Customer Reviews

InuYasha, Volume 14: The Wind & Void

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Inuyasha: The Wind and the Void: Volume 14 contains three episodes, 40-42 in the long-running anime series based on the manga by Rumiko Takahashi. Each of the episodes devotes too much time to recapping not just the previous episode, but the entire Inuyasha series so far. I know we have to give Inuyasha some love, he is cool, but this is the fourteenth volume. If viewers do not know that Miroku has a wind tunnel in his right hand by now, or Sango's story, they should go back to the beginning of the series, not start in the middle.

The first episode is the conclusion of Inuyasha's battle with the enraged Koga, who believes Inuyasha has murdered his wolf-demon tribe. The last two episodes see a new character introduced, Kanna, the white child-demon. Kanna is the older sister of Kagata, Sorceress of the Wind. Kanna has zero personality, and so far unfortunately zero mystery, which could have balanced her emotionless character out. These two powerful female demons are under Naraku's control. Also central to episodes 41 and 42 is a young (younger than Kagome) girl in love with Miroku, the shameless hoshi, who asked this girl to bear his child when she was eleven. Bad Miroku, bad!!

As if losing the jewel shards wasn't bad enough to the group. To make it worse Naraku's powers seem to have gotten stronger! He creates two new henchmen instead of taking on the group himself. He states that he recieved his new power from kikyo because she wished for Inuyasha to be dead. The fight between Koga (the wolf demon) and Inuyasha makes this volume worth the time to pay attention to. Will Inuyasha give into Naraku and his story regarding Kikyo's intentions? This volume answers that and more as the group continues in it's quest.

This is a great anime series with something for nearly everyone. Action, horror, romance, comedy. The characters are almost without exception captivating, even minor ones. Hence, another five-star rating!

These three episodes pit the heroes (Inu Yasha, Kagome, and friends) against two new villians, created by the master arch-villian Naraku. The results are very exciting, with some very dramatic, nearly cinematic moments, like when Inu-Yasha attempts to use the power of his sword to defeat the Wind Sorceress Kagura, only to see the "wind scar" reversed and hurtled back at him. In these episodes Kagura emerges as a strong personality in her own right: as hostile and devious as Naraku, but even more vain, and tempremental, and clearly demonic in her world view.

As the Amazon review indicates, the DVD is not without its flaws. If you only get to see these episodes when they air on television, the recaps and flashbacks to previous episodes are helpful and satisfying (they also allow the animators to produce a new episode with less new material). But on a DVD disk - where you can watch three episodes, without commercials, in about an hour, the "padding" this entails becomes much more obvious, and even annoying. It is particularly true on this DVD. Near the end of the second episode (and seemingly out of nowhere) highlights of the Inu Yasha/Kikyo/Naraku feud, shown many times previously, are shown yet again (narrated by Kagome). It disrupts the entire otherwise excellent episode. Then the *exact* same material is repeated AGAIN at the beginning of the third episode, with a different background music.

It should also be mentioned that, in addition to demons (and half-demons), soul-sucking mirrors, and the like, there is also feudal-era misery and exploitation (four men pursue a runaway female servant, who has refused sexual advances by the lord's son, with the intent of beating her and bringing her back), and Miroku's on-going lechery (humorous in the context of his curse and the fact he is from the feudal era, when the age of consent was much lower than today, but certainly off-putting to many).

But don't get me wrong, these are some of darkest, and most action-filled, episodes in the entire series, and up there with the very best.

Inuyasha's group meet two new villians: Kagura and Kanna, created by Naraku. There's also character development here: Sango seems displeased about Miroku holding Koharu. Miroku tells Koharu that to survive is scary for everyone.
Inuyasha almost gets killed, and they find out that it was Kikyo who gave the jewel to Naraku, making him powerful enough to create more demons.

Inuyasha and Koga are finishing their battle when Koga puts Inuyasha down for the count. The demon from inside the cattle appears and she says she was the one that killed everyone. Koga starts to charge at her but something starts to poision him. Kagome shots her arrow at the demon but it failed. When Inuyasha gets back up will he have the abillity to stop a wind sorces? Later on Inuyasha and friends find out why the wind demon was coming after them and why another demon they can't sence is too. But what will happen to the villagers' and Kagome's souls that were taken by the demon they can't sence ( the void demon). How will this end? Will they get Kagome's soul back? This DVD will keep you wanting more Inuyasha. This is a DVD that gives alot of information about the sacered jewel. I loved this DVD!!!! If you get it I hope you will enjoy it too!

And the epic legend goes on! Inuyasha meets the 'mirror' and the 'fan/wind' From this Vol. and beyond the story gets good! This dvd is a must see for all viewers even ones who don't like anime or inuyasha. Buy it and have fun!

Once again, the epic adventure continues in a fantastic battle that all Inu Yasha lovers should see! The battle scenes are amazing and the love scenes are heart warming. Plus, it sometimes has a funny twist