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犬夜叉 [Inuyasha] #4
InuYasha, Vol. 4: Lost and Alone
In this adventure, Kagome returns to present-day Japan, only to find herself in the middle of an eerie ghost story. Can she save the lost soul of a little girl?
184 pages, Paperback
First published December 10, 1997
About the author
Rumiko Takahashi
1,669 books2,017 followersRumiko Takahashi (高橋留美子) was born in Niigata, Japan. She is not only one of the richest women in Japan but also one of the top paid manga artists. She is also the most successful female comic artist in history. She has been writing manga non-stop for 31 years.
Rumiko Takahashi is one of the wealthiest women in Japan. The manga she creates (and its anime adaptations) are very popular in the United States and Europe where they have been released as both manga and anime in English translation. Her works are relatively famous worldwide, and many of her series were some of the forerunners of early English language manga to be released in the nineties. Takahashi is also the best selling female comics artist in history; well over 100 million copies of her various works have been sold.
Though she was said to occasionally doodle in the margins of her papers while attending Niigata Chūō High School, Takahashi's interest in manga did not come until later. During her college years, she enrolled in Gekiga Sonjuku, a manga school founded by Kazuo Koike, mangaka of Crying Freeman and Lone Wolf and Cub. Under his guidance Rumiko Takahashi began to publish her first doujinshi creations in 1975, such as Bye-Bye Road and Star of Futile Dust. Kozue Koike often urged his students to create well-thought out, interesting characters, and this influence would greatly impact Rumiko Takahashi's works throughout her career.
Career and major works:
Takahashi's professional career began in 1978. Her first published story was Those Selfish Aliens, a comedic science fiction story. During the same year, she published Time Warp Trouble, Shake Your Buddha, and the Golden Gods of Poverty in Shōnen Sunday, which would remain the home to most of her major works for the next twenty years. Later that year, Rumiko attempted her first full-length series, Urusei Yatsura. Though it had a rocky start due to publishing difficulties, Urusei Yatsura would become one of the most beloved anime and manga comedies in Japan.
In 1980, Rumiko Takahashi found her niche and began to publish with regularity. At this time she started her second major series, Maison Ikkoku, in Big Comic Spirits. Written for an older audience, Maison Ikkoku is often considered to be one of the all-time best romance manga. Takahashi managed to work on Maison Ikkoku on and off simultaneously with Urusei Yatsura. She concluded both series in 1987, with Urusei Yatsura ending at 34 volumes, and Maison Ikkoku being 15.
During the 1980s, Takahashi became a prolific writer of short story manga, which is surprising considering the massive lengths of most of her works. Her stories The Laughing Target, Maris the Chojo, and Fire Tripper all were adapted into original video animations (OVAs). In 1984, after the end of Urusei Yatsura and Maison Ikkoku, Takahashi took a different approach to storytelling and began the dark, macabre Mermaid Saga. This series of short segments was published sporadically until 1994, with the final story being Mermaid's Mask. Many fans contend that this work remains unfinished by Takahashi, since the final story does not end on a conclusive note.
Another short work left untouched is One-Pound Gospel, which, like Mermaid Saga, was published erratically. The last story to be drawn was published in 2001, however just recently she wrote one final chapter concluding the series
Later in 1987, Takahashi began her third major series, Ranma ½. Following the late 80s and early 90s trend of shōnen martial arts manga, Ranma ½ features a gender-bending twist. The series continued for nearly a decade until 1996, when it ended at 38 volumes. Ranma ½ is one of Rumiko Takahashi's most popular series with the Western world.
During the later half of the 1990s, Rumiko Takahashi continued with short stories and her installments of Mermaid Saga and One-Pound Gospel until beginning her fourth major work, InuYasha. While Ran
Rumiko Takahashi is one of the wealthiest women in Japan. The manga she creates (and its anime adaptations) are very popular in the United States and Europe where they have been released as both manga and anime in English translation. Her works are relatively famous worldwide, and many of her series were some of the forerunners of early English language manga to be released in the nineties. Takahashi is also the best selling female comics artist in history; well over 100 million copies of her various works have been sold.
Though she was said to occasionally doodle in the margins of her papers while attending Niigata Chūō High School, Takahashi's interest in manga did not come until later. During her college years, she enrolled in Gekiga Sonjuku, a manga school founded by Kazuo Koike, mangaka of Crying Freeman and Lone Wolf and Cub. Under his guidance Rumiko Takahashi began to publish her first doujinshi creations in 1975, such as Bye-Bye Road and Star of Futile Dust. Kozue Koike often urged his students to create well-thought out, interesting characters, and this influence would greatly impact Rumiko Takahashi's works throughout her career.
Career and major works:
Takahashi's professional career began in 1978. Her first published story was Those Selfish Aliens, a comedic science fiction story. During the same year, she published Time Warp Trouble, Shake Your Buddha, and the Golden Gods of Poverty in Shōnen Sunday, which would remain the home to most of her major works for the next twenty years. Later that year, Rumiko attempted her first full-length series, Urusei Yatsura. Though it had a rocky start due to publishing difficulties, Urusei Yatsura would become one of the most beloved anime and manga comedies in Japan.
In 1980, Rumiko Takahashi found her niche and began to publish with regularity. At this time she started her second major series, Maison Ikkoku, in Big Comic Spirits. Written for an older audience, Maison Ikkoku is often considered to be one of the all-time best romance manga. Takahashi managed to work on Maison Ikkoku on and off simultaneously with Urusei Yatsura. She concluded both series in 1987, with Urusei Yatsura ending at 34 volumes, and Maison Ikkoku being 15.
During the 1980s, Takahashi became a prolific writer of short story manga, which is surprising considering the massive lengths of most of her works. Her stories The Laughing Target, Maris the Chojo, and Fire Tripper all were adapted into original video animations (OVAs). In 1984, after the end of Urusei Yatsura and Maison Ikkoku, Takahashi took a different approach to storytelling and began the dark, macabre Mermaid Saga. This series of short segments was published sporadically until 1994, with the final story being Mermaid's Mask. Many fans contend that this work remains unfinished by Takahashi, since the final story does not end on a conclusive note.
Another short work left untouched is One-Pound Gospel, which, like Mermaid Saga, was published erratically. The last story to be drawn was published in 2001, however just recently she wrote one final chapter concluding the series
Later in 1987, Takahashi began her third major series, Ranma ½. Following the late 80s and early 90s trend of shōnen martial arts manga, Ranma ½ features a gender-bending twist. The series continued for nearly a decade until 1996, when it ended at 38 volumes. Ranma ½ is one of Rumiko Takahashi's most popular series with the Western world.
During the later half of the 1990s, Rumiko Takahashi continued with short stories and her installments of Mermaid Saga and One-Pound Gospel until beginning her fourth major work, InuYasha. While Ran
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 114 reviews
November 3, 2015
This begins with the second half of the story of the vengeful fox-spirit-boy that began in volume 3, so don't skip that one!
The depictions of the demon brothers in this installment was interesting to me because it used visual motifs that I recognize from traditional illustrated stories from China (perhaps the cultural borrowing in one direction or the other) that I had as a child: the flaming wheels near the demon's feet that enable flying were especially intriguing to younger me.
The 2nd story is a change of pace, supernatural but occurring strictly in Kagome's (our) normal world.
The depictions of the demon brothers in this installment was interesting to me because it used visual motifs that I recognize from traditional illustrated stories from China (perhaps the cultural borrowing in one direction or the other) that I had as a child: the flaming wheels near the demon's feet that enable flying were especially intriguing to younger me.
The 2nd story is a change of pace, supernatural but occurring strictly in Kagome's (our) normal world.
December 4, 2020
My poor heart wasn't ready for that last story and now I'm crying 😭❤
May 27, 2008
I'm reapeating, I know: but I don't care. I love InuYasha. It has everything a good book (or manga, in this case) should have. Action, adventure, romance, humor. Rumiko Takahasi draws her mangas extremley well, and that makes it even better in my opinion.
December 22, 2018
Una pelea entre Sesshōmaru e Inuyasha con la Tessaiga de por medio.
Al fin descubrimos quien estuvo detrás del engaño entre Kikyo e Inuyasha . Quien es este Naraku? No será la última vez que lo veamos.
Kikyo es una presencia maligna en este mundo.
La forma de reaccionar de Inuyasha al tratar de proteger a Kagome me sorprendió , quizás ni ellos se dan cuenta de sus acciones
Al fin descubrimos quien estuvo detrás del engaño entre Kikyo e Inuyasha . Quien es este Naraku? No será la última vez que lo veamos.
Kikyo es una presencia maligna en este mundo.
La forma de reaccionar de Inuyasha al tratar de proteger a Kagome me sorprendió , quizás ni ellos se dan cuenta de sus acciones
May 10, 2012
This volume has one of the most emotionally effective stories so far. Set in modern Japan, Kagome encounters the spirit of a little girl on the verge of becoming a demon. It's sad, but with a somewhat hopeful ending. Different from the normal InuYasha fare, but it does suit the world and the story.
June 2, 2022
GdL con Edicola & Libreria: le nostre passioni...
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
I Fratelli Raiju sono perfidi, la storia di Shippo è triste (mi commuove sempre la scena ma mai come la storia di Mayu, davvero angosciante e che mi ricorda sempre la trama di Dark Water (ho visto il film
https://movieplayer.it/film/dark-wate...).
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
I Fratelli Raiju sono perfidi, la storia di Shippo è triste (mi commuove sempre la scena ma mai come la storia di Mayu, davvero angosciante e che mi ricorda sempre la trama di Dark Water (ho visto il film
https://movieplayer.it/film/dark-wate...).
March 13, 2021
While the first half of this volume was really good, the second half was incredible. Such a sad, sweet story. I love Kagome as a heroine: brave, kind, and innovative, even if she’s a bit of a damsel in distress a lot of the time. I guess that’s what happens when you meddle in the affairs of demons.
Nice to have a bit of a break from the main plot and see some character development.
Also the demons/monsters continue to be absolutely terrifying.
Nice to have a bit of a break from the main plot and see some character development.
Also the demons/monsters continue to be absolutely terrifying.
June 1, 2022
This one, story 7, always manages to make me cry
May 8, 2024
3.5 rounded up. We're finally getting a progression in Kagome and InuYasha's relationship! And the stories told in this book were actually pretty poignant in places.
August 4, 2022
I really liked the ghost story. The manten henten benten whatever saga was YAWN but the ghost story totally redeemed it. It was a lot of fun and had a lot of heart.
I've been reading this series so slowly but I'm still keen to continue because I know better characters are in the near future! Keen!
Please consider this the best review I can give at this time. Reviewing manga and comics is exhausting, yo.
I've been reading this series so slowly but I'm still keen to continue because I know better characters are in the near future! Keen!
Please consider this the best review I can give at this time. Reviewing manga and comics is exhausting, yo.
July 8, 2022
3 stars for the first part, but 4 stars for the second part, it was so sad :(
May 4, 2024
LISTEN this volume had no right to be this sad.
I am def reading these in the wrong counting order but get over it. I’m doing it by tens. Viz doesn’t tell you when a volume ends so.
Also who was going to tell me about the spiders? Not Olivia apparently! I had a bad day today with a spider who was terrorizing my car (I’m normally not scared of them unless they get in my space) and then I’m reading this and boom there’s 100s of spiders that look like the one that was on my car!!!
I am def reading these in the wrong counting order but get over it. I’m doing it by tens. Viz doesn’t tell you when a volume ends so.
Also who was going to tell me about the spiders? Not Olivia apparently! I had a bad day today with a spider who was terrorizing my car (I’m normally not scared of them unless they get in my space) and then I’m reading this and boom there’s 100s of spiders that look like the one that was on my car!!!
Read
August 17, 2023I forgot that I was reading this. Frankly, I am not particularly fond of how episodic this feels. Every few chapters we have different antagonists that become hard to even remember. I am enjoying though our main cast of characters. Inuyasha's and Kagome's interactions are the best, just when I don't enjoy relationships that can lead to a romance at all. Also the artstyle is so beautiful.
February 3, 2020
As usually Takahashi gave us great work. Review for later....
January 17, 2022
This was only going to get 4 stars because I didn’t like the Thunder Brothers story I’m this volume but it got bumped to 5 because it did the ghost kid story better than the manga.
December 9, 2019
This volume is separated by 2 parts. First part has mostly accounted for battle part. Those battle scenes are written in foreground by different perspectives. Eye level View is the most, because it is good for expressing realistic sensation. Worm’s Eye View and Bird’s Eye View are also frequent, because the author wants us to see the battle from our overview perspective. Moreover, many speed lines are in background.
Second part focuses on Kagome who is heroine of this story. From this chapter, she starts to move as a heroine like self-sacrificial and humane behavior. I thought that this is revelation for Kagome in whole story.
Second part focuses on Kagome who is heroine of this story. From this chapter, she starts to move as a heroine like self-sacrificial and humane behavior. I thought that this is revelation for Kagome in whole story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 26, 2016
Este volumen es, hasta el momento, el más interesante de la saga. Dejando un poco de lado las monótonas batallas con demonios feudales (episodio que se repite con mucha más frecuencia en las entregas anteriores), empiezan a aflorar los sentimientos de cada uno de los personajes. Por otro lado, el mundo actual de la obra se entrecruza con los tiempos feudales, dándole mayor dinamismo a la historia.
Quisiera destacar dos momentos; el primero, la historia de Mayu: una niña que muere en un incendio y está a punto de convertirse en un espíritu maligno -dado el odio que siente por no haber sido rescatada de las feroces llamas- y el segundo, la humanización de Inuyasha ante la luna llena, que trae como consecuencia la pérdida temporal de sus poderes demoníacos y la coloración de su cabello en un negro azabache. Es un gran momento, pues empieza a reflejarse la determinación y el deseo que este siente por salvar a Kagome.
Quisiera destacar dos momentos; el primero, la historia de Mayu: una niña que muere en un incendio y está a punto de convertirse en un espíritu maligno -dado el odio que siente por no haber sido rescatada de las feroces llamas- y el segundo, la humanización de Inuyasha ante la luna llena, que trae como consecuencia la pérdida temporal de sus poderes demoníacos y la coloración de su cabello en un negro azabache. Es un gran momento, pues empieza a reflejarse la determinación y el deseo que este siente por salvar a Kagome.
January 13, 2022
We finish Shippo’s revenge plot. It was interesting. Also a modern story about a little girl who died in a fire (I actually thought that was anime filler but I guess not). That story hits a lot harder now that I’m older and have my own kids (an older girl and younger boy, actually). Inuyasha’s timing always seems to be perfect - does he follow Kagome around and wait until the perfect moment to interrupt and seem the coolest?
January 31, 2017
*This review is for the series as a whole with 4.5 out of 5 stars*
This series is absolutely the longest series I’ve ever read so far, with a total of 56 volumes containing 559 chapters. Yeah right? I grew up watching anime and when I stumbled to this one, I instantly got hook. I’m so in love with this anime that I have the complete anime series in my possession. Yep! It occupy mostly the memory of my external drive haha sucker I know. And it’s just now that I finally had the courage to read its manga. I started reading this last December but had a 1 week off because of the Holiday until finally I finished it!
This story is about this modern Japanese girl, Kagome, that was pulled from her own time and went to feudal Japan. It is where she met the half yokai (supernatural monster in Japanese folklore) or also called Hanyou, Inuyasha. Two opposite personalities that were forced to travel together because of the Shikon Jewel or the Jewel of Four Souls.
Kagome (female lead) is so much fun and a wonderful heroine. If she’s a real person, she could be my hero. And Inuyasha on the other hand is such an awesome badass that thinking about him hurts. And as a couple, they sure are mind blowing. After writing this review, I’ll definitely re-watch the anime hehe.
Speaking of which, Inuyasha is a bad boy. But he’s the awesome kind of bad boy with humor and with a touch of dumbness at the same time. When he first met Kagome, I swear he could really be a great pain in the ass and is a straight-up a-hole. And as the story progresses, he became this kind of awesome person without losing his bad boy image ofcourse. And when it comes to Kagome, he sure is kind of protective and I love their usual bantering. It could get annoying sometimes but mostly entertaining lol, especially when Kagome really gets angry at him.
His character is so realistic too. Behind the bad boy image is the guy who lost his first love and when she returned, he’s torn between her and Kagome. Which to be honest, made me kind of mad at him. Well, I’m 100% with Kagome and I totally hate Kikyou. But after reading the manga, I still don’t like her, but she is kind of likeable now especially when she saved Kohaku. And also Inuyasha’s inner battle with his demon blood and his human heart, and you know what’s awesome about it? It’s because it’s only Kagome who can make him back to his senses, isn’t that just sweet?
(I was a bit teary-eyed when the Spider youkai were after them and he got bitten while he’s in his human form. And speaking of human form, he sure still rock it even with black hair minus the cute doggy ears. Then he lay on Kagome’s lap and told her that he love her scent even if he told her otherwise before. They’re in the middle of a dangerous situation but because of that, it became kind of romantic and unforgettable scene for me.)
Kagome on the other hand is a typical female lead. She started as a helpless girl until they found out about her being the reincarnation of Kikyou which was Inuyasha’s first love and the strongest Miko in the feudal Japan. I love how she became badass as the story progresses. Kikyou may be the first woman Inuyasha loved, but it is Kagome who really changed Inuyasha as a person. Plus, did I tell you how many times she saved Kikyou? Also, even how many times she got hurt because she’s Inuyasha’s first love, her heart remains pure.
I have to be honest, there’s some point in this series that totally got my nerve and made me flipped. That’s mostly about Inuyasha being torn between Kikyou and Kagome and how many times he chose Kikyou over Kagome. I mean, that’ quite of cruel really. But even that’s the case, I learn to outgrow it simply because he still travels with her, plus, once in a while they have their own moments. And speaking of moment, I need to step ahead and point out the lack of kissing scenes between them. In anime there’s quite a lot, but in manga, almost none. Yeah right?
As they travel, their group of two grows into a group of 6 where they met the kitsune Shippou, the monk Miroku, cool Sango and her cute Kirara.
Shippou is a cute Kitsune (fox) yokai that specializes in making pranks which he mostly use to Inuyasha lol. At first, they both hate each other and argues which is kind of funny lol. But as they both travels together, their relationship improved. He is really adorable and so attached to Kagome.
Miroku – A playboy and pervert who loves caressing women’s butt. But his proposal to Sango was pretty sweet.
Sango – a really tough cookie. I love her character and the fact that she can man handle guys. And her relationship with Miroku was so kawaii.
(Quite cliche eh? Inuyasha and Kagome fell in love with each other and Miroku, Sango with each other too. Well, IDC haha. I just love their group.)
Kirara – is a cute yokai that transforms into a ferocious beast during battles. Plus, he flies!
With a very long series, a long list of character isn’t a surprise at all. But what’s really hard with manga or anime is to get familiarize with the character’s names. But as for my favorites or the ones that totally got my attention here’s my list. (I’m being mean today, so I’m not going to add Kikyou in my list, blee)
1. Number one in my list is Sesshoumaru. I never thought I’d say this, but I’m one of those really annoying fangirls who love him. Deym! When I first saw him in the anime, I’ve got to say that there’s something dangerous about him. Inuyasha has this bad boy image, but Sesshoumaru is on the highest level. I really hate him at first. Unlike Inuyasha, he really is living the bad boy life. He’s rude, full of pride and all things bad. I specifically hated how he keeps on stealing their Father’s memento, Tessaiga, that is originally given to I But everything changed when he met Rin, and then we got to find out about Tenseiga and everything about it. Then, it just happens, I love Sesshoumaru. And then I came to the part about Meidou Zangetsuha, I feel so sorry for him. Huhu, and then after that my admiration for him intensified. He made me feel so many emotions, I almost cried because of him. It will take too much writing if I’ll enumerate the things that made me love Sesshoumaru so I’ll just let these images speaks for itself.
2. Well, obviously, it’s Rin. I love her character simply because she’s the reason why Sesshoumaru became compassionate, which is also the reason how he was now able to use his healing sword T And I love her teasing with Jaken. I love how the boring team of two grows and became lively because of her.Honestly, at first, I’m one of those fans that ships Rin to Sesshoumaru. But after I read the manga, I realized how absurd that is. I don’t know, but I think Jaken is right. Sesshoumaru is like a father to Rin in a strange way, and he sure is a great one.
3. Kagome’s family, her mother, younger brother Shouta, grandpa including their cat Buyo. I thought it’s going to be a big shocker when they met Inuyasha, but end up petting him like a pet dog lol. They’re all touching Inuyasha’s ears haha. Well, that couldn’t be help lol especially if he has that adorable doggy ears.
4. Kouga – The moment he was introduced in this series, I can’t stop laughing. He’s the third party between Inuyasha and Kagome and I can’t really stop laughing whenever I remember the scene where he boldly said that he loves Kagome and he’s determine to make her his woman. Well, after what Kagome went through because of Kikyou, I can’t help but send Inuyasha a dirty sign. Blee!
5. Miyouga – The coward flea. He’s some sort of the guy who knows it all, well, not totally all but mostly about Inuyasha and his father. I wish this series was able to show something about the past especially about Inuyasha’s father and mother. Well, it did actually in the anime.
6. Totosai – The swordsmith who forged Tessaiga and Tenseiga due to Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru’s father’s request. I would have love it more if they included a back story of him too.
7. Kaede – Kikyou’s younger sister. A strong lady who would probably live another 50 years the way she’s going.
8. Kohaku – The younger brother of Sango. For a young age, he’s been through a lot. But I’m happy how he was able to regain or fight for his humanity after what Naraku did to him.
9. Jaken – Originally, I didn’t have the intention of adding him in this list but looking back, I have to say that he made my whole reading experience so enjoyable too. He’s Sesshoumaru’s companion. He’s arrogant and even pitiful sometimes especially when he receives death glare or punches from Sesshoumaru when he’s pissed but he is mostly funny especially when Rin joined the group.
10. Naraku – For the ultimate cunning supervilain, I guess he quite deserve to be in this list lol. He’s a hanyou like Inuyasha. He’s the reason why Kikyou died 50 years ago and is the reason why Kikyou and Inuyasha had a rough past.
When I think about it, this is obviously a typical adventure anime/manga. For an adventure stories, the idea of different set of individuals forming a group while traveling is quite cliche too, let alone falling in love with each other! But what sets this story different from others is on the adventures each characters went through. When I though it’s the end and the ideas are already sucked out dry from the author, we then introduced to a new unexpected scene. I’ve been watching anime and they all gave me the same reaction. And what is that? It’s astonishment. We might already encountered the story’s plot before, but the twists and turns, the scenes, the lines are so unique. I can’t count how many times I said out loud “I didn’t expected that!” while reading this series.
All we’re covered too. I love that each characters has their own background covered, so we all got the chance to really know more about them and where they come from. I love that each characters have the chance to stand out and we’ve got to see how they matured with each chapters. As the title goes, without watching the anime, I really thought this series would only revolves around Inuyasha, well, it kind of does since each characters have a connection with Inuyasha. But what I like to say is that the author didn’t made a selfish decision to just make Inuyasha the hero all the time. We’ve got the chance to see the weaker side of him, the annoying one, the part where others from the group became the hero and saved him, and ofcourse the funny and dense Inuyasha which is my favorite.
As I said, this series has a total of 559 chapters so it will absolutely take us a lot of time if I talk about the adventures the group encountered one by one. So to make it short, I’ll just “kind of share” my favorite chapters from this series. Before I decided to read this manga, I have a lot of favorite scenes from the anime, mostly? Well, all of them we’re from Kagome and Inuyasha. But after reading the manga, I have to say that my favorite scenes were from Sesshoumaru (Inuyasha’s youkai brother). The first one was when he met Rin (human girl) and resurrected her. I really love how little by little he changed from this full mean badboy image to a compassionate one. He’s still a badboy but when he’s with Rin, dayum, I just can’t help but squeal in delight. And another favorite scene was when he went inside the meidou (a place where the living are not suppose to go) to save Rin. It’s also the most touching scene ever because of how he discarded his sword tenseiga (his father’s memento) because it can’t save Rin. Like dang! (just zoom the image to read the lines)
For my rating, I’m detracting a half star. It really is painful but I guess I really need to. It’s because even with the 559 chapters, it failed to tell us an introduction of what really is a yokai or hanyou or everything about those so-called monster. I mean, it’s been 50 years after that the story resumed but Sesshoumaru look as fabulous as ever and so is Inuyasha. I mean, if Inuyasha and Kagome will live together as man and wife, Kagome will age and Inuyasha would still be looking the same? The slowness of the villains too is quite so-so but I understand that to make this series long. Also, about crossing time through the well, in its first few chapters, we’ve got to find out that it’s the Shikon Jewel that connects the two worlds, but I remembered after Naraku seized all the shards of the Jewel, Kagome was still able to go back to her world. That really is kinda confusing though. And lastly, the epilogue. Dang! Sango and Miroku had their three little angels, how come Inuyasha and Kagome didn’t have atleast 1 son or daughter?! Oh well, I guess you can’t really have all.
You might be wondering which one of the two I love, manga or anime, I have to say that I love both. All the scenes from manga can be seen in anime, but what’s great with anime is that there’s some new scenes added to it. So if you’re planning to read the manga, I would highly recommend watching the anime too.
I would highly recommend this series, if you’re down for a good solid adventure and a kickass heroine with a sexy demon badboy. It’s often hilariously funny and the drawing is so lovely. It’s just simply awesome.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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This series is absolutely the longest series I’ve ever read so far, with a total of 56 volumes containing 559 chapters. Yeah right? I grew up watching anime and when I stumbled to this one, I instantly got hook. I’m so in love with this anime that I have the complete anime series in my possession. Yep! It occupy mostly the memory of my external drive haha sucker I know. And it’s just now that I finally had the courage to read its manga. I started reading this last December but had a 1 week off because of the Holiday until finally I finished it!
This story is about this modern Japanese girl, Kagome, that was pulled from her own time and went to feudal Japan. It is where she met the half yokai (supernatural monster in Japanese folklore) or also called Hanyou, Inuyasha. Two opposite personalities that were forced to travel together because of the Shikon Jewel or the Jewel of Four Souls.
Kagome (female lead) is so much fun and a wonderful heroine. If she’s a real person, she could be my hero. And Inuyasha on the other hand is such an awesome badass that thinking about him hurts. And as a couple, they sure are mind blowing. After writing this review, I’ll definitely re-watch the anime hehe.
Speaking of which, Inuyasha is a bad boy. But he’s the awesome kind of bad boy with humor and with a touch of dumbness at the same time. When he first met Kagome, I swear he could really be a great pain in the ass and is a straight-up a-hole. And as the story progresses, he became this kind of awesome person without losing his bad boy image ofcourse. And when it comes to Kagome, he sure is kind of protective and I love their usual bantering. It could get annoying sometimes but mostly entertaining lol, especially when Kagome really gets angry at him.
His character is so realistic too. Behind the bad boy image is the guy who lost his first love and when she returned, he’s torn between her and Kagome. Which to be honest, made me kind of mad at him. Well, I’m 100% with Kagome and I totally hate Kikyou. But after reading the manga, I still don’t like her, but she is kind of likeable now especially when she saved Kohaku. And also Inuyasha’s inner battle with his demon blood and his human heart, and you know what’s awesome about it? It’s because it’s only Kagome who can make him back to his senses, isn’t that just sweet?
(I was a bit teary-eyed when the Spider youkai were after them and he got bitten while he’s in his human form. And speaking of human form, he sure still rock it even with black hair minus the cute doggy ears. Then he lay on Kagome’s lap and told her that he love her scent even if he told her otherwise before. They’re in the middle of a dangerous situation but because of that, it became kind of romantic and unforgettable scene for me.)
Kagome on the other hand is a typical female lead. She started as a helpless girl until they found out about her being the reincarnation of Kikyou which was Inuyasha’s first love and the strongest Miko in the feudal Japan. I love how she became badass as the story progresses. Kikyou may be the first woman Inuyasha loved, but it is Kagome who really changed Inuyasha as a person. Plus, did I tell you how many times she saved Kikyou? Also, even how many times she got hurt because she’s Inuyasha’s first love, her heart remains pure.
I have to be honest, there’s some point in this series that totally got my nerve and made me flipped. That’s mostly about Inuyasha being torn between Kikyou and Kagome and how many times he chose Kikyou over Kagome. I mean, that’ quite of cruel really. But even that’s the case, I learn to outgrow it simply because he still travels with her, plus, once in a while they have their own moments. And speaking of moment, I need to step ahead and point out the lack of kissing scenes between them. In anime there’s quite a lot, but in manga, almost none. Yeah right?
As they travel, their group of two grows into a group of 6 where they met the kitsune Shippou, the monk Miroku, cool Sango and her cute Kirara.
Shippou is a cute Kitsune (fox) yokai that specializes in making pranks which he mostly use to Inuyasha lol. At first, they both hate each other and argues which is kind of funny lol. But as they both travels together, their relationship improved. He is really adorable and so attached to Kagome.
Miroku – A playboy and pervert who loves caressing women’s butt. But his proposal to Sango was pretty sweet.
Sango – a really tough cookie. I love her character and the fact that she can man handle guys. And her relationship with Miroku was so kawaii.
(Quite cliche eh? Inuyasha and Kagome fell in love with each other and Miroku, Sango with each other too. Well, IDC haha. I just love their group.)
Kirara – is a cute yokai that transforms into a ferocious beast during battles. Plus, he flies!
With a very long series, a long list of character isn’t a surprise at all. But what’s really hard with manga or anime is to get familiarize with the character’s names. But as for my favorites or the ones that totally got my attention here’s my list. (I’m being mean today, so I’m not going to add Kikyou in my list, blee)
1. Number one in my list is Sesshoumaru. I never thought I’d say this, but I’m one of those really annoying fangirls who love him. Deym! When I first saw him in the anime, I’ve got to say that there’s something dangerous about him. Inuyasha has this bad boy image, but Sesshoumaru is on the highest level. I really hate him at first. Unlike Inuyasha, he really is living the bad boy life. He’s rude, full of pride and all things bad. I specifically hated how he keeps on stealing their Father’s memento, Tessaiga, that is originally given to I But everything changed when he met Rin, and then we got to find out about Tenseiga and everything about it. Then, it just happens, I love Sesshoumaru. And then I came to the part about Meidou Zangetsuha, I feel so sorry for him. Huhu, and then after that my admiration for him intensified. He made me feel so many emotions, I almost cried because of him. It will take too much writing if I’ll enumerate the things that made me love Sesshoumaru so I’ll just let these images speaks for itself.
2. Well, obviously, it’s Rin. I love her character simply because she’s the reason why Sesshoumaru became compassionate, which is also the reason how he was now able to use his healing sword T And I love her teasing with Jaken. I love how the boring team of two grows and became lively because of her.Honestly, at first, I’m one of those fans that ships Rin to Sesshoumaru. But after I read the manga, I realized how absurd that is. I don’t know, but I think Jaken is right. Sesshoumaru is like a father to Rin in a strange way, and he sure is a great one.
3. Kagome’s family, her mother, younger brother Shouta, grandpa including their cat Buyo. I thought it’s going to be a big shocker when they met Inuyasha, but end up petting him like a pet dog lol. They’re all touching Inuyasha’s ears haha. Well, that couldn’t be help lol especially if he has that adorable doggy ears.
4. Kouga – The moment he was introduced in this series, I can’t stop laughing. He’s the third party between Inuyasha and Kagome and I can’t really stop laughing whenever I remember the scene where he boldly said that he loves Kagome and he’s determine to make her his woman. Well, after what Kagome went through because of Kikyou, I can’t help but send Inuyasha a dirty sign. Blee!
5. Miyouga – The coward flea. He’s some sort of the guy who knows it all, well, not totally all but mostly about Inuyasha and his father. I wish this series was able to show something about the past especially about Inuyasha’s father and mother. Well, it did actually in the anime.
6. Totosai – The swordsmith who forged Tessaiga and Tenseiga due to Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru’s father’s request. I would have love it more if they included a back story of him too.
7. Kaede – Kikyou’s younger sister. A strong lady who would probably live another 50 years the way she’s going.
8. Kohaku – The younger brother of Sango. For a young age, he’s been through a lot. But I’m happy how he was able to regain or fight for his humanity after what Naraku did to him.
9. Jaken – Originally, I didn’t have the intention of adding him in this list but looking back, I have to say that he made my whole reading experience so enjoyable too. He’s Sesshoumaru’s companion. He’s arrogant and even pitiful sometimes especially when he receives death glare or punches from Sesshoumaru when he’s pissed but he is mostly funny especially when Rin joined the group.
10. Naraku – For the ultimate cunning supervilain, I guess he quite deserve to be in this list lol. He’s a hanyou like Inuyasha. He’s the reason why Kikyou died 50 years ago and is the reason why Kikyou and Inuyasha had a rough past.
When I think about it, this is obviously a typical adventure anime/manga. For an adventure stories, the idea of different set of individuals forming a group while traveling is quite cliche too, let alone falling in love with each other! But what sets this story different from others is on the adventures each characters went through. When I though it’s the end and the ideas are already sucked out dry from the author, we then introduced to a new unexpected scene. I’ve been watching anime and they all gave me the same reaction. And what is that? It’s astonishment. We might already encountered the story’s plot before, but the twists and turns, the scenes, the lines are so unique. I can’t count how many times I said out loud “I didn’t expected that!” while reading this series.
All we’re covered too. I love that each characters has their own background covered, so we all got the chance to really know more about them and where they come from. I love that each characters have the chance to stand out and we’ve got to see how they matured with each chapters. As the title goes, without watching the anime, I really thought this series would only revolves around Inuyasha, well, it kind of does since each characters have a connection with Inuyasha. But what I like to say is that the author didn’t made a selfish decision to just make Inuyasha the hero all the time. We’ve got the chance to see the weaker side of him, the annoying one, the part where others from the group became the hero and saved him, and ofcourse the funny and dense Inuyasha which is my favorite.
As I said, this series has a total of 559 chapters so it will absolutely take us a lot of time if I talk about the adventures the group encountered one by one. So to make it short, I’ll just “kind of share” my favorite chapters from this series. Before I decided to read this manga, I have a lot of favorite scenes from the anime, mostly? Well, all of them we’re from Kagome and Inuyasha. But after reading the manga, I have to say that my favorite scenes were from Sesshoumaru (Inuyasha’s youkai brother). The first one was when he met Rin (human girl) and resurrected her. I really love how little by little he changed from this full mean badboy image to a compassionate one. He’s still a badboy but when he’s with Rin, dayum, I just can’t help but squeal in delight. And another favorite scene was when he went inside the meidou (a place where the living are not suppose to go) to save Rin. It’s also the most touching scene ever because of how he discarded his sword tenseiga (his father’s memento) because it can’t save Rin. Like dang! (just zoom the image to read the lines)
For my rating, I’m detracting a half star. It really is painful but I guess I really need to. It’s because even with the 559 chapters, it failed to tell us an introduction of what really is a yokai or hanyou or everything about those so-called monster. I mean, it’s been 50 years after that the story resumed but Sesshoumaru look as fabulous as ever and so is Inuyasha. I mean, if Inuyasha and Kagome will live together as man and wife, Kagome will age and Inuyasha would still be looking the same? The slowness of the villains too is quite so-so but I understand that to make this series long. Also, about crossing time through the well, in its first few chapters, we’ve got to find out that it’s the Shikon Jewel that connects the two worlds, but I remembered after Naraku seized all the shards of the Jewel, Kagome was still able to go back to her world. That really is kinda confusing though. And lastly, the epilogue. Dang! Sango and Miroku had their three little angels, how come Inuyasha and Kagome didn’t have atleast 1 son or daughter?! Oh well, I guess you can’t really have all.
You might be wondering which one of the two I love, manga or anime, I have to say that I love both. All the scenes from manga can be seen in anime, but what’s great with anime is that there’s some new scenes added to it. So if you’re planning to read the manga, I would highly recommend watching the anime too.
I would highly recommend this series, if you’re down for a good solid adventure and a kickass heroine with a sexy demon badboy. It’s often hilariously funny and the drawing is so lovely. It’s just simply awesome.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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February 7, 2021
Crazy Like A Fox!
This had all the action that you come to expect from the series, the witty dialogue and what I would consider one of the saddest stories.
This had all the action that you come to expect from the series, the witty dialogue and what I would consider one of the saddest stories.
October 21, 2024
3.75 ⭐️
As we are dropped into the continuation of the Thunder Brothers arc, we get another little episodic adventure for our pair, now joined by Shippo. I can get why those with more care for overarching plot might be getting bored or look less favorably on this volume–there is a "monster of the week" rinse and repeat aspect to the story so far. But I think within these episodes, Rumiko Takahashi is doing great work with gradual development.
With the Thunder Brothers, we get the introduction of Shippo + the exploration of physical skill development (Kagome becoming more proficient with a bow and Inuyasha learning more about how to use Tetsusaiga + the continued demonstration of Kagome and Inuyasha's growing care for each other/bond and skill working together (with the teasing of their mutual crushes, Inuyasha's dedication to protecting Kagome and how she distracts him from fights, and how Inuyasha denies his affection but clearly values Kagome over the jewel shards. After the last volume and Inuyasha's help with the Mask of Flesh, Kagome also seems to have moved from denial to more acceptance of Inuyasha's place in her life and her feelings for him while Inuyasha is more on the edge of the cliff of acceptance). We also learn more about demons, the good and the bad.
There may be some repetition, but it all functions as small steps forward. There are differences and the dynamic between Kagome and Inuyasha is delightful enough for similar beats to not feel tedious. And now there's Shippo! And he brings a whole new aspect to the dynamic, while adding cuteness and humor. His relationship with Kagome is quite sweet and his relationship with Inuyasha is very brotherly.
The second half of the volume covers the Tatarimokke (or Soul Piper) in I think one of the most lauded arcs of the story. And while it is a very well done arc–with nuance and depth, as well as being emotional and pretty devastating stating and dark–it comes off as a little disjointed when taken with the rest of the volume. It is a more isolated story with focus on the featured characters more than our main characters. Kagome and Inuyasha are still Kagome and Inuyasha, their characters are still being explored through the arc and they aren't extraneous (Kagome's heart and care for others especially is vital and very much on display), but it does some things I don't we really ever see again in the overall story (I could be wrong! I'm going off of the anime) and can be a little jarring tonally. It feels kind of like a very dark and emotional side quest, which is odd in itself for a side quest. I don't need the manga to always be humorous and actually welcome more seriousness and moments that make the reader and the characters reflect, I just wish it flowed better.
As we are dropped into the continuation of the Thunder Brothers arc, we get another little episodic adventure for our pair, now joined by Shippo. I can get why those with more care for overarching plot might be getting bored or look less favorably on this volume–there is a "monster of the week" rinse and repeat aspect to the story so far. But I think within these episodes, Rumiko Takahashi is doing great work with gradual development.
With the Thunder Brothers, we get the introduction of Shippo + the exploration of physical skill development (Kagome becoming more proficient with a bow and Inuyasha learning more about how to use Tetsusaiga + the continued demonstration of Kagome and Inuyasha's growing care for each other/bond and skill working together (with the teasing of their mutual crushes, Inuyasha's dedication to protecting Kagome and how she distracts him from fights, and how Inuyasha denies his affection but clearly values Kagome over the jewel shards. After the last volume and Inuyasha's help with the Mask of Flesh, Kagome also seems to have moved from denial to more acceptance of Inuyasha's place in her life and her feelings for him while Inuyasha is more on the edge of the cliff of acceptance). We also learn more about demons, the good and the bad.
There may be some repetition, but it all functions as small steps forward. There are differences and the dynamic between Kagome and Inuyasha is delightful enough for similar beats to not feel tedious. And now there's Shippo! And he brings a whole new aspect to the dynamic, while adding cuteness and humor. His relationship with Kagome is quite sweet and his relationship with Inuyasha is very brotherly.
The second half of the volume covers the Tatarimokke (or Soul Piper) in I think one of the most lauded arcs of the story. And while it is a very well done arc–with nuance and depth, as well as being emotional and pretty devastating stating and dark–it comes off as a little disjointed when taken with the rest of the volume. It is a more isolated story with focus on the featured characters more than our main characters. Kagome and Inuyasha are still Kagome and Inuyasha, their characters are still being explored through the arc and they aren't extraneous (Kagome's heart and care for others especially is vital and very much on display), but it does some things I don't we really ever see again in the overall story (I could be wrong! I'm going off of the anime) and can be a little jarring tonally. It feels kind of like a very dark and emotional side quest, which is odd in itself for a side quest. I don't need the manga to always be humorous and actually welcome more seriousness and moments that make the reader and the characters reflect, I just wish it flowed better.
April 10, 2023
La storia riparte da dove era arrivata: il nostro gruppo era stato appena arricchito dal nuovo arrivato, Shippo, il demone volpe che vuole vendicare il padre e per farlo si schiera al fianco di Inuyasha contro i due fratelli malefici.
Questi cattivi di turno sono più sanguinari del solito, vogliono uccidere e mangiarsi tutti e si arriva l’ennesimo scontro. Come sempre l’eccesso di splatter rende tutto molto indigesto, non pretendo che sia tutto rose e fiori ma possibile che tutti quelli che si incontrano per strada vogliono uccidere qualcuno e ci sono pagine e pagine di queste lotte? Che poi sono tutte uguali! La trama è troppo ripetitiva.
C’è sempre però l’umorismo che rende la storia divertente fino ad una demenziale comicità però sempre gradevole.
La seconda parte di questo numero, una volta sconfitti quei due, è totalmente off topic e di conseguenza il numero diventa tremendo. Metà e oltre è dedicata ad un combattimento poi si ha una storia che non c’entra niente con quella principale e ha una logica discutibile e risulta così solo un riempitivo.
Uno spirito non potenziato dai frammenti della sfera che i nostri eroi stanno cercando deve condurre un’anima o al nirvana o all’inferno e quest’anima crea dei danni nella realtà di Kagome. Ovviamente lei riuscirà a salvarla dall’inferno con un piccolo aiuto di Inuyasha che torna nella sua realtà.
È interessante quando Inuyasha arriva nel presente… ma mi fa riflettere sul fatto che questa storia di passato e presente divisi da un pozzo è geniale ma al tempo stesso crea scompiglio, sarebbe stato meglio una dimensione alternativa dall’aspetto medievale…
Inuyasha è sempre stratosferico, è bellissimo simpatico e attraente però la storia comincia ad essere decadente, non c’è mai niente di nuovo e arranca per andare avanti. Ormai è stata impostata nella ricerca dei frammenti e con ogni frammento c’è un mostro malefico che ve combattuto.
Il manga ha un’ottima base sviluppata però in modo infantile, una trama fatta al 90% da combattimenti non può che interessare un pubblico non troppo esigente.
Ho già ripetuto varie volte quanto è piccolo il font di scrittura e in questo numero è anche più piccolo: quando ci sono più vignette che mai nella pagina il carattere delle battute si rimpicciolisce ulteriormente. Tra poco servirà il microscopio! Tutto ciò è ridicolo ed è il motivo principale per cui ho letto pochi manga!
December 21, 2019
I am giving 3 out of 5 stars on this book because of the horror themes shown in this volume. I have read scanlations of this series almost a decade ago. But it is nothing when I read it in paperback format (I am glad my local library has this series). 😊📖
I love Takahashi's horror stories 😁; however, I am sad to say I can only see some of those horror stories in InuYasha only at the first few volumes 😞.
Afterwards, the direction of the story will be action-packed, drama, or comedy. They are not bad, but that is why I read a variety of manages. Also, in my opinion, the best horror series I have read from Takahashi-sensei (to the point of giving me goosebumps) is Mermaid Saga.
This volume is interesting even if the main antagonist has not arrived in the storyline yet! I can't wait! 😊 The pieces (of the Shikon Jewel) are slowly building the tension, and before we know it, our main cast will increase!
I love Takahashi's horror stories 😁; however, I am sad to say I can only see some of those horror stories in InuYasha only at the first few volumes 😞.
Afterwards, the direction of the story will be action-packed, drama, or comedy. They are not bad, but that is why I read a variety of manages. Also, in my opinion, the best horror series I have read from Takahashi-sensei (to the point of giving me goosebumps) is Mermaid Saga.
This volume is interesting even if the main antagonist has not arrived in the storyline yet! I can't wait! 😊 The pieces (of the Shikon Jewel) are slowly building the tension, and before we know it, our main cast will increase!
February 28, 2020
Cada vez me resulta más tedioso leer estos mangas. Leer a Inuyasha decir repetidas veces PENDEJA, TU VIEJO (refiriéndose a un padre), EPA, SI ME MANDO (refiriéndose a pasar por un lugar), entre otros, me saca totalmente de quicio!
A pesar de eso, la historia la disfruto mucho. Los dos “capítulos” que incluye este manga me gustaron.
Amo como se empieza a notar la relación entre Inuyasha y Kagome, y que él tenga tantos gestos “desinteresados” pero que en verdad demuestren cuánto él se preocupa por ella.
Y también aparece por primera vez Shippou!!
A pesar de eso, la historia la disfruto mucho. Los dos “capítulos” que incluye este manga me gustaron.
Amo como se empieza a notar la relación entre Inuyasha y Kagome, y que él tenga tantos gestos “desinteresados” pero que en verdad demuestren cuánto él se preocupa por ella.
Y también aparece por primera vez Shippou!!
September 6, 2018
In this volume, Shippo is added to the gang (I love him and his little attitude). There's also a modern-day story of a young ghost and the piper that leads children ghost. I love this story, the events and the aftermath have always been in my mind. I remember feeling the mother's crushing pain, of Mayu being angry of her sickly little brother. Simply one of my favorite InuYasha moments.
January 5, 2021
I really love the introduction of Shippo in the last volume, and this volume concludes that chapter. Shippo is one of my favorite characters, so it's always fun to read this section of the manga. Seeing Kagome return home is also a nice change of pace, as we see her trying to get comfortable in her own life, but we know that her life is never going to be the same.
September 20, 2023
I love how we get to meet shippo in this volume. I love how InuYasha tells himself he doesn't care about Kagome but the minute she is in danger he is their to help her. We get to see a really cool fight and we get to see some school life of Kagome.
I love the art in this book and I can't wait to read more of this series.
I love the art in this book and I can't wait to read more of this series.
October 25, 2018
The first story didn't interest me that much, although it wasn't bad either. That gyroscope thing was funny.
The second story about that dead girl was so horrible and tragic and it had some horror moments too. I liked it a lot.
The second story about that dead girl was so horrible and tragic and it had some horror moments too. I liked it a lot.
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