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R1 DVD Reviews
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Wednesday, 18 November 2009 00:00 |
 The brothers are still at it, as Inu Yasha moves into another volume, and big bro is discovering that his inferior little bro isn't so inferior after all. After all, we couldn't have our hero being on the wrong end of a beating so soon in the series, could we? There's also the small matter of the gang's first new hanger-on.. er, member...
7 - Showdown! Inyasha vs Sesshomaru
Where both Sesshomaru and Inyasha have failed, Kagome has succeeded with embarrassing ease, and holds in her hands the sword, Tetsusaiga, that once belonged to their father. That puts her at the centre of Sesshomaru's attentions, and he's quick to see by Inuyasha's reaction to that that his little half-brother may be more interested in a human than a hanyou should be. The two are soon at each other's throats - again - but with Inuyasha smarting both from Sesshomaru's put-downs about him only being half-demon, and from his disrespect for his mother's memory, Inuyasha has the greater incentive to win. Add in control of Tetusaiga, once Kagome hands it over to him, and he should have the upper hand - as long as he can learn how to use the sword's powers...
8 - The Toad Who Would be Prince
With Sesshomaru dealt with for now, Inuyasha and Kagome continue their travels in search for the missing Shikon shards. Their journey brings them in contact with young lord Nobunaga, who's investigating rumours that the lord of a local castle has been possessed by demons. The lord has been gathering the local young women to his castle, and once there they're never heard from again - a worrying situation, to be sure. Inuyasha believes a Shikon shard may be involved, too, and so they tag along with Nobunaga - to discover that a demonic toad has taken the lord's place...
9 - Enter Shippo... Plus, the Amazing Thunder Brothers!
Inuyasha and Kagome are approached by a young fox demon, Shippo - he wants to get his hands on their Shikon shards, to help him avenge the death of his father. He may just be a little kid, but what he lacks in size he makes up for in ambition. The targets of his vengeance would be the Thunder Brothers, Manten and Hiten - they too have come into possession of some shards of the Shikon no Tama, and have been using the power of the shards to embark on quite a reign of terror. All other concerns aside, the Shards they possess make them instantly interesting to Inuyasha and Kagome - but will Inuyasha be strong enough to save the day after the brothers kidnap Kagome..?
The first episode here follows the old shounen show standby of seeing Inuyasha getting a powerup. It comes in the form of Tetsusaiga, which we later find out was specifically forged with him in mind (tough luck this time for Sesshomaru) - he just needs to figure out how to turn the blunt & rusty blade into something more powerful. Once that's done, Sesshomaru's role for now is done and he's summarily dealt with in a way that should teach him (and anyone else watching) that half-human doesn't equal weakling. Bonus points for being a Sesshomaru story, points docked for being fairly predictable, and you end up with a story that's decent overall but nothing spectacular.
The remaining two episodes bring us to demons of a lesser standing, as we get into shard-of-the-week territory. Episode 9 is the "important" one of the two, as it introduces Shippo, who'll go on to become part of the core group - and if truth be told, my least-favourite member. He's a little kid of a demon whose foxfire gives him access to a few neat tricks, but he's far from being powerful enough to ever really be that useful - he's more akin to a cuddly mascot than a real member of the team, and his actions here give you an idea of how ineffective he can be. The kids adversaries, the Thunder Brothers, are great fun, though - it's a real shame they're just bit-players. I particularly enjoyed Hiten's affection for his three remaining hairs, and what happens when Kagome shoots them off... The story ends on a cliffhanger, to be resolved next volume - it's not the sort that leaves you gagging for the next disc, but it's still entertaining.
While re-watching the early episodes of Inu Yasha can be an experience tainted by knowing what's to come (good and bad), it's still enjoyable, and it has to be said that the setup episodes back at this stage of the series were actually quite good - certainly far less annoying than some of the later filler arcs. It's still early days here, but the gang is now beginning to come together and learn what they're capable of, and that makes for decent viewing, even on the third time around.
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