Plot Details: This opinion reveals everything about the movie's plot.

I stumbled across Inuyasha over this summer, actually. I saw a commercial for it and I thought it looked sooo cool. The first episode I saw was #37, and I was hooked immediately. I wanted to see the beginning of the series, so I purchased some Inuyasha DVDs, and I just had to get Volume One, to see how it all began.

What’s it about?

Well, this anime is about a half (dog) demon, half-human named Inuyasha who lives in the feudal era of Japan (around the 1500s) who seeks the mystical powers of the Shikon no Tama (Jewel of Four Souls). (The jewel is also referred to as the Sacred Jewel and the Shikon Jewel). After attempting to steal it, he is sealed to a tree by a priestess named Kikyo. Kikyo dies soon after sealing him (from a wound we are unsure how she got) and asks her younger sister Kaede to burn the Jewel with her body. In the modern era, a high school girl named Kagome Higurashi falls down a well on her family’s shrine and ends up in the feudal era, where she finds she is able to release Inuyasha from the tree, who has been there for 50 years now in a deep sleep. She also finds she possesses the Shikon no Tama and bears a striking resemblance to Kikyo (she’s told so by Kaede and Inuyasha actually thinks she is Kikyo for a while there). After an unfortunate accident, the Jewel is broken and the shards are spread throughout the land. Inuyasha and Kagome must team up together to find all the shards, each reluctant to be working with the other.

The first episode is The Girl Who Overcame Time and the Boy Who Was Just Overcome. It starts out with scared villagers screaming about Inuyasha attacking. Inuyasha is obviously not human, with his silver hair, dog ears, amber eyes, claws and fangs. He breaks into a building and sees the Shikon no Tama. He snatches the jewel and jumps out of the building through the roof. Fires break out, there are terrified villagers everywhere. Not a pretty sight. Inuyasha runs away from the village, proud that he now has that jewel, and can now “become all demon at last.” As Inuyasha sails past a tree, we hear a woman call out his name. A pretty girl with long black hair shoots an arrow at him and pins him to a tree. He drops the jewel, and is quite surprised that she has done this to him. His eyes close and his body slumps, but he remains pinned to the tree. We see Kikyo is seriously wounded and she drops her bow and staggers over to the jewel. Some villagers gather around her, and Kikyo tells her younger sister, Kaede, that she is going to die, and to burn the Shikon Jewel with her body. Then we switch to the modern era, where a 15 year old girl named Kagome Higurashi is listening to her grandfather telling her the story of the Shikon Jewel. She is skeptical, as her grandfather always tells her obscure stories. Kagome says, “I never believe any of those old stories…that is, until today.” Hmm big event must be going to happen.

As Kagome heads out to school one day, she sees her brother Sota standing before a small building on their shrine that they’ve always been forbidden to go into. Sota tells her that their cat, Buyo, ran in there, but he’s scared to go in after him (sissy). So Kagome goes in, a bit wary of the old sealed up well at the bottom of the stairs. She finds Buyo, but unfortunately, her back is to the well, and Sota sees something break out of the well. Kagome is grabbed by a demon with 6 arms and is pulled into the well (luckily Kagome dropped Buyo before being pulled in ;)) As they travel downward through a strange bluish place, the demon holding her begins to regrow her body. The demon is overjoyed and claims the Jewel is helping her regrow her body. She demands that Kagome give her the Jewel, but Kagome doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Kagome thrusts her hand at the demon, and a strange light sends one of the demon’s arms off. Kagome finally lands and appears to be in the bottom of a well. So she manages to climb out of the well using some conveniently placed vines, and when she comes out, she realizes she is in a whole other world entirely: the feudal era of Japan (or Sengoku Jidai). She sees Inuyasha pinned to the tree, and is intrigued by his dog ears. After playing with them a little bit, she is attacked by villagers who want to know why she’s in “The Forest of Inuyasha.” They take her back to their village, where a now very old Kaede comes to examine her, and we learn that Kaede is a priestess. Kaede is struck by how similar Kagome looks to Kikyo and believes Kagome when she says she’s not a demon.

Kagome stays with Kaede, but they are attacked by the Mistress Centipede. She says she must have the Jewel. Kagome says that since the demon is after her, she will run and lead the demon away from the village. As she runs along, she panics and calls out for anybody to help her. Inuyasha, still pinned to the tree, begins to show life again. He reaches for the arrow in his chest but cannot touch it. He comments that he can smell the blood of the woman who killed him approaching (hmm Kagome’s the only one approaching the forest and Kagome looks like Kikyo. What could be going on here?). After Kagome lands in front of him after quite a fall, she is shocked to find that he is awake. He calls her Kikyo, and Kagome becomes angry and tells him her name is Kagome. Inuyasha says that she smells exactly like her, but soon realizes she is not Kikyo. Long story short, the demon and the villagers arrive. Inuyasha asks Kagome if she can pull the arrow out of his chest. Despite Kaede’s protests, Kagome does. After he is free, he kills the demon easily. Kaede tells Kagome to find the Jewel, and Kagome is able to see it shining in a piece of the demon. Kaede gives it to Kagome, and Kagome wonders why she has a Jewel that demons want. Inuyasha tells her she’s right, and if she gives him the Jewel, he won’t have to sharpen his claws on her.

Episode 2 is Seekers of the Sacred Jewel. It begins with Inuyasha chasing Kagome trying to get the Jewel, but Kaede places an enchanted necklace around him and tells Kagome to yell the word of subjugation. Kagome has no clue what it is, but she looks at his dog ears and yells “Sit boy!” (or “Osuwari!’ in Japanese). Inuyasha goes flying to the ground and is confused. He tries to pull the necklace off but he can’t remove it. Ha ha. Now Kagome can make him fly to the ground whenever she wants. And she sure as hell does. Kagome reobtains the Jewel, but Inuyasha still hangs around waiting for an opportunity to steal it. While trying to get back home to her era, Kagome is attacked by bandits who take her to their leader, who turns out to be controlled by a crow demon. Inuyasha comes in time and saves the day, but while Inuyasha and Kagome have one of their classic arguments the crow manages to make off with the jewel. They chase it and it swallows the Jewel. They find it near a river and Kagome shoots an arrow at the crow. There is a strange light, and we see the Jewel crack and break into about a zillion little pieces. Uh oh. So here’s where our main story comes in. They find a shard in the head of the crow demon, and realize the Jewel has been broken.

The third episode is Down the Rabbit Hole and Back Again. Kaede tries to convince Kagome and Inuyasha that they must work together to find all the shards of the broken jewel because if a demon got even one piece, the results could be disastrous. Kaede provides Kagome with some priestess clothing while her clothes she just cleaned dry. Inuyasha is horrified by how similar she looks to Kikyo and slowly backs away. Kaede is called away and Kagome and Inuyasha get into an argument. She says she’s going back home, and takes the Jewel shard with her after telling Inuyasha to sit. He goes flying down, and as she walks off, Inuyasha calls after her, but doesn’t say her name, which annoys Kagome. She approaches the well, but a demon named Yura attacks her and steals her shard of the Jewel. She uses hair as a weapon and has quite a web of it. Kagome is knocked into the well and disappears. Meanwhile in the village the people are being controlled by hairs, but Inuyasha cannot see the hair Yura uses to attack, and Kaede tells him that Kagome can see it. Kagome is in her own era now, happily enjoying a bath after coming out through the well.

I just love this show. The music is wonderful and fits every scene perfectly. I love the opening and ending themes for the show too. The opening theme is Change the World by V6 and the closing theme is My Will by Dream. They are fun jpop songs that I just love. The episodes end with a preview for the next one after the credits, and altogether the episodes are approximately 25 minutes long. The animation for the characters is wonderful, and the backgrounds are great also. When they are in the feudal era, the trees and grassy areas and everything looks so pretty, and when Kagome is in her own era everything looks colorful and modern.

This anime is based on the manga (kind of like a comic book) created by Rumiko Takahashi (God bless her) and new manga issues are actually still coming out. In Japan, they are on episode 140 + of the anime with much more to come. This is pretty unusual for an anime, since they are usually only like 20 something episodes or even less. But this show doesn’t seem to drag at all. The show is funny, interesting, with great character development and intriguing twists all the while. There is also a main enemy the main characters are pursuing, but his name and evil intentions are not revealed until a bit later in the series.

This DVD set ends with a cliffhanger episode, and you will have to buy Volume Two to see what happens next. Each volume has three episodes (I wish there were more) and may seem a bit pricey, but they’re definitely worth it. On this set, the extras include the opening and closing themes without the text on them, line art, cast list, Japanese promos for the episodes, and a preview for the video game for the Playstation. You can also choose to watch the episodes in English or the original Japanese (with subtitles if you need them). I must say, I prefer the Japanese version because the actors who do the character’s voices suit them better. That’s just my opinion, but I know a lot of people feel the same way. The Japanese actors have a lot more emotion and are just better. But if you don’t want to watch it in Japanese, you don’t have to.

I STRONGLY recommend you get this. Inuyasha is a fantastic show and it’s just so fun to watch. You begin to really feel for the characters and one time I got teary while watching an episode (not one on this DVD though). The funny episodes are hilarious, and the ones focusing on the gang fighting a demon are great to watch, with each enemy having cool flashy attacks, and of course Inuyasha himself does cool flashy attacks (after he gets his sword, that is-don’t worry, that’s the next volume.) There are a few romantic-type episodes too, and those are some of my favorite. I love this show and I cannot think of any show better than it. You should at least give it a chance, and I’m sure you’ll love it. I hope I’ve introduced some new people to the wonderful world of the Inuyasha, because it is truly fantastic! ^_^

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD