InuYasha Volume 1

Observing the entrapment of the half-demon InuYasha by the local hero and priestess, Kikyo, after his attempt to steal The Jewel of Four Souls, we then watch a younger girl of, remarkable resemblance to Kikyo, startled by a far more mundane jewel. Kagome, staring at a supposedly ‘sacred’ jewel, is badgered by her eccentric grandfather, who insists on its (and most anything’s) possession of magical properties, but is dismayed to see that Kagome and the family tabby have made a plaything of the jewel. Kagome then receives her birthday present, a nymphs foot to bring her happiness.

Clearly unimpressed, Kagome goes on with her life and her birthday, but later notices her younger brother atop the stairs of an enshrined well, looking for the family’s cat. Kagome tells her brother that there’s nothing to fear, but after finding it the seams of the well’s wooden seal break, and Kagome is dragged into another world inside the well by a demon with a centipede-like body. As it grabs at her, Kagome stretches out one hand to push it away, and is surprised when it is dismembered, drifting from sight, and she is replaced at the bottom of the well. But after climbing out of the well, Kagome realises she is no longer home – surrounded by dense woods and soon before the sealed half-demon InuYasha.

This is the beginning of Kagome’s adventure, but it is only after being captured by the locals, and the re-emergence of the demon from the well, that her scream awakens InuYasha, who mistakes her for Kikyo. Tearing the sacred jewel from Kagome’s body and binding her to the tree where InuYasha is sealed, Kagome releases InuYasha, that he will save her and the villagers from the empowered (by the jewel) centipede demon. Then promptly defeating the demon, InuYasha becomes the enemy again, but whilst chasing Kagome a local elder magically binds a set of rosary beads around his neck, allowing Kagome to have him thrown to the ground on the word “sit”.

InuYasha, unable to literally steal The Jewel of Four Souls from Kagome, who can simply have him thrown to the ground at any time, then begins to follow her, still wanting the jewel. But when Kagome wanders off alone she is abducted by a group whose leader’s heart has been inhabited by a demon that soon grabs hold of the jewel. When she and InuYasha finally catch up with the empowered demon, Kagome fires an arrow, and though killing it, she also shatters the jewel, unable to do anything but watch its fragments be scattered across the world. InuYasha and Kagome are then compelled by the local elder to seek out and restore the pieces, whilst preventing them from falling in the wrong hands.

From here (that is, the next ten episodes of the volume), the series continues to produce twists and turns that keep the story interesting, whilst these early episodes form the precedent for many, many more episodes and demons. InuYasha is an enjoyable and robust series, steeped in fantasy, and although no longer as outright impressive as some newer series, it has aged well, whilst the characters, humour and action are consistently solid (although the lip-synching gives up on one episode). Occasionally the subtitles also move a little too fast, but this is hardly a massive problem, and I still preferred the subtitles to the dub (which is quite rare for me).

The volume takes a downturn in the second half though, as too much time is spent moving in and out of the green and feudal magic lands that InuYasha inhabits, creating a ‘my world, other world’ dynamic, as demons begin to manifest in the normal world. The heart of InuYasha is in its magical escapist world, and as a general rule, the episodes spent in it are better than those in the normal world.

Nonetheless, each episode has something to offer, keeping both character and story development apace, and introducing a variety of new characters, from InuYasha’s enemy and brother Sesshamaru, to his obedient servant Myoga the flea. This is one of the great strengths of the series so far, as every episode reveals something interesting, where none have been dominated by fan service or filler. It is in this light that InuYasha fares better than most comparable series. as a consistently solid and warm-hearted alternative to the more blunt and less magical adventures of Dragonball, Naruto and One Piece.

In Summary

InuYasha is a colourful and well-rounded series, alongside all its other merits, it is easy to see why the series has garnered such a strong fan base and classic status.