Heya, folks! I’m back with a new article on Inuyasha,
one of my favourite manga! It’s been sooo long since I read Inuyasha, and I was
hit by a sudden wave of nostalgia today… so here I go!
Inuyasha is written and illustrated by famous mangaka
Rumiko Takahashi. It ran for a grand total of 12 years, 1996-2008 [dear God, I
wasn’t even born when it began]. Takahashi’s other works, like Urusei
Yatsura and Ranma ½, are very popular worldwide, but in my
not-so-humble opinion, Inuyasha is her best and most enduring work. It was
pretty ground-breaking for its time as well, being one of the first isekai [a
genre of fantasy where the protagonist is transported into another world,
generally set in another historical timeline, and gains a whole new set of
powers] manga to gain mainstream popularity. Besides, although it was marketed
as a shounen manga, I’ve always thought that it had many shoujo traits
as well, especially in the strong and positive portrayal of the female
protagonist and narrator, Kagome Higurashi [this would explain the high per
cent of female readership].
So what’s Inuyasha about? It narrates the story of a
high school girl, Kagome Higurashi, who leads a pretty regular and peaceful
life until her 15th birthday, when she falls into an ancient well,
situated in her family shrine. The well, which is enchanted, transports her to
the Sengoku Jidai, Japan’s feudal era [it roughly lasted for almost 200 years].
Here, she realizes that she is being targeted by evil monsters called yokai [demon],
who covet the Shikon Jewel, which is sealed within her body and possesses
the power to grant anyone their heart’s desire. She inadvertently frees the
half-demon Inuyasha [which means “dog demon”], from an ancient seal binding him
to a tree, and reluctantly forms an alliance with him to protect the holy jewel
[she feels responsible for it, as she is the reincarnation of the previous
guardian of the Jewel, a priestess called Kikyo].
However, Kagome—who takes up archery lessons in order
to protect the jewel—accidentally breaks the jewel into millions of tiny
shards, scattering them all across the country. She and Inuyasha then set out
to collect all the pieces of the jewel before they fall into the wrong hands,
and are aided along the way by many new allies. That’s the basic premise [I
won’t give anything else away!].
So what makes Inuyasha so special? I think it’s a
fantastic blend of fantasy and mythology, as Takahashi artfully draws upon many
traditional elements of Japanese mythology, such as the depiction of many
different forms of yokai [dog, fox, bird, wolf etc.], and the
presentation of miko [priestesses] with supernatural powers. Inuyasha,
who is actually half-demon and half-human, can be interpreted as a metaphor for
racism, as he is constantly mistreated by demons, and heavily feared by humans.
He is characterized as a rather anti-heroic protagonist, and though he has many
faults, he is fairly likeable in a strange way [you’ll understand when you read
the manga].
However, the biggest highlight [for me, at least] is
Kagome! She’s intelligent, quick on her feet, extremely brave, caring, loyal…
the list is never-ending. I’ve always admired her no-nonsense and
straightforward attitude as well; definitely one of the best heroines out
there. Kagome is also a very proactive figure throughout the manga, often
taking the lead in tough situations, even while facing the toughest foes. Of
course, she has her flaws too, but I genuinely love her too much to dwell on
them, hehe!
The supporting characters and the antagonists are
quite colorful as well. Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha’s elder half-brother, and Naraku,
the main antagonist, both add a lot of spice and darkness to the story. I
genuinely believe that, rather than the plot itself, it’s the characters who
have made so many people love the manga.
Takahashi is known for writing a lot of comedic stuff,
but Inuyasha has a pretty grim tone overall. It’s got some rather gory
scenes and never shies away from depicting the extremities of demons’ violence;
it may feel slightly disturbing at first, but I think it suits the tone of the
manga. Moreover, Sesshoumaru [what a fussy name] and Naraku, as much as I hate
to praise them, are great antagonists.
The artwork is really pretty too; typical 1990s style,
but with Takahashi’s distinctive flavor. All in all, Inuyasha has few
drawbacks—if I have to nitpick, I’d say that the plot and the final
confrontation with Naraku are unnecessarily dragged out. The romance between
Kagome and Inuyasha could also have been handled better, but it turned out well
enough for them in the end.
Most of the people I know have given up on Inuyasha
because they thought it was too long and boring, or they weren’t fond of
the overt mythological references. Well, to each their own, I guess… but if you
ask me, Inuyasha is wayyy better than a lot of the modern manga out
there [I won’t name the ones I don’t like, hehe!]. So if you haven’t read it
and are willing to try, I definitely recommend it—it’s a solid manga, and
although I haven’t watched many episodes of the anime, it seems pretty good too!
I hope you like my article!
See you next time!!
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