First Impressions / InuYasha

Summary:

Inuyasha and company arrive at a special tree that has recently started absorbing people again, and they find that it has a Shikon shard. What’s more, it’s guarded by Naraku who proceeds to absorb the tree and escape. Meanwhile, Kouga is trying to track down Mouryoumaru and instead runs into Kikyou and Kohaku. Kikyou wants Kouga to give up his shards so that she can go through with her plan, and she points out how the shards in his leg haven’t been obeying him. Kouga, however, refuses to give them up and continues after Mouryoumaru. At around this same time, Mouryoumaru has run into Naraku, and he appears to win the ensuing battle and consumes Naraku. With most of the Shikon jewel now, Mouryoumaru’s next goal is to go after the remaining shards, and, watching from nearby, Kagome realizes that this means the ones attached to Kohaku and Kouga.

Both of them are nearby, and Kouga is the one Mouryoumaru targets first. Kouga and InuYasha try to work together against Mouryoumaru, but they’re not able to accomplish much, and Mouryoumaru still captures Kouga. The problem for Mouryoumaru and Akago is that Naraku starts to take over Mouryoumaru’s body, and Naraku uses the tree’s special ability to break through Akago’s barrier. Naraku eventually succeeds, and in order to free Kouga, Kagome fires an arrow at him. As a result, Kouga is able to break free, and with him in the clear, Miroku opens up his Wind Tunnel to suck Naraku in. Unfortunately, this means that Miroku also takes in a ton of Naraku’s miasma, putting his own life in danger. Miroku is able to suck in the Fuyouheki, but because of the danger, InuYasha closes the Wind Tunnel before Naraku himself can get sucked in, thereby allowing Naraku to escape. In the aftermath, Miroku is barely still alive, and Kikyou tries to treat him.

 
Impressions:

This was actually a pretty good episode, and the battle felt like it could have been the climax of the series. That is of course, if Naraku hadn’t survived and gotten away. If only InuYasha hadn’t closed off the Wind Tunnel and had let Miroku sacrifice himself to destroy Naraku, but then I guess the series would be over, and it wouldn’t really have been a happy ending. Maybe things wouldn’t have needed to get to that point if someone had just pushed Naraku into the Wind Tunnel instead of everyone just standing around watching. Oh well… I do have to say again though that, whereas Naraku lived up to his devious nature, I ended up being rather disappointed with the showing from Akago and Mouryoumaru since neither of them ever amounted to much more than Naraku’s pawns (and even then they weren’t very impressive). In any case, this would seem like the end of a major arc, and next episode appears to be about Kikyou.

12 Comments

  7. inuyasha is going epic, and the paced doesnt slow down at all. it wonder how long it take to reach kikyo death? well, at least sango and miroku kiss in the manga, but inuyasha and kagome didnt…

    BlackSun88
    Reply

  11. I have to say I’m liking the revival of the series more and more, I was one of the ones that wasn’t very sad to see the show cancelled since it just seemed so drawn out but now some interesting things are finally happening, though I have a feeling the paper crane guy is going to be fodder for a lot of filler-ish episodes now that Naraku finally used up his other pawns.

    Getting rid of the Fuyouheki is going to be a huge dent in Naraku’s defense, and the number of shards spread around has finally gone down to just Naraku and the good guys.

    Miroku is badass. I kind of wish he’d put his magic to use more, maybe acquire some fancy new charms to use in battle. I guess he’s still better off than Sango though as far as action goes, because the wind tunnel is at least very powerful and plot critical even if it’s repetitive, all she has is a gaint hunk of aerodynamic wood and fancy incense.

    Necromas
    Reply

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