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Inuyasha: The Final Act | 3 - Meidou Zangetsuha
o.O Well I'm officially confused, LOL. This week's episode was so mixed up that I'm beginning to draw the conclusion that its best to watch this thing without any prior knowledge of the manga :P
I was surprised to see this episode open with Sesshoumaru, as he reflected on Kagura's death. Totosai shows up, insults him, and tells him that he was called by Tenseiga. The sword was reacting to a change in Sesshoumaru's heart (prompting the ever-loyal Jaken to claim there was nothing wrong with Sess's heart in the first place, LOL) and was ready to be reforged into a weapon.
After the opening, we jump immediately to Kaede's village, where Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Kaede are discussing Kikyo's plan to complete the jewel and slay Naraku. There is a wonderful manga Mir/San moment, when she gives him a taste of his own medicine for a change, haha. After their discussion - which includes the fact that Kohaku will have to die if Kikyo's plan is to be completed - we cut to the present day, where Kagome is applying to high school o.O Now I know this came way later in the manga...and then we segue into some Chapter 512 goodness, when Jii-chan is discussing "the right wish" that must be made on the Shikon jewel. Kagome then continues to study furiously for her upcoming entrance exams, only to find the brainy session had been nothing but a dream.
I wasn't happy with the way the inserted this scene here, taking away the value of Inuyasha coming back to her time to reassure her, after she lost her powers to Hitmiko. Which was only the first time I went "WTF" during this episode - and we aren't even halfway through! :P
The next scene is the group gathered together again the feudal era, and it immediately turns into the Kitsune Inn/Examinee 77 arc. Shippo learns about the rankings for fox demons, and how he can progress up the ladder to the #1 rank ~ namely, by playing tricks on his friends. Of course, he takes great pleasure in torturing Inuyasha, and this part of the episode harkens back to the comedy stylings of the original anime. Lots of slapstick, "sits", Sango beating up on Miroku, etc etc etc. All of this turns into the beginning of the dragon-scaled Tessaiga arc, when Mujina shows up to steal tessaiga's power with the Dakki sword. "She" fools Shippo into helping her, but Inuyasha sees through the disguise and dispatches the imposter with a kick, after breaking the mysterious sword. Knowing Tessaiga steals the power of the weapons it defeats, he gives the sword a thoughtful glance...
...and then we're right back to Sesshoumaru and Totosai, in what basically amounts to an animated version of the episode namesake's chapter, Meidou Zangetsuha. Totosai tells Sesshoumaru to show him the technique, and he explains to Jaken and Rin how Tenseiga is connected to the underworld and how, by reforging the sword, Sesshoumaru can now open a pathway between this world and the next. Of course, he humorously grouses to himself that Sesshoumaru mastered the technique in one go, while Sesshoumaru is remembering his encounter with Mouyoumaru, and how he taunted Sess that Kagura's death was for nothing. Sesshoumaru promises himself that it was for him to decide whether or not she died in vain, and with an upsweep of wind, commands his group "let's go."
The preview for next week promises some dragon-scaled Tessaiga action, as well as the introduction of Byakuya (and some shenanigans with Sesshoumaru, it appears).
I'm just...confused now. I have no idea WTF the animators are doing with the canon story, beyond mangling it, but I'm trying to keep an open mind. They are certainly making it difficult to anticipate whether or not my most-desired arcs (Hell arc, Bakusaiga) will be animated, and if they are ~ when? Considering the time they spent on Tenseiga here (and the reason why it had to be reforged), I am hopeful that we'll get to visit with SessMom before Inuyasha comes along to steal Meidou Zangetsuha from his brother. Maybe we'll even get to learn the story behind Tenseiga and Tessaiga, that which allows Inuyasha to take the technique in the first place? Who knows...
So, yeah. I'm not going to reread manga chapters before watching the anime; I think I'd be hopelessly lost, as now they are not only going forward in time, but backwards as well. I do hope we'll spend more time with Miroku and Sango, beyond the Kohaku angle of the story, because both of them have pretty important character arcs coming up as well. If they don't get their due when Shippo did, I'm going to be mad >:(
So, in conclusion...it was nice to see some light-heartedness injected into the story; the pacing is still crazy mad, now compounded with a bit of confusion as they move forwards and backwards on the timeline; and I haven't given up hope that SessMom will make an appearance *crosses fingers* The meidou zangetsuha was decently animated as well, but I wasn't knocked off my socks like last week with Kagura's death.
I was surprised to see this episode open with Sesshoumaru, as he reflected on Kagura's death. Totosai shows up, insults him, and tells him that he was called by Tenseiga. The sword was reacting to a change in Sesshoumaru's heart (prompting the ever-loyal Jaken to claim there was nothing wrong with Sess's heart in the first place, LOL) and was ready to be reforged into a weapon.
After the opening, we jump immediately to Kaede's village, where Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Kaede are discussing Kikyo's plan to complete the jewel and slay Naraku. There is a wonderful manga Mir/San moment, when she gives him a taste of his own medicine for a change, haha. After their discussion - which includes the fact that Kohaku will have to die if Kikyo's plan is to be completed - we cut to the present day, where Kagome is applying to high school o.O Now I know this came way later in the manga...and then we segue into some Chapter 512 goodness, when Jii-chan is discussing "the right wish" that must be made on the Shikon jewel. Kagome then continues to study furiously for her upcoming entrance exams, only to find the brainy session had been nothing but a dream.
I wasn't happy with the way the inserted this scene here, taking away the value of Inuyasha coming back to her time to reassure her, after she lost her powers to Hitmiko. Which was only the first time I went "WTF" during this episode - and we aren't even halfway through! :P
The next scene is the group gathered together again the feudal era, and it immediately turns into the Kitsune Inn/Examinee 77 arc. Shippo learns about the rankings for fox demons, and how he can progress up the ladder to the #1 rank ~ namely, by playing tricks on his friends. Of course, he takes great pleasure in torturing Inuyasha, and this part of the episode harkens back to the comedy stylings of the original anime. Lots of slapstick, "sits", Sango beating up on Miroku, etc etc etc. All of this turns into the beginning of the dragon-scaled Tessaiga arc, when Mujina shows up to steal tessaiga's power with the Dakki sword. "She" fools Shippo into helping her, but Inuyasha sees through the disguise and dispatches the imposter with a kick, after breaking the mysterious sword. Knowing Tessaiga steals the power of the weapons it defeats, he gives the sword a thoughtful glance...
...and then we're right back to Sesshoumaru and Totosai, in what basically amounts to an animated version of the episode namesake's chapter, Meidou Zangetsuha. Totosai tells Sesshoumaru to show him the technique, and he explains to Jaken and Rin how Tenseiga is connected to the underworld and how, by reforging the sword, Sesshoumaru can now open a pathway between this world and the next. Of course, he humorously grouses to himself that Sesshoumaru mastered the technique in one go, while Sesshoumaru is remembering his encounter with Mouyoumaru, and how he taunted Sess that Kagura's death was for nothing. Sesshoumaru promises himself that it was for him to decide whether or not she died in vain, and with an upsweep of wind, commands his group "let's go."
The preview for next week promises some dragon-scaled Tessaiga action, as well as the introduction of Byakuya (and some shenanigans with Sesshoumaru, it appears).
I'm just...confused now. I have no idea WTF the animators are doing with the canon story, beyond mangling it, but I'm trying to keep an open mind. They are certainly making it difficult to anticipate whether or not my most-desired arcs (Hell arc, Bakusaiga) will be animated, and if they are ~ when? Considering the time they spent on Tenseiga here (and the reason why it had to be reforged), I am hopeful that we'll get to visit with SessMom before Inuyasha comes along to steal Meidou Zangetsuha from his brother. Maybe we'll even get to learn the story behind Tenseiga and Tessaiga, that which allows Inuyasha to take the technique in the first place? Who knows...
So, yeah. I'm not going to reread manga chapters before watching the anime; I think I'd be hopelessly lost, as now they are not only going forward in time, but backwards as well. I do hope we'll spend more time with Miroku and Sango, beyond the Kohaku angle of the story, because both of them have pretty important character arcs coming up as well. If they don't get their due when Shippo did, I'm going to be mad >:(
So, in conclusion...it was nice to see some light-heartedness injected into the story; the pacing is still crazy mad, now compounded with a bit of confusion as they move forwards and backwards on the timeline; and I haven't given up hope that SessMom will make an appearance *crosses fingers* The meidou zangetsuha was decently animated as well, but I wasn't knocked off my socks like last week with Kagura's death.
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We're getting into tricky territory for me ~ my eyes start to cross around the time of dragon-scaled Tessaiga, because it seems like all of this angsting and upgrading was ultimately all for naught. Plus, this part of the manga is where Sesshoumaru starts to go through his emotional development, so that is what captures my attention. I'm better with his storyline through Chapter 512 or so than anybody else's.
Last episode was pretty shippy (sess/kagura) and it seems they were playing up that vibe.
Oh, yeah...hehe, I liked the opening of this episode, with Sess blowing of Totosai's observations about his heart changing. And, of course, poor Jaken *snork* His undying devotion never gets old!
The Kitsune stuff would be fine...if it didn't mean the time spent on slapstick didn't mean time spent away from the content that matters.
THIS. It felt like Shippo's storyline took up most of the episode...one entitled Meidou Zangetsuha, WTF. The name of the episode got what, all of five-six minutes?! I thought last week's was bad in that way...but this was kinda ridiculous.
I enjoyed the Miroku/Sango element, just wish they would give it the treatment it deserves, ie. not go for the easy humor.
This, too. If they just play off the Mir/San relationship for comedic relief, I'mma be pissed. I've been looking more into their late-manga storylines now that I've dipped my toe in that corner of fandom, and there's so really fantastic stuff there. (CHAPTER 523 OMG) It will be a real shame if they don't get their due, after all this time devoted to Shippo.
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supposed to beimportant. But I don't like the way they seem to be glossing over (what I consider to be) important characterization stuff in favor of stupid!humor and sword-upgrade-action. They've done fairly well in handling the Sesshomaru/Kagura stuff, but the parts with the Inu-tachi are seriously making me scratch my head.no subject
Yeah, this. It seems they're mostly using Miroku and Sango and Kaede to rehash other parts of the story, which sucks. Considering the treatment Shippo got in this episode, I'd hope that they've give the same consideration to the other, human half of the group. I'll be seriously pissed if Mir/San gets shafted.
I dunno. I read somewhere that the first few episodes are covering a shitton of ground, so I keep waiting to see if the pace is ever going to slow down, or if they're just going to re-arrange it all in this way that makes sense, but at the same time doesn't. *shrug* So far, its been uneven at best - the first episode flew by, the second one was a bit more sedate and focused, and this one just gave me whiplash, going back and forth between events as it did.
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I know they're trying to cover a lot of ground and rehash without being boring or really rehashing... but what gives? It feels weirdly detached and unfocused, and I say this even as someone that isn't all that familiar with the second half of the manga.
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Whatever they are, they creep me out.
If they cut out the Hell arc, I will write an angry letter in Japanese filled with lots of cursing and mail it off to someone. *makes note to self to learn Japanese*
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LMAO!!! I think they're supposed to be souls, representing his link to hell via Tenseiga. But it was kinda creepy, as I assume this little demonstration was supposed to take place on earth o.O
If they cut out the Hell arc, I will write an angry letter in Japanese filled with lots of cursing and mail it off to someone. *makes note to self to learn Japanese*
I am intrigued by your ideas and wish to subscribe to your newsletter.
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Newletter #1: KUSUO!
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Well, for the first two episodes at least, I tried to find the manga references they were using in each episode - but this one is literally all over the place. Even if you don't remember the exact sequence of events (and Lord knows I don't!), it pings on your radar. Like, the whole thing from the "right wish" chapter. That was fairly significant for the Inu/Kag relationship, and its completely unordered and glossed over here (making me wonder if they're gonna skip Chapter 494 altogether >:().
I guess because of the limited number of episodes, this anime is even more of an alternate universe from the manga than the first one. Not that I'm complaining about that, but it feels like they're cutting out some of the good along with the filler and that's just annoying (especially when you see how much of this episode stars freaking SHIPPO of all characters) :P
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I do hope we'll spend more time with Miroku and Sango, beyond the Kohaku angle of the story, because both of them have pretty important character arcs coming up as well. If they don't get their due when Shippo did, I'm going to be mad >:(
This... so much. Bitches will be cut if they don't get a whole episode devoted to the Yakurou Dokusen arc or the bone youkai arc (or at least one to both of them :D).
I need to feed my shippy tendenciesWhich reminds me of something amusing: there was one Inuyasha drama CD where they had Sesshoumaru slaughter the Inuyasha producers... I'm getting ideas already.
Audio link here (in Japanese): http://www.ear-tweak.com/iy_sounds/die_producers.wav
SESSHOUMARU: Who are those people?
JAKEN: The show's producers, Ueda and Suwa!
UEDA: I'm (Masuo) Ueda...
SUWA: And I'm his boss, (Machihiko) Suwa.
SESSHOUMARU: Very good. *draws sword* Huh. *SLASHCUTKILL* Die. *SLASHCUTKILL*
SUWA: UGUWAHHH!! So fast!
RIN: Ah, Sesshoumaru-sama, do you feel better?
SESSHOUMARU: ...not yet.
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*stands beside you with razor blades*
CANON SHIPPERS NEED LOVE TOO!
RIN: Ah, Sesshoumaru-sama, do you feel better?
SESSHOUMARU: ...not yet.
LMAO!!!
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CONSIDERING WE HAVEN'T BEEN GETTING ALL THE INU/KAG LOVE WE NEED! The manga is chopped up and spliced like the Flash on speed. o___O Filler is good too...
Forget razor blades, we need heavy machinery. *polishes katanas*
*grins* Glad you liked that, eh, amusing interlude.
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They did leave out IY and Kagome sitting on the bed together all night discussing Kagome's sealinga and the right wish.
I was surprised that they ran the last two Shippou episodes back to back. They do really show how selfish Shippou is and all the shit he puts IY through. I would not just bop him on the head if I were IY.
I am looking forward to next weeks show. I know you all hate the sword upgrades. Inuyasha is one with his sword. He learns not to risk Tessaiga for upgrades because if Tessaiga dies he will lose part of himself. Unity is the most important sword story. It shows that IY and Tessaiaga really are one soul and will fight to the death for each other.
The Meidou Zangestsuha part followed the manga fairly closely. I think Sess
understands what he learned from Kagura.
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It gave me whiplash, LOL. And, well, I hate that they cut out some of the subtext. After a shippy first episode, there's been pretty much nothing on the Inu/Kag front. Here's hoping they aren't 'ruining' it by blowing through all these significant scenes!
Inuyasha is one with his sword. He learns not to risk Tessaiga for upgrades because if Tessaiga dies he will lose part of himself. Unity is the most important sword story.
Well, all I can say is, I hope they keep it that simple. Considering the way they've spliced the rest of the story together so far, it would only be fair :P
As long as they stick to the relevant parts of this upgrade (such as, how it allows him to conquer his youki and thus, survive the fight for the meidou zangetsuha technique), I won't bitch too much :P *attempts to remember who the main character is*
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