Title:
Inu Yasha, Book OnePublisher’s rating:
T+, for Older TeensGenre:
ActionPublisher's Website:
VizAnime:
VizSound bite:
A modern-day schoolgirl travels back in time and teams up with a demon to regain possession of a powerful jewel. Interesting plot, but the graphic violence and nightmarish images are inappropriate for pre-teens.My rating:
Definitely not for 13 and under; for older kids, it depends on their tolerance for scariness.Kid Reviews:
More details:
Plot Summary:
Kagome, a modern-day teenager from Tokyo, is looking for her cat when a six-armed demon drags her into an old well and into the 15th century. The first thing she sees on emerging is a young boy, with a dog's ears, pinned to a tree by an arrow through his chest.
The local villagers capture Kagome and tell her she is the image of their former priestess, Kikyo. It was Kikyo who pinned the boy, actually an evil demon named Inu Yasha, to the tree. Kikyo died fifty years before, and her dying wish was that her sister Kaede destroy the Jewel of Four Souls along with her body. The jewel imparts power to supernatural beings. Kagome unwittingly has it in her possession, and the six-armed demon wants it. The demon attacks Kagome, and in order to save herself, she pulls the arrow from Inu Yasha, freeing him. Inu Yasha destroys the demon then turns on Kagome, trying to get the jewel for himself. Kaede tosses a string of prayer beads around Inu Yasha's neck, which allows Kagome to immobilize him. Kagome treats him kindly, but she has complete control over him. Given Kagome's powers, her resemblane to Kikyo, and her possession of the jewel, Kaede concludes that Kagome is Kikyo reincarnated.
Trying to get back to her family, Kagome goes back to the old well but is kidnapped on the way by some evil men. The leader snatches the jewel then tries to kill Kagome but only succeeds in slashing a couple of his own men. It turns out that the leader is actually dead, and body has been occupied by a three-eyed crow demon, which now pokes its head out of his chest. The crow flies off with the jewel, and Kagome and Inu Yasha give chase. As Kagome shoots arrows at the crow, it swallows the jewel, becomes a dragon, and snatches a baby. Inu Yasha destroys the crow, reducing it to lumps of flesh, while Kagome rescues the child. The remnant of the crow comes back to life, still with the jewel, and flies overhead. Kagome kills it with an arrow, but the arrow hits the jewel and breaks it into splinters. Now Kagome must find all the pieces, to prevent them from falling into the hands of evil beings. Kaede tells Inu Yasha that he must help. Although he hates Kagome, she still has power over him.
Next, a Yura of the Hair bewitches the village woman, controlling them with strands of hair that are invisible to everyone but Kagome. Kagome escapes down the well. Yura attacks Inu Yasha; he escapes and goes looking for Kagome.
Kagome emerges in present-day Tokyo and tells her family of her adventures. Her grandfather seals the well permanently shut with special spells, but just as the family is sitting down to dinner, Inu Yasha appears at the door. Kagome runs to the well and sees magic hair streaming out of it. Hanks of hair attack Inu Yasha, but Kagome holds the controlling strand so he can cut it. Kagome realizes that if she doesn't go back and defeat Yura, Yura will come and attack her family, so reluctantly, she accompanies Inu Yasha back to the well.
The book opens with a brief description of the historical era in which it is set. Beyond that however, there is little mention of history.
Character and morality:
The characterizations are pretty two-dimensional, and the only moral issue is the age-old battle between good and evil. Evil is personified by demons who attack the innocent villagers. Kaede, the old woman, is good. As the story progresses, Kagome gradually realizes that she has magical powers and gains more confidence in herself. Inu Yasha is clearly reluctant to accompany her—she does bear a strong resemblance to the woman who vanquished him—but the necklace he wears gives Kagome complete control over him. Kagome doesn't exploit this and in fact treats him rather well.
Violence:
This is a very violent manga. Some is graphic, some is not, but what gives me pause, as a parent, is the nightmarish quality of the images. The demon who attacks Kagome in the well appears as a woman, nude from the waist up, with six arms and a long, bony tail. She has fangs and a long tongue and seems to be constantly biting things and flying around with blood dripping from her mouth. In their initial struggle, Kagome rips off one of her arms. There is no blood, but it's a disturbing image nonetheless. Other images are bloodier. A horse is flung through a house, blood spurting from its belly. The six-armed demon bites Kagome in the side to liberate the jewel, which flies out in a thin ribbon of blood. The demon swallows the jewel and its skin splits, revealing a scarier face.
A more graphic scene occurs when Kagome is kidnapped and the leader of the group raises his sword to kill her. He cuts off the arm of one of the guards instead; this time we do see spurting blood. Kagome breaks free and the leader slashes at her with his sword, beheading another of his men—we see the head flying off with a trail of blood behind it. Finally, Inu Yasha announces that the leader is actually dead, and the three-eyed crow pokes its head out of his chest.
Sexuality/body functions:
The six-armed demon has the torso of a bare-breasted woman, nipples and all. Kagome bathes nude in a lake as part of a purification rite; she is shown topless. Inu Yasha sneaks a peek, but she yells "sit" and he's immobilized again.
Language:
No offensive language.
Substances:
None
