Review of Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon

A continuation of the popular fantasy adventure with very strong references to the original series. Unfortunately, the new series fails to score in any discipline. First impression, don't do it! Story: feels like a cheap rehash of the original story (4/10) The daughters of Sesshomaru and Inuyasha embark on a journey through time between modern and feudal Japan. They have very different reasons, but together they face the adventures that await them. The short introduction makes it clear that the plot will not be a firework of innovations. It feels more like a cheap remake. My personal low point is episode 14 with its discourse on asmartphone, built in for the target group, with no real reference to the series. Unfortunately, the plot largely consists of independent missions that often have little connection to the main objective and are also solved far too easily. The biggest shortcoming of the story, however, is that the end of this story arc is incomplete and requires a second season. This leaves one unsatisfied.

Characters: Cast is simply colourless, stereotypes created without care (4/10)
I will leave the original characters of the series out of consideration here, they are certainly known.
Unfortunately, the new characters simply have little personality or backstory to offer that is worth mentioning.
Higurashi, Towa:
She seems superficially likeable, but is incomprehensible and inconsistent in her behaviour. Dressed as a boy and acting like a girl, I wondered if it was meant to be an attempt at cross-dressing or gender issues in general? Her moralising is also inappropriate, she of all people makes the most mistakes.
Moroha:
She has a personality that is easily identified as a cross between Kagome and Inuyasha. She is adorable in her own right, but Kagome's face with Inuyasha's demeanour is not so easy to bear. Moreover, her backstory is very poorly written and doesn't make much sense.
Setsuna:
She has the looks and the backstory, unfortunately here the potential is lost due to the amnesia issue and demotes her to the most boring of the trio and the cold, condescending demeanour inherited from her father does the rest. Very sad.
Jyūbei:
He actually has a suitable personality and is even interesting, but cannot add much to the plot as he only plays a supporting role. Again, there is a lack of backstory, but that is less serious with his character than with the MCs.
Kirinmaru:
It is telling that the antagonist has the most striking and also fascinating personality. He seems to have integrity in his own way, even if one does not share his motives and goals. Well, where there is a lot of shadow, there must also be some light, it's just a pity that it's the only ray of hope.

Visuals: better average, with too much focus on the fight sequences (6/10)
The character sketches are generally too soft, too trimmed for beauty. The design, while felt to be true to the original, still fails to convince as simply the level of detail is too low for a 2020 series. Of course, one could counter that the creators did not want to go beyond the scope of the original series with too many details. That would be quite an argument if it weren't for the flaw that they have made the use of magical attacks, ubiquitous. On the other hand, Inuyasha had to train quite a bit before he could do it properly. So it means, subverting the framework of the old series is fine, but more detail isn't. Really? A fitting example of this is the dust cloud that arises when the three MCs are thrown onto the beach by Kirinmaru. It was probably not in the budget that the three girls have some sand on their clothes after the incident. On the other hand, the backgrounds are partly beautiful and have an acceptable level of detail. But if you contrast this with the fight scene in the cave, when Towa lost her demonic powers, which is again below average artistically, you simply have to realize that the graphics are not of consistent quality.
Speaking of the fighting sequences, we can also talk about the quality of the animation at this point. On the surface, one would say there is not much to criticise. However, if we take into account the choreography, we need to recognise that the fighting performances are repetitive. Often you can be dazzled by a flood of impressions, but a really good animation convinces with subtleties. As an example, when Setsuna plays the violin, not only should the bow hand move, but the fingers of the other hand as well. Art and animation are superficially acceptable, anyone who is easily dazzled will fall for it. All in all, the visuals are average and if you pay attention to the subtleties, it's even worse. The nadir is reached in episode 19. Here all the weaknesses come at once. It's filler with no point, the comedy is painful, much like the scenario in episode 4 with the grandpa and the gift for Moroha, there is also chibi, as well as the animation and art are again sub-par. You just don't miss anything by skipping this episode. Last but not least, the faded in "who's who". The names of the characters. It's not really a fault, but at a certain point it just bothered me.

Sound: Unfortunately, only a few bright spots and disappointing overall (4/10)
The BGM was composed by Wada Kaoru, it has its moments but is not overwhelming. This is surprising at first, as Wada-san was already responsible for the soundtrack of the original series. However, the reason why the music is not really convincing becomes clear when you consider that the new series is deliberately oriented towards the original. So it is not surprising that the music is perceived as a second rehash. This also fits into the overall picture, because the moments when the music is perceived as apt or beautiful are precisely the arrangements that have nothing to do with the old series. So it's not that the music couldn't have been done better, but there was probably a brief to stay as close as possible to the original for maximum success. Unfortunately, the opposite is the case.
The first OP (1 -13) is called "New era" and is performed by SixTONES, a typical J-Pop opening song by an idol boy band that has been heard a thousand times and most of the others are better. The animation for the OP is boring, so I listened to it once and then skipped it.
The second OP starting with episode 14 is "Burn" and is performed by the band NEWS. This J-Pop formation has been around for a while and the plus of experience is especially noticeable in the cool music, but also in the fact that the voices are clearer and stronger, so that the overall sound comes across better. Unfortunately, the animation is again designed with too rigid a reference to the predecessor, which shows that the new series cannot stand on its own.
The first ED "Break" is sung by Uru. The Japanese singer-songwriter gets a lot of attention and is also a bit of a mystery, as she does not divulge her personal information. She has a really beautiful voice whose true potential is revealed in the higher notes. The first bars of "Break" are rather inconspicuous and Mai Uru uses this beginning to start with a soft and somewhat smoky voice. Only gradually does the track develop into a successful J-pop arrangement, creating a beautiful and unusual track and a ray of hope.
The second ED from episode 14 is called "Kesshou" and is performed by the band Ryokuoushoku Shakai and the voice is Nagaya Haruko. A beautiful song with a great melody, as a mixture of rock and pop. Unfortunately, the composition does not emphasise the singer's voice and with the tempo changes, it seems unbalanced overall and does not bring out both the beautiful voice and the great music to its fullest.
Among the male seiyū, I really enjoyed Hosoya Yoshimasa's performance. He speaks the role of Kirinmaru with a pleasant yet powerful timbre that reflects the character's personality very well.
Unfortunately, none of the female voices really impressed me this time. I only liked Moroha's voice when she goes into her berserk mode. Her Seiyū is Tadokoro Azusa.

A follow-up 20 years after the first series started. For fans of the original, simply put: "don't watch it". The background is that the series not only looks like a half-hearted remake, but the major fault is that some of the characters and plot parts from the old series are literally dismantled.

As always, thanks for reading