Manga Inuyasha update #2

 Author: Rumiko Takahashi 

Series: Volume 4-8

Genre: Fantasy, Manga

Original publication date: 1997-1998

Description: Kagome is a normal high school student living in her traditional house with her mother, little brother, and mother. One day by accident she falls down a sacred water well and ends up in the Feudal era where demons still roam. She is lost but soon finds herself caught up in a quest. After discovering she is in possession of the Shikon no Tama a powerful jewel that is very sought by demons and evil humans.

Thoughts:

This series is on the older side, it was first published in Japanese and it has been translated into numerous languages by now. I saw the anime adaptation first. This is the first time I am reading the manga and it has been so long that I barely remember it. I am not sure about the initial plot so can't say how closely related they are, but I am enjoying the manga a lot. As it is a series it is impossible to talk about it without spoiling it. As in previous reviews, I'll include several of them in a single post and talk about each volume briefly. 

Volume 4

Miroku the monk with wondering hands joins forces with Kagome and Inuyasha. He reveals why he seeks Naraku, to kill him and get rid of the cursed hand before it kills him as it has killed every male in his family since the time of his grandfather. While they travel together they find themselves drawn to a struggle of a small village where a group of demons has been terrorizing the people. 

We also see another fight with Sesshomaru, Inuyasha's half brother. Naraku is trying to get rid of Inuyasha and decides to provide a human arm so Sesshomaru is able to hold Tessaiga. During the fight, Inuyasha comes to fear not being able to save Kagome and decides to send her back to her time and seal the well so she can't come back. 

While she is gone, Miroku and Inuyasha try to find out more about Naraku and how he went from being a hurt human man to a powerful demon. They face Naraku but he manages to escape again. Once the gang is reunited they restart their journey to find the jewel.

Volume 5 

It starts off with Kikyo trying to live among humans but she cannot live normally. The gang is again dragged to help a village that is being tormented. The soul of young women is being taken by demons. Kagome's insecurities resurface as Inuyasha still holds feelings for her. They have a typical miscommunication. Both have things going on in their heads and they have their own misconceptions, Kagome thinks Inuyasha doesn't care about her and behaves as she dislikes him. 

Kagome is still coming and going between her time and the Feudal era. Inuyasha shows his vulnerable side when they are facing an enemy a man who owns a weird ability to shrink people and consume them. But Inuyasha is not able to defeat him before nightfall. The nightfall of the new moon and he loses his demon side and becomes human. This new discovery the secret Inuyasha has kept from his companions is revealed. It is a very interesting detail that half-demons become fully human once a month at a specific time. It seems to change from person to person, a very interesting revelation. 

It raises the stakes as the strongest member of their crew is no longer able to defend them but in the end, once his demon power is restored they win. I knew that was going to happen come on, Inuyasha always wins in the end but still, it gave a thrill to the reading experience as you see him being beaten up. 

Volume 6 

This is the first introduction to Sango.

A demon-slayer village is hired to defend the lord of a castle from demons. While the warriors are away Naraku slays the entire village and framed Inuyasha for it. Sango is the lone survivor. She faces Inuyasha and her weapon manages to fight off Tessaiga. 

After their fight and managing to speak Sango joins their gang to try to find Naraku and avenge her people. It is a very sad tale. Sango was taken to the Castle where Naraku resides but due to some sort of enchantment, she can't remember the location. 

While they travel trying to find the demon dressed as a monkey. They face a water god or at least a demon who is terrorizing a village demanding human sacrifices to appease him.  As a group, they must face him. Sango proves herself a very strong and capable fighter. And in several villages either she or Miroku are the ones who get requests to help eradicate threats.  

Miroku is led and falls for a trap. As his curse hand is damaged and is about to destroy him he decides to go away from his friends to not risk them. He goes to the temple where he grew up to get help from the monk who raised him. The monk receives treatment but he has to rest and not use the wind tunnel until it has fully healed. Inuyasha and Sango fight to ensure Miroku does not use his cursed hand. It seems like Naraku is set on destroying their whole group. It is interesting how he is such an evil person and yet he focuses so much on attacking each of them where it hurts the most.

Kohaku is Sango's little brother who was killed in the initial attack of Naraku on the demon hunters. Naraku being a sadist bastard uses a Jewel fragment to bring him back from the dead. He attacks the group and takes down Sango as she is not mentally prepared to deal with that situation. 

Volume 7

The opening fight scene is the continuation of the previous volume. Naraku is there in person, and he is in advantage, using Inuyasha's enhanced scent released miasma that is affecting everyone. Kagome's ability proves to be above normal human, she is not weakened by the miasma. The high schooler ends up shooting Naraku a few sacred arrows and just in a nick of good luck she actually hits the target. 

This is one of the first few times we see the amazing ability Naraku has. He gets hit by all the arrows and his body is destroyed. But even if only the head was left he was able to order Kohaku to take him away and escape. 

The group continues their travels and they come across another village that is in trouble. Inuyasha and Kagome are the ones who get involved as the assumed killer is another half-demon. They of course solve the mystery. 

Kikyo finds herself in the presence of Naraku but he has a soft spot for the dead miko. She manages to assist Inuyasha in a trap that was set up for the choosing of a new body.  Naraku has fully recovered his body and escapes once more this time taking Kikyo right in front of Inuyasha. That wakes again a lot of insecurities in Kagome as she feels jealous and just as a stand-in for the dead miko in the eyes of Inuyasha. 

When the group catches up to Naraku again they fall into a trap. Each person is trapped in a deadly illusion. Kagome is the only one not affected. Kikyo tried to kill her and also bring Inuyasha to her side. Inuyasha gets there in time to save Kagome and like an idiot when it's more than clear of the situation is he asks Kagome because he can't believe Kikyo would try to harm her. 

After that, they face Sesshomaru finds them as he is chasing the maker of the Tessaiga. He is trying to force the guy to make him a new sword. The sword maker refuses and goes to Inuyasha for help so he defeats Sesshomaru. The older demon is badly hurt after the fight as Inuyasha finally manages to call forth the real power behind his sword.

Volume 8 

This is the introduction of Rin, a human girl finds the hurt Sesshomaru and tries to care for him. He refuses the help of a human, he despises them after all.

We also see Koga come into the picture. He has shards of the Jewel and is the leader of a clan of man-eating wolves. Koga sends his wolves to attack villages. That attitude attracts the attention of the traveling group. In the fight, Koga flirts with Kagome making Inuyasha jealous and act just as stupid as Kagome. He thinks she is interested in the other demon. 

In the end, they allow Koga to escape with the shards and continue their journey. 

Also, we see the introduction of Kagura, a woman who fights in the name of Naraku and has the same marks on her back. During the fight, they also run across Koga, he was attacked by Kagura to get the shards as well. After all, Naraku is also after the jewel. 

Kanna also makes her appearance, she is another one of the demons working for Naraku, she has the ability to trap people's souls with her mirror. Between Kagura and Kanna capture a whole village and fight the group using the humans. What will they do, kill or hurt the defenseless humans?

The funny thing each volume is made up of 20 chapters and they all feel very episodic, it's like reading an anime. It makes a very good reading book, it can be read in a single go, or if not each chapter gives a perfect place to stop after each session. The only bad thing is that a lot of little side quests happen as every one or two episodes bring new adventures. 

Do you have a favorite scene for Inuyasha? One of the things I had very present from the time I watched the anime was when Rin is introduced and she tries to take care of a hurt  Sesshomaru. That scene was very set in my mind but the details were fuzzy. I still was very glad to reach that part.  For now, that is it, I'll see you guys later. 

Stay safe!