I. Love. Inu-Yasha. Both the series and that kawaii dog-eared hanyou .

Rumiko Takashi did not let her fans down when she created this wonderful, wonderful series. It follows the Rumic tradition of charming wit, delightful characters and absolute hilarity. But what makes Inu-Yasha different from Takhashi’s other anime series is that this time, we are brought to a world of 400 years ago (for the most part, that is). Yes, all the way back to the rustic setting of feudal Japan, meaning there’s a lot more action and adventure involved. Not just swordfights and martial arts, though. We’re talking about spirits, demons and spell-casting priestesses, among other things. Clearly IY does a complete turn with this action-packed, adventurous plot, but not without a bit of romance, of course. As usual, Takahashi’s version of the latter does not smack us in the face like it usually is with other overly-mushy romance stories. Her approach is subtler, thus spicing up the character development.

I also find myself comparing this with my other Rumic favorite, the widely popular series Ranma 1/2. I did not really expect it, but I guess I’ve grown more fond of IY than that one. I guess the absence of a female lead character like Akane Tendo (whom, I should add, does not compare to Kagome IMHO) is one of the reasons. That aside, the main one perhaps is due to the noticeable changes in Takahashi’s approach. They’re not actually major changes; her trademarks are still there as I’ve mentioned earlier. It just seems that her style has improved greatly, matured for the better, as can be seen with the endearing complexities of her storylines, her new characters and their relationships. I was very impressed to say in the least, enough to admit that this is indeed better than Ranma 1/2. IY is probably her best series to date, and with it, Takahashi is undoubtedly made richer. She may be best known for her comedy works, but this also proves that she’s more than just a comic author.

Individual Rating: Art/Animation 8.5; Story 9; Characters 10; Sounds 8.5

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 9th, 2001 at 6:43 pm and is filed under Inuyasha, Anime. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.