Let's cut to the chase.

(Note: hanyou = half demon)

F.Y.I. – Inuyasha is brought to you by the talented and creative Rumiko Takahashi, who is also well-known for Ranma ½. If you are new to Inuyasha, don’t start here. It’s a bad idea. You wouldn’t have a clue of what is going on. Scroll to the bottom of this review and choose Volume 1. If you’re a parent and have no idea what you are looking for, I suggest you get help from your children, but if you’re just perusing around, by all means, forge ahead. Inuyasha is a series with a total of 167 episodes with only 3 episodes per DVD. Such was that decision made by Viz to get the episodes out to the public faster.

Episode 94: Hmm, there’s still no sign of Naraku. They would resign themselves to a nice picnic, had someone not come running in with a demon right behind him – carrying a Shikon shard that doesn’t feel quite right to Kagome.

Episode 95: Kagome’s been kidnapped once again, and she finds out just who is responsible for the mess that got them into this, giving them a bit of a surprise.

Episode 96: Still on the search for Naraku, Inuyasha and co. decide to visit Jinenji (actually Kagome decided). Meanwhile, when Rin gets attacked by a batch of Naraku’s cast off poisonous bugs, Sesshoumaru is on the offensive, and as Jaken helps he gets a few nasty stings that can take him out of the picture for good.

Highlights and Issues:
No! Don’t trust that guy! Is that kind of thing obvious or am I just right all the time? Man, you never know who’s gonna pop back up again.

Whoo! Look at Sesshoumaru run when she calls! Isn’t that the cutest thing? I do so love bad guys gone good. This one was even cuter than when Kagome was sick! Aww!

Well we’ve hit #96 and do you know what that means? New opening song! Whoohoo! This time it’s called “Grip” by Every Little Thing. It’s a good song, but it doesn’t make me want to go out and by the soundtrack or anything the way some artists do. It’s peppy and fast with another female singer, but somehow doesn’t strike me as very unique. Ah well, it’s only an opening credits song anyway.

The Usual:
Animation – the animation is awesome. It’s not going to stop being awesome unless the animators suddenly get lazy and start drawing stick figures. But I doubt that because we still have over 100 episodes to go, so that must mean everyone still liked it beyond this point, otherwise I’m sure it would have been cancelled over in Japan. Great use of character design, color, detail (I’m always a fan of detail when it comes to anime – the more the better – we don’t do enough of it here in the US, so sad), and always the facial expressions. Gotta love anime facial expressions.

Music – The ending theme is “Shinjitsu no Uta” by Do As Infinity. The instrumentation is great and has a few things we don’t often hear and the lead singer’s voice is really beautiful, I just think it’s really nice the way it’s put together. Love it. Instrumental background music is done by Kaoru Wada and is very good, a lot of the same themes like Shippou’s little fluty one, but they always work well wherever they’re placed. Piano and gentle string themes, such as Kagome and Inuyasha’s songs of when they’re together make for great soft stuff to fall asleep to.

Voices! Japanese is great of course. English; as pleasing as the Japanese. As you can see from the little compiled list below, I’m not always biased toward the Japanese version. It just depends upon the script and who they hire for voices. Sometimes they do a good job and I prefer the English version. Then there are times like this, when I just can’t decide…

Inuyasha – love both VAs, and am unable to pick a favorite. Perfect characterization.
Kagome – enjoy both, but prefer Satsuki Yukino for Japanese version.
Sesshoumaru – I *love* David Kaye for the English version, but just barely over the Japanese VA
Shippou – both are totally cute, and I cannot choose a favorite
Jaken – they both crack me up, prefer Japanese just a *bit* over the English one
Kikyo – definitely prefer the Japanese version, just seems to fit better
Miroku – both VAs are very good, very similar, and I can’t pick a favorite
Naraku – the evil guy, done very well by all VAs (2 Japanese, 1 English), no favorites, though they have different qualities, they’re all good.
Sango – both are very good, though I do have a slight preference for the Japanese version
Kirara – no actual voice here, but I like the sound effects chosen to represent her, such as the snarling jaguar noise in her fired up form, and then the little squeak of a mew in her adorable little form.
Kouga – English favorite hands down, but Japanese is still cool. I just love Scott McNeil.
Everyone else, such as Souta, Kagome’s mother, grandfather, Myouga, Kaede, Kohaku, and demons involved are well done. Kaede would be better if she weren’t speaking in medieval English all the time (“Ye?”), but that’s blame on the scriptwriters.

Note to Parents: There is some language, some implied nudity, a lot of violence, blood, and dead people are involved. Some of the demons themselves are pretty creepy looking and do some bizarre things. Hey, demons are demons. Comparing it to other anime series I’ve seen though, it’s not as realistic by far, but hey, you’re the parent; you decide.

Episodes in this Volume:
Episode 94. The Sacred Jewel Maker, Part One
Episode 95. The Sacred Jewel Maker, Part Two
Episode 96. Jaken Falls Ill

NT


Earlier Inuyasha Volumes:
Volume 1: Down the Well
Volume 2: A Girl’s Best Friend
Volume 3: Fathers and Sons
Volume 4: The Thunder Brothers
Volume 5: Secret of the New Moon
Volume 6: Deadly Liaisons
Volume 7: Face of the Enemy
Volume 8: Kikyo’s Wandering Soul
Volume 9: Origin of the Sacred Jewel
Volume 10: Scars of Battle
Volume 11: Into the Miasma
Volume 12: Swords of Destiny
Volume 13: Den of Wolves
Volume 14: The Wind and the Void
Volume 15: Broken Fang
Volume 16: Heart of the Beast
Volume 17: Shattered Memories
Volume 18: The Demon Within
Volume 19: The Way to Wisdom
Volume 20: Fathers and Sons
Volume 21: Double Trouble
Volume 22: The True Face Of Evil
Volume 23: Wicked Clutches
Volume 24: Severed Identities
Volume 25: Crimson Blade
Volume 26: Curse of Generations
Volume 27: Brothers In Arms
Volume 28: Promise of the Past
Volume 29: Castle of Evil
Volume 30: Monkey Business
Volume 31: Duplicates and Dilemas

Future Inuyasha Volumes:
Volume 33: Unexpected Encounters
Volume 34: Children of Snow

Inuyasha Movies:
Movie 1: Affections Touching Across Time
Movie 2: The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass
Movie 3: Swords of an Honorable Ruler

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD