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Inuyasha: The Final Act | 13 - The Complete Meidou
Oh. My. God.
Fellow Sesshoumaru fangirls, this is a MUST SEE episode!
This is the story arc that ultimately made me fall in love with Sesshoumaru. To me, his pain is so raw and palpable, so close to the surface ~ at more than any other point in the manga, he is vulnerable, and he lashes out in that vulnerability. That is very powerful to me, and it resonates with me, that he could be so strong in the face of his worse fear, in the face of such incredible disappointment and realization. The Bakusaiga arc might be my favorite one, as it brings the storyline started here full circle, but anytime I need to get back in touch with my Sess muse's emotion, I come back to this arc.
In Shishinki, here is all of Sesshoumaru's conflicts with his father made flesh - confirmation of his worst fears, his suspicion, the resurrection of all the old hurts and wounds, when it comes to the bequeathing of the swords. Learning his is but a cast-off of his brother's, with a technique his father could not master - that *had* to hurt. Yeah, Shishinki was goading him needlessly, pushing him to the point of actually lashing out because of whatever he was feeling, but at the same time - it's something Sesshoumaru had to experience. He has to get past this final link to his father, this final bit of resentment and understanding, this final, stinging, humbling assignment.
For what was his father's purpose? That he, Sesshoumaru, train the technique and then ultimately had it over to his brother.
For someone as proud and arrogant as Sesshoumaru, that is a tough pill to swallow, indeed.
It's nice that I'm reminded of this particular storyline now, as I'm moving into the same sorts of issues in my fic Fleeting, where Sesshoumaru learns of his father's ultimate plans for him and his life. Mostly what I've been stuck on is his reaction to everything, because the character I've portrayed is a bit more indulgent of his emotions. But seeing this, it brings me full circle, gives me confirmation of the right path to follow. Inuyasha tries to help him (and then comfort him - wow!), but he is too disgusted to stay. Love it, another wrinkle in their brotherly relationship. These characters, they do nothing by halves, even if it means getting hurt themselves!
I thought this episode was beautifully wrought - lots of lovely fanservice in the way of art direction, and the action was quite impressive as well. I loved the animation of the meidou circles, and the final one that took Shishinki's life - where Tessaiga and Tenseiga work together - was pretty magnificent. Its nice to see, finally, consistently good art direction over more than one episode :P I cannot WAIT for caps of this, because there are several close-ups of Sess that are just *sigh* to die for.
Preview: As Sesshoumaru sorts out his sword issues, Naraku take the opportunity to attack Kohaku; he attempts to take his shard, but Sango's there for the rescue! We're moving right along towards the end, as this episode marks the halfway point of the new anime o.O
Fellow Sesshoumaru fangirls, this is a MUST SEE episode!
This is the story arc that ultimately made me fall in love with Sesshoumaru. To me, his pain is so raw and palpable, so close to the surface ~ at more than any other point in the manga, he is vulnerable, and he lashes out in that vulnerability. That is very powerful to me, and it resonates with me, that he could be so strong in the face of his worse fear, in the face of such incredible disappointment and realization. The Bakusaiga arc might be my favorite one, as it brings the storyline started here full circle, but anytime I need to get back in touch with my Sess muse's emotion, I come back to this arc.
In Shishinki, here is all of Sesshoumaru's conflicts with his father made flesh - confirmation of his worst fears, his suspicion, the resurrection of all the old hurts and wounds, when it comes to the bequeathing of the swords. Learning his is but a cast-off of his brother's, with a technique his father could not master - that *had* to hurt. Yeah, Shishinki was goading him needlessly, pushing him to the point of actually lashing out because of whatever he was feeling, but at the same time - it's something Sesshoumaru had to experience. He has to get past this final link to his father, this final bit of resentment and understanding, this final, stinging, humbling assignment.
For what was his father's purpose? That he, Sesshoumaru, train the technique and then ultimately had it over to his brother.
For someone as proud and arrogant as Sesshoumaru, that is a tough pill to swallow, indeed.
It's nice that I'm reminded of this particular storyline now, as I'm moving into the same sorts of issues in my fic Fleeting, where Sesshoumaru learns of his father's ultimate plans for him and his life. Mostly what I've been stuck on is his reaction to everything, because the character I've portrayed is a bit more indulgent of his emotions. But seeing this, it brings me full circle, gives me confirmation of the right path to follow. Inuyasha tries to help him (and then comfort him - wow!), but he is too disgusted to stay. Love it, another wrinkle in their brotherly relationship. These characters, they do nothing by halves, even if it means getting hurt themselves!
I thought this episode was beautifully wrought - lots of lovely fanservice in the way of art direction, and the action was quite impressive as well. I loved the animation of the meidou circles, and the final one that took Shishinki's life - where Tessaiga and Tenseiga work together - was pretty magnificent. Its nice to see, finally, consistently good art direction over more than one episode :P I cannot WAIT for caps of this, because there are several close-ups of Sess that are just *sigh* to die for.
Preview: As Sesshoumaru sorts out his sword issues, Naraku take the opportunity to attack Kohaku; he attempts to take his shard, but Sango's there for the rescue! We're moving right along towards the end, as this episode marks the halfway point of the new anime o.O