Greetings and salutations, I don't really know why I'm writing this, but I felt like doing a blog. This is more for me to get my eyes, but also potentially open up discussion about this anime. No secret on here, as I've said it before, but one of my favorite animes of all time was Inuyasha. Inuyasha was one of the first animes I remember fully getting into, and it's definitely been one that I've grown to respect more as I matured and got older, and being capable of understanding things better. I give it so much credit because from bell to bell, I felt like it was one of those near perfect animes. What Inuyasha did right was never really focus on power levels and was character driving plot. It never mishandled too many characters IMO, and each main character felt important and always useful. The protagonist was never the strongest demon, Sesshomaru by far was. We got to see characters grow, develop and feed off one another to the point it seemed balanced. The villains were great for the most part, Lady Centipede, Koga being a rival, Sesshomaru, The Band of Seven, and of course Naraku and his underlings. The world built and lore was deep and rich. The openings and closing were always great. Inuyasha had a lot to love and I still think does. So with this sequel being announced and produced and pushed out amidst the worst year of most of our lives, I was excited. So these are my thoughts on this series so far being 10 episodes in.

Synopsis

14 years has passed since the ending of the main series, and we are introduced to the daughters of Sesshomaru, and Inuyasha respectively. They travel the land, fighting a group of demons led by the great demon Kirinmaru, said to rival Sesshomaru in power. And in doing so are wrapped up in their own trials and tribulations while also uncovering the mysteries of their past.

Pros:

Characters: Right off the bat, in typical Inuyasha fashion, the characters are the highlight of the series. We have the demon twins, Setsuna and Towa, the daughters of Sesshomaru. And we have the quarter demon of Moroha, the daughter of Inuyasha and Kagome. We also have their traveling companion of Takechiyo, who is the designated shape-shifter of the team, basically their version of Shippo. I love these characters. From their designs to personalities to abilities and choice of weapons, everything is different and rather unique to them. The subtle things like Setsuna's jawline, eyes shape, and face being almost identical to her father's while Towa has more of his colorization. It's not just some hair color and a face whisker to say who their dad is. Both look like him down to a tea in their own ways. Setsuna is also a spitting image of her dad personality wise, cold, calm, and collected. Moroha is the split right down the middle of her dad and mom. She very much has Inuyasha's face, but Kagome's eyes and hair, but also has the fangs and claws sticking out like her dad. The side characters are enjoyable, but really the focus is on the daughters and I think they are well done.

Moroha: Moroha gets her own section here. She is by the best out of the 3 daughters. Her energy, personality, her abilities, her presence on screen is the focal point of a lot of stuff. She's funny, a badass, and it's really hard not to like her. I think she's the best thing on this show, and if you take anything away from it, watching her is a treat.

Plot: This one is kind of a double edged sword. The plot is a mystery for the most part. We know Kirinmaru is a bad guy, supposedly so is Sesshomaru, and despite this, we only get breadcrumbs each episode, and then that just kind of makes more questions. The girls don't know much about their parents, and we don't know much about what happened to them. So we kind of learn things as they learn things. They get a mission, show up to the village or stumble on one, kill some demons and move on and maybe get some info. So following along with the girls, who are almost at ground zero like we are, is kind of an enjoyable ride. And one thing it does in Inuyasha fashion, is it does give the girls their own spotlights. So it may seem like one gets kind of tossed on the back burner, but it's just to give the other some time to develop.

Lack of Nostalgia: I vote this as a good thing, and I think this is a point people tend to either praise the series for or fall off. This series is very much the story of the daughters. This is their show. So what this series does is tease a lot, but in such small quantities that what the old cast did is of almost no relevance and we don't know what they are doing either. So it doesn't have to rely on those old elements to carry this series. But with that said, it does feel like Inuyasha. It feels like their world, from the opening to closing music, to the elements that made Inuyasha great. It very much carries those same elements but being its own thing entirely.

Music: As I just said, the music. The intro could be a bit better, but the outro fits 100 percent. It's soft and calming but fits the girls really well. I've loved the endings of Inuyasha since My Will and the ferris wheel from season 1.

VA: All the voice acting is great. That's all I need to say.

Cons

Plot/Pacing: This is where things start to fall on that other side of the sword. The pacing at times seems rushed, and with that, we still get so many teasers of the old characters but being 10 episodes we still almost know nothing. So while I said the lack of nostalgia is great for the story purposes, if you come into this really expecting much focus on the old crew, it's not there, and it's a mystery. So being 10 episodes in, some people have kind of fallen off the ride because they are in it for the old cast. But if you can get past that, it makes the series much more enjoyable.

Villains: So far the villains have been pretty forgettable. It's kind of like each villain has been a MCU villain. They show up, have a vendetta for whatever reason, then get beat. Nothing really lasts, and the girls just kind of steamroll through them with some effort. They all have problems with Sesshomaru, again for whatever reason, but that isn't touched upon. The old series had Naraku, Jokotsu, Kagura, Bankotsu, Sesshomaru for most of it. Even the movie villains were great. So with that said, it never really feels like anyone is in danger.

The Twins: So me being a big fan of Sesshomaru, I like Setsuna more than Towa. I like her design more, her powers, her naginata was an awesome weapon. But, she is kind of one dimensional. She is very robotic, but for her that works. What we don't have yet though is an explanation for her being like this. So she is very much like her dad, but Sesshomaru grew to care Rin at least and Kohaku, and protected Sango and her kids, so he's apart of the group. But we knew he was arrogant, only wanted power, despised his dad because of Inuyasha but also at the same time wanted to be like him. Status drove Sesshomaru and that is why he is the way he is. Setsuna....is just like him. So that coldness I feel can turn off some from her. On the flip side, Towa is much more likable, but she is a Mary Sue. She tends to develop a new ability for whatever reason, no build up. She just does things. But again, I do like both of them, they just have their flaws.

Animation: The animation kind of dips at times. It is a weekly anime so that is probably why. Just something that is noticeable.

Rating: Oh, I also believe the rating is a bit lower than Inuyasha. If not, it doesn't swear as much, and there is much blood. So again, just something to know.

Exposition: Like Inuyasha, this series is decently heavy on exposition, Myoga pops up and says whatever is convenient at the time and problem solved. But its predecessor did that.

In Conclusion

So yeah. That is it. It is a very enjoyable series so far IMO. At its core, I enjoy it. This show has been a successful sequel so far. I think what made Inuyasha special, this show follows that. It allows its own characters to be the focal point and drive the story. Because of that I respect it doesn't rely on too much on the old series. But because it does use them as a mystery, I think with how a lot of it isn't told by now between episodes 1-10, it is a bit annoying. With that said, I don't think that is a reason to shoot it down like some have. Couple that with some pacing issues, it can be better. So if you like Inuyasha but can deal with that, I think you might enjoy it.

Rating Thus Far: 7.5/10