FIF#123-Yashahime: Princess Half Demon

It’s been years since the destruction of Naraku and the Shikkon Jewel.  Peace remains and Inuyasha and Sesshomaru both have daughters of their own: Inuyasha’s feisty Mohora and Sesshomaru’s Towa and Setsuna.  For over a decade, Towa has been trapped on the other side of the Bone Eaters well, living with Kagome Higurashi’s family in the present.  But now, fate has called her home and Towa returns to the Feudal Era to find some things have changed.  Most alarmingly is her sister, Setsuna, has lost all memory of her past.  Determined to restore her memories, Towa begins a new quest with her sister and her cousin, Mohora, by her side.

Inuyasha was a huge hit back in the early 2000’s and still has a good fandom attached to it.  Thanks to a highly successful run on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim block, the show managed to become just as popular in the US as it did in Japan.  It’s been 10 years since the final season of the show, Inuyasha: The Final Act, which brought the TV Series to a close now that the Manga had wrapped up.  While I never saw the final season (or the last half of the show really), I know about the happy ending for Inuyasha and Kagome and their companions.  It seemed like a pretty definitive conclusion…buuuuut here we go again.  10 years later, it’s time for Inuyasha to take the Naruto route and set the next generation loose on a new generation of Anime fans (while giving those nostalgic for more Inuyasha more to cheer about).  So, how is the big debut of Yashahime: Princess Half Demon?

Funny enough, the premiere episode focuses very little on the core trio of the new series: Inuyasha and Kagome’s daughter Moroha; and Sesshomaru’s twin daughters Towa and Setsuna.  The first episode is more or less a bonus “lost tale” from the original Inuyasha series, picking up not long after it ended.  We get to see Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku and Sango all back in action once again and it’s everything fans could’ve hoped for.  Everyone is here including Shippo, Kaede, Kohaku, Kirara and yes, the man himself, Sesshomaru.  Kaoru Wada’s back to continue scoring the franchise and resurrects her infamous Inuyasha battle themes once again.  Even the banter between Inuyasha and Kagome hasn’t lost a step.  In short, it’s a good way to ease oneself back into the world of the Feudal Era after a 10 year hiatus.  From Kagome’s continued use of “sit boy” to Sango being able to still slip into her sexy ninja outfit after having 3 kids with Miroku, there’s so much to enjoy if you loved Inuyasha back in the day and still do today.

And yet, it comes at a cost.  Moroha, Towa and Setsuna all appear in bookending scenes for the premiere and we only get a glimpse of the powers they’ve inherited from their parents.  Moroha is the spitting image of her parents, with Inuyasha’s feral ferocity and Kagome’s hair.  Setsuna feels more like her father, Sesshomaru, than Towa, quiet and subdued and sporting a version of Sango and Kohaku’s demon slayer armor.  Towa seems to be the one destined to be at the heart of the new series.  Indicators from the first episode and series previews show that she’s been to the present day and has probably been there a bit (she even refers to herself as Towa Higurashi, Kagome’s family name).  There’s a lot of unanswered questions here and I shouldntve expected all or any to be answered in the first episode.  IDK, it’s fun running around with the old crew once again and no ones lost a step after all these years.  But I feel like the new trio got the short end of the deal here since this is supposed to be there show.  On the other hand, this flashback intro might be the most we see of the old guard as I have no idea how big of a role anyone in the original cast is going to play in the series.  Guess we’ll have to see.  Oh and Towa?  She’s clearly a fan of the Sailor Starlites from Sailor Moon.  Her outfit is one of their civilian suits, just the color white, crazy.

While I didn’t get to see as much of the three next generation stars, Yashahime: Princess Half Demon did get off to a rousing start by reminding us all why Inuyasha is still awesome.  Returning to the past with a possible last ride with Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku and Sango is a welcome surprise and feels just like old times watching them kick ass on Adult Swim.  This Anime is one of the most anticipated of 2020 for a reason and I guess I’ll be double billing this with My Hero Academia when it returns hopefully before the end of the year.  Finally, a new Anime I know I’ll be committing to long term…now I should find a way to return to Inuyasha and watch it in full…I know Yashahime’s gonna touch on stuff I definitely don’t know.