Daniel M Cartoons: August 2022

So, guys, again, I know these have been really inconsistent with when I do them, but I'm back with another anime review, this time, it being the sequel series to Inuyasha, Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon. I've spoken about this series a lot, but, recently I got the entire series on DVD and was able to watch the entire series. Like I mentioned a lot before, I had seen a lot of clips from it on YouTube before I began that made me really excited to start it. Not to mention the fact that I had finished watching all of Inuyasha earlier this year and I really, really enjoyed that, so all that was getting me super hyped to start the series properly. And, so, in the end, while I don't think I loved it the way I thought I would, I really had an amazing time with this series. Like, really, this series made me feel things I haven't felt while watching a show in a long time and that I love having when I'm really enjoying a series. I absolutely loved watching this. That's not to say it's a really ground-breaking show or anything and that it doesn't have problems, it does, but, overall, I'm so glad I watched this. Also, like I do with all my anime reviews, this will have full spoilers for the whole series, so, if you want to see it first without spoilers, go watch it then come back and read this. So, the basic plot of this is that the main character is a girl named Towa, who's actually Sesshomaru and Rin's daughter who's living in the modern times with Kagome's family, the Higurashi's. Kagome's brother, Sota, took her in years ago when she was a small girl and she's now 14. She's also been trying to find her twin sister, Setsuna, who she lost in a forest. But, Setsuna is back in the feudal era. Both of them don't know anything about their parents, but, one day, Setsuna goes through the Tree Of Ages to modern day Japan where she meets Towa again. She also came with Moroha, Inuyasha and Kagome's daughter, and they get welcomed by the family, but they're eventually able to get back to the feudal era and live there with Towa now obsessed with being with Setsuna no matter what with the two of them and Moroha doing jobs as Bounty Hunters and doing all sorts of jobs while also trying to find out what happened to their parents and also trying to help Setsuna recover her sleep because her dreams were taken by something called a Dream Butterfly, all while they're being hunted by a demon named Kirinmaru. So, I guess if you were just going into the series and just started off with the first few episodes, you might think there's not a lot going on, and that's definitely what I thought initially because the first few episodes mostly just consist of Towa, Setsuna and Moroha going on different missions and we just see their different interactions as they're doing it. And, while I imagine some might not find that very appealing to everyone, for me, I enjoyed these three characters so much that I didn't mind at all. It's like what I said in my Inuyasha review, the main thing I enjoyed about the whole travelling aspect to this were the characters' personalities along the way. And these are honestly some of the most fun anime characters I've watched in a while. Following Towa, Setsuna and Moroha through this journey was a lot of fun and watching them interact was great to watch too. Especially given how they are different like Towa being kind and innocent and way more open but also really curious about how life in the feudal era works, Setsuna being kinda mean at times and acting super tough and stubborn but still having a soft side more so than Sesshomaru since she shows her soft side more and Moroha being like a combination of Inuyasha and Kagome with Inuyasha's stubbornness at times but being more kind like Kagome and having a bit of a mischievous side. And I loved the dynamic they all had. But, yeah, I could see why maybe the first few episodes wouldn't get people hooked immediately because it does just consist of the three of them doing random jobs, especially if you weren't already big fan of the franchise. But, even in those early episodes, there were small hints showing the bigger picture of what was happening and that was really interesting, especially in regards to the Rainbow Pearls, these seven different tiny jewels that the three girls have three of. We learn that there's more and that Kirinmaru is looking for them for more power along with his henchmen like Zero, this woman who's explored more later on. And we also meet a guy named Riku who begins to have an interest in Towa but we learn that he's actually a part of Kirinmaru and is in league with him. But I think the series really picks up more when we see a bit more of the Inuyasha characters reappear like we see Miroku and Sango come back with their kids who we saw briefly at the end of the original series who are now Demon Slayers and their kids even team up with the three of them from time to time and I enjoyed that. But it was also around this time we learn some more things, like how Towa is like Inuyasha, in the sense that when there's a New Moon, she loses her demon powers and takes on a human form for a while and we also learn about this demon who was actually the one responsible for Towa and Setsuna being separated when they were younger by burning down the forest they were in and, from that point, we start to learn a whole lot more like how Rin is actually inside the Tree Of Ages and is being frozen there because of something Zero placed on her that would cause her body to be covered in crystals and her life is actually tied to Zero which means they can't kill her. And that led to the ending of Season 1 where Towa, Setsuna and Moroha actually see Kirinmaru and they have a fight with him that ends terribly and even Setsuna ends up dying which causes both Towa and Moroha to go nuts on him.

And, even though they lose, Towa is able to save Setsuna when Sesshomaru shows up and gives her the Tenseiga to use to save her and that was pretty cool too. And that's when we also learn that Sesshomaru actually trapped both Inuyasha and Kagome inside a black pearl where Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's dad's grave is. But the real big turning point is when we're introduced to Rion, this girl who we learn is actually Kirinmaru's daughter and is apparently already dead, and is just using some fake body at the moment. But, to get to her in the first place, the three of them have to go up some mountain that begins to bring them to different places. For Moroha for example, she actually gets flung into the place where Inuyasha and Kagome are and we even see them for a brief moment.

And that was cool to see happen, but then when they get to Rion, they decide to help her out by bringing her along. The next couple of episodes almost kinda feel like a tiny bit of filler like Moroha helping Takechiyo, this small racoon dog demon who's with Moroha and the others a lot, and Setsuna helping out a princess they met earlier in the series. But the series really begins to come to a close around the time when Towa gets kidnapped by Zero and another demon who begin to make her feel such deep sadness and pain that she transforms into her true demon form and begins to not care about anything so she almost kills Zero which Setsuna is able to stop because she knows about Zero's connection to Rin which woulda caused her to die, so she's able to get Towa back to normal. And we also learn that the Rainbow Pearls were actually made from Zero's tears and they're able to turn her good briefly after Setsuna is able to sever her connection to Rin but then Riku kills her. Also, yeah, at this point, Riku's kinda become a good guy. I dunno, that part kinda confused me a little bit. Not him killing Zero, just the point of when he became a good guy because he seemed like he was just using and lying to a lot of the characters through most of the series, so I'm not exactly sure at which point he turned good. But then, we get a really awesome moment when Rin wakes up from being freed and then Towa, Setsuna and Moroha try to fight Kirinmaru again but then Sesshomaru shows up and fights him himself and sends the three of them inside the black pearl and Kirinmaru is able to drain him of his energy. Yeah, that whole part was really cool and it felt like the plot was moving along in really interesting ways. I love when an anime plot is able to do that. But, from there, Moroha and the others finally get to see Inuyasha and Kagome. The moment that was being built up for so long and we finally got to see it.

And we get a lot of great moment from that too like Towa telling Kagome about her family and other things like that, but, they're eventually able to escape which leads to Towa and Setsuna reuniting with Sesshomaru and Rin with Towa able to save Sesshomaru. Again, just really great placements of events that I feel are really well thought out. And, not only do they have to deal with Kirinmaru, but they also have to deal with some comet that Kirinmaru is trying to destroy to prove that he's the strongest that's apparently in the other time so the three girls go there to try to stop it and it's even revealed that one of Towa's teachers is actually Kirinmaru's arm given a new body. And I was kinda wondering for a while whether or not he was gonna be a good guy or villain because he does help the girls out and does seem like he wants to save everyone, but, after he helps destroy a bit of the comet, he brings it back to the feudal era where he tries to use Rion to destory the place and all demons like Inuyasha and Sesshomaru. so they manage to get back while also learning that Mr. Kirin, as in the teacher, is hoping to create some new world for Rion with the comet. And, in this ending climax, we get a whole bunch of great moments like when Towa fights him and Riku kinda sacrifices himself for her and the three of them manage to get Rion to show what she really wanted which makes Kirinmaru relent and then they sorta both die there with Rion even saving Towa when it looks like her demon power is completely drained. Then we get a nice ending with all of them reuniting.

Then, the final episode shows what everyone is doing now like Moroha and Inuyasha fighting together, Towa and Setsuna talking to Rin and it even revealing that Riku came back to life. That's definitely something that felt like a bit of a cop-out, but it did give us a nice moment between him and Towa. And then the actual final moment with Towa, Setsuna and Moroha talking on the beach was nice and sweet.

And then I think the series just kinda ends with that. I say that because it really does feel like the show just finishes up completely there. I've been wondering for a while if there's gonna be a Season 3, but, for me, it doesn't really look like it because everything seemingly wraps up there with everything that was being set up answered and doesn't really add anything to be explored later on. If there is more, I'd definitely be curious to check it out and see more of these characters, but, for these first two seasons alone, I had an absolutely amazing time with it. Again, it's like I said before, when I watched this, it gave me feelings of real investment in these characters and this plot as it was moving along and I love when a series gives me that feeling. Not to mention the fact that I did just really enjoy these characters so much. My favourite was either Moroha or Towa. I just found both to be extremely likeable and fun to watch. Same goes for the dub, I really loved a lot of the performances. Erica Mendez, Kira Buckland and Morgan Berry are perfect as Towa, Setsuna and Moroha, especially Morgan Berry as Moroha. I feel she did a fantastic job capturing Moroha's fun-loving and energetic side, as well as her more dramatic moments and she just fits the role flawlessly. And, even in the earlier episodes, which, like I said, did kinda feel like filler after a bit, but, because I enjoyed these characters so much, I didn't mind. Not to mention the fact that the series itself is only 48 episodes long, so it's not like it was all that long anyway. And, even then, just having the plot slowly progress in various ways was interesting, like when old characters from the original series show up like I said before like Miroku, Sango, Shippo and so on. And, even beyond that, there are times in those early episodes when they sorta introduce something small that I almost thought was kinda pointless, but some of those things actually do have relevance and has a way of coming back later on. And I just loved how this series just progressed in various ways and had so many amazing moments that gave me more appreciation for this franchise and it helped cement the fact that this franchise is somewhere up there as one of my favourite anime franchises of all time. I just loved this so much and it's a series I would love to watch again at some point. The animation as well is still amazing. I love how it still has the same style as the original series and takes it to higher levels. Again, I'm not really sure if there's gonna be more after this. Like I said, the ending really did feel like a definitive ending and didn't feel like there was much else left to do, but, again, if they do do more, I'd definitely check it out though I don't know if I'd do a second part to this review, I'm happy with just this one. But, anyway, yeah, overall, it's like I said at the start and even in other entries before now, I mentioned how I was so excited to get started on this series and I had a great time with it. So, yeah, I would recommend checking this out, especially if you already liked the Inuyasha franchise and I'm so glad this is part of that canon now. And so, yeah, guys, that's my review of Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon. Thank you all for reading and please comment down below to tell me what you think.