Inuyasha Kanketsu-hen Ep. 08
犬夜叉 完結編 Episode 08 Review
Inuyasha: Final Act – 08

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:

Naraku captures Kikyou, Kouga, Sango, Miroku, and Shippou as Inuyasha and Kagome give chase. Naraku is only interested in Kikyou and is unaware that the shards in Kouga’s legs are purifying. So as Kouga attacks, Kikyou wants Naraku to take the purified shards and die. Inuyasha and Kagome catch up where Kagome understands what Kikyou is trying to do. Unfortunately, because Kikyou is connected to Naraku through spider webs, Naraku avoids her trap while taking some damage that frees Kouga.

Inuyasha attacks and Naraku drops Kikyou forcing Inuyasha to save her. Naraku recaptures Kouga causing Miroku to use his Kazaana attack to absorb Naraku’s shouki and allow Kouga to act again. Kouga’s attack causes an opening that lets Kagome see the Shikon no Tama but as Kouga goes to attack, the jewel disappears and Kouga is trapped again, his shards becoming corrupt. Kagome sees the jewel is not in Kikyou and so shoots at her as Naraku tries to get there first. Kagome’s purifying arrow hits and purifies the jewel as Kikyou’s shinidamachu take it and Kagome’s arrow to Naraku. After a struggle, Naraku overcomes the purification and leaves triumphantly, needing only one more shard.

Kohaku senses Kikyou’s weakened condition and as Rin tries to stop him, Sesshoumaru says that it is too late. Meanwhile, Inuyasha carries Kikyou away while Kaede receives a farewell message from Kikyou’s spirit. As Inuyasha and Kikyou have final words, the group mourns her eventual death and what she meant to them. Inuyasha cries and has a final kiss with Kikyou before she dies, her shinidamachu gathering her soul and the others feeling the warmth of her passing as her soul is taken into the starlight sky.

Thoughts/Review:

I seem to remember this part of the story taking several chapters as Takahashi-sensei kept things so that it would appear the good guys had the upper hand, then Naraku, then the good guys, etc. Watching this in compressed form (and this would be true when reading the manga in book form) reveals the weakness of that storytelling as all of Naraku’s apparent surprises at losing come off as stupid. Granted, in manga form, Takahashi-sensei is often creating a cliffhanger to end a chapter to show Naraku shocked (or otherwise taken aback) over taking damage. Then it is, “PSYCHE! I knew all along that you couldn’t do anything to me.” That’s part of what bored me so with Inuyasha as a manga.

Still, at least at this point, Takahashi-sensei was revealing to us that she was truly ending the manga by killing Kikyou even though no official word had been given. I remember thinking when the manga story of Kikyou’s death came out that Takahashi-sensei could easily just bring her back to life if she so desired. I hoped that would not be the case, but that was the fear. After all, I wanted to see the manga end and everything wrapped up and not continue on and on ad nauseam.

Also, with Kouga losing his shards, it felt more like the series would truly end. After all, Kouga had been around as a character for a very long time and he’d have to lose his shards in order for the story to conclude.

So, things are winding down in some ways. I do hope that this anime has Sesshoumaru’s mother’s story. One would think they couldn’t get away with not having it considering how the manga story goes. We’ll see I guess.