InuYasha: The Final Act - Reviews

The best thing about this season is that the story is moving much faster than it had before. With the start of the first episode, it pick up where we left off and quickly progresses. So far there has been one filler, and even that ended with a note of relevence to the rest of the story.

The characters are still the same, but they all are shraing the screen time. No more meloncoly monolouges from Kagome, or staring contests between InuYasha and some random memory from his troubled childhood.

All the best characters are back like Sheshomaru, Jakken, and Rin; Muroku and Sango; Kohaku, Kikio, Kouga, and all of Naraku's little children. The best part is that people are starting to die, which is really going to move the story along. Major changes are occuring as the focus moves away from relationship fanfare to getting to the bottom of this everlasting story.

A few new characters have been introduced, but thses charaters won;t damper the story by proluging it and causing the story to veer off track. If you are a fan or you were a fan, you should go to the VIZ website and watch the streams. At the least, it'll provide closure and we'll finally get to see if Naraku will win or loose. No more get away scenes please!

Animation is the same, although the opening and ending animations still remain to be at a high quality. Do As Infinity sings the opening song, which is decent. AAA sings the ending, and I have to admit that the rock ballad grows on you.

This is now officialy my fauvorite anime EVER!!! The ending was so touching I loved it all so much.

It was an amazing story that came to an end I will never forget this anime for as long as I live even though it took me less than 2 weeks to watch it all I will remember this as the best anime I've watched.

You can all be sure that there isn't an anime quite like InuYasha I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did

InuYasha is really good. But you should watch all the episodes before the final act.  

The only thing I did not like is that the fina act was a little less dramatic then I would have liked/expected.

but still watch it. It's too good to miss! 

My favorite anime series of all time has unfortunately met it's last series, named Kanketsu-Hen, or The Final Act.    



Story (7/10)Though the story is not overly complex, the story is very interesting and the idea of  the Shikon Jewel is interesting. Rumiko came up with it by using the four souls described  from the shinto philosophy of Naohi: Aramitama (Courage), Nigimitama (Friendship), Kushimitama (Wisdom) and Sakimitama ( Love). When a person contains these four spirits at their maximum, they unite to form a really strong and powerful balance within the soul that can be used for either good or evil. The story was not always predictable but if you pay attention to the earlier on episodes, you can predict it.
The pacing is very very rushed. With only 26 episodes adapted out of a ton of manga chapters, it is very rushed. One episode, we are talking about Hakudoshi and Moryomaru, the next it's about Kagura, then about Sesshomaru. It jumps around, and mixed some stuff up. The episode with the Fox Demon Exam was supposed to happen sometime after Hiraikotsu was broken.
The same running gags are used. Miroku flirts, though this stops in the early episodes of the Final act, Shippo and Inuyasha's typical fighting, and stuff like that. Though the jokes are toned down a lot. The action was very well done, and the romance between Sango and Miroku finally gets more screen time. The episodes in particular that were very very interesting were episodes 17-26. The last episodes. Lots of action, suffering, and accomplishments, on both sides. (Protagonists and Antagonists)
The ending was eh. As lots of people say, Rumiko doesn't know how to end things well. The ending was a bit of a dues ex machina. They never explained how Kagome got back.
Overall, the story was well done. I was a bit angry that Koga just ran off and didn't help everyone in the end. The ending, though, did make me cry.

Art(8/10) I loved the old, hand drawn style that the whole Inuyasha series started out with.  It made it seem darker, and they actually tried on the animation. Everything was done fluidly. Now that it is the era of computer drawn animation, Inuyasha's art was upped. But not entirely in a good way. They made everyone seem a bit chibi. The eyes, of course. Not the bodies or anything. Though in the ending episodes, (20-26), they looked MUCH better. They looked much more matured. The background was done BEAUTIFULLY and the color is so vivid and done well. I loved it.  Though there were two incidents where they miscolored, and that was in the same episode.

     Sound (10/10) The voices are done very well. Everyone fitted the characters perfectly. I still don't like Kagome's voice (Nothing against the voice actress). It's just annoying to me, and every time she calls out Inuyasha's name, (which is constantly) it's just...You just want to scream at the screen and tell her to shut up. The episode, The Day of Days! is where the voices didn't match the lips on 2-3 occasions.
    The OST's are the same as the old series, and still amazing. For those of you who don't know, during the final 2(?) episodes, Kaoru Wada produced a series of new OST's, and those, as well, are produced beautifully, and they give so much emotion.
    The OP, “Kimi ga Inai Mirai” (A Future Without You) is a catchy opening done by Do As Infinity. It is composed amazingly, and I loved it, as most of Inuyasha's openings. It is the only opening used for The Final Act. I didn't like the three endings they used, With You" by AAA (eps 1-9), "Diamond" by alan (eps 10-17) , and “Tooi Michi no Saki de" by Takekawa Ai (eps 18-26)” They didn't appeal to me as much as the older endings of Inuyasha.
    All in all, the OST is the best aspect of Inuyasha. Everything is composed beautifully, and it fits the scenes. Be it sad, happy, or butt-kicking, Kaoru Wada knows how to do it. Three in particular that I love is the OST, “Dilemma”, “To the End of Sorrow” and “Swordsmith, Totosai”. Oh, who am I kidding? I love almost all the OST's, which has never happened to me before. They give me goosebumps, they make me cry, they make me smile, and they make me bounce in my chair. Inuyasha has a particular memorable melody to it, which Kaoru incorporates into each OST. You can hear it in almost every one. If you aren't sure which I'm talking about, listen to, “To Love's End.” That basic melody can bring happiness, tears, or can make you root for a character.    

    Characters(8/10) Many say that the characters didn't mature at all, but I beg to differ. In TFA, everyone, (including Inuyasha) have matured and take things seriously.  
    Inuyasha- Though the one who least matured in my opinion, he still did. He takes everything more seriously now, and he definitely shows it by how he protects his friends.
    Kagome- She matured too. Remember how she always told Inuyasha to sit, got jealous, they argued and she went home? She doesn't do that anymore. She hardly tells him to sit now. She cares for not only her friends, but Kikyo too.
    Miroku- He doesn't flirt anymore. The only time is in episode 3. He doesn't stroke Sango's butt either. He lives in fear for his life because of his Wind Tunnel, which gets bigger and more affected by the miasma.  It even drives him to the point where he almost sacrifices himself, TWICE, so Sango and Kohaku could be happy.
    Sango- I think she undermatured. Now, she doesn't focus on Kohaku as much. It's just Miroku. She is clingy. Which really hurt her character. She was a strong, independent, black woman, but then she met Miroku.  She almost sacrificed Hiraikotsu, the weapon she inherited from her Grandfather, the weapon she has had since she was a child, so Miroku could live. She said she couldn't live without him.  Though in a way, this is good, because she protects Miroku. A woman protecting a man, which is rare.  
    Shippo- Didn't see the development for him.
    Sesshomaru- He has gotten the most development. He learned compassion. The fear and sorrow of losing a loved one. Which greatly develops him. He even has given up on Tetsusaiga, so he could focus on Tenseiga. He has stopped trying to kill Inuyasha after the episode “True Heir”.  Which results in him getting even more development and a new sword. This is a lot of development for a cruel demon who hated humans and the sole existence  of his younger half-brother.
    Naraku-Even Naraku got my tears at the end. Many, and probably most of the Inuyasha fandom, will disagree with me, but Naraku is a sympathetic evil character. I like those characters. He has feelings of LOVE, which is rare for antagonists.(In anime). He loves Kikyo, and all he wanted is for her to love him back. Though he didn't convey his feelings in the best way. Her love for Inuyasha is basically what drove him to kill her and hate Inuyasha. It's basic jealousy. That's what sometimes happens, and yes, it happens in real life too.  
    The 4 K's, Kanna, Kagura, Kikyo and Kohaku-
    Kanna- The short time she appeared, we see that Kanna isn't just an empty void. She has feelings, and she has strong feelings for Kagura. (Not as in love). She even went as far as defying Naraku.
    Kagura- In her short time, and this began in the older seasons, we see that Kagura wanted to be free. Free of Naraku and to have her heart back. She helped Inuyasha, which in return, she got the sympathy and help from Inuyasha and the gang. She got the freedom she sought, but she paid the ultimate price, which leads to the development of Sesshomaru.
    Kikyo- Significant in the first 8 episodes, Kikyo went from wanting to kill Inuyasha and hating Kagome, to hating and wanting to kill Naraku. Remember her wish of becoming an ordinary woman?  She got her wish, but like Kagura, paid the ultimate price. Which everybody, including Sango and Miroku, cried for her sake, and realized Kikyo wasn't a bad person.
    Kohaku- Contributed A TON to the plot. He is the reason the journey is continuing. Due to him having the last shard, he is a target. He journeyed with Kikyo, then Sesshomaru. He stayed with Sesshomaru, and developed somewhat of a relationship with him. Remember how Sesshomaru vowed to kill Kohaku? Not anymore. He lets Kohaku travel with him.  Kohaku and Sango finally are reunited also, with Kohaku's memory back, but that ends in tears. And not happy tears. And not angry ones either.
    Overall, the characters of Inuyasha are very memorable. They each have unique designs. Only the supporting minor characters like some of Naraku's incarnations and stuff are not that memorable, though they have unique designs.

    Enjoyment(9/10)/Overall (8/10)
    Inuyasha has many fans, and the same amount of non-fans. I think people who enjoy comedy, romance, action, long journeys, Shounen genre, unique character designs and classic anime, will definitely like Inuyasha.      
    Inuyasha has been the gateway anime for many non-anime fans. It is a very memorable series and is definitely worth the watch.     
    I myself, own some of the manga, episodes and all the movies, and I re-watch/re-read them from time to time.
    Overall, this anime is what brought me into the anime world, and I am grateful. It will always be in my top anime. Inuyasha is truly a classic, and is great.

I couldn't wait for it to be dubbed in English, I just had to watch it now ... and it was worth it, in my opinion. I admit, the story plot was a little hard to follow once in awhile, but they covered things that hadn't been covered in the original series. Also, they ended it better than they ended the original series. So overall, I was impressed. One last thing: I cried during a lot of episodes ...