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 InuYasha: The Final Act, Episode 1
Written by Charles Webb
Rating: B+
After 56 manga volumes and 167 episodes, the long-lived InuYasha is rounding into the final stretch with The Final Act. This final block of episodes will represent the final 20 volumes of the manga and thus resolve what is, to my mind, one of the more rarefied manga/anime titles.
When I think of InuYasha, I think of Dragon Ball and its offshoot series, not because their content is especially similar, but because their structure is. Entire seasons can proceed with only marginal advancement in the plot, but at the same time, both titles have tremendously vocal and loyal fanbases.
Specifically, looking at the title under review here, we find most of the characters in the same places they were two seasons ago, or even six seasons ago. Female lead Kagome is still flunking out of school in the present while helping InuYasha and the gang seek out jewel shards before the villainous Naraku finds them. The only shift (and we’ve seen this before) is dissent among Naraku’s ranks as disparate portions of his soul manifest as separate entities plotting to destroy him and assume control.
There’s something simultaneously frustrating and soothing about the sitcom nature of this series. The situations are driven by the new enemies the cast faces each week and how they redefine (however temporarily) the cast’s relationship to one another. By the end of each episode, things shake out to about the same as they were at the beginning, and the status quo is restored. It's the same as it ever was with this episode, as the gang accidentally takes out some trash for Naraku and gets a new addition to the road crew in the bargain (hint: a constant victim of mind control who needs to get over their persistent guilt issues).
I wish I had more positive things to say about this episode, but unfortunately, I have very little new to say about it, given the static nature of the stories. Here’s hoping this final season will see more character and story development with the episodes that it has left.
InuYasha: The Final Act will be available on Hulu.com courtesy of Viz, in subtitled episodes on Saturdays.
If you liked this article, be sure to check out more of the author’s work at Monster In Your Veins
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