26 great great episodes of half demon action.

I got Inuyasha the first season when I found it in a store for just $70. Now the anime series runs about 20 dollars for a 3 episode volume so I thought it was a good deal and decided to purchase. And it’s a good purchase for that 70 dollars I got 26 good episodes of Inuyasha (ok so it’s 27 episodes but episode #4 really sucks).

For those who don’t know Inuyasha follows the stories of a half dog demon named Inuyasha and a girl from the present day Japan named Kagome. The story starts 500 years in the past when a priestess named Kikyo guarded the sacred jewel of 4 souls from demons. She fell in love with a half demon after the jewel named Inuyasha, and the feeling was mutual on his side. Kikyo planed to get away from her position of guarding the jewel by having Inuyasha use it to turn himself into a human. But thanks to an evil trick by the shape shifting Naraku the two ended up betraying each other. Kikyo was killed but not before bounding Inuyasha to a tree with an arrow. She had the jewel burned with her body so it wouldn’t cause anymore trouble. In modern times Kagome is dragged down a well on her shrine by a demon and winds up in the feudal states era just 50 years after Inuyasha was bound to the tree. Kayede the leader of the village and Kikyo’s younger sister now in her 50’s tells her that she thinks Kagome is Kikyo reincarnated. When a demon attacks and removes the sacred jewel from her body she is forced to release Inuyasha from the tree. Short time after the jewel gets broken when another demon tries to grab it. Now Kagome and Inuyasha must search feudal Japan for the shards of the jewel, but what will Inuyasha use the power of the shards for if he gets his hands on it.

The show is great and season 1 is where all the origins story’s start, not just of Inuyasha but of the gang of friends they form to search for the jewel shard and destroy Naraku. The show starts slow and takes it time developing it’s characters, unlike a lot of anime adventure shows that introduce all the good guys at once, or just give an episode to fit in the group; Inuyasha gives each new character about a 5 episode arc before we are introduced to another character. The last two characters to join the group is the demon slayer Sango and her cat Kirara don’t join the group in till the last few episodes on the last disc. In the mean time we have plenty of time to explore the characters of not just Inuyasha and Kagome but also the young fox demon Shippo and the perverted monk Miroku.

So any favorite episodes.
Besides episode 4 which really is the worst episode in the series the show is quite good that all the episodes are worth watching. But I’ll point a few favorite shows, or arcs in the story.

The first arc. Episodes the girl who overcame time and the boy who was just overcome, and seekers of the sacred jewel.
This arc is obviously important because it is where it starts. We see him being bound to the tree, we see Kagome releasing him to so he can save her. And then we see him turn around and attack her for possession of the shards. We also see how he gets is main annoyance in life the necklace put around his neck that makes him fall down whenever Kagome tells him to sit as well. Later we see Kagome still confused about traveling through time loose the jewel shard to a bird demon and then break it while trying to get it back.

The tetseiga arc.
Aristocratic assiasin Sesshomaru, Tetsusaiga the Phantom Sword, Showdown Inuyasha vs Sesshomaru.
We meet Inuyasha’s brother Sesshomaru and a complete wild card has far as the series goes, but he is introduced to us has a bad guy. It seems that Sesshomaru is after the tetsuaiga a sword made by Inuyasha’s father that is capable of killing 100 demons. He tricks Inuyasha to tell him where the sword is located by having a demon disguise herself as Inuyasha’s human mother. After he receives the info it’s off to the tomb where neither Inuyasha nor Sesshomaru can pull out the rusty Tetsusaiga sword. But Kagome does and it saves her from Sesshomaru’s poison claws. She hands it over to Inuyasha but the sword is so old and worn out that it doesn’t even dint Sesshomaru’s skin when he transforms into a huge dog demon. But when Kagome tries to root Inuyasha on he tells her that she won’t make it out of there alive, she starts to cry and Inuyasha tells her to shut up and that he will protect her. Upon hearing these words the Tetsusaiga transforms into a giant fang which Inuyasha uses to chop off one of Sesshomaru’s arms. Sesshomaru makes a hasty retreat while Inuyasha tries to figure out how he made the sword transform.

We see Inuyasha get is really big dog fanged sword. To bad we don’t see any powers other then the fact that it can transform itself. The real powers like the wind scar and the backlash wave aren’t seen in till later seasons. We also meet Miyoga the flee Inuyasha’s cowardly retainer who is always willing to give information about what’s going, but always knows when to flea before any danger starts.

The Kikyou returns act.
Kikyo’s stolen ashes, return of the tragic priestess Kikyo. Mystical hand of the ameorous Monk Miroku.
What would you call a bad day, in Inuyasha’s life so far having the woman you love betray you and pin you to a tree for 50 years would be called a bad day. But about having an evil witch steal your ex-lovers ashes and then capture the girl you’re currently in love with. If that’s not bad enough have her suck out her soul so she can resurrect your dead ex and you have a really bad day. That is what I call a bad day and it happens to Inuyasha as he and Kikyo finally meet after there betrayal 50 years ago. And she accuses him of doing the betraying and striking her down in cold blood over the jewel shard. Meanwhile hearing Inuyasha’s call of distress causes Kagome to reclaim her soul but Kikyo isn’t out and Inuyasha tries to save her from falling off a cliff we hear his story of what happen 50 years ago. It’s an interesting couple of episodes as we finally see what led up to the events of Inuyasha being pin to the tree and it’s done in a he said she said type of manor. We are given no reasons to doubt what Kikyo said is true and at the same time despite seeing Inuyashas hotemper and rude behavior it’s hard to believe that he would strike down someone in cold blood like that. The answer to the mystery is revealed in the last episode of the arc where we meet the perverted monk Mirkou who tells the story of an evil demon Naraku who can change shape and that he as been after it for about 50 years since he stroke down a priestess guarding the jewel. Inuyasha puts two and two together and sets out to destroy Naraku.

Naraku arc.
Naraku and Sesshomaru Join forces go home to your own time Kagome, despicable villain the mystery of Onigumo, Naraku’s true identity unveiled.
In this rather long arc we finally meet Naraku the main villain of the series. When he gives Sesshomaru a human arm that lets him hold the tetuseiga. Along with the bees that will poison Miroku if he uses is cursed wind tunnel. After a brief battle Sesshomaru manages to take possession of the Tetuseiga and with his human arm summon up its full power. Luckily Kagome manages to shoot the sword with a magic arrow and transform it back to it’s normal rusty form. Inuyasha manages to take it back but not before getting seriously injured. Suspecting that Sesshomaru had help with the poison insects and the human arm, he concludes that Naraku must be after them. Not wanting to loose Kagome again he pushes her down the magic well and then plugs it up with a tree so she can’t return. Meanwhile Kayde tells them about Onigumo a thieve that was so badly burned the only thing keeping him alive was Kikyo’s care. They return to the spot where he lied injured 50 years ago to notice the cave filled with evil that grass would not grow where Onigumo laid. When Naraku sends another demon with jewel shards after Inuyasha things don’t look good with him still wounded from the battle with Sesshomaru. Luckily with a little help from Shippo, Kagome is able to return and tell Inuyasha how to defeat the demon Naraku as sent after him. Afterwards Kagome senses the power of several jewel shards and Inuyasha tracks down Naraku and asks him why he made them betray each other 50 years ago. Naraku explains he never planed on killing Kikyo but rather to have her taint the jewel with malice it’s Kikyo’s fault that she dies. Upon hearing this Inuyasha starts a battle with Naraku that destroys a part of the forest, Naraku escapes but not before Inuyasha notices that a part of his skin is badly burned in a shape of a spider.

The love triangle begins.
A wicked smile Kikyo’s wandering soul, Kagome’s voice and Kikyou’s kiss.
When Miroku is asked to protect a soul of a recently deceased priestess the group thinks that it’s just a scam for Miroku to con the lord of the castle out of money and to flirt with his other daughter. But the demons taking souls of dead women in the area turn out to be true. When one of the demons tries to take a young soul of a priestess Inuyasha kills it but he wonders where they came from. Meanwhile we find out that Kikyo survived the falling of a cliff and is now a priestess in a small village when two monks catch her feeding off the souls of the dead. She asks them if she could be permitted to remain in the world of the living and they attack her. Kikyo kills off the master and the apprentice monk escapes. Kikyo see’s one of the children of the village saw what happen so she decides to leave the village. A couple of days later the group rescues the apprentice monk who seems deeply afraid of Kagome and he explains about meeting a priestess with terrifying powers that looked just like her. Inuyasha hearing about this imeadily sets out to look for Kikyo. Shortly after words Kagome see’s one of the soul grabbing demons and follows it to Kikyo. Kikyo ties her up to a tree while Kagome tells her about Naraku. Kikyo tells her thanks for the info but it changes nothing even if Inuyasha kills Naraku it won’t bring her back to life, all she wants is the life of the man she used to love. Inuyasha appears and starts to talk to Kikyo. Even after there betrayal he is still in love with her and thinks of her everyday. Kikyo puts him under a spell and they embrace as Kikyo tries to drag Inuyasha into hell with her. Kagome voice eventually reaches Inuyasha’s and he breaks through Kikyo’s spell. He unties her and Kikyo leaves asking him if Kagome is more important to him then she is. Kagome figures out that Inuyasha couldn’t see her tied up right there and when he asks how much she’s seen she tells him to sit and that she saw the whole thing. She then leaves for the well to go home and think things over. Meanwhile Inuyasha and Miroku talk about which one is better Kikyo or Kagome and why he as to pick one. Unbeknownst to them Kagome as return from the modern era because she left a few things and over hears the conversation. Upon hearing Inuyasha’s and Miroku’s conversation she yells sit. Miroku leaves Inuyasha with the advice that if either girl where to find out about him two timing it would lead to a big sit.

I like this short 2 episode arc because it does establish what Kikyo’s, Kagome, and Inuyasha’s relation ship will be in the future, and you have to feel sorry for Inuyasha as well. Even though he is starting to fall in love with Kagome, he still thinks about Kikyo and now that he knows about Naraku he feels that if he wasn’t around that she wouldn’t have died. Another interesting note is that Kagome and Kikyo are in essences two different sides of the very same coin as well.

Sango joins the group.
Enter Sango the demon slayer, Naraku’s insidious plot, the secret of the jewel of four souls revealed.

Sango a young women lives as a demon slayer in a village that makes it’s lively hood slaying demons. When there best demon slayers are called to get rid of a demon at the castle her and her younger brother Kahoku, along with her father are among the people who go to the castle. There at the castle they encounter a big spider demon but it’s nothing that they haven’t handle before and things go well. But when something posses Kahoku he turns on the other slayer and kills all of them, even striking down Sango. Luckily the son of the lord of the castle shows up and kills his father who is the real demon. He tells the castle staff to probably bury the demon slayers in the garden. A short time later Sango who is still alive barley manages to herself out of her grave. Seeing this young lord cares for her, he receives some information from Naraku that her village was attacked by a half demon named Inuyasha. Sango even though badly injured vows to kill Inuyasha for destroying her village. Meanwhile Inuyasha and the others are on the way to the demon slayers village guided by rumors there might be jewel shards there when they see a bunch of demons on the attack. There to late to save the village so they give proper burial to the dead. The next day they encounter Sango with Naraku and thanks to a jewel shard that Naraku has given her she feels no pain from her previous injuries. She puts up quite a fight against Inuyasha while Miroku goes after Naraku, but Naraku is able to fight off Miroku and escape. Meanwhile Inuyasha as gotten the upper hand on Sango and even though she stabs his arm with a knife he just knocks her down and tells her to stop fighting because she has lost a lot of blood. She looses conciseness and the next thing she knows she is on Inuyasha’s back and Kagome explains about Naraku. They track him down and Naraku gladly spills the beans about setting a trap to ensnare the best demon slayers at the castle and then ordering the other demons to attack the village. He removes the jewel shard from Sango who imeadily collapses from the pain of her injuries. Miroku and Inuyasha kill Naraku, or so they think in till Miroku sees that it is a demon puppet. A clone that Naraku can make of himself. They take Sango back to her village and a week passes as Sango recovers from her wounds. After she recovers she notices that they are collecting jewel shards so she takes him back to a cave and tells them the origins of the sacred jewel. About a priestess who got in a battle with a giant demon and that both the demon and her souls where trapped in a jewel. That jewel of course is the sacred jewel that there now trying to restore and the battle is still happening within the jewel. Miroku suggests that Inuyasha should be careful about wishing to become a full demon using the jewel. Inuyasha starts to bad talk the priestess and says he’ll become a full demon so she can rest in peace. At that time a strange light throws Inuyasha out of the cave. Later that night Miyoga visits the cave with the jewel shards so he could talk to the priestess for forgiveness, about bad mouthing her earlier that day at the entrance to the cave. The demons in the cave come alive and attack Miyoga and he is saved by what he thinks is the priestess but it turns out to be a rather ticked off Inuyasha instead. Inuyasha yells at Miyoga for having to rescue him but Miyoga tells him that he didn’t rescue her the priestess did. Hearing this Inuyasha shakes him up and throws him into a cave wall.

The DVD case and DVD’s.
Ok There are two kinds of Inuyasha first seasons sets, there is the regular one that I got for around 70 dollars, and then there is the special edition that runs up to about 130 dollars. I don’t know about if there is anything special about the special edition when it comes to the disc, but the special edition has the necklace that Kagome uses to tell Inuyasha to sit.

The box set itself comes in a jacket with a picture of Inuyasha, Kagome and Naraku on the front. As for what’s inside the jacket you get the typical fold out cover that every DVD set comes on. Each DVD label as an Inuyasha character on it, and the character along with there music theme pop up on the main menu of the respective disc as well.

The extras are a bit lacking with the exception of the Japanese and sub title on the disc there isn’t anything here that are worth mentioning. If you’re wondering which one I recommend the sub or dub I have to go I liked the sub better. While I usually like watching dubs of anime, mainly because there easier to follow in English, Inuyasha season 1 is notorious for having bad jokes being add libed in the dub. As for the rest of the special features you have some ads for Ranma ½ and other Takashi created animes. We have a character relationship charts which is basically just a bad way of putting in Inuyasha trivia. And then some Japanese ads for Inuyasha the first movie, while the ads are all in Japanese they look like there all early production. Mainly because there are scenes in the ads that are animated different then the way they are done in the movie, for example in a scene where a posses Kagome attacks Inuyasha on a bridge. She is shown wearing a different out fit from what she in the movie.

Final Recommendation.
Inuyasha is probably my favorite cartoon show running on the cartoon network adult swim. It’s an amazing show and for 70 dollars it’s worth a pick up. But I’ll warn you it’s not for the kids as there is plenty of violence, mayhem. There is also a bit of nudity in some episodes, all though no sex ever happens.

See my review of Inuyasha the series.
http://www.epinions.com/content_107531832964
See my review of Inuyasha collectors box set
http://www.epinions.com/content_135157223044