the long question, but you get the idea.

Well… that is exactly what I feel about Inuyasha.

It all started in 2002. I was about to begin college, and then, when I saw Cartoon Network LA, I found a TV series, about a schoolgirl, called Kagome Higurashi, that travelled to Feudal Japan, and found a yokai, a feisty and hotheaded half-dog demon, by the name of Inuyasha, who was pinned in a tree, due to an attempt to steal a very powerful, yet cursed, gem, called the Pearl of Shikon (or Shikon Jewel). Kagome removes the seal and the arrows that hold Inuyasha, immediately forcing her to travel with Inuyasha; luckily for her, Inuyasha has a magical necklace that halts him every time Kagome says «Sit» or «Sit down».

The point is that I really got hooked by Inuyasha, especially because then I learned this fact:

«Inuyasha was created by Rumiko Takahashi.»

Do you which other cult franchise did Takahashi write?

Ranma 1/2

I really loved Ranma 1/2, but I honestly prefer Inuyasha, because the former can be mean-spirited sometimes, and it mostly mixes comedy and romance. But Inuyasha does more, at least from my perspective.

The point is that I started to watch Inuyasha, every single week, and I started to love it more and more, especially after knowing the rest of its wonderful cast, Miroku, Sango, Kirara, Shippo, Sota, Koga.

All right. I know what I will do.

I will start from the top, reviewing the story, the characters, and the premise for this first part; then on Part II, I will continue talking about my experiences about Inuyasha, and the impact that had in my life, because there is a lot to say about this wonderful gem.

But before I continue, I must ask you the question:

Are you guys ok? Feeling healthy?

If the answer is yes, then I am happy. Now, let’s go on the review.

PREMISE

Based on the manga written by Rumiko Takahashi, Inuyasha tells the story of Kagome Higurashi lives in the shrine of the family, with her mother, her grandfather, and her younger brother Sota. One day, while investigating a strange noise on the well of the shrine, Kagome gets dragged by a centipede demon into the feudal Japan; much to her surprise; and after releasing Inuyasha, he continues his journey to steal Shikon Jewel; but suddenly, Kagome shoots an arm against another demon who stole the jewel, shattering it in many pieces. Now both Kagome and Inuyasha must embark in an amazing journey to find all the pieces of Shikon, a journey that will comprise a season of 167 episodes, a sequel called Inuyasha: The Final Act, released between October 2009 and March 2010, and four movies.

Without mentioning amazing characters, but I will get to that later. As I mentioned earlier, all the franchise of Inuyasha combines action, adventure, romance, horror, and suspense, with a great roster of beasts, mythological beings and enemies, all paying a great tribute to this wonderful imagination of Japanese folklore, and the great talent of Rumiko Takahashi, who, from now on, I will call her Takahashi-sensei (My respects); and combining to give us one of the best anime of the 21st century.

And the music is in charge of Kaoru Wada, famous for composing music from amazing anime, such as Saint Seiya; the Lost Canvas, Samurai 7, and Ace Attorney among others.

Furthermore, how can you forget memorable songs, like «Change the World» or «My Will»? In fact, I think that the music of Inuyasha deeply influenced anime like Demon Slayer. Check this out.

This is the first frame of the first Ending «My Will»

And now…

The first frame from the ending of Demon Slayer

There is more vibes of Inuyasha inside Demon Slayer. I will go there later.

STORY

Now. Where to start here?

Overall, Inuyasha starts introducing Kagome and Inuyasha in a smooth and coherent fashion, who are they? What do they want? Which are the stakes? Where to go? Then, it introduces characters like Shippo, Miroku and Sango, giving them a «prologue» in which everyone has a reason, intimate reason, to go with Inuyasha and Kagome, developing an everlasting friendship, and some of the most poignant moments in anime (We are talking about Takahashi-sensei, she is an expert in romance.). Then, we are introduced to very engaging antagonists, like Sesshomaru and Naraku, who, personally, is one of the most diabolical and most complex villains in anime.

Then, every episode has its arc, and a genre that moves the story, sometimes romance, sometimes action, but overall, the driving force of the story is the relationship between Kagome and Inuyasha; but does not mean that Sango, Miroku and Shippo are less important. All of them has their own arc, and all are developed in such an organic and beautiful narrative, leading us to love the characters.

Of course, this does not mean there is not space for comedy, like in Ranma 1/2.

Shippo and Inuyasha are just Gold!!!

But by the end episode 15, you will see Inuyasha as a great story, perhaps not as a classic. To be honest, with almost 180 episodes and four movies, it is hard to choose some favourite episodes, but you don’t have to. This is another strength of the story. With Inuyasha, you can choose from romantic episodes, to action episodes. While Ranma 1/2, from my viewpoint, mostly divides between comedy and status quo, much like The Simpsons, Inuyasha is a more complex franchise.

And I am sure that, by the time Yashahime is released, the mythos will be expanded.

CHARACTERS

But what will be of Inuyasha without its characters? We got all the types: Inuyasha, the half-demon yokai that wants to become a full demon; Kagome, a normal schoolgirl from modern-day Japan that becomes the partner of Inuyasha; Shippo, the kitsune who seeks to avenge his father and becomes a small brother for Kagome; Miroku, our monk with a terrible curse that will destroy him; Sango, the demon slayer who seeks to avenge her family and saves her brother, Kohaku, and her companion Kirara.

And of course, some great antagonists, including Sesshomaru, Inuyasha half-brother, who then turns into something of anti-hero, and Naraku, a very diabolical being with a twisted backstory.

Speaking of Naraku, I think he influenced the main antagonist of Demon Slayer. I will show you.

• 

• 

You see? Definitely Muzan Kibutsuji had a great influence from Naraku.

There are more characters, but I will talk about them in Part II.

CONCLUSION

Like I said, Inuyasha has a very special place in my heart, and I will be talking about this special jewel in the next days.

Stay tuned for Part II.

Until then, a small tease for the future.