InuYasha: The Final Act DVD Set 2 (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

May 2, 2013 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

For eight years, anime fans have waited for the conclusion of “InuYasha” which last aired back in 2004. Here we are now in 2013 and the final 13 episodes of the series is here! The conclusion to Rumiko Takahashi’s “InuYasha” and the confrontation and battle that many have been waiting for! “InuYasha: The Final Act DVD Set 2″ is highly recommended!

DVD TITLE: InuYasha: The Final Act DVD Set 2

DURATION: 315 minutes (13 Episodes on 2 discs)

DVD INFORMATION: Original Uncut Episodes, Stereo, Bilingual (Japanese and English), English Subtitles

COMPANY: Viz Media

RELEASE DATE: February 12, 2013

Originally created by Rumiko Takahashi

Director: Yasunao Aoiki

Series Composition by Katsuyuki Sumisawa

Music by Kaoru Wada

Character Design: Yoshihito Hishinuma

Art Director: Shigemi Ikeda

Anime Production: Sunrise

Featuring the following voice talent:

Kappei Yamaguchi/Richard Ian Cox (Inuyasha)

Satsuki Yukino/Kira Tozer (Kagome Higurashi)

Kouji Tsujitani/Kirby Morrow (Miroku)

Ken Narita/David Kaye (Sesshoumaru)

Houko Kwashima/Kelly Sheridan (Sango)

Kumiko Watanabe/Jillian Michaels (Shippo)

Toshiyuki Morikawa/Paul Dobson (Naraku)

Noriko Hidaka/Willow Johnson (Kikyo)

Taiki Matsuno/Scott McNeil (Koga)

Izumi Oogami/Janyse Jaud (Kagura)

Kagome finds her worlds colliding as she struggles to both fight alongside Inuyasha in the past and pass the exam to get into her high school of choice in the present. But with her spiritual powers sealed away, how will she purify the Shikon Jewel before Naraku can absorb it forever? As the battle enters its final stages, Inuyasha and his friends find their strength, loyalties and will to live pushed to impossible limits. And in the end, the final key to Naraku’s and the Jewel’s destruction may lie in nothing more-and nothing less-than the trust between a half demon and a girl from the future.

It’s the final 13 episodes of “InuYasha”. For over a decade, many fans have been waiting for the final battle between InuYasha and friends versus Naraku, but also the long awaited battle between the brothers, InuYasha and Sesshomaru and more!

The thrilling conclusion that fans have been waiting for is featured in “InuYasha: The Final Act DVD Set 2″!

What is “InuYasha”?

There are not many long running anime series that I find wonderful but for “InuYasha”" is one of those special titles that is what you can call a total package. Cool characters, cool storyline, cool animation, cool art background… A good balance of everything that you can want in an anime.

But it’s something that I expected no less coming from a manga series from Rumiko Takahashi, one of my favorite manga-ka’s in Japan known for anime TV series hits such as “Urusei Yatsura”, “Maison Ikkoku”, “Ranma 1/2″ and “InuYasha”.

In Japan, Takahashi has written 56 volumes for “InuYasha” (which began in 1996 and concluded in 2008) and the first 167 episodes aired on Yomiuri TV from 2000-2004. As many long anime series go on break in order for the mangaka to work on the manga series or the animators create a story on their own that is different from the manga, fortunately the anime series was put on hold for several years in order to have Takahashi finish the series.

By 2009, the second series “InuYasha: The Final Act” (26-episodes) began airing on Yomiuri TV from Oct. 2009 through March 2010 and now will be released on Blu-ray and DVD courtesy of Viz Media with the first 13 episodes slated for release in November 2012.

“InuYasha: The Final Act” is based on the last 21 volumes of the manga series. The original staff and cast of the series returned for this final season and would feature the continuing storyline of InuYasha, Kagome, Miroku, Sango, Shippo and Kirara searching for the final fragments of the shattered shikon jewel and prepare for their final battle against Naraku.

In the first half of the series, InuYasha and friends to all they can to find the remaining final shards but so is Naraku. The fight against Naraku continues as one character is killed and another uses power to the maximum to the point of nearly killing themselves. Meanwhile, one confesses their love and in the process, their power grows.

In the second half of the series, it has all come down to the battle that fans have waited over a decade for…InuYasha and friends vs. the evil Naraku, who has gathered and reunited shards of the Shikon Jewel and is about to make his wish for ultimate power.

But before then, we get to see the battle between InuYasha vs. Sesshomaru to see which is worthy of wielding their father’s fang of destruction. Meanwhile, Naraku enables Magatsuhi to manifest as a demon and create havoc on the group. And the real true nature of the Shinkon Jewel is explained!

And one final battle in which Kagome must make the correct decision to make things right!

“InuYasha: The Final Act” features the following characters:

InuYasha – The half demon/half human who drawn a liking towards the human Priestess Kikyo and has some feelings for Kagome but his ego prevents him from saying anything about his emotions. Has the ability to leap far distances, has quite a few special attacks including claws that can cut through anything. Also, wields his father’s sword, Tetsusaiga. His goal is to take control of the Jewel of Four Souls to turn into a demon. Wears a necklace that forces him to listen to a single command from Kagome. When Kagome says “sit”, he drops or literally is thrown down to the ground harshly. He and Kagome are constantly bickering. In the first day of each month, he resorts back to human form. Later in the series, Kikoyo has been awakened and thus his feelings are split for both Kikyo and Kagome. Meanwhile, he does not get along with his brother Sesshomaru because he is half demon and because he possesses the family heirloom.

Kagome Higurashi - A high school student who is a reincarnation of Kikyo. Carries a bow and arrow as a weapon but a human who has the ability to go back to her time period through a well in her home and a well in the feudal period. Has conflicted emotions towards InuYasha but always caring for other people. Has the ability to control InuYasha by a special bead necklace on InuYasha that forces him to listen. She has the ability to sense and see the jewels and the shards from long distances or on a monster. She cares a lot for InuYasha.

Shippo – A young orphan fox. Human in appearance with a big fox tail. His father was killed by a demon and eventually gets himself into trouble while trying to obtain the crystal shards to become powerful and get revenge on the demons that killed his father. He has nowhere to go and is eventually taken in by InuYasha and Kagome.

Miroku – A Buddhist monk who travels the countryside and performs exorcisms. He’s a bit lecherous and likes to take people’s belongings and sell them for a profit. But his goal is to find the evil Naruku who has taken Miroku’s right hand and given him the power of “wind tunnel”, a powerful ability that can suck anything into a black hole like void in his hand. The hole is growing and eventually he will be sucked into it unless he finds the person who cursed him with it and gets his life back. He eventually travels with Kagome, InuYasha and Shippo in search of Naraku. Later in the series, Miroku and Sango fall in love with each other and in “Final Act”, Miroku will do all he can to protect her.

Sango – Sango is a demon slayer who’s family was slayed by demons. The person responsible is Naraku, thus joins Kagome, InuYasha, Shippo and Miroku to go after him. Her main weapon is a large boomerang that is powerful and able to cut monsters in half. In the beginning, she was always being hit on by Miroku but eventually, she begins to fall for him. Sango is often seen accompanying her faithful demon-cat companion, Kirara.

Sesshoumaru – The brother of InuYasha. A demon who can’t stand InuYasha because he’s half demon and half human and blames their father for being so weak and trying to protect a human. The two despise each other and twice in season one, he and InuYasha fight to the death. Has the ability to turn into a white wolf and much stronger and ruthless than InuYasha.

Kikyo – The Priestess who used to wear the Jewel of Four Souls. Cared for InuYasha but believed he is the one that fatally injured her. In season 1, she is brought back to life as an undead and wants her revenge against InuYasha.

Kaede - The sister of Kikyo, she is shown in past clips of Kikyo as a young little girl but currently she is 50+ years older, wears an eye patch and assists InuYasha and Kagome with information in their missions when they need her.

Naraku – The main evil antagonist who has manipulated everyone in order to get his hands on the crystal shards. Very evil demon who is responsible for Kikyo’s death, Miroku’s curse and the death of Sango’s faily. He is driven to become a full demon, possessing a fully corrupted Shikon jewel and possessing Kikyo.:

Kikyo: Continuing from the first season, we learn that Kikyo was brought back to life and driven by her hatred towards InuYasha for deceiving her. Eventually she finds out the true facts about what took place the night she passed away and learns that it was Naraku’s evil work in play to deceive both of them. She vows to get her revenge on Naraku. But to do that, she must stay close with him and thus she pretends to be on Naraku’s side.

Koga: The other important character we are introduced to is Koga, the wolf-demon (episode 36). Koga is the leader of the southern yokai-wolf tribe and has three shards that give him incredible speed and power. He develops a crush on Kagome (especially since she can sense the jewel shards) and thus he and InuYasha are often fighting with each other. Koga wants revenge on Naraku because his tribe was nearly all wiped out because of his deception. Although he is there to help Kagome and even InuYasha, he is on no one side but is their ally.

Kohaku: The younger brother of Sango brought back to life by Naraku (episode 29). Has an impure jewel shard given to him by Naraku that keeps him alive but he has lost all memories of his sister and can easily be used by Naraku to fight against InuYasha and friends. He was eventually freed from Narku’s grasps and became good friends with Rin.

Kagura: Naraku’s creation and second “detachment”. She is a wind sorceress (introduced in episode 40) that is lethal and deadly and has killed many innocents but at the same time, she hates Naraku and wishes to be free of him. Thus she tries to play the hands of InuYasha and possibly use him to kill Naraku.

Rin: An orphan girl who helps nurse Sesshomaru in the woods after he was badly injured in a fight against InuYasha (episode 34). Rin’s family was killed by bandits and so, she has been living alone by having to steal food. She’s mute and but communicates via hand gestures or facial emotions. Because Sesshomaru wields the Tenseiga (which heals), he returns the favor back to the girl after she was killed by wolves. Despite Sesshomaru’s uncaring attitude towards humans, he appears to tolerate her for some reason. Rin shows a loyalty towards him and eventually becomes part of Sesshomaru’s group.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“InuYasha: The Final Act” definitely shows the animated differences from the previous seasons created nearly a decade ago. With today’s use of computers and better utilization of CG and more detailed artwork, “InuYasha: The Final Act” looks better. Not only are art backgrounds much more detailed but you can tell that Sunrise didn’t lax on this TV series, they did a wonderful job in animation and with the art backgrounds and making Rumiko Takashi’s manga series come alive!

As for the audio, audio is presented in 2.0 and both languages are done quite well. The English dubbed seems a bit more clearer and a little louder coming through my front speakers over the Japanese track but overall, it’s a purely dialogue driven anime and there are no 5.1ch tracks, so it’s pretty much a front-channel driven soundtrack. For “Ranma 1/2″ fans, you will see the reunion of Ranma 1/2 voice actor Kappei Yamaguchi (Ranma) return as the voice for InuYasha which was pretty cool and also Noriko Hidaka (“Ranma 1/2″ character Akane) as Kikyo.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“InuYasha: The Final Act” comes with:

ORIGINAL JAPANESE TRAILER – The Japanese trailer for “InuYasha: The Final Act”
ORIGINAL CAST CREDITS IN ENGLISH

The final episodes of “InuYasha” have finally been released in America and for many anime fans, the series provided a wonderful conclusion but also an end of a chapter of a series which many people in America have pretty much grown up with for a very long time.

In my case, I discovered “Inu Yasha” not long after it was released in Japan in the mid-90′s via “Weekly Shonen Sunday”. And like many other American fans, watched it when it was broadcast on Adult Swim back in 2002. I can easily remember people dressing up as characters of “Inuyasha”, I still have the first “Inuyasha” PlayStation video game and to keep interest in the series, Viz Media have released the volume sets, the movie collection on Blu-ray and now “The Final Act” both on Blu-ray and DVD.

Having grown up with this series, without spoiling any of the storyline, I will say that the final episodes provide closure to fans. The final battle with Naraku, the explanation of the Shinkon Jewel, the final confrontation between Naruto and his brother Sesshomaru. But most importantly, what happens to these characters afterward. Do the live? Do they die? Do characters hook up?

The finality of the series is explained in “InuYasha: The Final Act DVD Set 2″ and I will leave it at that. Longtime fans of the series will not be disappointed!

I have always felt that when it comes to an anime television series based on a Rumiko Takahashi manga, you really can’t go wrong. May it be “Urusei Yatsura”, “Ranma 1/2″, “Maison Ikkoku”, “One Pound Gospel”, “Mermaid’s Forest”, etc., all are classics in their own right and “InuYasha” will surely join the others as not only as a popular hit manga series but also on of Japan’s popular anime TV series of all time.

There are not too many manga creators who have a lot of their works get the anime adaptation that spawn many films, CD drama series and soundtracks and also a lot of merchandise. For Rumiko Takahashi, she’s had four decades worth of series that have lasted for a long time and even today, fans still crave her works because they can be watched any time and they are good now as they were then.

But when it comes to “InuYasha”, where I’ve had such a strong affinity towards her previous releases and even “Ranma 1/2″, I have to admit, “InuYasha” is a solid series and there was not many episodes that were bland or “OK”, they were all very good and again, there are not many TV series where I want to continue watching nearly every episode in one sitting.

So, everything is fantastic about this series but are there any negatives with this DVD release? Well, I’m sure one can argue that they wish all 26-episodes were released as one volume and some can wish that there were more special features included. But it’s hard to argue since Viz Media has always broken up their DVD’s into volumes and rarely release full collections. And as for special features, while past “InuYasha” collections had some rare swag included in the limited edition releases, pretty much all you’re going to get is a Japanese trailer. Yes, Japan’s DVD release of “InuYasha: The Final Act” received a bonus DVD, a calendar and a DJ CD but Viz Media has not really released limited edition DVD releases for many years now.

But as for the series itself, “InuYasha: The Final Act” is what many people have been waiting for and wanting to see. Characters risking their lives to take down Naraku and a lot of sacrifices that are being made.

These final 13 episodes are it for “InuYasha” and fans will be happy with receiving closure to the series that they had followed for so many years! Trust me, you will enjoy this final half of “The Final Act”.

Overall, If you are an “InuYasha” fan… “InuYasha: The Final Act DVD Set 2″ is highly recommended!

Filed Under: Anime on DVD

InuYasha: The Movie the Complete Collection (a J!-ENT Anime Blu-ray Disc Review)

April 16, 2013 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

Four “InuYasha” films for $21 on Blu-ray? You better believe it! Not only is it cheaper than the older DVD box set but all four films are presented with better picture and audio quality. You are definitely getting your money’s worth with this Blu-ray release! “InuYasha: The Movie the Complete Collection” is highly recommended!

TITLE: InuYasha: The Movie the Complete Collection

YEAR OF RELEASE: InuYasha the Movie 1 (2001), InuYasha the Movie 2 (2002), InuYasha the Movie 3 (2003), InuYasha the Movie 4 (2004)

DURATION: InuYasha the Movie (100 Minutes), InuYasha the Movie 2 (100 Minutes), InuYasha the Movie 3 (98 Minutes), InuYasha the Movie 4 (86 Minutes)

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080i High Definition, English and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, Subtitles: English

RATED: TV 14

COMPANY: Viz Media

RELEASE DATE: March 26, 2013

Originally created by Rumiko Takahashi

InuYasha the Movie: Affections Touching Across Time

Directed by Toshiya Shinohara

Scenario by Katsuyuki Sumisawa

Music by Kaoru Wada

Character Design by Hideyuki Motohashi, Yoshihito Hishinuma

Art Director: Tsutomu Ishigaki

Art: Hiroyuki Hasegawa

Chief Animation Director: Hideyuki Motohashi

Producer: Masuo Ueda, Michihiko Suwa, Mikihiro Iwata

Production by Kyoto Animation, NTV, Shogakukan Productions Co., Ltd., Sunrise, TOHO, Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation

InuYasha the Movie 2: The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass

Directed by Toshiya Shinohara

Scenario by Katsuyuki Sumisawa

Music by Kaoru Wada

Character Design by Hideyuki Motohashi, Yoshihito Hishinuma

Art Director: Tsutomu Ishigaki

Art: Hiroyuki Hasegawa

Chief Animation Director: Hideyuki Motohashi

Producer: Masuo Ueda, Michihiko Suwa, Mikihiro Iwata

Production by Avex Inc., Kyoto Animation, Shogakukan Productions Co., Ltd., Sunrise, Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation

InuYasha the Movie 3: Swords of an Honorable Ruler

Directed by Toshiya Shinohara

Scenario by Katsuyuki Sumisawa

Music by Kaoru Wada

Character Design by Hideyuki Motohashi, Yoshihito Hishinuma

Art Director: Tsutomu Ishigaki

Art: Hiroki Nomura

Chief Animation Director: Hideyuki Motohashi

Producer: Masuo Ueda, Michihiko Suwa, Mikihiro Iwata

Production by Kyoto Animation, Shogakukan Productions Co., Ltd., Sunrise, Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation

InuYasha the Movie 4: Fire on the Mystic Island

Directed by Toshiya Shinohara

Scenario by Katsuyuki Sumisawa

Music by Kaoru Wada

Character Design by Yoshihito Hishinuma

Art Director: Tsutomu Ishigaki

Chief Animation Director: Yoshihito Hishinuma

Producer: Masuo Ueda, Michihiko Suwa, Mikihiro Iwata

Production by Sunrise

Featuring the voices of:

Kappei Yamaguchi/Richard Ian Cox as Inuyasha

Satsuki Yukino/Kira Tozer as Kagome Higurashi

Kouji Tsujitani/Kirby Morrow as Miroku

Ken Narita/David Kaye as Sesshoumaru

Houko Kwashima/Kelly Sheridan as Sango

Kumiko Watanabe/Jillian Michaels as Shippo

Toshiyuki Morikawa/Paul Dobson as Naraku

Noriko Hidaka/Willow Johnson as Kikyo

Taiki Matsuno/Scott McNeil as Koga

Izumi Oogami/Janyse Jaud as Kagura

Yuuichi Nagashima/Don Brown as Jaken

Emi Motoi/Nicole Bouma as Ai

Fumiko Orikasa/Rebecca Shoichet as Asagi

Nobuo TobitaTed Cole as Kyora

Nobutoshi Canna/Kristian Ayre as Ryura

Tadahisa Saizen/Ward Perry as Gora

Takeshi Kusao/Jason Simpson as Jura

Yu Kobayashi/Gabe Khouth as Dai

Yuki Masuda/Justine Wong as Moegi

In a mystical version of feudal-era Japan modern-day schoolgirl Kagome and half-demon Inuyasha are drawn together across time to protect a land ravaged by demons! In these four feature films our heroes take on new challenges and strange foes. With their crew of demon-slaying friends Kagome and Inuyasha face the adventures of their lives!

Contains all 4 Inu Yasha movies:
Affections Touching Across Time
The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass
Swords of an Honorable Ruler
Fire on the Mystic Island

In Japan, there are few manga/anime series that have lasting power for more than ten years. Let alone be created by a mangaka who has achieved it multiple times.

Rumiko Takashi, best known for anime TV series hits such as “Urusei Yatsura”, “Maison Ikkoku”, “Ranma 1/2″ began her manga series “InuYasha” in 1996, while in 2000 the animated series followed and a sequel to close the series was released in 2009-2010. By the end of InuYasha, a total of 56 manga volumes were created, 167 episodes from 2000-2004 and the final 26 episodes from 2009-2010.

A very popular series that has captivated anime audiences for many years, with a franchise that led to video games, novels, soundtracks and a live action play, as customary for popular animated series, “InuYasha” also a total of four animated films created.

In 2001, “InuYasha the Movie 1: Affections Touching Across Time”; in 2002, “InuYasha the Movie: The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass”; in 2003, “InuYasha the Movie 3: Swords of an Honorable Ruler”; and in 2004, “InuYasha the Movie: Fire on the Mystic Island”.

While Viz Media released a DVD box set featuring all four films in 2007, Viz Media will be releasing a Blu-ray release with all four films in 2013 in HD with lossless audio.

“InuYasha” features the following characters:

InuYasha – The half demon/half human who drawn a liking towards the human Priestess Kikyo and has some feelings for Kagome but his ego prevents him from saying anything about his emotions. Has the ability to leap far distances, has quite a few special attacks including claws that can cut through anything. Also, wields his father’s sword, Tetsusaiga. His goal is to take control of the Jewel of Four Souls to turn into a demon. Wears necklace that forces him to listen to a single command from Kagome. When Kagome says “sit”, he drops or literally is thrown down to the ground harshly. He and Kagome are constantly bickering. In the first day of each month, he resorts back to human form.

Naraku – The main evil who has manipulated everyone in order to get his hands on the crystal shards. Very evil demon and the main enemy everyone is after.

Koga: Koga is the leader of the southern yokai-wolf tribe and has three shards that give him incredible speed and power. He develops a crush on Kagome (especially since she can sense the jewel shards) and thus he and InuYasha are often fighting with each other. Koga wants revenge on Naraku because his tribe was nearly all wiped out because of his deception. Although he is there to help Kagome and even InuYasha, he is on no one side but is their ally.

Kohaku: The younger brother of Sango brought back to life by Naraku. Has an impure jewel shard given to him by Naraku that keeps him alive but he has lost all memories of his sister and can easily be used by Naraku to fight against InuYasha and friends. He is part of Naraku’s crew.

RIN: An orphan girl who helps nurse Sesshomaru in the woods after he was badly injured in a fight against InuYasha (episode 34). Rin’s family was killed by bandits and so, she has been living alone by having to steal food. She’s mute and but communicates via hand gestures or facial emotions. Because Sesshomaru wields the Tenseiga (which heals), he returns the favor back to the girl after she was killed by wolves. Despite Sesshomaru’s uncaring attitude towards humans, he appears to tolerate her for some reason. Rin shows a loyalty towards him and eventually becomes part of Sesshomaru’s group.

Here is a brief spoiler-free synopsis of each film:

In “InuYasha the Movie 1: Affections Touching Across Time”, we learn that 200 years ago, InuYasha’s father defeated the powerful Chinese moth yokai known as Hyoga. With a Shikon Jewel fragment having freed Hyoga’s son, Menomaru, he now wants revenge on anything related to InuYasha’s father and that is by destroying InuYasha.

Along with his two minions, Ruri and Hari, the three attack InuYasha and friends. Ruri duplicating Miroku’s Wind Tunnel, Hari possessing Kirara and Menomaru cursing Kagome, can the group find a way to beat Menomaru?

In “InuYasha the Movie 2: The Castle Beyond Looking Glass”, as the group continues their search for Shikon Jewel Shards, Kagura and Kanna continue on without Naraku (who is thought to be dead). The two find a mirror inside the shrine and they awaken Kaguya, Princess of the Heavens. Kaguya promises Kagura her eternal freedom if she can recover five items that will free her from the mirror.

The two end up confronting InuYasha and friends and Kaguya ends up using her power to kidnap Kagome. Now the group must try to rescue her.

For “InuYasha the Movie 3: Swords of an Honorable Ruler”, we see a past when InuYasha was about to be born. We see Takemaru killing Lady Izayoi before InuYasha’s father arrives. When InuYasha’s father arrives, he resurrects Izayoi with the Tenseiga and he tells her to escape with his son InuYasha and gives her the Cloth of the Fire Rat to protect them from the burning palace. And the final image shows InuYasha dying in the fire as he tried to face Takemaru.

In the present time, Kagome’s grandfather finds a sword which is to be kept in the storehouse. Kagome’s younger brother finds it and the sword reveals itself to be Saiya and is seeking out InuYasha. But why does the sword want InuYasha?

For “InuYasha the Movei 4: Fire on the Mystic Island”, a small group of children on Horai Island watch a woman that looks like Kikyo in a green orb. Immediately, the Cauldron of Resonance comes to life and the mark of the Four War Gods (Ryuura, Juura, Kyoura and Goura) appear on all of the children’s backs except the youngest child, Ai. Asagi, the oldest child tells ai to run and leave the island and the Four War Gods try to go after her. But just in time, InuYasha and the others come to her rescue. Which leads to a battle between InuYasha and friends and the Four War Gods.

VIDEO:

For picture quality, all four films are presented in 1080i 16×9 video. Because these films were made between 2001-2004, the films are upconverted. With that being said, the benefit of watching a film that has been upconverted is much better than a TV series because of the better production quality. Even the 2001 film “Affections Touching Across Time” doesn’t look soft and looks better that a lot of the upconverted anime films that I have seen. Of course, the more recent the film, the better production quality, so the fourth film “Fire on the Mystic Island” does have a slight edge compared to the older films.

But people should not worry as all four films that have been upconverted in HD looks amazing on Blu-ray! Colors are vibrant, picture quality just looks better than it’s previous DVD counterpart.

AUDIO:

All four films are presented in English and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. It’s important to note that if you want to watch with Japanese with English subtitles, you can’t select subtitles or audio but have to go through the setup menu to make the changes.

There is a significant difference between the English and Japanese lossless soundtrack. The English has a better dynamic range and utilizes the surround channels for sound effects and music, while the Japanese lossless soundtrack is primarily front and center-channel driven.

With that being said, all films, especially the English lossless soundtracks sound very good. I have to admit that I expected a similar dynamic range for the Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack to its English counterpart, but that’s not the case. While the soundtrack is crisp and clear for the Japanese lossless track, the English track does get a nod for better use of the surround channels.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Inuyasha: The Movie the Complete Collection” comes with production art, English credits and trailers for each film (except the first).

As a long time fan of Rumiko Takahashi’s works, one thing that I have learned is that you really can’t go wrong with any of her longtime series. While I grew up during the “Ranma 1/2″, “Urusei Yatsura” and “Maison Ikkoku” years, I have also been captivated by this ongoing storyline of “InuYasha” and the series’ characters.

While I enjoyed the TV series, the films are much more emotional, relevant to the series and of course, the production quality is much better than its TV series counterpart.

With the first film “Affections Touching Across Time”, I suppose what I found appealing for the first film is the fact that the storyline revisits InuYasha’s father, specifically an old enemy of his father and also the connection between InuYasha and Kagome. The first time I watched the film, I thought it was a very touching and emotional film building the relationship and connection of these two characters. You see a little of it in the TV series but the films really explore their bond.

By the second film “The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass”, this film brings back Kagura but also explores the fact that Naruku may be alive. But for Kagura fans, it’s definitely one of the major battles featuring Kagura and InuYasha but it’s great to see the series’ antagonist show up for the second film (as most anime series tend to feature an enemy just created for the film version).

The third film is actually one of my favorites as it deals with InuYasha’s birth but also an enemy named Takemaru that is connected to the death of InuYasha’s mother and his father. The third film was definitely one of the darkest films and a storyline in which we see both brothers, InuYasha and Sesshomaru actually working together. Similar to the first film, we get to know more about InuYasha’s family but in this case, the death of his parents.

And for the final fourth film “Fire on the Mystic Island”, InuYasha and the others take on the Four War Gods and once again, everyone shows up in the film in battle. Where this film focuses on children who have been possess by the Four War Gods, the film is not too childish and focuses on plenty of action.

As for the Blu-ray release, it’s important to remember that this is an upconvert of the animated films presented in 1080i. I know there are people who try to shy away from upconverts but in this case, because of the higher production value put into animated films versus a TV series, each of the four films presented in “InuYasha: The Movie the Complete Collection” look very good!

The release of the four “InuYasha” films on Blu-ray for $20 is an excellent deal. Considering that on DVD, these four films as a set used to be priced around $50-$60. Also, with the upconvert to 1080i, colors are much more vibrant and overall picture quality looks so much better. The same can be said with the lossless soundtrack, although the English dub soundtrack seems to sound much better and utilized more for the surround channels versus its Japanese lossless soundtrack.

Overall, four “InuYasha” films for $21 on Blu-ray? You better believe it! Not only is it cheaper than the older DVD box set but all four films are presented with better picture and audio quality. You are definitely getting your money’s worth with this Blu-ray release!

“InuYasha: The Movie the Complete Collection” is highly recommended!

Filed Under: Anime on Blu-ray

RIN-NE Volume 8 by Rumiko Takahashi (a J!-ENT Manga Review)

February 22, 2012 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

Popular mangaka Rumiko Takahashi (“Urusei Yatsura”, “Maison Ikkoku”, “Ranma 1/2″, “Inuyasha” and many more) continues the ghost/spirit-busting fun with her latest manga series “RIN-NE”. Definitely a manga series worth checking out! Highly recommended!

MANGA TITLE: RINE-NE Vol. 8

STORY AND ART BY: Story and art by Rumiko Takahashi

FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: Shogakukan, Inc.

PUBLISHED IN USA BY: VIZ Media, LLC

RATED: T for Teen

Released: March 6, 2012

Rinne finds himself acting as a mentor for the shinigami Shoma, an elementary school student from the afterlife. Although Shoma is supposed to be learning how to help spirits pass on, he only wants to go after the biggest evil spirits he can find – despite the fact that he’s never done it before! The devil Masato offers Shoma an easy road to success, but can Rinne show the young shinigami the right path?

Rumiko Takashi, probably the most well-known mangaka in the world is back with a new manga titled “RIN-NE” (known in Japan as “Kyoukai no RINNE”) and is currently published in Japan in Shogakukan’s Weekly Shonen Sunday and now available in the US courtesy of Viz Media’s new imprint “Shonen Sunday”.

Known for popular hit manga (and anime series based from her manga) such as “Urusei Yatsura”, “Maison Ikkoku”, “Ranma 1/2″ , “One Pound Gospel”, “Mermaid Scar”, “Inuyasha” and many more titles.

In “RIN-NE” , we are introduced to a high school teenager named Sakura Mamiya. What we know about her is that when she was a little girl, she saw a ring in the sky and an older woman. Flash forward over a decade later and we learn that what Sakura saw was a ghost and now a high school teenager, her ability so see ghost is quite uncanny.

One day during class, she sees for the first time, a boy named Rinne Rokudo who has been absent from his class for a long time. Rinne finally started to appear in class one day, but despite the teacher starts calling out his name, everyone acts as if he’s not there. Sakura finds that quite odd because he’s there, yet no one can see him. He’s not a ghost? So, she’s trying to figure out why everyone is behaving so oddly?

Eventually, Rinne Rokudo learns that Sakura has the ability to see ghosts and as the two begin to talk, he tells her that he is in the world of the living and his job is to make sure that he makes the dead and their ghosts rest in peace.

A ghost that constantly follows Sakura on her way to school then asks her who is the guy. And to her surprise, Rokudo answers the ghost and telling it that he needs to rest in peace.

Rinne tells her that he is sort of a “shinagami” (death spirit) and then he hypnotizes her after she sees him bringing a stuck spirit and sending them off. Thinking that she will not remember anything at all, somehow the hypnotism doesn’t work and Sakura remembers everything.

So both become partners in taking on spirits that are stuck in the world of the living (especially those haunting the school and the students) and sending them off.

Joining the two is a black cat named Rokumon (who is contracted to help Rinne with his work) and along the way, they get some help from a young exorcist named Tsubasa Jumonji and also help from Rinne’s grandmother Tamako. But meanwhile, a demon named Masato , who has a grudge against Rinne has been trying to cause trouble.

In volume 8 of “RIN-NE”, training for the Shinigami children begins and the students of Shinigami elementary schools must do a homestay in the human world and practice sending spirits off to rest in peace. All these children need to do is earn 50 points and it seems quite easy as they just have to focus on goldfish, birds and animals, but for fifth grader Shoma, he has to stay with Rinne during his homestay and he has no intention of sending things off that are easy.

Being the hard-headed shingami kid that he is, he wants to focus on real evil spirits which are worth 50 points. But these are the evil spirits that Rinne, goes after. Yet Shoma thinks he is up to it!

But there are right ways of doing things and incorrect ways of doing things and because Shoma is so hard-headed, he would rather not listen to Rinne and listen to the demon Masato, in which Shoma thinks that Masato is trying to help him.

What will happen when Shoma finds out that Masato is an evil demon that is trying to cause him problems?

Also, included are more stories involving Rinne and Sakura working together, and also Ageha making her appearance once again and try to get close to Rinne.

For anyone who has read manga series from Rumiko Takashi, one thing that she excels at is creating many characters but also doing a great job in character development. These characters are not one-shot, they tend to re-appear throughout a series and have some importance to a story arc.

And with “RIN-NE”, Rumiko introduces us to the child shinigami Shoma. And for many manga series that Rumiko has created, the child character has played a major part in a series. From Ten of “Urusei Yatsura”, Shippo of “Inuyasha” and even Kentaro of “Maison Ikkoku”, the child character tends to bring a child-like perspective to the manga series but also some trouble.

While the manga series does have Rokumon the human/black cat, she introduces another young character. This time, a fifth grade shingami named Shoma who needs to collect 50 points during his homestay with Rinne but he’s a kid who likes to do things his way and doesn’t like older people telling him what to do. Needless to say, it gets him in a bit of trouble.

Also, prevalent in Rumiko Takashi anime series is the “love triangle” or often a harem aspect. While Sakura and Rinne work together, Ageha looks at Sakura as her rival in terms of getting closer to Rinne. So, once again we see Ageha doing all she can in order to get close with Rinne. But the problem is that wherever Rinne goes, Sakura and others will also follow.

And we are also given two fun and enjoyable chapters as Rinne and Sakura work together to help a ghost haunting the home economics classrooom and also a story about a haunted scarf.

So far, “RIN-NE” has been a fantastic, fun and enjoyable series thus far. The chapters are fun and no deep storylines that have shown up yet. If anything, the manga has been about introducing newer characters to the series but also focusing on the working relationship between Rinne and Sakura.

In some way, the two characters sort of remind of Inuyasha and Kagome (the two main protagonists of the series), although Sakura doesn’t have that hot of a temper like Kagome and it’s way to early to show if there are any signs of future romance between the two.

But for now, “RIN-NE” is a lighthearted manga series that is easily accessible to fans who enjoy ghost/spirit hunting action and that enjoyable Rumiko Takahashi humor and her beautiful illustrations. Definitely a series worth reading!

Filed Under: Manga News and Reviews

FATES ARE SEALED IN A FINAL SHOWDOWN AS EPIC MANGA ADVENTURE INUYASHA CONCLUDES

January 6, 2011 by J!-ENT · Leave a Comment

VIZ Media has announced the release of the final installment of Rumiko Takahashi’s longtime bestselling manga (graphic novel) series, INUYASHA, on January 11th. Fans won’t want to miss even a single page of the action in Volume 56, Curtain of Time, which is rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens and carries an MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN. INUYASHA is published under VIZ Media’s Shonen Sunday imprint.

Kagome, a modern-day high school girl, is pulled into Japan’s ancient past! There, her destiny is linked to a dog-eared half demon named Inuyasha. Together, they battle evil demons who seek to acquire the shards of the legendary Shikon Jewel and wield its incredible power. But can Kagome and Inuyasha stop feuding with each other long enough to save the feudal or modern world–let alone both?

In the climactic showdown, the demon Naraku’s true intentions are finally revealed! Then, Kagome is swallowed up by the Meido. Is she finally beyond her friends’ reach? And will the final battle over the Shikon Jewel draw Inuyasha and Kagome together…or pull them apart forever?! Find out in the exciting concluding volume!

The spotlight on manga creator Rumiko Takahashi began in 1978 when she won an honorable mention in Shogakukan’s annual New Comic Artist Contest for Those Selfish Aliens. Later that same year, her boy-meets-alien comedy series, Urusei Yatsura, was serialized in Weekly Shonen Sunday. This phenomenally successful manga series was adapted into anime format and spawned a TV series and half a dozen theatrical-release movies, all incredibly popular in their own right. Takahashi followed up the success of her debut series with one blockbuster hit after another – MAISON IKKOKU ran from 1980 to 1987, RANMA ∏ from 1987 to 1996, and INUYASHA from 1996 to 2008. Other notable works include MERMAID SAGA, RUMIC THEATRE, and ONE-POUND GOSPEL. These, as well as her newest manga series, RIN-NE, are also published in North America by VIZ Media.

Also catch INUYASHA anime episodes – for free – on VIZAnime.com <http://www.vizanime.com/> .

More information on INUYASHA, or other Shonen Sunday titles from VIZ Media, is available at www.ShonenSunday.com <http://www.shonensunday.com/> .

Filed Under: Manga News and Reviews

RIN-NE Volume 1 by Rumiko Takahashi (a J!-ENT Manga Review)

December 8, 2009 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

Popular mangaka Rumiko Takahashi (“Urusei Yatsura”, “Maison Ikkoku”, “Ranma 1/2″, “Inuyasha” and many more) is back with a new manga series that will be released concurrently with the manga release in Japan. The first volume is quite entertaining so far! Definitely worth checking out.

MANGA TITLE: RINE-NE Vol. 1

STORY AND ART BY: Story and art by Rumiko Takahashi

FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: Shogakukan, Inc.

PUBLISHED IN USA BY: VIZ Media, LLC

RATED: T for Teen

Released: October 2009

As a child Sakura Mamiya mysteriously disappeared in the woods behind her grandma’s home. She returned whole and healthy, but since then she has had the power to see ghosts. Now a teenager, she just wishes the ghosts would leave her alone! At school, the desk next to Sakura’s has been empty since the start of the school year, then one day her always-absent classmate Rinne Rokudo shows up, and he’s far more than what he seems!

Sakura’s curiosity about the mysterious Rinne draws her deeper into an amazing world on the boundary between the living and the dead. Helping Rinne is one thing, but will tagging along with him leave her trapped in the afterlife? And does Rinne really know what he’s doing? Dealing with the afterlife isn’t easy, especially when you don’t know all the rules.

In “RIN-NE” vol. 1, we are introduced to a high school teenager named Sakura Mamiya. What we know about her is that when she was a little girl, she saw a ring in the sky and an older woman.

Flash forward over a decade later and Sakura is a high school teenager and she has the ability to see ghosts.

One day during class, she sees for the first time, the boy named Rinne Rokudo who has been absent from his class for a long time, finally making it to class. But when the teacher starts calling out his name, everyone acts as if he’s not there.

But as Rokudo is in class throwing out some tiny dog snacks, Rokudo thinks no one can see him but Sakura sees everything. Sakura sees a big Chihuahua materializing in the classroom and suddenly swallowing up Rokudo.

Sakura then wonders if this boy is a ghost. So, she sees him again walking down the road and suddenly lunges at him but she is shocked that he is for real.

A ghost that constantly follows Sakura on her way to school then asks her who is the guy. And to her surprise, Rokudo answers the ghost and telling it that he needs to rest in peace.

Automatically, the ghost chihuahua ends up combining with the ghost boy and starts attacking Rokudo. Rokudo tells Sakura that he needs to send the new combined ghosts towards a huge red wheel in the sky but to make it happen, he needs money. Once she makes the payment, she watches him send the ghosts off to where they are supposed to be.

Afterwards, Rokudo tells her that he is sort of a “shinagami” (death spirit) and then he hypnotizes her to make sure she doesn’t remember a thing.

Unfortunately for Rokudo, Sakura remembers everything and now the two become partners in taking on spirits that are stuck in the world of the living (especially those haunting the school and the students) and sending them off.

In this first volume, we see the two working together and taking on a few ghosts but also learning how Sakura is able to see ghosts and we are introduced to Rokumon, a cat spirit that can change to a “bakeneko” (a cat monster) and we also learn why Rokumon is always wearing the same tracksuit every day.

The first volume of “RIN-NE” was entertaining but yet different from other past manga series from Rumiko Takahashi, who tends to utilize a lot of characters in her series. Similar to “Inuyasha”, most of the storyline focuses on the two main characters Sakura and Rokudo. We are introduced to Rokudo’s grandmother and the cat spirit Rokumon but it will be interesting to see where Takahashi takes this series.

In a way, this manga release is quite interesting because it just started in Japan back in April and Viz has been releasing each chapter as it comes out in Japan via the website www.therumicworld.com. So, it’s somewhat a manga simultaneous release (a three month wait after its release in Japan) for the US market which is very cool!

So far, so good with the first volume. It’s too early to tell if this is going to be an awesome release but going with Rumiko Takahashi’s manga track record, I’ve literally been hooked with each manga release (including the anime based from the manga) so far and I have no doubt in mind that “RIN-NE” is going to be an enjoyable release as well.

There are a total of two volumes that have been released in Japan and the second volume is being planned for a January 2010 release. So, I definitely look forward to reading more of Rumiko Takahashi’s latest manga series!

Filed Under: Manga News and Reviews

JAPAN’S WEEKLY SHONEN SUNDAY MAGAZINE AND VIZ MEDIA TRANSPORT READERS TO THE RUMIC WORLD WITH THE SIMULTANEOUS EAST-WEST DEBUT OF RUMIKO TAKAHASHI’S NEWEST MANGA SERIES RIN-NE

April 23, 2009 by J!-ENT · Leave a Comment

Visit The Official Rumiko Takahashi English Language Web Site – TheRumicWorld.com On April 22nd For The Latest Work From One Of The Greatest Creative Forces In Manga

San Francisco, CA, Date April 15th, 2009 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, announces the debut of a new manga series from legendary creator Rumiko Takahashi. The series, titled RIN-NE, will be launching simultaneously April 22nd exclusively in Japan in WEEKLY SHONEN SUNDAY magazine and online for North American audiences on www.TheRumicWorld.com, the brand new official North American web site for all Rumiko Takahashi-related news and information. Through this unprecedented collaboration, a new chapter of RIN-NE will be released each week for English-speaking manga fans to enjoy at the same time as their Japanese peers.

RIN-NE is the first new manga from Takahashi since her epic INUYASHA (published domestically by VIZ Media) ended in 2008 in Japan. Shogakukan’s popular WEEKLY SHONEN SUNDAY manga magazine has featured Takahashi’s work since the early 1980’s. With over 170 million copies sold in Japan alone, Takahashi’s substantial catalog of work continues to be loved by legions of devoted readers.

“Rumiko Takahashi is an artist without equal and her creative contribution to the manga genre is immeasurable. We’re extremely honored to present her long-awaited new series RIN-NE simultaneously with SHONEN SUNDAY” says Gonzalo Ferreyra, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, VIZ Media. “Rumiko Takahashi’s talent for creating endearing and memorable characters combined with comedy, love, fantasy, and action shines wonderfully in RIN-NE. Her signature style has come to be known as the ‘Rumic World,’ and it would not be an overstatement to call it a genre all its own. We invite fans across North America to visit her official web site on April 22nd for the English debut of RIN-NE and encourage them to check back regularly for the latest chapters in this groundbreaking series.”

The spotlight on Rumiko Takahashi’s career began in 1978 when she won an honorable mention in Shogakukan’s annual New Comic Artist Contest for Those Selfish Aliens. Later that same year, her boy-meets-alien comedy series, Urusei Yatsura, was serialized in Weekly Shonen Sunday. This phenomenally successful manga series was adapted into anime format and spawned a TV series and half a dozen theatrical-release movies, all incredibly popular in their own right. Takahashi followed up the success of her debut series with one blockbuster hit after another—Maison Ikkoku ran from 1980 to 1987, Ranma _ from 1987 to 1996, and Inuyasha from 1996 to 2008. Other notable works include Mermaid Saga, Rumic Theater, and One-Pound Gospel. Takahashi won the prestigious Shogakukan Manga Award twice in her career, once for Urusei Yatsura in 1981 and the second time for Inuyasha in 2002. A majority of the Takahashi canon has been adapted into other media such as anime, live-action TV series, and film. Takahashi’s manga, as well as the other formats her work has been adapted into, have continued to delight generations of fans around the world. Distinguished by her wonderfully endearing characters, Takahashi’s work adeptly incorporates a wide variety of elements such as comedy, romance, fantasy, and martial arts. While her series are difficult to pin down into one simple genre, the signature style she has created has come to be known as the “Rumic World.” Rumiko Takahashi is an artist who truly represents the very best from the world of manga.

Filed Under: Manga News and Reviews

InuYasha – SECOND SEASON BOX SET (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

February 24, 2009 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

“’Another excellent box set as the season 2 steps up the action and drama. More characters are introduced, more action-packed battles and the love triangle between InuYasha, Kagome and Kikyo continues to become even more complicated. Overall, an awesome season of ‘InuYasha’!”

DVD TITLE: INUYASHA – SECOND SEASON BOX SET

DURATION: 675 minutes (27 Episodes on 5 discs)

DVD INFORMATION: Original Uncut Episodes, Stereo, Bilingual (Japanese and English), English Subtitles

COMPANY: Shonen Jump Home Video/Viz Media

Originally created by Rumiko Takahashi

Director: Masashi Ikeda

Character Design: Yoshihito Hishinuma

Art Director: Shigemi Ikeda

Music: Kaoru Wada

Featuring the following voice talent:

Kappei Yamaguchi/Richard Ian Cox (Inuyasha)

Satsuki Yukino/Monica Stori (Kagome Higurashi)

Kouji Tsujitani/Kirby Morrow (Miroku)

Ken Narita/David Kaye (Sesshoumaru)

Houko Kwashima/Kelly Sheridan (Sango)

Kumiko Watanabe/Jillian Michaels (Shippo)

Toshiyuki Morikawa/Paul Dobson (Naraku)

Noriko Hidaka/Willow Johnson (Kikyo)

Taiki Matsuno/Scott McNeil (Koga)

Izumi Oogami/Janyse Jaud (Kagura)

Akiko Yajima/Alex Doduk (Kohaku)

Together with their friends Miroku, Shippo, Sango and Kirara, InuYasha and Kagome continue their search for the shards of the sacred jewel. Their task, however, is not made any easier by Naraku who continually seems to be inventing newer and more dangerous ways to thwart them. Adventure and romance, demons and fantasy-come enter the world of INUYASHA in this second exciting season.

I have to be truthful and say that I am actually a late bloomer to the “InuYasha”" TV series. As a big fan of Rumiko Takahashi’s earlier works and “Ranma 1/2″ really helping me get into anime nearly 16 years ago, having enjoyed the three previous hits, I felt that I enjoyed them so much, what if I didn’t enjoy this new series (which aired in Japan back in 2000)? So, nearly a decade I have caught a few episodes that would air on television but never watched the series from the beginning and what better time to do it but now.

“INUYASHA – SECOND SEASON BOX SET” comprises of episodes 28 through 54 which the viewer can watch with Japanese or English voice over. In season one we were introduced to:

InuYasha – The half demon/half human who drawn a liking towards the human Priestess Kikyo and has some feelings for Kagome but his ego prevents him from saying anything about his emotions. Has the ability to leap far distances, has quite a few special attacks including claws that can cut through anything. Also, wields his father’s sword, Tetsusaiga. His goal is to take control of the Jewel of Four Souls to turn into a demon. Wears necklace that forces him to listen to a single command from Kagome. When Kagome says “sit”, he drops or literally is thrown down to the ground harshly. He and Kagome are constantly bickering. In the first day of each month, he resorts back to human form.

Naraku – The main evil who has manipulated everyone in order to get his hands on the crystal shards. Very evil demon and the main enemy everyone is after.

In the second season, we are introduced to even more characters and storylines that deal with those characters. The episodes can be classified people joining InuYasha’s side, others joining Naraku’s side and Sesshomaru’s side. In season 2, we are introduced to:

So, without spoiling anything, the majority of the episodes of season two focuses on the new characters and InuYasha and friends adventuring through villages to find Naraku.

Also, a good number of episodes are dedicated towards InuYasha learning how to use his sword, the Tetsusaiga. As for Sesshomaru, he learns about his sword, the Tenseiga but also trying to take InuYasha’s sword.

So, the second season of “InuYasha” was easily enjoyable as things really start to ramp up action-wise as more characters are introduces and Naraku does what he can to defeat InuYasha’s group. And as much as Sesshomaru is a villain as well, you also start to see him differently than the way he was in Season 1.

Now there are two versions of these box sets. The first is this regular edition and then there is a limited deluxe edition for each season that comes out with a certain item. For the second season, the deluxe edition comes with the Hanko Blocks.

Also, for those wondering if there is any version between this re-release and the 2005 Season 2 release, I don’t think so.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

For an anime created back in 2003, the second season of episodes holds up pretty well since it has only been six years since it aired on television. There are some stair effect on edges which may be due to the upconverting from my Blu-ray player but overall, the colors are vibrant and the overall animation was done quite well.

If you are a big Rumiko Takahashi fan, you know what to expect from her character designs and the animation was well done.

As for the audio, audio is presented in 2.0 and both languages are done quite well. The English dubbed seems a bit more clearer and a little louder coming through my front speakers over the Japanese track but overall, it’s a purely dialogue driven anime and there are no 5.1ch tracks, so you get the dialogue in stereo. For “Ranma 1/2″ fans, you will see the reunion of Ranma 1/2 voice actor Kappei Yamaguchi (Ranma) return as the voice for InuYasha which was pretty cool and also Noriko Hidaka (“Ranma 1/2″ character Akane) as Kikyo.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

There are a few special features inluded:

INUYASHA SPECIAL FOOTAGE – In Japan, especially after a long season, some series tend to have special episodes which condenses the more important episodes in order to get those viewers prepared for the following season (or season finale). The first special shown on Japanese television for InuYasha focuses on what happened in Season 1.
CHARACTER INTRODUCTIONS - A text and picture (sketches of the characters) which you can click on via your remote and read a brief character summary.
MOVIE TRAILER – This trailer is for the second film.
TEXTLESS OPENING – Starting with episode 35, InuYasha’s second opening theme is “I Am” by hitomi
TEXTLESS ENDING – Starting with episode 42, InuYasha’s third ending theme features “Dearest” by Ayumi Hamasaki.

I feel that when it comes to an anime television series based on a Rumiko Takahashi manga, you really can’t go wrong. Her first three are classics in their own right and “InuYasha” will surely join the others as not only popular hit manga series but also great anime TV series of all time. There are not too many manga creators who have a lot of their works get the anime adaptation that spawn many films, CD drama series and soundtracks and also a lot of merchandise. For Rumiko Takahashi, she’s had three decades worth of series that have lasted for a long time and even today, fans still crave her works because they can be watched any time and they are good now as they were then.

So, everything is fantastic about this series but are there any negatives? Well, compared to current VIZ Media releases such as “DEATH NOTE” or “Busou Renkin” Season Box Sets, they do add the interviews with the English dub voice talent but considering those were 2008 releases and this was released back in 2004. I think VIZ has learned throughout the years and have given fans what they want with current releases. But for this older release, it’s a classic and you do get special features, just not a lot.

The second season was quite enjoyable as there was more action, more humor but also because the first season established character development for each of the main characters, the second season introduces more characters but yet still keeping the core relationships intact.

InuYasha, Kagome and Kikyo. Miroku and Sango. And then, whatever brotherhood rivalry continues between InuYasha and Sesshomaru, this second season definitely had a lot more to offer.

Overall, an exciting second season and for fans of “InuYasha” or Rumiko Takahashi’s work, this second season box set is easy to recommend. Definitely worth checking out!

Filed Under: Anime on DVD

VIZ media to release Rumiko Takahashi’s new manga

February 9, 2009 by J!-ENT · Leave a Comment

YES, YOU HEARD RIGHT…. If you did not attend New York Comic-Con this past week – then you might have missed this exciting announcement that was made at the VIZ Media Panel on Sunday…

VIZ Media and one of its parent companies- Japanese publishing giant Shogakukan have announced a BRAND NEW series set to debut from Rumiko Takahashi, one of today’s greatest manga creators.

This is the first new original manga series from Takahashi sensei since her epic INUYASHA series ended in 2008. Shogakukan’s popular WEEKLY SHONEN SUNDAY manga magazine, which has featured Takahashi’s work since the early 1980’s, will be debuting the new series and VIZ Media will be publishing the manga series later in 2009!

With over 170 million copies sold in Japan alone, Rumiko Takahashi’s various works continue to be loved by a multitude of readers, regardless of their age or gender. Takahashi’s works, full of wonderfully endearing characters that readers are drawn to, combine the various elements of comedy, love, fantasy, and martial arts, and continue to create truly unique worlds. Her works cannot be categorized by standard genres, and the signature style she has created has come to be known as the “Rumic World.” It would not be an overstatement to call the “Rumic World” a genre of its own.

In addition to INUYASHA, which spanned more than 500 chapters and 50 individual volumes, some of Rumiko Takahashi’s other notable works include RANMA ½, MAISON IKKOKU, MERMAID SAGA, ONE POUND GOSPEL and, URUSEI YATSURA (THE RETURN OF LUM). All of these titles are published in North America by VIZ Media. Several of these series, including URUSEI YATSURA, MAISON IKKOKU, RANMA ½ and INUYASHA have also been adapted into highly successful animated television series and feature film releases. Rumiko Takahashi has won the prestigious Shogakukan Manga Award twice, first for URUSEI YATSURA in 1981 and again in 2002 for INUYASHA.

VIZ Media is so excited to be publishing Rumiko Takahashi’s next great series and to bring you this news, –but…. we don’t want to give it all away just yet, we just wanted to share a tidbit of exciting news for 2009 – so be sure to keep an eye out and ear open for more details, which we will be sharing with you soon.

Filed Under: Manga News and Reviews

Rumiko Takahashi’s popularity worldwide

October 3, 2008 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

In a recent column of “Through Otaku Eyes”, Kanta Ishida wrote about the worldwide popularity of Rumiko Takahashi.

Ishida wrote, “Who is the artist who played the greatest role in the “globalization” of Japanese manga?”

“It might be Akira Toriyama, whose Dragon Ball became synonymous with manga. Or it might be Katsuhiro Otomo, who showed his skill at precise description in Akira, or Naoko Takeuchi, who excited enthusiasm among girls across Europe and the United States with her Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon. Or maybe it’s Fujio F. Fujiko, as there can hardly be a child in Asia who doesn’t know Doraemon.”

“All these names are necessary when talking about Japanese manga’s foreign expansion.”

“But I’m beginning to think it may be the works of Rumiko Takahashi that showed the world the essence of manga more widely and deeply in and after the 1980s.”

“I am sometimes surprised by how widely her works are known while talking with people in the manga industry abroad. Pascal Lafine, editor in chief of Tonkam, a publishing company in France, told me about his considerable feeling for Takahashi’s hit manga series, Urusei Yatsura and Maison Ikkoku. Lau Wan Kit, a Hong Kong cartoonist who won the top prize in the second annual International Manga Award contest hosted by the Japanese Foreign Ministry for artists based overseas last month, said Takahashi is one of the mangaka he respects. Russian Japanologist Ivan Sergeevich Logachov loved Takahashi’s Ranma 1/2 so much that he finally translated it into Russian.”

“There may be mangaka who have sold more copies abroad than Takahashi has, but in many cases a certain title or artist is especially popular in one area and not so much so in others. Takahashi is a rare case in that her works are evenly popular over many parts of the world.”

Filed Under: Manga News and Reviews

Urusei Yatsura – Beautiful Dreamer (2nd movie) – (A J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

September 7, 2008 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

“The classic ‘Urusei Yatsura’ film still looks great and very entertaining nearly 25 years later!”

DVD INFORMATION:

DVD TITLE: Urusei Yatsura

DURATION: 100 minutes

CATALOG #: USMD-2431

DVD INFORMATION: Animated, Collector’s Edition, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, NTSC

COMPANY: Central Park Media/US Manga Corps

RATING: Suggest 13 and Up

STAFF INFORMATION:

ORIGINAL CREATOR: Takahashi Rumiko

DIRECTOR/SCREEN WRITER: Oshii Mamoru

MUSIC: Hoshii Katsu

ART DIRECTOR: Kobayashii Shiichiro

PRODUCTION: Kitty Films/Toho

Famed director/screenwriter Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell, Jin-Roh: The Wolf Bridge and Patlabor: The Mobile Police) puts his own surreal stamp on the slapstick comedy by Rumiko Takahashi (creator of Inuyasha, Ranma 1/2 and Maison Ikkoku).

Ataru was a hopeless teenage loser until he met the beautiful space princess Lum. Now he’s a famous loser with a superpowered alien girlfriend! Lum’s very existence throws the spacetime continuum completely out of whack and Ataru’s high school is trapped in an alternate reality bursting with obnoxious aliens. Will love conqure all and return the starcrossed Ataru to normality? Not a chance!

It seems like for many anime viewers who have been watching anime for nearly or over three decades as I have has seem to comment on Urusei Yatsura’s 2nd movie “Beautiful Dreamer” as a film that would be a classic.

A film that would deviate from the comedic style of the TV series and although still retaining its humor, to really show an almost sci-fi, yet almost serious storyline thanks to director and screenwriter Oshii Mamoru.

Many people know what kind of cerebral anime that Oshii would create after this film but this is where his talent was first displayed and where many anime fans at that time would clamor of how this was the ultimate anime film.

Originally released in theaters back in 1984, the series really had some major politics behind-the-scenes as Oshii who was really ticked off with how he had to change things for the producers for the first film, wanted to do things his own style with the second film. Not only did series creator Takahashi Rumiko nearly canned the script, Oshii also drew the ire of anime fans of the popular series.

For me, back in the early 90′s “Urusei Yatsura”, “Ranma 1/2″ and “Maison Ikkoku” were Takahashi Rumiko fan favorites on the fan sub scene. In fact, I remember when she came to San Diego Comic Con in the early 90′s and rocker Matthew Sweet had a Lum tattoo. “Urusei Yatsura” had its major fandom and people really talked about this film nearly ten years after it first came out in theaters in Japan. And yet for me, I was talking about corellations between this film and a Star Trek: the Next Generation episode about time repeating itself.

With “Beautiful Dreamer”, Oshii takes the Urusei Yatsura cast for a ride as the team is preparing for a festival but for some reason, it seems like things are repeating itself and Ataru, Lum and friends start to realize something is wrong when they realize that they are the only ones in their city that are alive. Only Ataru’s home and a nearby supermarket are the only functioning parts of the city and something has gone awry.

What has happened to the word? What has happened to the school? Who’s behind it all?

Really, I don’t want to spoil the film for anyone but what I will say that the fact that Oshii was behind the creation of this film and what he was able to accomplish in his career so far, you can look back at this film and just see how the famed director/screenwriter was able to come out of his shell and really make you think. Granted, it’s not as cerebral as “Ghost in the Shell” but nevertheless, with the humor that “Urusei Yatsura” is known for but to put the cast in a situation for a film like this was quite interesting.

VIDEO:

I did not own the original DVD release back in 1998 but according to the back cover, it says it features digitally remastered video. From my viewing, I felt that the anime series on DVD looked great for a 1984 film. I’ve read that the Japanese remaster of the film was great because it was anamorphic but US Manga Corps did not use that transfer and chose to remaster it their own way. Signs still have its hard subtitles but all in all, not having owned or seen the Japanese remastered DVD, I can just tell you from my experience with this DVD that the animation looks great!

AUDIO:

I watched the film primarily in Japanese but I did watch certain parts of it with the original English dub. But I wasn’t really into the English dub (but my preference is more towards the Japanese voice acting anyway) but I’m sure those who prefer that, may enjoy it. But watching it in Japanese and hearing Hirano Fumi as Lum and Furukawa Toshio as Ataru is just fun and I love watching those two interact.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Specia features include an art galler, original Japanese trailer (which is widescreen btw…), the US trailr and trailer for the first film. The biggest special feature that makes this DVD worth owning though is the director’s commentary by Oshii Mamoru. For those who are familiar with his work know that this man is a man of few words. And for him to give commentary for a film he did back in 1984 is special. I mean…as in a rarity. So, this alone enhances this DVD and makes it a “must-buy”!

For nostalgia reasons, I really wanted to see this film again and you can purchase it online for a good price these days.

There has been so much said about this film, may it be looked as “classic” because of its storyline, because it was written and directed by Oshii Mamoru or enjoyed by many as it was one of the first anime films to be shown on television and many people watched it on the Sci-Fi channel and thoroughly enjoyed it’s repeating timeline story.

But for me the DVD was special in that I watched it with many fellow anime fans during an anime club meeting and remembering the laughs and everyone enjoying it. I remember just being around that “Urusei Yatsura”/Takahashi Rumiko crazy fandom in the early 90′s and how everyone would clamor for the fan subs. And nearly 25 years later, after its release in the theaters and just realizing how much of a classic this film is, how much of a part Oshii Mamoru played and how it influenced him on works in the future and more.

I have no idea if a new version of this film will come out in 1999 for it’s 25th Anniversary, I would imagine a Blu-ray release in Japan to celebrate it but for now and for it’s low price, for those who have been curious about this film or wondered if it is worth purchasing, the answer is a “YES”!. It’s definitely worth owning this film but also for it’s rare special feature commentary featuring Oshii Mamoru.

Definitely check it out!

+ A classic “Urusei Yatsura” film!

+ Directed and written by Oshii Mamoru

+ A rare director’s commentary by Oshii

- Not utilizing the Japanese master for this second DVD version releases

BUY THIS ANIME DVD TODAY:

Filed Under: Anime on DVD