(Void) |
|
| Original Release Date: 10/25/06 | Review Date: 10/24/06 |
| Summary | |
| Inuyasha attacks the mirror monster more and ends up chopping both its arms off, which, in turn, means both of Kanna's arms fall off. He cuts the mirror Tessaiga in half and apparently regains its youkai powers, as the sword is all glowy again and he's lost his youkai face. But what to do with an armless Kanna? | |
| Review | |
|
Now that this battle is over and has left Kanna looking like some sort of Greecian sculpture, we can finally discern the point of the battle. ... What
was it again? Oh yeah, to get some fanservice by making Inuyasha go all demon, some tension by making Tessaiga almost crack, but magically heal when
it gets its powers back, and to trick us into thinking we were going to have another character death because of the title. Yes, even though Kagura died
in "Wind" and Kikyou died in "Light", Kanna's still alive and kicking (but not punching :P) at the end of "Void", making the chapter title more or
less a red herring, since it served no other possible description this week, other than maybe Naraku's comment that Kanna is emotionless.
Best Moment: Byakuya, your snark makes everything better. "So, they say they don't want to kill you, then Kagome shoots at you while yelling, 'Hey, Kanna, I'm shooting at you!' I mean... WTF?" Hopefully Byakuya actually gets to do something worthwhile now that Kanna is unable to hold her mirror. He hasn't really done anything particularly important since he's shown up, so it's still hard to judge him, other than he's got a quick wit. He still doesn't seem particularly "evil", just more like... a snarky fan. XD |
|
(The Mirror's Shadow) |
|
| Original Release Date: 10/18/06 | Review Date: 10/24/06 |
| Summary | |
| Everyone finally notices that Kanna's taking the damage for the mirror monster and implore her to stop. Instead, she projects the shadow of the mirror over Inuyasha, which blows him up and reflects all of his attacks. Inuyasha tries blocking an attack instead, and it creates a crack in Kanna's chest, but it also begins to crack Tessaiga... | |
| Review | |
|
Oh noes, Tessaiga is cracking again! This will likely turn into yet another non-event like the whole Dakki arc. Inuyasha's still all going youkai
on the mirror monster's ass, but isn't being horribly effective and is getting blown up at every turn.
Best Moment: Kanna's a crackhead! No really, she's got a crack in her head now, as well as her chest, shoulder, and neck. Kanna's just on crack. She's been doing so much crack these past few chapters, I dunno if Naraku's gonna have any use for her once it's over since she'll be so totally cracked. So, Tessaiga's on crack, Kanna's on crack, this entire arc is on crack. Let's review. Tessaiga has been cloned in a mirror image that's stolen all its powers, Inuyasha has gone all demon, and Kanna is falling apart. ... What exactly is the point of all of this again? Naraku doesn't tend to mess with Inuyasha just for yucks, especially not this late in the game. Hopefully a purpose for this will be revealed other than some over-glorified and utterly pointless way of killing off Kanna. |
|
(Inuyasha's Youkai Power) |
|
| Original Release Date: 10/11/06 | Review Date: 10/24/06 |
| Summary | |
| Inuyasha is blown back by the mirror Tessaiga and his youkai blood ends up taking over, giving him the stripes and red eyes. However, because his own Tessaiga is using his innate youkai power to energize itself, he is able to keep a clear head. However, being a youkai means Inuyasha has a youketsu to cut, and the mirror demon switches to dragon-scaled Tessaiga. But Inuyasha is too fast for it to hit him... | |
| Review | |
|
Yeah, so... youkai Inuyasha was kinda random here. This used to be a weakness for him, but the past couple of times he's turned youkai, he's been
able to find some sort of loophole that allows him to get around the whole mindless bloodlust aspect of it. And if the barrier on his Tessaiga is
still working, why would it allow him to turn youkai at all?
Best Moment: Well... we haven't seen youkai Inuyasha in over a hundred chapters, so I guess it was nice to see, but this doesn't really seem like the most effective use of it. The entire storyline just seems so out-of-the-blue, like a lot of storylines recently. Then again, his initial transformation way back when was totally random and out of left field, too, so I guess that's just how this story runs. Kanna's still getting beat up, as this week she gets a chip off the shoulder. Maybe by the end of this, she'll end up carved up to look like one of those Rennaisance statues with only half their body. ^_^* |
|
(The Enemy is Tessaiga) |
|
| Original Release Date: 10/04/06 | Review Date: 10/04/06 |
| Summary | |
| Tessaiga is still unable to do anything other than look like Tessaiga, while the mirror demon starts unleashing a can of Kaze no Kizu everywhere. Kagome tries shooting it with an arrow, but it has no effect. However, the action appears to wound Kanna instead. Inuyasha then rushes in to fight off his own sword. | |
| Review | |
|
So... I'm not really sure what point this storyline is going to have so far. Naraku is involved, but what exactly is his goal in doing this? He mentioned
that the point of purity in the Shikon no Tama empowers Inuyasha's sword, but if that's what he's trying to remedy, it seems like just taking the power
and leaving would be good enough. Then again, we're still not entirely sure how this mirror monster thing functions. This may end up just being a way
to get rid of Kanna.
Best Moment: Shippou is afraid of fighting Tessaiga, and Inuyasha wonders if that means Shippou concedes that he's strong. I dunno, I would assume that means that he concedes that the SWORD is strong, but that the weilder is an idiot. ^_^* Which is more or less true. Byakuya's purpose here is also in question. It's kind of odd that he's been dragged along to observe something that is undoubtedly Kanna's fight. If he and Kanna regularly hung out, I wouldn't question it as much, but this is the first time we've seen them together, and he seems to serve no purpose in this battle at this point, so hopefully a reason for his presence is brought up before the end of the fight. |
|
(The Mirror) |
|
| Original Release Date: 09/27/06 | Review Date: 09/26/06 |
| Summary | |
| Naraku's Shikon no Tama still has a point of purity inside it that he can't get rid of, making him weak. He sends Byakuya to go tell Kanna to go mess with Inuyasha a bit. Later, Inuyasha's group discovers a glowing lake with a mirror on it. A crystalline figure emerges from the mirror and Inuyasha can't get any of his attacks to work on it, but rather it produces a copy of Tessaiga... | |
| Review | |
|
Yay, Naraku's back! Well, at least something related to him is. I mean, he was in this chapter and all, but he was just kinda floating around
in a volcano looking at the Shikon no Tama, and wasn't actually doing anything on his own. Thus Byakuya and Kanna show up again after a bit of
an absence to go get the plot moving again.
Best Moment: Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but there's a scene where Kanna feels the wind and thinks it's Kagura, then turns around and it's Byakuya instead. And we know that Byakuya showed up right after Kagura died and has been pretty much described as the "male Kagura wanna-be". So... is this an implication that Byakuya has something to do with Kagura, or is it just a red herring? So, this week we have a twist on the old "my mirror sucks up your attack and throws it back at you" tactic that has been employed numerous times in the series, and takes it a step further and has the mirror monster start copying actual weapons as well without even letting them attack in the first place. Dunno what's really trying to be accomplished with this, but not a whole lot has happened yet, so we'll see next week. |
|
(Wounded Heart) |
|
| Original Release Date: 09/13/06 | Review Date: 09/12/06 |
| Summary | |
| Kagome saves Inuyasha with her arrow, but then she is attacked by the flowers. Inuyasha pulls her away and they continue attacking Kaou until he is destroyed. Inuyasha apologizes for hiding his feelings and acting like he was the only one hurt, and Kagome sort of accepts but still bitches him out. So, the group wanders off to do something else. | |
| Review | |
|
Hooray for an anticlimactic end to an anticlimactic story arc. Seems like with all that went on before, we should have gotten more development out of
this, but no, it's just an exchange of apologies and back to the status quo, as usual. I feel bad comparing everything to the Sesshoumaru arc before
this, since it's a tough act to follow, but it also indicated that this is the point in the story where we actually need to start changing things and
getting them resolved. Little pointless romps like this don't really do anything.
Best Moment: Me wanting to kill Kagome for being such a hypocrite. Inuyasha gives her a heartfelt apology, and Kagome chews him out for it not being worded exactly the way she wanted to hear. "OMG, you're supposed to say I'm KIND, not STRONG! You suck!" Jeez, girl, he apologized to you, complimented you, discussed what he was thinking, and aknowledged your feelings. If you can't accept that as being good enough, then you're just asking for too much too soon. At least maybe we'll get into something plot-advancing next week, like a new Naraku development, or maybe Sesshoumaru comes back, or maybe something is actually resolved. It's like, "You're soooo close, just keep going towards the end already!" We've had enough sidetracks to last a lifetime, especially ones that aren't particularly fulfilling. If they're gonna have filler, at least make it funny. =/ |
|
(Tears of Blood) |
|
| Original Release Date: 09/13/06 | Review Date: 09/12/06 |
| Summary | |
| Kaou notices that Inuyasha's soul is breaking down over the loss of Kikyou, and that Inuyasha wishes to die along with her. Kaou pulls him underground and shows him an illusion of Kikyou. Kagome tries to follow but is stopped by a barrier, so uses the charm Miroku gave her to try to break through it... | |
| Review | |
|
This story just seems like it's going way too fast. Inuyasha was caught in Kaou's spell for approximately two pages. Kinda like the limp Tessaiga
thing back in the Dakki arc that lasted about two frames. And Kagome's all angsting about how Inuyasha wants to die and she's not getting her head
messed with because she has the charm on her wrist. She was almost like, "Aww, but I wanted to get caputured this time!"
Best Moment: "Ooh, and now we make you happy little soil. Look at all the happy soil, in which we grow happy little flowers!" Yes, Kaou has revealed his true form to be a certain eccentric painter from PBS. Other than that, not much to say, though we're gonna get a color cover page next week. I just wish we'd gotten that a couple weeks earlier so we could have seen Sessmom in color. |
|
(Kaou) |
|
| Original Release Date: 09/06/06 | Review Date: 09/05/06 |
| Summary | |
| Overnight, Inuyasha and the others notice the villagers standing in the flowers and shedding tears of blood. Kaou arrives and says that the flowers make the people happy and they become soil. Inuyasha and Kagome follow Kaou to his castle, where Kaou entraps Inuyasha... | |
| Review | |
|
Hm, well, the last arc we had was a pretty tough act to follow, and this is certainly much more toned down than the mood has been for the last few
weeks. Back to Inuyasha angsting over Kikyou, Sango angsting over Kohaku, Miroku angsting over himself, and Kagome angsting over everyone angsting.
And Shippou... just doesn't angst. But he was sneezing today. So, uh...
Best Moment: Shippou sneezing? I dunno, it was cute. XD Kagome was wondering if he was allergic to pollen. Other than that, I'm not really sure what, if anything, this arc is attempting to resolve. All it's shown is that they're no closer to finding Kohaku, despite the readers all knowing exactly where he is. And, naturally, Miroku and Sango are put out of commission, so they can't even be running commentary this time. And where did Shippou disappear to? Maybe this arc will try to help Inuyasha get over Kikyou, but it seems like there's better ways to do that than tormenting him. Then again, this is Inuyasha, and everything is solved through a fight. |
|
(Compassionate Heart) |
|
| Original Release Date: 08/30/06 | Review Date: 08/29/06 |
| Summary | |
|
Sesshoumaru's mother explains to him that Tenseiga can only bring a person back once, and he needed to learn not to take life for granted and think
he could just kill or revive anyone like a god. However, seeing that he's still upset, his mother uses her Meidou-seki and calls Rin's life back
from Hell. Sesshoumaru is as happy as Sesshoumaru can be, and they all leave. However, Sesshoumaru's mother notes that since Kohaku was already
restored to life with a Shikon shard, Tenseiga can't save him either. Elsewhere, Inuyasha's group (remember them?) stops at a village surrounded by a field of fragrant flowers. However, during the night, a youkai called Kaou notes the scent of a tormented soul... |
|
| Review | |
|
Finally, Rin's back to life! Via deus ex materna, to boot (by means of the convenient motherly plot device, for those who don't speak Latin :P)!
Though it seemed like kind of a cop-out and unexplainable way to bring her back to life, I'm glad she's back. We don't need any more characters
angsting over a character death.
Best Moment: Aw, he's petting her. XD When Rin wakes up, Sesshoumaru is immediately down next to her with a comforting hand on her head. It's just so cute... squee! Though Sessmom quips that Sesshoumaru has become a lot like his father in this regard, leading to the only thing that can even remotely be interpreted as an opinion towards Inu-papa's relationship with Inuyasha's mother. Which is apparently... she saw it as nothing more than doting over a pet? Well, the fluffy family seems to finally be out of the picture for the moment to bring the actual heroes back in. :P And now it looks like we're going to start up an arc where someone's going to take advantage of Inuyasha's current emotional state. After the emotional intensity of the past couple of weeks, hopefully this isn't a let-down (which will be hard, because I'm already much more emotionally attached to Sesshoumaru's group than Inuyasha's... XD). |
|
(The Return) |
|
| Original Release Date: 08/23/06 | Review Date: 08/22/06 |
| Summary | |
| Sesshoumaru slices off the Hellmaster's arm and retrieves Rin, but finds he is still unable to revive her. His mother offhandedly asks Jaken if Rin has been revived before. On the affirmative, Sessmom reveals that Tenseiga can only return a person to life once. Sesshoumaru becomes distraught and drops Tenseiga, blaming himself for her death in his selfish goal to make the sword stronger. The pile of corpses around him reach out to Tenseiga, begging to be saved. Sesshoumaru complies and uses Tenseiga to purify them all, opening the Meidou and allowing him to escape. But Rin is still dead... | |
| Review | |
|
Whee, it's one big fun fanservice fest! Complete with a chapter title reused from 326! But, seriously, Sesshoumaru has never looked more heroic than
he does in this chapter. XD Carrying Rin's body around cradled against his fluff and being all upset over it. Poor guy.
Best Moment: Kinda hard to pick, since while everything was grin-worthy, it was also dripping with fanservice. Sesshoumaru's "I'd give anything to get Rin back!" line was especially kinda corny. So, I guess the "Best Moment" will have to go Sessmom and Jaken, and the running joke that she can't remember his name and just calls him "little youkai". XD But Sesshoumaru did look pretty badass holding his sword purifying all the dead bodies while holding Rin, apparently simultaneously learning the "save 100 people in one stroke" move and upgrading Meidou Zangetsuha. So... what, does that mean this whole pile of dead people is suddenly back to life now? o_O And was Kohaku's entire purpose of going to Hell with him simply to be the person to carry Rin around for the first part? XD Well, now all of them are out of Hell, but Sesshoumaru is still toting Rin's dead body around. Maybe Sessmom can use her Meidou-seki to revive her or something. I still have serious doubts that she's permanantly dead. At least we don't have a two-week break to wait for next time. |
|
(Master of Hell) |
|
| Original Release Date: 08/09/06 | Review Date: 08/08/06 |
| Summary | |
| Sesshoumaru attempts to use Tenseiga on Rin, but discovers that he cannot see the pallbearers. Before he can do anything else, Hell's darkness engulfs Rin and sweeps her away. Sesshoumaru and Kohaku follow. Meanwhile, Sesshoumaru's mother offers them a way out through her Meidou-seki, but both Sesshoumaru and Kohaku decline to leave and continue following after Rin. They find her in the clutches of a hulking monster who is the Master of Hell... | |
| Review | |
|
Aw, it wasn't Papa, it was generic hulking monster-looking thing. Oh well. XD It's not like I had high expectations for him to appear or anything.
Sesshoumaru seemed to be more and more panicked in this chapter, yelling at his sword for being a poopy-head, and going as far as regretting bringing
Rin along with him in the first place, wishing he'd just left her at some human village when he first revived her so that he didn't put her in danger.
Best Moment: Kohaku knows he's jynxed. XD He bemoans that it must be his fault that Rin's dead simply because he's hanging out with them. Darn right, kid, you kill every single girl you come in contact with, aside from Sango, who was only critically injured. Though, Sesshoumaru reflecting on what he should have done upon reviving her worries me. It may be indicating that he intends to leave her behind, possibly with his mother, once he pulls her out of this. However, Rin is more or less his life insurance, given that she's so attached to him, and he's not likely to die as long as she's there to mourn for him and has no one else to go to. So hoooopefully this arc will end with Rin not caring about how much danger she gets put in as long as she can hang out with him. |
|
(Darkness of Hell) |
|
| Original Release Date: 08/02/06 | Review Date: 08/01/06 |
| Summary | |
| Sesshoumaru uses the healing power of Tenseiga to cut the hellhound apart and free Rin and Kohaku. Back in the living world, his mother is watching everything through her stone and comments that a human can't survive in Hell. Kohaku, already mostly dead and empowered by the Shikon shard, is able to wake up and carry Rin, who is still unconscious. They continously get attacked by Hellbeasts and the road continues to crumble, forcing the group ahead towards the depths of Hell where they cannot return from. However, Kohaku notices that Rin has stopped breathing... | |
| Review | |
|
So, this chapter didn't really progress anything other than getting Rin and Kohaku out of the Hellhound's belly and push them farther down the
path of no return. But... that's okay, because there was SO MUCH FANSERVICE. XDD
Best Moment(s): Haha, Sesshoumaru's such a softy and at this point is doing everything he can to hide it. XD He kneels over Rin and pets her head to check on her, and Kohaku wakes up, making Sesshoumaru stand bolt upright and look away like, "La de da de da, I wasn't doin' nuttin..." Then later, Kohaku (carrying Rin) is knocked off the edge and Sesshoumaru has to grab them under his arm. He then berates Kohaku with some cool-ass BS, "This arm is only meant to hold a sword." All in all, it's kinda obvious that the current situation is wearing down the guy's nerves, and his attitude throughout a lot of the chapter was borderline... panicky. Not that I can blame him. o_O Everyone seems to be assuming that there is "something" at the end of this road that Sesshoumaru needs to encounter. And that "something" had BETTER be Papa, or I will be one bummed out fangirl. :P |
|
(Path to the Abyss) |
|
| Original Release Date: 07/26/06 | Review Date: 07/25/06 |
| Summary | |
|
Kagome tells the others that they need to look for Kohaku, like Kikyou said. As they leave, Inuyasha catches the scent of Sesshoumaru and someone
else... Back to Sesshoumaru and the certain someone else, Sessmom has taken Sesshoumaru to her palace and tells him she was entrusted with the Meidou-seki, the necklace she wears, and was told to use it if Sesshoumaru ever came for a visit. So, for some mother-son bonding games, she releases a Hellhound from it, which cannot be harmed by the Meidou Zangetsuha. The Hellhound absorbs Kohaku and Rin and flies into the fissure Sesshoumaru made with his attack. Sesshoumaru follows after and the rift closes after him, which his mother just shrugs off, but leaves Jaken worried as always. Inside the fissure, Sesshoumaru notices Rin and Kohaku floating unconscious inside the devil-dog's body and decides to attack it bare-handed... |
|
| Review | |
|
So... Sessmom is apparently the melodrama queen now. XD "Hey, your dad left me this necklace and said you would suffer if I used it. ^__^ 'Kay,
have fun, buh-bye." And then dramatically collapsing on her throne, like, "Ohh, I TOLD him not to go in there!", and Jaken replying, "Uh, no you
didn't."
Best Moment: For once, Jaken is actually intuitive and was voicing pretty much the same think I was thinking through this chapter. Just HOW many tests did Inu-papa leave behind to torment Sesshoumaru with? Inuyasha got full use of his sword after merely stating he'd protect Kagome, but Sesshoumaru's had to go through a LOT more, and his sword STILL doesn't work. And now he's hanging out in Hell with no way back chasing down a non-corporeal dog that ate his kids. I mean, sure, I'm curious to know what happens, and I'm really hoping his little jaunt in the afterlife right now will lead to an encounter with Papa, who might end up being his way home. Or maybe he'll just master his sword and figure out a way to cut himself out. Either way, Sessmom ended the chapter stating that a sacrifice needed to be made in order to master the sword. Hopefully it means an emotional sacrifice rather than forcing him to leave one of his kids behind or lose another body part. ^_^* |
|
(Parting Thoughts) |
|
| Original Release Date: 07/19/06 | Review Date: 07/18/06 |
| Summary | |
|
Ginta and Hakkaku show up and are very bummed to have missed the fight (right). Kouga picks on Inuyasha for a while, but unable to get a reaction,
resigns himself to the fact that Kagome's the only one who can pull him out of it. With that, he bids farewell to everyone and tells Kagome to come
see him sometime if Inuyasha rubs her the wrong way too much. He then leaves, apparently for good this time. Elsewhere, Sesshoumaru searches the skies and sees a dog youkai flying through the clouds. He transforms into his dog form and chases it, and they both land, and it turns out the other is female. More surprisingly, she turns out to be his MOTHER. |
|
| Review | |
|
Okay, Inuyasha can hang out and angst, and Kouga can disappear off the face of the earth like he usually does, but... but... buh... SESSMOM?! Holy
crap, I never thought she would ACTUALLY show up in the manga. She struck me as one of those characters who's like "they had to exist, but their
presence isn't really relevant", like Kagome's dad. And she's alive to boot. o_O There goes all those fanfics where she's dead.
Best Moment: For the first time since he first showed up, Sesshoumaru turned into his dog form! And he really does have a stump for a leg! XD All so he can come ask his mommy how to work his damn sword. I guess he figures she's well-knowledgeable in handling Papa's sword... But, wow, with her showing up, that opens up a lot of possibilities of exploring Sesshoumaru's past or where this woman's been until now and why she's never been mentioned. Or what his relationship with her is. And now perhaps Inu-papa can actually ANSWER the hoardes of questions regarding Sesshoumaru's mother that he's forced to ignore every week. XD Heck, with Sessmom in the picture now, maybe they'll flash back to Papa and let HIM be in the manga, too. :3 Oh, yeah, Inuyasha, sorry about Kikyou and all, but... SESSMOM! |
|
(Light) |
|
| Original Release Date: 07/12/06 | Review Date: 07/11/06 |
| Summary | |
| Inuyasha's group reflects on the things that Kikyou has done for them and lament their inability to be of any more help. Kikyou reminds Inuyasha of how she said she'd become an ordinary woman if the jewel disappeared, but she believes that she has finally been able to become an ordinary woman, anyway. She thanks Inuyasha for coming for her, then disappears in a bundle of souls, which are carried to the sky by the Shinidamachuu. | |
| Review | |
|
Okay, now we can pretty much say that Kikyou is gone for good. For some reason, this chapter didn't really strike me as hard as Kagura's death,
but maybe it's because it's not the first main character death and we've kinda come to expect that Kikyou would die. I'm not saying it wasn't
well-done, I just don't think it quite stood up to "Wind" as a moving chapter. But then again, I was never horribly attached to Kikyou in
the first place. ^_^*
Best Moment: Kikyou smiles! Kikyou certainly looks very happy to be laid to rest, and tells Inuyasha that even though he couldn't save her physically, he still saved her soul by coming to rescue her and crying on her behalf. She said it was the first time she'd seen him cry, but Kagome's still got her beat in that department. Next week, we could go anywhere, but it'll hopefully deal with Kohaku doing something now that he's lost Kikyou. Dunno if he'll stay with Sesshoumaru or go join Inuyasha's group (heck, maybe he'll be the link that'll join Sesshoumaru's group to Inuyasha's, thus having all the main characters in one place, finally). Plus, the buds have to come back at some point, since I doubt their appearance a couple of chapters ago was purely random. |
|
(Setting Sun) |
|
| Original Release Date: 07/05/06 | Review Date: 07/04/06 |
| Summary | |
| Naraku's power overcomes Kikyou's spiritual power inside the jewel, and he attempts to attack Kikyou and Kagome. Inuyasha stops him, but Naraku informs him that Kikyou has already lost to his jyaki. Elsewhere, Kohaku tries to get back to Kikyou, despite Rin's protests, but Sesshoumaru informs him that he's already too late. Back at the group, with Naraku having left, Inuyasha takes Kikyou off by himself while Kagome laments being unable to save her. However, Kikyou believes she has in fact saved her soul... | |
| Review | |
|
Aaand there goes Kikyou again. Almost. She only seems "mostly dead" at the moment, but is kinda more or less catatonic. Since she didn't fall
off a cliff, she might actually die for good this time, unless Inuyasha accidentally drops her.
Best Moment: I really liked the full-page image of Inuyasha holding Kikyou on page 16. It was pretty detailed and touching, and there was no dialogue or sound getting in the way of it. It would make a nice icon image, and I'm sure people will make it into one once the chapter gets a wider release in a day or so. ^_^* So, we got Kohaku back in the picture today, and he was just miraculously okay, as was Jaken. Jaken had mentioned that Sesshoumaru had "saved" him, but I'm assuming this could just count towards scaring Byakuya away. Dunno if Kohaku's going to become a semi-permanant member of Sesshoumaru's party, but he seems to be hanging out with them at the moment, especially since he's just been informed that Kikyou's bit the big one, too. That kid sure doesn't have very good track record with the people who watch over him. "Hey, everyone who hangs out with me dies. Wanna hang out with me?" Hopefully he doesn't spread his Jessica Fletcher curse to Sesshoumaru, too. Next week, if all goes well, we'll likely have an official "laying to rest" chapter for Kikyou like we did with Kagura. The end of this chapter was kinda set up the same way as the chapter prior to Kagura's death. Then we'll probably have Kagome angsting her head off about how she was unable to save her, and Inuyasha'll probably go off and upgrade his sword again. Since that's pretty much all he ever does. |
|
(Purifying Arrow) |
|
| Original Release Date: 06/28/06 | Review Date: 06/27/06 |
| Summary | |
| Kagome fires her arrow into Kikyou's chest, who then purifies the jewel inside her. She shoots the arrow out of her chest with the jewel embedded in it at Naraku, and Naraku counters with his shouki. The jewel becomes half-tainted and strikes Naraku's chest, weakening him enough to let Kouga go, but he manages to take Kouga's shards. The battle within the jewel between good and evil renews... | |
| Review | |
|
Well, we're just passing this arrow all over the place today. Not really sure what Naraku was thinking putting the jewel in Kikyou, since that
set this whole thing up. Maybe it's some devious plot still, but I dunno. I mean, did he figure Kagome would NOT notice? Naraku doesn't usually
slip like that. I guess he can if it's convenient for the plot.
Best Moment: ZOMG, Kouga FINALLY lost his shards! At least for now! But hopefully for good! I mean, the buds are on their way back as we speak, so he'll have someone to support him even without his shards. And I'm sure they'd appreciate his inability to leave them in the dust anymore. Now all that's left is Kohaku's shard, which we'd better be getting to once this battle is over. It was so tantalizing at the beginning, but they've just... not mentioned it at all for a month, and it's starting to get irritating. x__x |
|
(The Jewel's Location) |
|
| Original Release Date: 06/21/06 | Review Date: 06/20/06 |
| Summary | |
| Kouga gets caught in Naraku's tentacles and gets covered in shouki to prevent his shards from purifying Naraku's body. Miroku steps in to suck away the shouki while Inuyasha tries to free Kouga, but discovers Kouga's legs have gotten fused to Naraku and the shards have gone black. Kagome desperately searches for a sense of the Shikon no Tama and discovers it has moved to Kikyou's body... | |
| Review | |
|
Well, now Kagome no longer has bragging rights as being the only incarnation of Kikyou to have the Shikon no Tama stuck in her body at some point.
Looks like last week when Naraku stabbed Kikyou, he was secretly implanting the jewel in her, too. Maybe this'll make Kikyou, like, uber undead
miko or something. But now Kagome's all like, "Oh noes, that means I have to shoot Kikyou!", even though it's like... wasn't that the entire objective
all along? Why is this a problem now?
Best Moment: The buds! The buds are back! The chapter opens with Ginta and Hakkaku, whom everyone thought were gone for good, deciding to follow Naraku's scent and find Kouga again. Good thing, too, because if Kouga loses his legs to Naraku, he's gonna need someone to carry him around, and I'm sure Inuyasha's not gonna do it. :P |
|
(Opened Body) |
|
| Original Release Date: 06/14/06 | Review Date: 06/14/06 |
| Summary | |
| Inuyasha hacks at Naraku a bit, and it turns out the influence from Kouga's shards has created a weakness which causes Naraku's body to split open. Naraku drops Kikyou to keep Inuyasha from attacking him, and Kouga decides to use his own shards to further purify Naraku... | |
| Review | |
|
In case anyone wanted to know what the inside of Naraku's body looks like, I guess it's some... alternate dimension-looking void thingy. Well,
"Naraku" literally means "abyss", so I guess it makes sense that his body is, you know, an abyss. ^_^* He looks so much smaller on the outside,
you know, but you could actually hold a party in his belly.
Best Moment: OMG SANGO CAN READ MINDS?!?!? ... Okay, not really, but the funky editing in this chapter made it seem that way. Kagome thinks to herself, "Kouga's shards are being purified?" to which Sango replies, "Really? Purified?", like... she could actually hear that. So, we end with Kouga deciding he wants to be the first one to jump into Naraku's arm to see if there's, like, a swimming pool in there or something. Maybe it's where characters like Hachi and Myouga go when they're not needed. All hanging out having a groovin' party in Naraku's arm. Maybe it goes the same place as the Kazaana and Meidou Zangetsuha, and Hakudoushi and a bunch of random oni bits will pop out. The world... may never know. |
|
(Influential Heart) |
|
| Original Release Date: 06/07/06 | Review Date: 06/06/06 |
| Summary | |
| Kikyou realizes that Midoriko's will has substantially purified Kouga's shards, to the point that she may be able to purify Naraku if he takes them. Naraku captures Kouga, but is damaged when he attempts to touch the shard and releases him. In anger, he impales Kikyou on his arm as Inuyasha arrives... | |
| Review | |
|
So, Naraku sics his pincher claws on Kikyou and his family jewels on Kouga. The chapter was pretty much all fighting and "Kouga, you're a moron" moments,
and then a bunch of pages dedicated to Kikyou scheming, which was then brought down a couple pages later.
Best Moment: Takahashi seems to be talking straight to all the Kikyou-bashers through Kagome today. Kagome is like, "Yeah, Kikyou was a bitch at the BEGINNING of the series, but I guess we've all held that against her so much that we've failed to notice how she's matured until now." And Inuyasha replies, "Yeah, but even when you thought she was a bitch, you still wanted to save her, so you rock." And Kagome's like, "Word." So, Kouga's still got his shards, and even though they're uber-purified and he's a youkai, for some reason his legs haven't melted off yet. I mean, Kouga may not be as bad as Naraku, but his still got that whole youki thing going on that this kind of energy is supposed to get rid of. |
|
(Captured Comrades) |
|
| Original Release Date: 05/31/06 | Review Date: 05/31/06 |
| Summary | |
| Inuyasha runs into the mountain and catches Kagome. However, while he's away, Naraku appears and ensnares everyone else in his spider webs and hauls them away. Kouga decides to fight him, and Kikyou realizes that Naraku pulled them away from their original location because Kagome was able to break his web and get the bow. Inuyasha and Kagome run to the rescue... | |
| Review | |
|
It's Inu to the rescue! *cue William Tell* Today, we have Kouga facing Naraku personally for the very first time. For a guy who's been after him
for probably 300 chapters now... that's kinda pathetic. Then again, Kouga has never really been anything other than pathetic. :P
Best Moment: Looks like the crew's all here, and instead of Inuyasha and Kagome, Miroku and Sango are now hanging out with Kouga and Kikyou. So they basically get the counterparts of their usual companions. And then Naraku's threatening to huggle Kikyou to death. But if Naraku really is afraid of the bow that Kagome got, I guess in a couple of chapters she's finally going to get the chance to use it, and maybe Naraku will pull a "WTF I blew up!" before swirling away in his usual cloud. Speaking of Naraku, he's thankfully clothed today. Kikyou would probably just die right there if he grabbed her naked. Then again, he's done that before, when he got his other new body way back when. His new outfit is pretty much like his old one, except he traded the dragon tails in for Mouryoumaru's arm of sparklies. |
|
(Illusion of Kikyou) |
|
| Original Release Date: 05/24/06 | Review Date: 05/23/06 |
| Summary | |
| The phantom Kikyou tells Kagome that she is jealous and hates Kikyou, but shows false kindness to save face and impress Inuyasha. Kagome says that it isn't true, and she considers herself and Kikyou as equals in Inuyasha's heart, and therefore has no reason to be afraid of her. Then the bow lightens, and the phantom Kikyou turns into spiderwebs, which release Kagome. Kagome then falls from the imaginary cliff... | |
| Review | |
|
This chapter was a lot of talk, finally resolving the matter between Kagome and her inner Kikyou. Kagome's gripe wasn't really with Kikyou herself,
but with her heart's perceived version of Kikyou, but when presented with a Kikyou that acted the way that Kagome secretly feared she acted, she
knew it had to be wrong.
Best Moment: Kagome tells Kikyou to STFU and listen to her for a moment, since all she's been doing is rambling about how Kagome hates her. Haha, and the whole time, Kagome thought it was the REAL Kikyou she was talking to, too, and she still went all bitch on her. Way to go, girl. XD Not much else to say, since all that happened in this chapter was Kagome realizing that Kikyou isn't "in the way" since they're both in the same place, so even if she saves her, she won't pose a threat. I guess it's a power-up to Kagome's self-confidence. And while she's at it, I suppose she got a new bow, too. Or maybe Kikyou got a new bow. Either way, maybe now we'll get to whatever happened to Kohaku. |
|
(Spirit of Mount Azusa) |
|
| Original Release Date: 05/17/06 | Review Date: 05/16/06 |
| Summary | |
| Kagome is given the bow from the mausoleum by the spirit, who is in the form of Kikyou. When Kagome attempts to leave, she finds herself caught in an illusion where she sees Kikyou telling Inuyasha that she is unworthy to take the bow and will never return. The illusion then throws Kagome from the cliff and makes the bow weigh her down. Kikyou appears at the top of the cliff and requests the bow, which Kagome cannot give because of its weight. Kikyou says she's lying and that she really just doesn't want to save her, and Kagome retorts that she doesn't see Kikyou trying to help her, either. Then the spirit appears again and tells Kagome to get rid of the bow... | |
| Review | |
|
Looks like it's gonna be another couple weeks before we get any clues as to what's up with Kohaku. Ah well, this one was interesting, too. I really
hope that the Kikyou we saw this week was an illusion, since she was being a real bitch most of the time. However, I wouldn't really put it past the
real Kikyou to act like that.
Best moment: Both Kagome and the spirit confront Kikyou about being pretty hypocritical about saving people. For the entire series, Kagome's been expected to tolerate Kikyou and save her if she's in danger, but no such expectation has been made of Kikyou. True, it's hard to say whether it was even the real Kikyou they were talking to or not, but the point was still made. Inuyasha and Kikyou pretty much do whatever they want and Kagome's always the one who has to make the compromise. Next week we'll see if Kagome gives up on Kikyou or has a moment of righteous selflessness and decides to put forth the effort to save her, anyways. It seems like real!Kikyou is still being carried around by Inuyasha near the base of the mountain, so the one on the cliff is likely fake, but all the scene changes and everyone seeming to be two places at once was kinda confusing. Oh, and for those who aren't aware yet, I've started cataloguing the scripts for the most recent chapters in the forums. |
|
(Mount Azusa) |
|
| Original Release Date: 05/10/06 | Review Date: 05/09/06 |
| Summary | |
| Byakuya has Kohaku bitten by poisonous snakes in order to taint his shard enough to return it to Naraku. However, Sesshoumaru appears and chases Byakuya away. When Inuyasha and Kikyou arrive, Kohaku is gone, presumeably taken by Sesshoumaru. Meanwhile, Kagome arrives at Mount Azusa, but cannot reach the mausoleum due to a seemingly endless staircase. When she clears her mind, she is confronted with a faceless spectre who transforms into Kikyou... | |
| Review | |
|
Well, this has certainly gotten interesting. We have the entire main cast (minus Naraku and Kanna) present in this chapter. Sesshoumaru shows up
again and has apparently taken an unconscious Kohaku with him, though it's never explicitly stated. Most people have been assuming that, in the end,
Sesshoumaru will be the one to save Kohaku, and this looks like a decent setup for that to start happening. Or maybe it's all just a red herring.
Best Moment: "Jaken-sama got bit." Sesshoumaru warns Rin not to touch Kohaku due to the poisonous snakes wrapped around him, but Jaken had already given into the "poke poke" temptation and got himself bit. ^_^* Hopefully this doesn't mean anything TOO bad for Jaken. It was executed in a humorous manner, so he'll probably be okay. So, now Kagome has to test whether or not she REALLY wants to save Kikyou. She complains in the chapter that she can't be expected to just be okay with everything, since she doesn't have the restitution of a god. But then again, priestesses themselves are supposed to be godly. Not that Kagome particularly wants to be a priestess. Right now, Kikyou's main problem is protecting Kohaku's shard from Naraku, but if he's with Sesshoumaru, it shouldn't be too much of a problem, thus making Kikyou's presence meaningless. So... perhaps she won't survive. Hard to say. |
|
(Broken String) |
|
| Original Release Date: 04/26/06 | Review Date: 04/26/06 |
| Summary | |
| Kagome has been corrupted by Naraku's web and doesn't have the power to purify Kikyou. Kikyou tells her that if she really wants to save her, then she should go to the mausoleum on Mount Azusa to get a new bowstring. Meanwhile, Byakuya finds Kohaku, and in Kikyou's weakened state, she can't sustain the barrier protecting him. So, Inuyasha takes Kikyou to Kohaku in order to save him... | |
| Review | |
|
So, now the party's been split up, kinda. Inuyasha and Kikyou are off saving Kohaku, and everyone else is going off to find a new bowstring.
Meanwhile, Byakuya shows his face for the first time since the whole Kai incident. So, now we've got all the main characters except Sesshoumaru
kinda hanging together at the moment. Of course, Sesshoumaru is notoriously late, so he won't appear until everything is all over.
Best Moment: Kagome tells Inuyasha that she doesn't want to see his face for a while, then wonders if she's really been corrupted that much. Inuyasha thinks she's acting perfectly normal. ^_^* However, Kagome ends up going off with Kouga while Inuyasha is staying with Kikyou. And somehow Inuyasha doesn't seem to mind... Next week's Golden Week in Japan, so we'll have to wait an extra week for the next chapter. It isn't too bad of a cliffhanger this week, but still leaves a lot open, although the whole bowstring quest almost seems like a red herring. |
|
(Through the Threads) |
|
| Original Release Date: 04/19/06 | Review Date: 04/18/06 |
| Summary | |
| Kagome finds Inuyasha and Kikyou in the shrine, and gets caught in the web, too. She dreams of the time when Kikyou sealed Inuyasha, and feels what Kikyou felt. When she comes to, the webs are gone, and she offers to heal Kikyou's wound. Kikyou gives Kagome her bow and instructs Kagome to shoot her, but the bowstring snaps... | |
| Review | |
|
Lots of titles dealing with "threads". But the threads are gone now, so... dunno what really they were for, since everyone seems
okay at this point. Maybe Naraku took them back to give himself his own threads, considering he's been conspicuously lacking
any ever since he absorbed Mouryoumaru's pantslessness.
Best Moment: Hooray, now Kagome knows how Kikyou felt! Really, maybe this'll stop her from getting all bitchy any time Inuyasha and Kikyou are together, now that she's had it transmitted straight into her how they feel about each other. Though I guess it's only natural for girls to immediately assume some sort of malicious intent on the part of their guy when the guy goes to see another girl. She really needs to figure out that Inuyasha is not, in fact, scheming "Oh, I'll go see Kikyou. Not because I like her, but because I like pissing Kagome off." At least Kagome is playing more of a part now. And, haha, Tessaiga is useless against the web. Why is it that his sword never works whenever he has to show it off for Kikyou? |
|
(Entwined Threads) |
|
| Original Release Date: 04/12/06 | Review Date: 04/11/06 |
| Summary | |
| Kagome asks Inuyasha if he felt anything strange, but he avoids talking about his dream. Elsewhere, Kikyou is observing the spider threads coming from the sky from behind a barrier, but is forced to come out when they start ensnaring a girl. Kikyou is caught in the threads and escapes to a building, telling Kohaku to stay away from her so that his shard doesn't become at all tainted by Naraku's meddling. Inuyasha finds her, but can't see the threads, and when he tries to approach, the shouki wound on Kikyou's shoulder starts to grow... | |
| Review | |
|
Hooray for Naraku being back to just picking on Inuyasha and Kikyou for yucks. This is reminding me a lot of the Yura storyline so far, with the
killer thread thingies that Inuyasha can't see but Kagome and Kikyou can. We also see a return of Kochou and Asuka, Kikyou's shikigami, who go
off with Kohaku to be his little bodyguards.
Best Moment: Inuyasha runs ahead to find Kikyou, so Kagome rides on Kouga's back instead. Kouga sure doesn't mind. Kouga then berates Inuyasha for running off to find his old girlfriend and leaving Kagome in the dust. Shippou then berates Kouga for saying that, and Miroku berates Shippou for being the pot calling the kettle black. ^_^* For the first time in a great while, I actually kinda care what happens here. Because, for once, it's not about the damn sword! OMG, character development? Can it happen? True, it's still the same Kikyou angst as always, and I'd thought we'd long gotten rid of most of that, but I gues Inu will still go after her if he thinks she's in trouble, but won't go out of his way to see her just cuz. Or maybe Naraku's spiderweb thingy has something to do with it, since Inuyasha got caught in it too, kinda. Only next week will tell. Or the week after, considering these things tend to be kinda drawn out. |
|
(Spider Web) |
|
| Original Release Date: 04/05/06 | Review Date: 04/04/06 |
| Summary | |
| Naraku returns to Mount Hakurei to retrieve the heart he discarded, realizing that he needs it to keep himself from being purified by Kikyou, and to finally be able to kill her and Inuyasha. Elsewhere, Inuyasha dreams of stealing the Shikon no Tama and being sealed by Kikyou. He wonders why he dreamt such a thing after so long, and Kagome awakens to find him surrounded by spider webs... | |
| Review | |
|
Woo, Naraku goes back to Mount Hakurei to take back his heart. But wait, wasn't the baby his heart? Seems that the word concerning the baby
heart was "shinzou", which is a physical, beating heart. The heart Naraku took back from Mount Hakurei is "kokoro", which seems more of the spiritual,
feeling aspect of a heart. More like a soul, I guess.
Best Moment: Kouga's still hanging with the group, and just can't believe that they actually stop and rest once in a while. Inuyasha suggests that if he's really that giddy, he should go run a couple hundred laps or something. So, now we learn that... we're pretty much back to square one. Naraku has the entirety of his heart back, after spending the entire first half of the series trying to get rid of it, and has now said "oops". And he's also apparently back to just picking on Inuyasha for yucks. Coupled with a flashback to the first chapter, wow, it's like half the series never happened! Or maybe it was all done JUST so that Kouga could join the group. Also, Naraku has decided to keep Mouryoumaru's pantslessness, aside from where he's wearing his monkey suit. Because with the death of Mouryoumaru, we just couldn't not have a pantsless character running around, now could we? |
|
(Valley of Shouki) |
|
| Original Release Date: 03/29/06 | Review Date: 03/28/06 |
| Summary | |
| Sango retrieves Hiraikotsu, but is knocked unconscious by the Yamaarashi. Miroku decides he has no choice but to use the Kazaana again, but Inuyasha arrives and finishes off the Yamaarashi for him. | |
| Review | |
|
So, um, yay, that was anticlimactic. Miroku gives this big internal speech about, "I'm gonna use my Kazaana and die!", and then Inuyasha just shows
up and does everything for him. Oh well, at least Miroku got the spotlight for a couple of chapters and the trouble with his arm hasn't exactly gone
away.
Best Moment: Dunno, the whole thing is just a different twist on the Saimyoushou that seems like a pressing matter, then just ends up becoming no big deal. It did end with Miroku certain a time would come where he'd have to use his Kazaana again, but he could rely on his friends until then (which I suppose means Inuyasha's gonna be doing all the fighting again :P). But for the most part, the giant scar on his arm is all but forgotten and they're all like, "Yay, let's go do something else now. Come on, Kouga, since you're still here." Basically meaning that, unless the shouki wound comes up in the next chapter, this whole thing seems more like a side-arc. |
|
(Array) |
|
| Original Release Date: 03/22/06 | Review Date: 03/21/06 |
| Summary | |
| Miroku sucks up some of the retreating Yamaarashi needles, and thinks he's okay, but looks at his hand and sees the shouki wound has grown. A larger Yamaarashi intercepts them and causes Sango to lose her Hiraikotsu. Sango is determined to not let Miroku use his Kazaana again, so runs into the fray to retrieve her Hiraikotsu before he can hurt himself any more. | |
| Review | |
|
Jeez, is Miroku TRYING to die or something? He's basically like, "Huh, Kikyou said I'd die if I do this, but I think I'll be okay. ... Oh, crap, I'm
not! ... Well, might as well do it again." He's gonna get a serious asspounding when Sango finds out he's been hiding his scars from her. And is
anyone getting flashbacks to Princess Mononoke?
Best Moment: Um.. nothing really, because Miroku's just being a dumbass about everything right now. He seems to be intentionally putting his life in danger. Angsty much? It's like he switched personalities with Kohaku. Oh, boo hoo, her brother's doing okay, so she doesn't need me anymore. Die die die. Jeez. The title refers to the English word for a group of hedgehogs, which for some reason is an "array". The word "mure" itself just means a group of animals, but since English is weird and has different words for every imaginable group, I decided to go with the "proper" word, despite no one really actually knowing it. ^_^* |
|
(Yamaarashi) |
|
| Original Release Date: 03/15/06 | Review Date: 03/14/06 |
| Summary | |
| Kikyou goes off to track Naraku's shouki and Kohaku goes with her, promising he won't die in vain since everyone is fighting so hard to keep him alive. Plus he seems happier around Kikyou, as if she is purifying the suffering from his heart. With Miroku better, the group plus Kouga head off to track the shouki as well, and meet a porcupine youkai called Yamaarashi, whose needles turn into flying serpents when shot. Inuyasha destroys most of them, and Miroku and Sango take off to take care of the rest, but Miroku worries about using his Kazaana... | |
| Review | |
|
So, even though Miroku's back in action, he's still not totally better, and has received ominous warnings from Kikyou that he's gonna die if the
shouki reaches his heart. But, this won't stop him from using his Kazaana so soon again, anyway, looks like.
Best Moment: Aw, Shippou's got a new shoulder to hang out on. Since I guess Miroku is too weak to support his weight, or maybe the shouki wounds make him smell funny, Shippou's hanging out on Kouga's shoulder this time. Hopefully this isn't an indication that Miroku is going to die soon, since his only use over the past year or so has been to be Shippou's pedestal. And we've got a bit of hope for Kohaku, since he's not all angst and death anymore, and some hints that his heart can be saved, though it's still uncertain about his life. |
|