Though this is the first anime that I really got into and interested in, I have still yet to finish it. I get so far and then something comes up and I stop watching it. I am determined to completely finish it this time.
The story follows fifteen year old Kagome, who up until her most recent birthday is a normal teenage girl. When her cat wanders onto the building that holds hidden well on the shrine grounds that are also her home, Kagome is grabbed by a centipede monster and dragged into the well. She comes out in a new land many years in the past and is soon fighting the centipede monster again who says she posses the Sacred Jewel of the Four Souls. After the jewel is ripped from her body, Kagome has no choice but to release Inuyasha. Inuyasha, a half demon sealed fifty years ago for attempting to steal the jewel, reluctantly joins with Kagome to find all the shards that had shattered throughout Japan after Kagome shatters it with an arrow. Now there are a lot of episodes in this anime so I am going to break it down by season.
Inuyasha is the main male character in the anime (obviously since it is named after him) and a rather rough character at first. He is half demon, half human and wants to use the Sacred Jewel to turn into a full demon. Very early into the season though you learn Inuyasha kind of had a crappy life. He was excluded and ridiculed as a child because he was part demon, his brother Sesshomaru wants to kill him because he is half human and the woman he loved sealed him to a tree for fifty years. Not exactly the best life a guy could have. It gets worse when said love of his life comes back from the dead, but I'll deal with that a little later. Inuyasha also has a caring and sweet side that we get to see when Kagome is in danger. Inuyasha also gains possession of Tessaiga, a powerful sword made out of the fang of his father, which he can use because he wishes to protect humans, unlike his brother Sesshomaru.
Kagome is the main female lead and it is safe to say that the series could have just as easily been named Kagome as it could have been named Inuyasha. Kagome is the reincarnation of Kikyo, Inuyasha's first love and a powerful priestess. Now, at times Kagome can be your typical anime girl, annoying always screaming for Inuyasha ect. but that isn't all the time which makes her a lot easier to stand. You have to admire the way she deals with the whole Inuyasha, Kikyo thing even if she won't admit to herself that she is in love with him. As many people have pointed out, the series could have easily been called Kagome because we follow her and know more about her then we do Inuyasha.
Shippo is a young fox demon who joins the party after Inuyasha saves him from the Thunder Brothers who killed Shippo's father. Inuyasha and Shippo don't get along very well, but Kagome took a quick liking to him because he was so cute and made Inuyasha let him join them. Shippo most of the time is comic relief, he has little fighting ability and at times gets kind of annoying. I love Shippo, don't get me wrong, he is funny and at times very insightful, but like all little kids he gets in my nerves sometimes.
Miroku, a Buddhist monk, comes into the series as another person looking for the sacred jewel. Though he is a good man at heart he has a lecherous streak and doesn't miss an opportunity to touch a pretty girls butt. He doesn't agree to join Inuyasha and the others until he see Kagome pick up a tainted piece of the sacred jewel and purify it immediately. It is from Miroku that we first hear about Naraku, a powerful demon who is collecting the jewel fragments himself. Miroku needs to find and kill Naraku to lift a curse that has been put on his family causing there to be a tunnel in their right hand that will suck everything into it. If Miroku can not kill Naraku in time he himself will be sucked into the wind tunnel. He uses this as an excuse to ask any beautiful woman he sees to bear his children.
Sango and Kirara (pronounce Kilala) round out the party that travel with Inuyasha and. We don't met her until the 24th episode of the series. Sango comes from a special village of demon slayers and Kirara, though a demon, is her helper and pet. Sango is actually sent to kill Inuyasha because she believes he destroyed her village. This news comes after her younger brother, Kohaku, was possessed by a demon to kill their father and attempt to kill her. Kohaku is killed by palace guards leaving Sango alone besides for Kirara. After finding out that Naraku is behind the destruction of her village she joins Inuyasha's party reluctantly, but soon is drawn in my their friendship and warmth.
I have so many mixed feelings about Kikyo. In the first season I truly do feel bad for her, however since I know what happens in later seasons I have grown to really hate her. It isn't because she comes in between Kagome and Inuyasha because that is typical in anime, but how many times are they going to kill her, but not really kill her. It gets old. Because I seem to be the only one who has addressed this I am going to keep a running count of how many times she "dies" and tally it all up in the end. First season we have her first death 50 years ago, when she falls off the cliff after she is brought back from the dead so that's two. I feel for her and technically she did have Inuyasha's heart first so I don't blame him for being torn, but after a while I just want her to die already. I am sure there will be more on this in other seasons so I will stop for now.
Sesshomaru is the first villain we are introduced to in the series. He is Inuyasha's full demon half brother. Sesshomaru hates that Inuyasha is half human and that he associates with humans (first Kikyo and now Kagome). He also hates that his brother was left with Tessagia, the powerful sword made from their fathers fang. All this leads to Sesshomaru on a few occasions trying to kill his brother. Now I have to say that I have a mad crush on Sesshomaru, I don't even care that he is a semi-bad guy (kind of like Byakuya is Bleach, but that is a whole other anime). Sesshomaru has a loyal vassal, Jaken, who we really don't know much about in the first season expect his is annoying and everyone likes beating the crap out of him, including Sesshomaru. The become more important in latter seasons, almost as a parallel story line at parts, but they are rather limited in this season.
We are not introduced to the main villain of the series until episode 16, when we first hear of an evil and powerful demon who will do nothing to get the jewel fragments, Naraku. We also learn that he is the one who turned Inuyasha and Kikyo against one another as well as killing Kikyo. I was also impressed about how much we got to know the villain in just the first season. Usually in an anime they would leave the Naraku was actually Onigumo thing for a few more seasons. On a side note, why did they decide to make all of the villians in this anime hot (I know they are cartoons, but still).
My favorite episode this season has to be episode 13 when Inuyasha becomes human for the night. The fact that he has such an obvious handicap makes him more likable and I personally think he looks better with the black hair. Inuyasha tries not to make a big deal out of it, but becoming human one night every month really has to remind him just how he isn't quite demon or human. Also he seems to be much more straight forward with Kagome about how he feels when he is human though he is beat to hell and doesn't remember it later. I like when the main character has some sort of weak spot that he really can't do anything about. Even with this handicap he tries to fight and save Kagome and it is really a turning point in the series with how we see Inuyasha.
I like that in this anime it addresses the fact that Kagome has to balance saving feudal Japan, collecting the jewel shards, and her school work. In so many anime the fact that characters are in school is completely forgotten or ignored as the real plot line unfolds. Most of the action takes place in the school (like Boys Over Flowers) yet you don't see a single teacher or adult figure. Now I know that school systems are different outside of America, but the fact that these kids run rampant with no adults stepping in is so far fetched. However, this anime brings up the fact that Kagome is missing so much school and has tests she needs to study for. I like that though it isn't prominent all the time they don't forget about it. Also if I could get one of those spiritual necklaces that is one Inuyasha for most of the people I know that would be wonderful.
Now I first watched this anime in English, but after watching it with subtitles (on Hulu if you would like to start watching it :) I don't know which one I like better. Inuyasha in the original is more dog like by growling and such and I really like that. However the first voice of Inuyasha and all the characters I was introduced to was the American voice actors so I am torn. Either way it is really amazing, but it is split about half and half between which voice actor I like better, the original or the American dubber.
This season gets a 4.8 out of 5. It gets such a high rating because my mom likes it and my mom really doesn'y like a lot of the anime that I watch. She thinks Bleach and Fullmetal Alchemist are too dark, but she would stil and watch Inuyasha with me. If it gets Mom's approval it has to get high marks. It isn't a perfect 5 out of 5 because, well, I know it gets better. Stupid reason, yes. Do I care, no.
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