Review of Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon

While many criticisms have already been expressed here for Yashahime, I believe that many have missed the mark entirely on what constitutes a good story and how they feel about it, and their own desire to what they wanted to see. As some viewers have already expressed, this is a story from renowned Rumiko Takahashi, having won the Shogakukan award twice—and recently, The Purple Ribbon Medal of Honor from the Japanese government. To say that her works are underrated or a complete failure simply because one does not agree with the way the story is being portrayed is a disgrace upon some within the Inuyashacommunity, and may not be inherently respectable to call themselves true "Inuyasha fans".

Now, on the flip-side, I'm not going to sugar coat anything here by any stretch. Yashahime is not without its flaws. As any one series is subject to criticisms—even being regarded as some of the best classics in anime history (i.e. "Cowboy Bebop" anyone? Yes, I have heard people criticize it all the same)—Yashahime deserves no special treatment, either.

From the very beginning, we get a sense of nostalgia. And I'd like to say, rightly so! Long-time fans are reunited with some underlying story endings—or hints—from both "Inuyasha" and "Inuyasha: The Final Act", as well as their favorite characters. It's no surprise that nostalgia was going to play a part in making a new series that is inherently -meant- to bring in that factor.
However, what we soon begin to disregard as viewers is that, just as we have aged from the original series (yes, pre-The Final Act/Kanketsu-hen), so too have the characters aged. Throughout all my reading, it seems that we as the viewer, have often forgotten that fact. Characters who have been described as "young" back in the original "Inuyasha" series are now 10+ years older than where they were. It takes some simple Google searching to understand—as well as a general focus on what the story is telling us—that the character(s) in question are no longer pre-teens. They may -appear- young, as they should—because they are just that: young. But they are in no stretch of the imagination a child. Let's look up the facts and debunk this myth already. Don't give into all the buzz of what's -falsely- circulating on the Web. Give yourself, and this show, a fighting chance before you crucify it.

This leads me to the things that the show could have improved upon. I'll be the first to admit, the show has a very slow-paced pickup. The beginning feels very episodic and very run-of-the-mill "demon-extinguishing" day after day. But I honestly don't judge this at face value. Why? Not only are they building character development and relationships with one another, but we get a feel for how the world of the Sengoku-era is at present-day (back in time, of course). Out of all the episodes, I can safely count on one hand how many "filler episodes" might exist without anyone official giving their consent on the matter. While about 3 or 4 episodes seemed "filler" in my mind before episode 13, there was only one (1) episode I may have considered as such from episode 12 to 24. That's roughly a 1/6 ratio. I don't consider that awful. There are plenty of other anime out there that purposely filler with no regard to canon material—("Naruto" or "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya", anyone?)

All in all, this was a lovely series. If you've only given it half (or less than half) of its span to crucify it, you aren't doing the show, or yourself any justice. It really picks up after or during episode 13, and the final several episodes had me both jaw-dropped and crying—both tears of joy, and sadness.

Don't give in to the naysayers of folks who have given their heavily biased reviews based on feelings of things their perfect fanfiction didn't portray. This is canon. This is Rumiko's work. Be happy with it, and be someone who can voice their own thoughts on it. It's not perfect, but I've come to learn that most anime are not perfect anyway. Watch the whole thing through. Season 2 has already been announced, and I personally can't wait to see what it brings! There is so much -mystery- in this anime, and I think that's where all the good writing has stemmed from. People are confusing a compelling, good mystery, with disinteresting or nonsensical. I assure you, they are very different.