InuYasha volume 1 by Rumiko Takahashi
book 62: InuYasha Volume 1 by Rumiko Takahashi
This is another manga series by the author of Ranma 1/2. My book club assigned me two pretty depressing books this month (Eggs for Young America and Brave New World which I will post here as well when I finish them), so my brain desperately cried out for some light, escapist reading. InuYasha is a romantic, action/fantasy set in the Warring States period of Japan, with a little magical time travel to modern Tokyo thrown in. The title character is a half-human/half-dog demon, and his female lead is a 15 year-old school girl from the present, Kagome, who happens to be the reincarnation of a priestess, Kikyo, of his own time, with whom he had/has a love/hate relationship. The over-riding plot is that InuYasha wants to be a full demon and can be granted the power to become one by consuming the Jewel of Four Souls. Because of the jewel's immense power (for good or evil), it had been under the protection of the aforementioned priestess, who took it with her to the netherworld at her time of death until it magically re-entered the story hidden in Kagome's body. The first volume introduces the protagonists after Kagome falls into a well at her family's shrine and ends up in feudal Japan. The jewel is rediscovered, as is Kagome's relationship to Kikyo, and InuYasha is awakened from a spell placed on him fifty years earlier by Kikyo just before her death. InuYasha, resentful of Kikyo's spell and confused by Kagome's similarity to her, returns to his determined pursuit of the Jewel of Four Souls until Kaede, Kikyo's now elderly "younger" sister (a priestess in her own right), places prayer beads around his neck and has Kagome say a word that will activate a subjugation spell on him. Naturally, in a panic for her life, the first word that comes to mind is, "Sit!". Thus, forced to behave, sort of, InuYasha becomes a begrudging protector of Kagome (other demons and humans will now be in active pursuit of the jewel due to its power), while biding his time to figure out how to get hold of the jewel he covets. Volume 1 also features Mistress Centipede and a demon crow which successfully steals the jewel from Kagome, who then inadvertently causes it to shatter and scatter across the countryside while attempting recovery. Now the mission becomes "gather all the shards of the Jewel of Four Souls before someone or something much more evil than InuYasha gets a hold of them". InuYasha with his superhuman strength and demonic powers and Kagome with her latent priestess abilities including the ability to sense the presence of the jewel shards must work together in spite of their animosity to accomplish the goal. Volume 1 also introduces the demoness Yura of the Hair. Some of these volumes will be rereads for me. I can't remember which, though, because I have also seen most, if not all, of the anime. I did not own the entire manga series until relatively recently, though, so this will be the first time that I read it all the way through from beginning to end.
This is another manga series by the author of Ranma 1/2. My book club assigned me two pretty depressing books this month (Eggs for Young America and Brave New World which I will post here as well when I finish them), so my brain desperately cried out for some light, escapist reading. InuYasha is a romantic, action/fantasy set in the Warring States period of Japan, with a little magical time travel to modern Tokyo thrown in. The title character is a half-human/half-dog demon, and his female lead is a 15 year-old school girl from the present, Kagome, who happens to be the reincarnation of a priestess, Kikyo, of his own time, with whom he had/has a love/hate relationship. The over-riding plot is that InuYasha wants to be a full demon and can be granted the power to become one by consuming the Jewel of Four Souls. Because of the jewel's immense power (for good or evil), it had been under the protection of the aforementioned priestess, who took it with her to the netherworld at her time of death until it magically re-entered the story hidden in Kagome's body. The first volume introduces the protagonists after Kagome falls into a well at her family's shrine and ends up in feudal Japan. The jewel is rediscovered, as is Kagome's relationship to Kikyo, and InuYasha is awakened from a spell placed on him fifty years earlier by Kikyo just before her death. InuYasha, resentful of Kikyo's spell and confused by Kagome's similarity to her, returns to his determined pursuit of the Jewel of Four Souls until Kaede, Kikyo's now elderly "younger" sister (a priestess in her own right), places prayer beads around his neck and has Kagome say a word that will activate a subjugation spell on him. Naturally, in a panic for her life, the first word that comes to mind is, "Sit!". Thus, forced to behave, sort of, InuYasha becomes a begrudging protector of Kagome (other demons and humans will now be in active pursuit of the jewel due to its power), while biding his time to figure out how to get hold of the jewel he covets. Volume 1 also features Mistress Centipede and a demon crow which successfully steals the jewel from Kagome, who then inadvertently causes it to shatter and scatter across the countryside while attempting recovery. Now the mission becomes "gather all the shards of the Jewel of Four Souls before someone or something much more evil than InuYasha gets a hold of them". InuYasha with his superhuman strength and demonic powers and Kagome with her latent priestess abilities including the ability to sense the presence of the jewel shards must work together in spite of their animosity to accomplish the goal. Volume 1 also introduces the demoness Yura of the Hair. Some of these volumes will be rereads for me. I can't remember which, though, because I have also seen most, if not all, of the anime. I did not own the entire manga series until relatively recently, though, so this will be the first time that I read it all the way through from beginning to end.