This anime, for me, has fallen completely flat.
The most recent episode has left me frustrated, with more questions than answers. Why is Kagome taking everything Riku says at face value upon just meeting him? When was Rin told about Kirinmaru? She's just cool with Sesshomaru taking the twins immediately after being born to an unknown location? How is Jaken supposed to take care of them? Why was Sesshomaru just suddenly alright with Homura and Zero burning the forest down after a few years? Why did an episode with enough information to fill two episodes have to be rushed and thrown together in one? Was Moroha sent away as soon as she was born? Why do Towa and Setsuna warrant a birth scene but not Moroha? I don't know, maybe I am just autistic and overthinking everything. But I have to reiterate that the pacing and the storytelling in this anime are fucking
awful. You can absolutely tell that Rumiko Takahashi had very little/nothing to do with writing the script.
Here is a comparison of the first 15 episodes of Inuyasha vs Yashahime:
1. "The Girl Who Overcame Time... and the Boy Who Was Just Overcome"
We meet Inuyasha, watch Kagome fall down the well. Plot. | 1. "Inuyasha: Since Then"
The girls get introduced for a brief second, we catch up with the original cast mostly as they deal with Roothead. Plot. |
2. "Seekers of the Sacred Jewel"
The Jewel gets broken. Plot. | 2. "The Three Princesses"
We see Towa and Setsuna separated for the first time. We see Towa's life on the other side of the well with the Higurashi's. Moroha is also introduced. As Setsuna and Moroha are fighting demons they go through time. Plot. |
3. "Down the Rabbit Hole and Back Again"
Kaede tells Inuyasha and Kagome to work together. Plot. | 3. "The Dream Butterfly"
They defeat Roothead, we learn about Setsuna not being able to sleep. Plot. |
4. "Yura of the Demon-Hair"
Kagome figures out how to go home, we watch her and Inuyasha in combat together for the first time. Plot. | 4. "The Gateway to the Past
They go back through time, we see Kikyo in the Goshinboku. They defeat the youkai. Plot. |
5. "Aristocratic Assassin, Sesshomaru"
My nigga Sesshomaru appears. Plot. | 5. "Jakotsumaru of the Red Bone Palace"
We learn a little more about Moroha, her occupation, and her powers. Lightsabers and magic lipstick. Plot. |
6. "Tetsusaiga, the Phantom Sword"
We learn about Tessaiga. Plot. | 6. "The Cat Juan at the Old Temple"
They fight a bunch of possessed cat demons and save a village. Filler. |
7. "Showdown! Inuyasha vs. Sesshomaru!"
Inuyasha weilds the Tessaiga and exhibits its power, vows to protect Kagome. Plot. | 7. "Meeting through an Apple"
We see some glimpses of Kirinmaru, Riku is introduced. Plot. |
8. "The Toad Who Would Be Prince"
Inuyasha and Kagome go up against a demon, building on the world and exactly what kind of youkai they're up against. Plot. | 8. "The Dream Gazing Trap"
They fight one of the four perils. The first time we see Moroha being separated from Kagome and Inuyasha. Plot. |
9. "Enter Shippo... Plus, The Amazing Thunder Brothers!"
Shippo is introduced. Plot. | 9. "Meifuku, the Meioju"
We get a glimpse of one of Kirinmaru's underlings. Plot. |
10. "Phantom Showdown: The Thunder Brothers vs. Tetsusaiga"
Inuyasha fights the Thunder Brothers, Tessaiga's sheath protects him. Plot. | 10. "The Gold and Silver Rainbow Pearls"
Two demon brothers steal Towa and Setsuna's pearls and fight, they're defeated by the end and the girls get their pearls back. Not much, if any, consequences. Filler. |
11. "Terror of the Ancient Noh Mask"
Youkai that is present in the modern day, youkai threats aren't just limited to the past. Kagome's family either gets injured or involved. Plot. | 11. "Curse of the Man-Eating Pond"
The girls fight against a demon in a pond. The most we learn is that Setsuna isn't affected by venom, like Sesshomaru. Filler. |
12. "The Soul Piper and the Mischievous Little Soul"
Manga canon, arguably one of the best modern day episodes. Plot. | 12. "Night of the New Moon and the Black-haired Towa"
Towa finally shows a vulnerability. Setsuna doesn't have this because of the Demon Butterfly. Again, we just wonder "why" instead of having anything answered for us. Plot. |
13. "The Mystery of the New Moon and the Black-haired Inuyasha"
We learn one of Inuyasha's vulnerabilities. Plot. | 13. "The Delicious Feudal Monks"
We finally see Miroku and Sango, we learn more about Hisui and see full-demon Setsuna for the first time. Plot. |
14. "Kikyo's Stolen Ashes"
My nigga Kikyo appears. Plot. | 14. "The One Behind the Forest Fire"
We get a glimpse into who started the fire, see Sesshomaru may have been involved. Plot. |
15. "Return of the Tragic Priestess, Kikyo"
We get more insight into Inuyasha and Kikyo's past together. Plot. | 15. "Farewell Under the Lunar Eclipse"
We see the girls be born, and we finally find out what happened to Inuyasha and Kagome. Plot. |
So already we have three episodes that can be skipped. Some of the episodes that do have some of the plot have
very little of it and leave the viewer with more questions than answers. I get that the original Inuyasha series itself has a ton of filler, but the first three seasons of Inuyasha are pretty good for sticking to the manga canon. I feel like Yashahime is already reminiscent of Inuyasha when it was at it's laziest. At least the Inuyasha series had the excuse of waiting for the manga to catch up to the anime. It's fallen into a "monster of the week" format already and we could do without some of the episodes that have already aired. I wouldn't have any issues with the anime being a slow burn if we were learning something new about the characters or the world with every episode, or if important events/retellings stretched over a couple of episodes (think of Sesshomaru and Inuyasha's first encounter and obtaining Tessaiga going over the course of three episodes). But we are on episode 15 and we still know barely anything about Moroha and only the barebone facts about Setsuna and Towa. Yes, we get it. They were separated in a fire. Get on with the story, already!
Of course, I don't have any issue with the anime being centered around Sesshomaru's kids either. I know Moroha is extremely popular and a lot of people are hoping that show begins to focus more on her. But, again, I have some issues with the way the twins were developed. I like Towa a lot, but Towa is way too overpowered already. Her being the strongest girl of the three is cool in my book, but there was no gradual build-up to getting stronger like with Inuyasha and Tessaiga. If Inuyasha emerged in episode seven with Mangetsu Tessaiga and was plowing through every youkai effortlessly for 164 episodes, I don't think any of the fans would have really cared as deeply for him either. And Setsuna bores me, she is too much like Sesshomaru and not in a good way. The reason why Sesshomaru is interesting is because we only got glimpses of him, it was like a treat to see him. He was intimidating and mysterious. But the main character having such a stoic attitude all the time gets boring fast. I hope Setsuna goes through some more interesting character development soon because between her and the other girls she is by far my least favourite. How can you be invested in characters that have been rushed and poorly thought out?
My other issue with this show is that it's hard to let the girls shine on their own when the show keeps snapping back to the issues of the original characters. I can't forget about Sango and Miroku when their kid keeps popping up, I can't push aside Rin when she has been shown more than once, and I can't push away the underlying drama between Sesshomaru and Inuyasha when it is highlighted at the beginning of every episode. Snippets of the original characters keep sneaking their way into the show with no further explanation. I think this is another huge factor in what is frustrating viewers.
I hope I don't go on this huge rant just for us all to get Christopher Nolan'd with a crazy time loop or a complete and utter mindfuck once the season wraps up. But, goddamn. This anime has just been so, so disappointing for me.
Rin being the mother isn't shocking to me nor does it really bother me that much. It's not my favourite ship (I prefer Sesshomaru with Kagura and Rin with Kohaku, personally) but I don't really mind SessRin as a whole. I have to say though, watching the fandom get upset over it and fight amongst one another has been the most amusing part of Yashahime by far.