tek's rating:

InuYasha: The Final Act, on Yomiuri TV
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Caution: spoilers.

So... I guess by the time the anime series InuYasha was finished, the manga on which it was based... wasn't. Which is why the anime had no story resolution. But eventually the manga was finished, so they made this series to finish the story in the anime. (Which, it seems to me, is a bit unusual; most animes I've seen that are based on unfinished mangas just make up their own endings, which often diverge from what ends up being the endings of the mangas. So this is kind of a nice change of pace.) I watched a few subbed episodes online, but didn't keep up with it. About two or three years later (in 2013), I got it on DVD. So now I can watch it dubbed. Most of the English cast is the same, though there are new voice actors for Kagome and Sesshomaru (they sound pretty similar to the originals, though). Anyway, it's really fun watching the DVDs on Saturday nights; it makes me feel nostalgic for the old days of Adult Swim, and therefore happy to be watching something new. Which is especially welcome, since at the time I'm watching it, I dont have access to Cartoon Network, so I've been missing the various new things that are actually airing on Adult Swim, these last couple of years.

Um... I'm sure there are countless plot developments from the original series that I've forgotten. Apparently Kohaku got his memories back at some point, but it seems like it isn't until the first episode of The Final Act that Sango learns this. Of course he wants to kill Naraku to atone for the things Naraku had forced him to do. But he doesn't want to stay with his sister. Meanwhile, Kagura had decided to turn against Naraku in the other series, and in the first episode of this series, she teams up with Hakudoshi, as well as another incarnation, Goryomaru (or Moryomaru; they're two separate incarnations who are really the same, or something, I dunno). However, by the end of the episode, Hakudoshi is killed.

And... I finished watching the series near the end of 2013, then came back to this page to finish my review, and was shocked by how much I'd left out. I thought I'd have to add a few details, but not too much... and here it seems I've said practically nothing! Well, let's see, there are 26 episodes in The Final Act, and really I don't want to spoil much. Um... in the course of the series, I guess Inuyasha's sword, Tetsusaiga, gained at least a couple of new abilities, the most important one being Meido Zangetsuha. And Sesshomaru's sword, Tenseiga, gained some powers. And he got another sword, Bakusaiga. And Naraku had a new incarnation, Byakuya (who was really annoying). And some more characters die (but I won't say which ones). And... there are filler episodes, but probably less than in the original series. Really, most of the time you can tell that the end is coming. Of course, while most eps are spent in the feudal era, there are some in the present, where Kagome has to take high school entrance exams. And she eventually has to think about which world she'll end up living in full time. And... gosh, so much happens! I'm leaving a ton of stuff out. Of course everything leads up to a major final battle against Naraku, but even after that, there's another obstacle to overcome, which kind of surprised me, but I guess it made sense. And... well, the series just ends really well. I just loved it. Very satisfying conclusion not only to The Final Act, but of course to "Inuyasha" as a whole.


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