luxken27 | Inuyasha: The Final Act

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Inuyasha: The Final Act | 21 - Inside Naraku

My first impression: way too much tell, not enough show.

So....yeah. This episode left a lot to be desired, IMO. First there was the retelling of the start of the Shikon saga, where the animators made liberal use of footage from the old anime (specifically, episode 1). While I understand why it was used - since we are entering the final arc of the story, the big battle inside Naraku for all the money - it was really heavy-handed. Dudes, I think it's safe to say if we've gotten this far into the series, we know the general premise. We know what marbles are at stake here, so why are we wasting precious time going over the past (which such a flashback would be more compelling closer to the actual climax of the battle)?

Gee, I can tell this is going to get its five episodes' worth of coverage o.O

I enjoyed Kagome's graduation scene, especially the final bit with Hojo. As much as I like to twist Hojo into evil incarnate when I write fic centered on him, he is absolutely adorable in his oblivious innocence, and never moreso than here. I'm assuming the second-button tradition is to Japanese high school culture what fraternity pins (or letterman's jackets) are to American, and that whole scene, to me, was very sweet - especially with her girlfriends providing running commentary in the background. Is it just me, or is it hard to remember sometimes that Kagome is a middle-school girl for 85% of the manga story? Ahh, youth.

Then we switch back to the feudal era and the ham-handedness starts again in a big way. Not only are we reunited with our cast of characters and their various dilemmas, but we are given a full run-down of all of their weapons' powers and even what the game plan is for destroying Naraku. I don't remember this sort of hitting-you-over-the-head-with-the-answer style of storytelling in the manga, and I'm too arsed to go back and check it now, but man. I feel like my intelligence has been insulted a little, and I really hope this lets up as the battle goes on because DUDE. I want to see the action, not just hear about it from the sidelines!

I was a little bit surprised that the whole Inuyasha-turning-into-a-demon business was tacked onto the end of the episode, but it did make for a great cliffhanger as he pushed Kagome over the cliff after injuring her. That means the greatest fanservice paid to S/K shippers is coming up quite soon and again, I find myself not quite ready for it o.O That seems to be a running theme around here, LOL. Oh, well - its coming no matter what I think of it.

Speaking of shipping, loved the little moment between Miroku and Sango as they reaffirm their bond...and it almost makes me wish the anime gives their union a bit more service than the manga did. (I like seeing babies as much as the next fangirl, but would it be too much to ask to see some of their 'wedding' as well?)

Next week: Miroku and Sango face their fears, and Sesshoumaru magically shows up to intervene with Inuyasha and Kagome. The battle in the innards continues!

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Yup, you summed this episode up quite well. It seemed really disjointed to me. And I could sooooooooo do without the whole retelling of the Shikon saga - gah! We've seen it over and over and over... yeah.

Nevertheless, I'm eager for the next one. And I do think the animation is a big improvement over the original series.

I'm a bit "meh" about the animation. It has been so uneven - sometimes brilliant, sometimes crap. Of course, it was that way with the original as well, so *shrug*

Hopefully the next episode will be a bit less insulting, both on the mind and on the eyes, LOL :P

I have nothing constructive to say (and maybe my mind is just in the gutter today), but that title makes it sound like a bad smut!fic. D:

LOL!!!

There wasn't much to say about this episode - I can't say you're missing all that much, really.

SK miss the point that RT was trying to make with the demon IY. Even controlled IY cannot kill Kagome and Kagome will not kill Kagome even to save her life. Sesshoumaru never calls Kagome by name and calls her "baka" when she climbs down the cliff to get Tessaiga.

Next time we will see IY give into despair yet Tessaiga is saving his mind so that he will not kill Rin or his brother. Kagome continually nags Sesshoumaru not to use Bakusaiga to kill his brother.

At the end Kagome's blood will turn IY back and IY and Sess manage to get rid of Magatsuhi.

Sango has to see how Miroku's father died while Miroku's decides to be noble and die alone. What an idiot.

I thought they were going to skip the graduation, but I guess after 12 years of being in 9th grade she deserves a reward. The anime had a mistake.
Kagome graduated from junior HIgh (7-9) not middle school (6-8). They still did not explain any more than RT did how Kagome gets back without a Jewel shard or IY. Maybe the Jewel which wanted her soul let her through.

SK miss the point that RT was trying to make with the demon IY.

I *really* hope that wasn't directed at me...this is why I don't self-identify as a SessKag fan. Since 95% of them are complete morons, people treat us all like that :P

Besides, none of them that I can see even picked up on the subtext here. Which is a shame, if they want their ship to have a shred of credibility or any semblance to the reality of the canon world...

They still did not explain any more than RT did how Kagome gets back without a Jewel shard or IY.

I think its just a given at this point that the well is magical when it comes to those two. I half expect if any of the others jump down it, they'll be transported as well. *shrug* It's a beloved plot hole, what can I say?

IMHO, it's not the jewel that controls Kagome's comings and goings through the well, anyway, but the well itself allowing these things...Otherwise, why should Inu be able to go through anyway, and why couldn't Inu go through after the jewel is destroyed, when he didn't need it in the first place?

Well, and considering there at the end Kagome was able to reopen it with her own feelings, it certainly stands to reason that the well had some control over who it let pass. I remember the debates there at the end of the manga about what it all meant, her being able to go back after so many years. Good stuff.

No, I would not put you anywhere near those morons...

Thanks for the vote of confidence :P

IMHO, it's not the jewel that controls Kagome's comings and goings through the well, anyway, but the well itself allowing these things...

I think you're right, here. I've gone through the series looking to see if the jewel had anything to do with the well. Really, the only time it has a direct impact on Kagome's ability to go through the well is: A) the first time she goes through and B) when Inuyasha shoves a well down the tree, blocking it. It's also stated once or twice by the characters that only Inuyasha and Kagome can go through the well, if I remember correctly.

IMO, the time travel is just part of the well's magic. The Shikon no Tama was just a catalyst. :)

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Ah, okay. I pretty much ignore anime canon and have never watched it, so it's nice to know that it's not entirely fanon.

Now that you mention it - you're right. It was her determination. She only saw the light of the jewel after regaining her resolve, and when she reached out and grabbed it, she ended up back in the the feudal era.

I may be a bit of a minority opinion here, but what the hey....

You're not the only one.

I've been a bit weirded out by how many people believe it when the manga has never supported the idea of Kagome requiring shards or Inuyasha to cross the well - and in fact, supports the complete opposite, since the manga is dotted from start to finish with examples of Kagome not needing shards or Inuyasha.

I know one anime episode does make the claim that Kagome needs shards, but the manga chapters it's based on never make that claim, so perhaps it's that episode that started it all. That's just my theory, I've not been involved with the fandom long enough to know how it started. But considering it's a fanon belief and an anime "filler comment" (is the best way I can describe it), I don't personally think RT needs to explain it, since she didn't come up with it.

I think the final chapter is the best explanation we'll ever get - and since it does back up what happened in the only other moment when the well shut down (well, manga events anyway, since the anime changed the events slightly), I can go along with it.

Even controlled Inu cannot kill Kagome...and I think if he had been expecting to be attacked the way he was, it would have never fully happened, or he would not have gone down so deep, but he got caught off-guard, or at least I like to think so.

Just watched it. Utterly 'blah' for me too. I'm looking forward to the Sess/Kag moment though.

Maybe we'll get a bit more Mir/San coverage in the last episode, including some wedding stuff. I know that the Japanese are all supposed to be all proper about any showings of actual affection or whatever, but I want some major fanservice in the last episode that we were denied in the manga - for both Mir/San and Inu/Kag. Yes, I know I've said that before. It just bears repeating. :P

I want some major fanservice in the last episode that we were denied in the manga - for both Mir/San and Inu/Kag.

You're preaching to the choir here - I'm going to be seriously disappointed if we don't get a kiss in the final episode. RT was such a tease about it in the manga that for once, I wouldn't mind them going a bit off script :P

LOL you've pretty much summed up this episode for me. It was structured pretty poorly, and shoehorning in the old anime scenes just make the animation seem really inconsistent.

That said, some of the added bits to Kagome's graduation were pretty entertaining. Hojo was all sorts of adorable. I feel kinda bad for the kid. I hope Kagome didn't lead him on too much during their high school years! If he hasn't given up by now, I doubt separate schools are gonna stop him. =P However, I'm still kinda wondering what the thing was with writing 'hito' on Kagome's palm and then swallowing it.

Other than that? The rest was okay, and pretty predictable if you've read the manga. Naraku's body must have some hydra in it though - whatever you do, don't chop off the heads.

I kinda doubt they're going to expand on the shipping too much, at least as far as the Mir/San goes. Seeing their wedding included would be fangirl material indeed, but I think they'll want to focus the majority of the last episode on Inuyasha and Kagome's separation. They've got the best shot at anime-only fluff.

some of the added bits to Kagome's graduation were pretty entertaining. Hojo was all sorts of adorable.

<3 I know!! I'm glad someone else finds him precious besides me, LOL. I don't think Kagome lead him on, really; he just has this sort of oblivious confidence that buoys his good nature. If she told him she had a boyfriend, I think he'd just brush it right off, no harm done. *shrug*

However, I'm still kinda wondering what the thing was with writing 'hito' on Kagome's palm and then swallowing it.

LOL, no clue.

I kinda doubt they're going to expand on the shipping too much

*shrug* Probably not, but we can always hope!

I actually enjoyed this episode. I felt they handled the atmosphere well, it was true to the manga (including the flashbacks). I notice they did leave out one of the foreshadowing comments though, which is a shame, because it adds something to Naraku and the battle.

The marriage discussion moment was nicely done - the anime put subtle changes to Sango's expression and gave the moment more emotion than it had in the manga (although I'm not one of those who thinks it was badly done in the manga).

Animation was a bit odd in places. In the last couple of episodes, they've suddenly decided to animate the flying Sesshoumaru with both legs trailing behind him, instead of one knee bent forward as is normally the case. I now understand why RT draws her flying characters with one knee bent forward (Rinne flies that way, too) - it looks too odd to have both legs trailing behind.

The one bit I've always liked in the manga, which I'm glad came through in this episode, was Byakuya's thoughts on the correct tactical approach to handling Naraku. Naraku could be easily destroyed by Bakusaiga from outside the body. Naraku knows it, Byakuya knows it, Sesshoumaru knows it. Inuyasha's group probably knows it too, but it's not said. Yet they can't do it because it would kill Rin in the process. Byakuya comments that it would be better to sacrifice the girl for victory rather than playing into Naraku's hands like this.

It's a nice reminder on how far both brothers have come from the beginning of the manga. Byakuya was only saying something Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru, in their original attitudes, would have themselves uttered. At the beginning of the manga, Inuyasha was willing to kill Kagome over the jewel shard and sacrifice a drowning boy to catch the corpse-crow that had stolen the jewel. Also, there was a time when Jaken observed that Sesshoumaru didn't care if he killed both friend and foe alike when in battle. Now both brothers don't hesitate to take the hard route through battle if it means saving the life of a companion.

If only for that, I appreciate the episode.

That said, I mentioned I found some parts of the animation off-putting. One of those moments was after Inuyasha's transformation (which I found a little rushed, I also found Kappei's growling to be very off-putting, he sounded like a young puppy that had just discovered the game of tug for the very first time - not a good sound). I don't mind the fact he walked after Kagome, considering the fact that his uncontrolled transformation takes pleasure in the kill, so we could use the excuse that he's just prolonging the pleasure. However, when he was walking along shoulders first, he looked like an elephant wading through half-dried cement. It didn't look right at all.

I think the spider looked better animated than it did in the manga, but there's not really much you can do with the form Naraku took - as Sesshoumaru said, it's just a spider after all.

Over all, I think the episodes have been getting better since the Bakusaiga arc - although that's a low base to come from. It's not the best episode in the series, but it's definitely better than a lot of the recent episodes.

Well you always state things more elegantly than I ever could, so allow me to bow in your general direction... :P

I'm not a Kappei fangirl at all, sorry to say; I've gotten used to reading the subtitles instead of listening to the characters, so I manage to tune him (and the others, to some extent) out. I do like Byakuya's seiyuu, though - it's really a perfect fit to his character, with that sort of wry wit and tactical observation.

I have to agree. I don't understand the fuss over Kappei. It took a long time for me to get used to his voice, and even now, I can "tolerate" him - but I don't love his voice, and it's not Inuyasha's voice to me. Kagome's voice actor has impressed me this arc. I found her voice appalling in the original anime, but it's much better now. By that, I mean, I have reached "tolerance" of her voice. I'm not really a fan of it.

Being partially deaf, I use subtitles anyway, so I don't drown out voices - too used to multitasking between words and what's happening on screen. It's a downside for things like this because it's made it difficult to enjoy the Japanese version due to my struggle to like the voices of the two lead actors.

Byakuya's voice isn't too bad at all. I had to get used to it, but now I am, it feels right. I like it.

I'm *gasp* a fan of the dub, and I think the English voice actor fits Inuyasha's personality and attitude better than his Japanese one.

*iz shot*

However, I do prefer Kagome's seiyuu to her English voice - the English track grates on my nerves. Ugh.

And of course I <3 David Kaye. That man is amazing and I will be incredibly disappointed if he doesn't return for an English dub of the new anime.

This is about the only series I can say this for, though. Other animes I've watched, I've vastly preferred the original voices to the English tracks. It doesn't help that the English voiceover community seems vastly smaller than the Japanese one, and there are some very annoying "lead" actors who are all over the place o.O

I agree. I tend to prefer the Japanese voice cast, so I was very (pleasantly) surprised to find I enjoyed the English voice cast. I know I'm in the minority for liking Kagome's English voice, but I have no problems at all with Inuyasha's English voice. Of course, David Kaye makes everyone else look like amateurs, but that's David Kaye for you. Then again, I do like Narita Ken's voice as well. I think Sesshoumaru's voice works very well in both languages. I'm hoping Paul Dobson returns as well, as I found the English voices for both Naraku and Myouga to be better than their Japanese counterparts (not that I dislike Naraku and Myouga's voices in the Japanese version, I just prefer the English ones).

Jaken I disliked in both languages - but somehow I get the feeling he was *supposed* to sound annoying, so I don't mind so much.

I've been watching 'Bleach' anime recently. One try at the English dub and I *never* went back. I'm glad 'Inu Yasha' had a far superior English voice cast. I hope they can get the cast back for a dub of the Final Act (if it's dubbed, of course).

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Inuyasha: The Final Act | 21 - Inside Naraku

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