Friday Review: InuYasha The Final Act

 THE FINAL AC T IN A FEUDAL FAIRY TALE

It’s undeniable that both the InuYasha manga and anime have a rabid following in Japan. With Adult Swim’s English dubbed broadcast of the anime between 2002 and 2006, which proved to be a hit in North America, InuYasha had continued to enthrall audiences the world over. Sadly, when the original 167 episode anime series came to an end, there was little closure to the show, leaving many to only guess at the main cast of characters’ fate (unless they read the manga).

 

With the appropriately titled Final Act, InuYasha fans are finally treated to the last gripping chapter of the anime saga in all its animated glory. For those unfamiliar with the series, InuYasha follows the journey of Kagome, a modern day schoolgirl who finds that the old well next to her house is a portal that can transport her to Japan’s feudal era, teeming with villagers, samurai, and, most of all, demons! Through her adventure she joins up with InuYasha, a half-demon, Miroku, a lecherous monk, Sango, a female demon slayer, and Shippo, a young fox demon, as they seek out the Shikon Jewel shards, which can grant the user unimaginable power. It’s to this end that they must prevent the shards from falling into the hands of the villainous demon, Naraku.

 

InuYasha: The Final Act finds our heroes in the midst of figuring out how to destroy Naraku once and for all. It’s far from an easy task as the evil demon throws everything in his arsenal at them. Characters die, some change alliances and the action hits a high point never before seen in the prior episodes. The animation itself is also markedly better, though not to say that it was lacking prior. The pacing is superior in every aspect too, since there’s only a finite number of episodes designated effectively conclude the series. 

It goes without saying that fans caught up with the preceding 167 episodes of InuYasha will want to check The Final Act out. Those not up familiar with the epic series may want to hold off until they are more familiar with some of the earlier episodes. Either way, it’s great that The Final Act was produced and even better that the follow-up series is available in the United States.