 "Hair today...." | 2009-09-29 |
| - Reviewed By la_solinas |
There's nothing like adversity to bring a bickering pair of protagonists together, and there's plenty of THAT coming along in the second volume of Rumiko Takahashi historical fantasy, "Inuyasha." While the anti-hero and flaky heroine still get along like cats and dog-boys, the adventure-packed story, humor and interesting new characters make it fascinating.
Kagome and Inuyasha venture back into the warring states era, only to find find Yura waiting for Inuyasha and his head of pretty silver hair. A nasty fight breaks out, using strength and magic powers that are way out of Kagome's league -- but while she has rotten aim and no other powers, she may be able to stop Yura's reign of hairy terror.
And Inuyasha has barely recovered from that little escapade when weird little flea demon (no, really!) Myoga arrives to tell him that his father's tomb has been broken into.Then Inuyasha's older brother Sesshomaru appears, along with a skyscraper-sized ogre and Inuyasha's long-dead mother. He wants the location of their father's tomb, and is convinced that Inuyasha knows where it is.
But soon the two teenagers find themselves pulled into a bizarre illusionary trap, and end up subsequently following Sesshomaru into a bone-filled world of the dead -- where Inuyasha's father rests in... well, not exactly peace. Deep inside his skeleton is a powerful treasure -- and Sesshomaru is willing to kill to get his hands on it.
Magical swords, an otherworldly realm filled with demon skeletons, beheaded bodies, a faceless woman who literally sucks people into her body, a flea in a teeny-tiny kimono, and a giant hairball full of razor hair. "Inuyasha Volume 2" takes your average quest fantasy, adds a cornucopia of Japanese mythological elements, and mixes in a little hint of romantic comedy as well.
But it becomes even more evident that this is a darker piece of work than its predecessors "Ranma 1/2" and "Maison Ikkoku" -- there's plenty of gory action (Inuyasha gets stabbed, beaten up, poked bloodily in the eye, and nearly drowned drowned), and a trail of dead bodies whenever a bad guy shows up. Fortunately since this is based on a Rumiko Takahashi manga, there's also lots of comedy (the whole scene where Kagome tries to undress Inuyasha), and a hint of potential romance... far, far in the future.
Our intrepid heroine Kagome is still something of a flake who doesn't seem to quite understand some of the peril she's in, but she does seem to be smartening up. And the grumpy anti-hero Inuyasha is fleshed out considerably here -- without being melodramatic, the writers explore his troubled past as a half-demon half-human boy, and his mingled feelings about his family.
Oh yeah, and we encounter Sesshomaru -- an icy Sephiroth-like demon who seems to have no qualms about abusing everyone around him (including his nasty little toady servant, Jaken). Though he seems merely a cool aloof villain here, it should be interesting to see what comes after this.
"Inuyasha Volume 2" smooths out some of the initial wrinkles of the series, and introduces an interesting new villain. And it only gets better after this. |
| |
 "Enter Sesshomaru, Jaken, and the Tetsusaiga" | 2007-05-17 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2VF73N1AI95SQ |
In Inuyasha volume 2, the story of Inuyasha and Kagome continues. If you haven't read volume 1 and haven't seen the anime, go read it! otherwise you won't understand the following review:
Our two main heroes Inuyasha and Kagome return to the Feudal Era to confront Yura, an evil being that has the power to control hair. Such a power might not seem too dangerous, but she really is deadly! How will our heroes fair in their first fight as a team?
When the volume continues, we are introduced to several new characters, but very important ones since they'll be in the story for its remainder. First, an old flea named Myoga,a vassal to his late demon father, tells Inuyasha someone is trying to break into his father's tomb to steal his treasure. As Myoga explains what's happening, Inuyasha's late mortal mother is also discussed.
Just who is the theif? Why it's Sesshomaru, Inuyasha's older full demon brother! Sesshomaru is arguably the most popular character in the series and definitely my favorite. He has brought with him his toad like servant Jaken who wields the Staff of Two Heads(sometimes referred to as Staff of the Skulls) to locate the tomb. It soon becomes clear that Sesshomaru will have to confront Inuyasha to get to their father's treasure. This makes for a very interesting and emotional meeting leaving you with a sense of Sesshomaru's huge level of cruelty(for now).
Just what is the treasure though? It's the Tetsusaiga, a sword made from a fang of Inuyasha's father! The powerful sword can slay 100 demons in one sweep, but it rejects Sesshomaru. When Inuyasha is also unable to get it, Kagome surprises all! Inuyasha eventually gets the weapon, but now that Sesshomaru has transformed into his full demon form, can Inuyasha win?
Overall, this is a roughly 200 page terrific installment of Inuyasha. It reads from left to right which may bother some, though not me personally. I suggest this for all 13 and up as their is nudity and much violence including multiple decapitations. This volume is EXTREMELY action packed. The volume has much fighting, but does a nice job of blending emotion and character introductions. This volume definitely has a great story, introduces interesting new characters, and has much action. The story will only continue to get better! |
| |
| "Manga Fan" | 2007-04-19 |
| - Reviewed By User: A37M0FSGRJWV28 |
| I'll start with the good. The artwork is excellent. There is a rich and addicting story line. The characters have enduring personalities. I really love this series. I typically always start reading Manga and then watch the anime if it goes that far. However, with Inuyasha it was the opposite for me. One of the reasons I was originally hesitant to read the manga was that it goes from front to back instead of back to front. This means the manga has bad editing issues. Basically to do this the editors have to flip every single image and reverse the image order. At first it wasn't too bad, but there is always a character like Sesshomaru... Every time he is in the manga it's like nails on a chalkboard. Because of the flipping everything about him just screams 'Those idiot American Editors Abused me!' His fluffy and armor are on the wrong side. His crescent moon is backwards. And Because of the flipping he always looks like his right arm was cut off and not the left. Because of this technical glitch the manga appears sloppy. However, the poor choice of flipping the contents doesn't take away from the amazing story. It is still a really good read. One just has to get over all the glitches. |
| |
| "Yes I think this series is great" | 2006-12-28 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3S5P9WZP9B9LY |
| I won't spill anything but this second book is very actiony for a second book. Be sure to read all the booms and other thinks like that (it's kinda fun) (^-^). I hope you buy it you won't be sorry |
| |
| "A teen's point of view" | 2005-08-12 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1P580IWPXZCDX |
| When I first saw InuYasha, it was about a year ago on TV, and I thought it was the weirdest show(of course, I had no idea it was Inuyasha, I was flipping channels. I discovered that recently when they re-aired the episode.). Some guy with long white hair and fangs? Demons weren't my thing. Then, about three weeks ago, after recently getting hooked onto Japanese manga, I was browsing the designated aisle at Borders, and the bright yellow spine caught my eye. I had remembered my little brother going on about it, and so curiosity got the better of me, and I started reading it in the store. I was immediately hooked. It's a thrilling tale, really, with humor, a bit of bad language, and innocent romance. And that's why, after three days of no trips to Borders, I couldn't take it. I resorted to Amazon. It came in pretty quick too, I was surprised. Afterward I got myself hooked on the show, but I'm not here to review that, am I? Anyways, a long review short, it's a great story by a great author, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. |
| |
| "AND HE TRIED TO SLAY HIS BROTHER!" | 2005-07-18 |
| - Reviewed By byron_72 |
The first half of this volume concerns the continuing battle with Yura of the Hair, a witch who is able to puppeteer corpses and use her hair to cut off body parts. Yes, she's always having a bad hair day! Sorry about that. In what I believe will be an ongoing trend, Inuyasha finds that he can't defeat Yura alone because only Kagome can see Yura's strands of hair. In the second story arc in this volume, a talking flea named Myoga, with the inappropriate title "Divine Grace" shows up to tell Inuyasha that someone is trying to rob his father's grave! That would-be graverobber is Sessho-Maru, Inuyasha's half-brother and full-blooded demon, which makes him more powerful than our anti-hero. Let's just say there's no love lost between the two, because there isn't any love at all! Looks like Inuyasha might have to call on Kagome again as the two square off.
Rumiko Takahashi is a true manga genius. Her artwork is beautiful. You find yourself actually seeing an anime in your head when you read her manga, because they are so exquisitely detailed, and the characters spring to life. The action is never confusing, and she never shrinks from realistic blood. There is also a sort of warm charm in the relationship between Inuyasha and Kagome that seems more real than even most shojo. Classic series. |
| |
International Available
