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犬夜叉 [Inuyasha] #5
InuYasha vol. 5: Flesh and Bone
The adventure ensues in this new tale of the best-selling graphic novel. Inu-Yasha, Kagome, and Shippo continue their quest for more shards of the shattered magic jewel. Along the way, they meet a young girl named Nazuma fleeing from a horde of Spider-Head demons.
192 pages, Paperback
First published March 18, 1998
16 people are currently reading
1254 people want to read
About the author
Rumiko Takahashi
1,583 books2,114 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 118 reviews
December 7, 2015
New revelations about Inu-Yasha's human side! New revelations about what happened when he and Kikyo had their big fight fifty years ago!
When Shippo the little fox-spirit-boy was introduced I thought he was annoying, but he's been growing on me and this episode made me really like him.
But ARGH extreme cliff-hanger!
When Shippo the little fox-spirit-boy was introduced I thought he was annoying, but he's been growing on me and this episode made me really like him.
But ARGH extreme cliff-hanger!
February 28, 2023
Well, it was good while it lasted. Welcome back Kikyo, the character I dislike the most.
August 4, 2022
Review to come
March 4, 2020
Se merece las 5 estrellas 😍 Ver a Inuyasha vulnerable es 10/10
June 21, 2015
We finally got to one of my favorite parts of the story. When Inuyasha turns human for a little bit.
With Hanyou (half demons) there is a certain time that comes around when they lose all of their powers and turns human. For Inuyasha it is the night of the new moon. He looses his ears, fangs and claws, his hair turns black and he is completely susceptible to anything that would kill a human.
During this section of the book Inuyasha still tries to protect Kagome, Shippo and the Shikon Jewel fragments, but he finds that it more difficult that he originally thought, and he found himself relying on Kagome for emotional support. He feels conflicted when he see's her crying at the thought of his death. As he is recovering from the poison that almost killed him, he asks to rest his head on her lap and tells her she smells nice. Which is the opposite of what he's said the entire rest of the series, to which Kagome questions and he tells her he had been lying before.
Since I am a fangirl, I just can't help but love that scene. It gives a little more to the relationship that Kagome and Inuyasha share, which develops more and more as the series goes on. But alas, Inuyasha turning human is a rare thing. It would be a lot more believable and in depth series with a lot more thought put into it. But it seems that Rumiko Takahashi forgot about this detail.
((I'd like to note here that, yes, their relationship moves rather quickly in the series and Inuyasha is rather immature at times, but I still love the two of them. There is a lot of problems with their relationship, and story at times, but I can overlook it because I still love the series.))
The next half of the volume consists of Kikyo getting resurrected at the cost of Kagome turning into a soulless shell. And we learn more about Kikyo and Inuyasha's relationship before the story started - both of them feeling betrayed and it not actually being their fault. It's an interesting love-hate relationship.
Kagome becomes a soulless shell because she is the reincarnation of Kikyo and her soul go transferred to the new body that was created for Kikyo. Throughout the previous chapters and volumes Inuyasha finds himself staring at Kagome and having feelings he would towards Kikyo. He could tell just by her smell.
Again, I know I was a lot farther than this in the series, but I loved this volume.
With Hanyou (half demons) there is a certain time that comes around when they lose all of their powers and turns human. For Inuyasha it is the night of the new moon. He looses his ears, fangs and claws, his hair turns black and he is completely susceptible to anything that would kill a human.
During this section of the book Inuyasha still tries to protect Kagome, Shippo and the Shikon Jewel fragments, but he finds that it more difficult that he originally thought, and he found himself relying on Kagome for emotional support. He feels conflicted when he see's her crying at the thought of his death. As he is recovering from the poison that almost killed him, he asks to rest his head on her lap and tells her she smells nice. Which is the opposite of what he's said the entire rest of the series, to which Kagome questions and he tells her he had been lying before.
Since I am a fangirl, I just can't help but love that scene. It gives a little more to the relationship that Kagome and Inuyasha share, which develops more and more as the series goes on. But alas, Inuyasha turning human is a rare thing. It would be a lot more believable and in depth series with a lot more thought put into it. But it seems that Rumiko Takahashi forgot about this detail.
((I'd like to note here that, yes, their relationship moves rather quickly in the series and Inuyasha is rather immature at times, but I still love the two of them. There is a lot of problems with their relationship, and story at times, but I can overlook it because I still love the series.))
The next half of the volume consists of Kikyo getting resurrected at the cost of Kagome turning into a soulless shell. And we learn more about Kikyo and Inuyasha's relationship before the story started - both of them feeling betrayed and it not actually being their fault. It's an interesting love-hate relationship.
Kagome becomes a soulless shell because she is the reincarnation of Kikyo and her soul go transferred to the new body that was created for Kikyo. Throughout the previous chapters and volumes Inuyasha finds himself staring at Kagome and having feelings he would towards Kikyo. He could tell just by her smell.
Again, I know I was a lot farther than this in the series, but I loved this volume.
May 27, 2025
Inuyasha pelinegro yujuuu
May 10, 2012
Moves the overarching story along in a huge way, first by exposing InuYasha's weakness (he turns into a human at the new moon) and then by further exploring his connection with Kikyo .
October 8, 2007
The first part of this volume, dealing with Inu Yasha's weakness as a half-demon was interesting, but by far the part that shined for me was the revelations involving Kikyo in the second half.
July 27, 2011
Fun, quick read.
November 18, 2017
Well, I have seen the anime and I hated Kikyo even more than Naraku, therefore I was really mad when she appeared in this volume 😐
November 2, 2019
2 1/2 stars.
November 20, 2021
Human Inuyasha!
February 4, 2021
Yay we have a plot!! Up until this point the chapters were starting to feel like fillers. Inuyasha is a total jerk in the way only early 2000s stories are and honestly? I'm here for it. He is just a misunderstood guy 🥰 also in enjoying how adult the manga is in comparison to the show. We are just going to pretend that kagome is 18 and move on because everytime we are reminded that she is 15 I'm like "no. unacceptable."😒
January 5, 2021
So many great revelations in this volume as we learn more about Kikyo and Inuyasha's relationship and more about Inuyasha himself. There are some great dialogue and action in this volume, and it has a pretty awesome cliffhanger.
February 4, 2022
It was fine, not amazing like the first few I read, but not the worst. The first story was mostly filler and just revealed human Inuyasha and the second was -ugh- Kikyo’s redirection. But they were both just fine.
June 17, 2024
The spider demon was horrifying, and now Kikyo is back to reveal some good old fashioned miscommunication that happened before she died. We're also getting hints of a relationship between her and InuYasha, and I can't tell if that makes the eventual romance between InuYasha and Kagome weird or not.
September 22, 2022
The spider head people ruled. Love when Takahashi leans into the weirder horror-y elements of Inuyasha.
May 4, 2024
Oof another sad volume
January 12, 2025
the final chapter was soo sad
Read
February 27, 2025Ooh, some backstory
May 26, 2025
la parte del novilunio e il momento della resurrezione di Kikyo 🔥🔥🔥
April 5, 2016
Ahora veo el porqué insisten tanto en el anime que Aome ya se que es Kagome pero nah, me acostumbre a la versión latina del nombre y Kikyo se parecen tanto, al menos en este tomo son idénticas.
Admito que soy de esas personas que empezó odiando a Kikyo pero con el tiempo fui cambiando de opinión.
Admito que soy de esas personas que empezó odiando a Kikyo pero con el tiempo fui cambiando de opinión.
February 21, 2021
Soul Surviver
See I love this series but this volume introduces the beginnings of a love triangle, a trope I despise but love the series in spite of. Also a warning for giant spider demons that will probably haunt my dreams.
See I love this series but this volume introduces the beginnings of a love triangle, a trope I despise but love the series in spite of. Also a warning for giant spider demons that will probably haunt my dreams.
September 24, 2008
Pretty good, some random weird stuff in it... but I like all of the different types of demons in it. :)
March 30, 2011
:DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD I LOVE INUYASHAAA!
August 9, 2011
Solid without being anything spectacular to distinguish it from any other volume.
November 8, 2016
Omg...Kikyo...this killed me.
January 19, 2019
Now this is really genius turn of events! Exciting, really exciting.
February 8, 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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December 2, 2024
3.8 ⭐️
I spent the last couple of volumes grumbling about how the arcs were divided up between volumes, but here I'll admit I felt a lack of flow from being dropped into a new episodic arc right away. I think part of that is because we find Inuyasha and co just floating along without a stated objective before they get swept up in another side adventure involving a demon after the Shikon Jewel shards (and they are not even led there by the goal of finding shards but rather Kagome's heart and desire to help innocents).
Anyway, human Inuyasha is here! Yay! I love the overall accomplishments of the arc and how the reveal of Inuyasha's human night is done, but I do think the Spider Head story could be stronger. For me it is when the repetition/villain-of-the-week aspect of the writing noticeably kicks in, and though there are standout moments scattered in there, as a whole it is not unique enough to be wholly or enjoyably engaging–which is wild considering it's the first time we see human Inuyasha. It's missing something.
That being said, Rumiko Takahashi is doing her thing, accomplishing subtle growth and world + relationship + character-building fairly expertly within an episodic story. The overarching plot hasn't overtly kicked in yet, but we're inching forward.
Kagome is wonderfully caring and kind but also feisty and angry, Shippo shines and provides some great humor, and human Inuyasha brings a rawness that contributes to character and relationship growth. Trust and how appearances can be deceiving are important themes and a focus is placed on anti-demon + anti-hanyou sentiments, showcasing how Inuyasha is rejected by human and demon alike, isolated and put into his own category. Kagome embracing Inuyasha fully (accepting him as/not caring about his status as a hanyou) and expressing her care for him is a key moment in their relationship development, as is Inuyasha's responding honesty and vulnerability in admitting that he likes and cares about her while in his human state.
In a way, the Spider Head arc continues the trend of steps forward while also being a leap forward. I think what's missing is the strength of the demon as a character. He's more set dressing for everything else, but we've had much more interesting opponents. Nazuna has potential, but overall I think the general background premise could have worked better to make what this arc does well hit even harder.
But that's just the first arc! In the second half, we get the start of Kikyo's resurrection and oh no, here comes Kikyo.
I feel like if you come from the anime, you are primed to dislike Kikyo, but you know what? For all her complications, I've always liked her and think what she brings to the story and the Inuyasha-Kagome dynamic is pretty big-brained and thought provoking. I usually despise love triangles, but this is not your typical love triangle in the least. That being said, there is an air of dread around her presence. But people have said the manga does it better, and they're right!
(skip this spoiler section to avoid more in-depth thoughts)
Through everything Kaede clocks that “something is amiss” in the tale of Kikyo betraying Inuyasha and sealing him to the tree. The larger, overarching story is being introduced and it is tied up in whatever happened 50 years ago. Or rather, whatever happened 50 years ago and the three players in our triangle!
Long story short, this volume and the second arc in particular set up the larger story and introduce some key themes all while exploring a very specific moment.
I spent the last couple of volumes grumbling about how the arcs were divided up between volumes, but here I'll admit I felt a lack of flow from being dropped into a new episodic arc right away. I think part of that is because we find Inuyasha and co just floating along without a stated objective before they get swept up in another side adventure involving a demon after the Shikon Jewel shards (and they are not even led there by the goal of finding shards but rather Kagome's heart and desire to help innocents).
Anyway, human Inuyasha is here! Yay! I love the overall accomplishments of the arc and how the reveal of Inuyasha's human night is done, but I do think the Spider Head story could be stronger. For me it is when the repetition/villain-of-the-week aspect of the writing noticeably kicks in, and though there are standout moments scattered in there, as a whole it is not unique enough to be wholly or enjoyably engaging–which is wild considering it's the first time we see human Inuyasha. It's missing something.
That being said, Rumiko Takahashi is doing her thing, accomplishing subtle growth and world + relationship + character-building fairly expertly within an episodic story. The overarching plot hasn't overtly kicked in yet, but we're inching forward.
Kagome is wonderfully caring and kind but also feisty and angry, Shippo shines and provides some great humor, and human Inuyasha brings a rawness that contributes to character and relationship growth. Trust and how appearances can be deceiving are important themes and a focus is placed on anti-demon + anti-hanyou sentiments, showcasing how Inuyasha is rejected by human and demon alike, isolated and put into his own category. Kagome embracing Inuyasha fully (accepting him as/not caring about his status as a hanyou) and expressing her care for him is a key moment in their relationship development, as is Inuyasha's responding honesty and vulnerability in admitting that he likes and cares about her while in his human state.
In a way, the Spider Head arc continues the trend of steps forward while also being a leap forward. I think what's missing is the strength of the demon as a character. He's more set dressing for everything else, but we've had much more interesting opponents. Nazuna has potential, but overall I think the general background premise could have worked better to make what this arc does well hit even harder.
But that's just the first arc! In the second half, we get the start of Kikyo's resurrection and oh no, here comes Kikyo.
I feel like if you come from the anime, you are primed to dislike Kikyo, but you know what? For all her complications, I've always liked her and think what she brings to the story and the Inuyasha-Kagome dynamic is pretty big-brained and thought provoking. I usually despise love triangles, but this is not your typical love triangle in the least. That being said, there is an air of dread around her presence. But people have said the manga does it better, and they're right!
(skip this spoiler section to avoid more in-depth thoughts)
Through everything Kaede clocks that “something is amiss” in the tale of Kikyo betraying Inuyasha and sealing him to the tree. The larger, overarching story is being introduced and it is tied up in whatever happened 50 years ago. Or rather, whatever happened 50 years ago and the three players in our triangle!
Long story short, this volume and the second arc in particular set up the larger story and introduce some key themes all while exploring a very specific moment.
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