Everybody loves Inuyasha. This was the reason why I bought the first season of Inuyasha, an anime about a girl named Kagome traveling to feudal-era Japan in order to collect the pieces of the Shikon Jewel with the assistance of a half-demon named Inuyasha. Inuyasha still shines nearly as brightly as an untainted Shikon Jewel. NeriBurns summarized the well-known show with this: “It’s a classic, and any anime lover who hasn’t seen this isn’t a true anime lover!”
After reading the reviews, I thought Inuyasha wasn’t just a beloved TV show but the best Japan has to offer, the Citizen Kane of anime. With that in my mind, I began Season One. The main theme was, at first, a mediocre one but it steadily grew on me to the point where I’d consider the Inuyasha opening among the (twenty) greatest of all time. As for the anime itself, I can’t say the same. After an inauspicious first episode, everything went downhill and, in the process, the show introduced the two main characters, Kagome and Inuyasha.
Kagome is the stereotypical anime female protagonist and someone I loathe passionately, the narrator who explains to the audience what they already know, the horribly one-dimensional schoolgirl who alternates between being somewhat useful and being the definitive damsel-in-distress who’s only line is screaming “Inuyasha!”, and the worst voice actor in an anime filled with them (Now I understand why some people watch the subbed version of anime instead of dubbed).
Whereas Kagome is a static character, Inuyasha is a dynamic one, an exceptionally short- tempered swordsman who transforms into a grouchy but likable character that occasionally turns human, possesses a decent amount of depth, and is a figurehead in the Pitiful Acting Department. The yawn-inducing adventure became somewhat worthwhile when Inuyasha battles his malevolent brother Sesshomaru with the all-powerful Tetsusaiga, and the episode ventured into Inuyasha’s past and his personal morals (The climatic moment was lowlighted by Kagome telling Inuyasha to believe in the sword like she believes in him). Episode 7 was, sadly, one of the very few great episodes of Season One.
Enveloped in Kagome and Inuyasha’s quest is a cast of uninspiring characters: Shippo (the shape-shifting fox demon serving as “comedy relief”), Kaede (Kagome and Inuyasha’s mentor-of-sorts and the only feudal-era character who says ‘ye’), my favorite character Miroku (a wandering monk and a lover of food, parties, and women who states the obvious and serves as a glorified sideline character), and Sango (a lover of fighting and peace, obsessed with protecting her family and friends). It’s interesting what the anime did to Sango, establishing the boomerang-wielding warrior as a hardened fighter before easing her into a spot on the sidelines, snatching what little depth she had, and downgrading her into a softer and weaker character, a Kagome-like character. Inuyasha’s portrayal of Kikyo is easily one of the highlights of Season One.
In the beginning, Kikyo is the beautiful and benevolent caretaker of the Shikon Jewel but then the perfect priestess is revealed as enigmatic, sorrowful, and selfish. Kagome and Inuyasha also encounter a multitude of villains, mostly forgettable bad guys appearing for an episode or two, as well as the aforementioned Sesshomaru and the main antagonist Naraku. Sesshomaru is a surprisingly solid character, equipped with above-average acting prowess and a graceful yet lethal persona, but compared to Naraku, he appears bland and dull.
Naraku is a being born from Nightmare Fuel, an unbelievably sinister mastermind, mysterious and menacing, slithering in the shadows while plotting to attain to Shikon Jewel. Naraku is the most despicable character in this anime yet I can’t help but admire his Oscar-worthy acting and personality. Compared to the characterization of the other characters, Naraku is outrageously out-of-their-league to the point where I ask myself, why is he in this show?
A refund isn’t good enough to compensate for the irreversible damage I endured. A review isn’t good enough to describe the emotions flowing through me as I watched Inuyasha, alternating between stifling well-deserved yawns and contemplating stomping on all three DVDs of Season 1 to vent my frustration. This anime possesses an amazing array of flaws: its mediocre graphics, its sub-par soundtrack, its unbelievably crappy acting, its unnecessary and lengthy flashbacks, its monotonous fighting scenes, its horribly stale “comedy”. Because he heard the endless praises I bestowed upon this magnificent masterpiece, my brother slammed the case on the ground before dismissively claiming he’ll watch it later. With a smirk, I thought, “That’s the kind of treatment Inuyasha deserves.”
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