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Inuyasha: The Final Act | 12 - Sango's Feelings, Miroku's Resolve
Well, it was finally time for someone other than Inuyasha (or Sesshoumaru) to have their time in the spotlight. For good or for bad, it was Miroku and Sango's turn to be the lead characters in our fairytale.
So the episode started with a really horrible hatchet job of the Bone Youkai arc. Like, it came out of nowhere, and it was incredibly jarring - human Inuyasha riding on Shippo's back with Kagome, off to save their comrades in arms. Miroku and Sango are in the middle of battle that makes no immediate sense, even as our villainess of the week takes the time to explain. I was supremely disappointed to see this opener, even if it meant the majority of the episode would be focused on the arguably more important arc of the two, the Poison Master and the dueling choices of Miroku and Sango. The Bone Youkai arc was really wonderful in its own right, and it was awful to see it reduced to a setup job, and a badly-done one at that.
The animators redeem themselves a bit with their focus during the Poison Master sections. The focus is on Sango and her battle against her weapon, with the Miroku side story coming in a strong second, and only a bit of time devoted to Inuyasha being drunk (almost an afterthought). Sango dives into the jar of sake to battle the demons that make up Hirakotsu, in order to save her beloved weapon. Miroku, meanwhile, contemplates drinking a poisonous brew that will take away his ability to feel pain and thus, his only true, gut gauge of how deeply the miasma is cutting into his body - and how close his life is to being over. Its a seeminly no-win situation that both of them are placed in, and both take the difficult road. Sango allows herself to be sacrificed to the wrath of the youkai bones that make up her weapon, and Miroku drinks the brew without a moment's hesitation to its effects. The two decisions are intertwined, of course, with Miroku's choice being what turns things around for Sango. It's a nice little parallel to their constant saving of each others' lives, and it was really well done at the end.
One thing that made all the butchery go down a bit easier - though I feel a twinge of guilt for even admitting it - is the fact that this episode is so goddamn beautiful. I mean, seriously - I've never seen such loving attention paid to detail, especially on the closeups of the characters. I just want to kiss whoever the art director was, because, unlike the Hell arc, s/he really made the most with what s/he was given. I just want to cap this entire episode for use in potential upcoming banners. Miroku and Sango both were really well depicted, but even Inuyasha (in his wisdom of Miroku's decision near the end of the piece) looked sober and mature, features not generally associated with his character.
I hope the Mir/San fans on my f-list watch this episode, if only to ogle their beauty, because I've seriously never seen the artwork so well drawn in this new anime. It doesn't make me forget the way these very important arcs were stripped, simplified, and consolidated, but I can take a bit of cold comfort in knowing that if this is all the treatment they were going to receive, then at least it was wonderful to watch.
I can only hope that this art director returns for their final scenes during the battle with Naraku, because if anybody can do justice to the horror of the wind tunnel opening and sucking them in, it's this guy.
On preview: It looks like they will reanimate the 'Black Tessaiga' arc...I can't decide if I'm happy about that or not, because the OVA is so much Sesshoumaru fanservice, I don't know how that can be topped :P
So the episode started with a really horrible hatchet job of the Bone Youkai arc. Like, it came out of nowhere, and it was incredibly jarring - human Inuyasha riding on Shippo's back with Kagome, off to save their comrades in arms. Miroku and Sango are in the middle of battle that makes no immediate sense, even as our villainess of the week takes the time to explain. I was supremely disappointed to see this opener, even if it meant the majority of the episode would be focused on the arguably more important arc of the two, the Poison Master and the dueling choices of Miroku and Sango. The Bone Youkai arc was really wonderful in its own right, and it was awful to see it reduced to a setup job, and a badly-done one at that.
The animators redeem themselves a bit with their focus during the Poison Master sections. The focus is on Sango and her battle against her weapon, with the Miroku side story coming in a strong second, and only a bit of time devoted to Inuyasha being drunk (almost an afterthought). Sango dives into the jar of sake to battle the demons that make up Hirakotsu, in order to save her beloved weapon. Miroku, meanwhile, contemplates drinking a poisonous brew that will take away his ability to feel pain and thus, his only true, gut gauge of how deeply the miasma is cutting into his body - and how close his life is to being over. Its a seeminly no-win situation that both of them are placed in, and both take the difficult road. Sango allows herself to be sacrificed to the wrath of the youkai bones that make up her weapon, and Miroku drinks the brew without a moment's hesitation to its effects. The two decisions are intertwined, of course, with Miroku's choice being what turns things around for Sango. It's a nice little parallel to their constant saving of each others' lives, and it was really well done at the end.
One thing that made all the butchery go down a bit easier - though I feel a twinge of guilt for even admitting it - is the fact that this episode is so goddamn beautiful. I mean, seriously - I've never seen such loving attention paid to detail, especially on the closeups of the characters. I just want to kiss whoever the art director was, because, unlike the Hell arc, s/he really made the most with what s/he was given. I just want to cap this entire episode for use in potential upcoming banners. Miroku and Sango both were really well depicted, but even Inuyasha (in his wisdom of Miroku's decision near the end of the piece) looked sober and mature, features not generally associated with his character.
I hope the Mir/San fans on my f-list watch this episode, if only to ogle their beauty, because I've seriously never seen the artwork so well drawn in this new anime. It doesn't make me forget the way these very important arcs were stripped, simplified, and consolidated, but I can take a bit of cold comfort in knowing that if this is all the treatment they were going to receive, then at least it was wonderful to watch.
I can only hope that this art director returns for their final scenes during the battle with Naraku, because if anybody can do justice to the horror of the wind tunnel opening and sucking them in, it's this guy.
On preview: It looks like they will reanimate the 'Black Tessaiga' arc...I can't decide if I'm happy about that or not, because the OVA is so much Sesshoumaru fanservice, I don't know how that can be topped :P
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I need to watch this, but after driving 300 miles today I'm completely exhausted and don't feel like ending my day cranky at an anime. v.v; That said, at least there will be pretty eye-candy?
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That said, at least there will be pretty eye-candy?
This thing is stupidly pretty. Like, stupidly. It certainly helps the hatchet job go down a little easier...but hopefully when the caps come out, there will be some choice ones :D
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I love the conversation they have before the fight with the bone youkai. I mean, there was so much that went on in that little conversation... but of course, it wasn't "necessary." I could rant on this for ages. D:
It certainly helps the hatchet job go down a little easier...but hopefully when the caps come out, there will be some choice ones
Yeah, a little. I mean, shiny can only do so much to make up for bad plot direction. Seriously, would it have completely killed the story to spread it out to more than one episode? Ugh. That said, I think I'll love on the prettiness a bit more when the caps do come out. There were several bits I was so wanting to icon. XD
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...yeah, they just totally jumped in at the end of that storyline, which sucked majorly. I was all prepared to really hate this episode, then all the pretty happened...and I couldn't.
*feels like a bad Mir/San fan*
I'll love on the prettiness a bit more when the caps do come out. There were several bits I was so wanting to icon. XD
I'll pass 'em on if I see 'em first! There are a lot I want to use for banners. Like, almost the entire episode's worth :P
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Ugh, don't worry, it doesn't make you a bad Mir/San fan. I'm grumpy that it got hacked into pieces, but... it's still Miroku/Sango. I can't flat out hate it. XD That said? The manga is still much, much better.
Like, almost the entire episode's worth :P
That's because it's an absolutely gorgeous episode. They may suck at character development in this anime adaptation, but the art is glorious.
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That being said, though, it was nice to see them focus on what was important in the Potion Master arc and give it the majority of the screen time. I just have a bad feeling the Mir/San development will be left at this until the final battle with Naraku :-/
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Re: IY maturity. IY actually shows a lot of protectiveness re Miroku. Tessaiga allows him to use the windscar when Miroku is drugged in the kazaana tear scene. After Mushin sews him up, he tells IY that Naraku must die or Miroku can't be saved. He almost makes IY responsible for him. After
Miroku is healed by Kikyou, IY knows that Kikyou is lying about Miroku's condition.Just as he became angry at Miroku when he opened his wind tunnel
when it was ripped, he hits Miroku after he uses the kazaana to stop the quills. Miroku and IY finally come to agreement about the use of the kazaana after the poision turns to medicine.Again IY is given responsibility for Miroku.
Next week should be Shishinki and then Black Tessaiga since Sesshoumaru finally realizes what his father's scheme was for Tessaiga.
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Yup. It was a central theme of the episode, along with Miroku's decision to drink the poison in order to no longer feel pain. It's just pretty much everything else they skipped, unfortunately.
Next week should be Shishinki
Yup, and there was some scenes of Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru entering the meidou together, hence my speculation that they are reanimating the arc from the OVA.
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I guess we find out what they think is important as they cram everything into 26 episodes when they easily could have had twice that.
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I have to agree - the art is beautiful, but it doesn't lessen the sting of the bad story mishmashing.
There's only one major Miroku/Sango bit left - wanna bet it'll be done in a way that barely satisfies the fangirls? *grouchy*
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In my darkest moments, I anticipate not seeing development for them - in any form or fashion - until they are willing to sacrifice themselves for each other during the final battle with Naraku. Yanno, 70 chapters into the future here... :-/