When Kagome’s arrow shattered the Shikon no Tama, its shards scattered across feudal Japan, putting power into even the most lowly of creatures’ hands. Now, surrounded by their friends and fighting comrades, Inuyasha and Kagome must journey across Japan, locating the shards and righting the wrongs which they have caused.
Two hundred years ago during the Mongol invasion of Japan, a powerful Chinese demon named Hyoga attempted to enter Japan with the intent of collecting the souls of the dead. Inuyasha’s demon father entered into battle with this powerful enemy and the resulting backlash destroyed the entire Mongol invasion fleet. Hyoga was defeated and imprisoned within the Tree of Ages in the Forest of No Return, with one of Inuyasha’s father’s fangs as the seal.
When one of the Shikon no Tama shards embedded itself into a tree, its power triggered the release of Morenmaru, son of Hyoga, from his own imprisonment. Now the moth-controlling Morenmaru seeks the power of Inuyasha’s Tetsusaiga, in a bid to release Hyoga’s energy from the Tree of Ages. Should he do this, he will inherit his father’s will and power and be able to absorb all the souls from the land, turning him into something akin to a God.
Gathering more Chinese demons around him, Morenmaru now seeks to tear apart Inuyasha’s group and take Tetsusaiga for himself – and with the ability to seize control of peoples’ bodies, friends are soon going to find themselves fighting some very familiar faces. Sango and Miroku are going to have to face and fight their own demons, while Inuyasha is going to have to fight the hardest battle of them all – Kagome!
The ripples of Morenmaru’s quest for power are going to be felt throughout all of time.
InuYasha the Movie: Affections Touching Across Time is the first movie release based on the hugely popular Inuyasha anime series aired on Japanese television. Inuyasha is based on the manga by Rumiko Takahashi, the same person responsible for bringing the world Ranma 1/2, Maison Ikkoku and Urusei Yatsura. The movie is specifically targeted at viewers of the regular Inuyasha series and therefore foregoes lengthy background information which may thus be a little off-putting to viewers new to the Inuyasha world.
For those of you that are new to the franchise, Inuyasha is a dog half-demon or hanyou who is on a mission to claim the power of the magical Shikon no Tama for himself and use it to turn him into a full-blooded youkai (demon). Kagome is a time-displaced girl who is the heroine of the Inuyasha saga. Travelling back to the feudal ages from present day Tokyo, the spiritually powerful Kagome befriends Inuyasha and slowly begins to bring out the humanity of this antisocial hanyou. Her accidental destruction of the mysterious Shikon no Tama that lends power to anyone it comes in contact with, led her to join forces with Inuyasha on a quest to recover the shards of the jewel and undo any damage caused by it. They are joined by Miroku, the perverted monk who controls the fearsome air void in his right hand, the youkai exterminator Sango and her pet youkai, Kirara, and lastly the child fox demon Shippo. The wise but cowardly old flea youkai, Myouga is also on hand to lend them some advice should they ever need it. Together they travel across feudal Japan, slaying monsters, righting wrongs and slowly rebuilding the magical Shikon jewel.
The film is based somewhere after the 35th episode of the television series, but manages to stay clear from impacting upon the television series’ storyline or time line. The story revolves around a Chinese youkai that awakens after a Shikon no Tama shard frees him from his sealed imprisonment. Morenmaru immediately sets about fulfilling his father’s mission from more than 200 years ago, seeking to capture the souls from this very land. But to acquire his father’s power and will, Morenmaru requires Inuyasha’s Tetsusaiga to break the seal on his father’s grave.
The story is well written and beautifully self-contained, making it one of the strongest Inuyasha stories to date. Not working in the half-hour constraint of a normal episode, the movie tells a complete story that is filled with the usual Inuyasha action, suspense, fantasy, romance and comedy. Though the film’s main story focuses on the battle between Inuyasha and Morenmaru, its main theme focuses very squarely on the developing relationship between Kagome and Inuyasha.
The artwork is of the usual Inuyasha high standard, with characters and backgrounds being very solidly portrayed. The colours are bright and the action sequences smooth and exciting. The special light effects are also well done, adding to the production as a whole. The voice acting is good, with the same voice cast used as in the regular television series. The movie boasts a strong soundtrack that really adds depth to the cinematic experience.
If you are a fan of the Inuyasha series then this is a must watch. It is action-packed, makes you laugh and even tugs a little at your heartstrings. A fine production, the only flaw being that it doesn’t perhaps cater for introductory viewers as much as it should. Still, The Love that Transcends Time is a highly recommended and polished addition to the Inuyasha universe.
(Historical Note: This was written back in November 2004. Thankfully my writing has improved greatly since then.)
Related Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/InuYasha_the_Movie