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Inuyasha Kanketsuhen Episode 03 – The Arms Race Continues

November 2nd, 2009

A little slow on this one due to midterms and internship applications, but now I finally get to this episode and have Crusader onboard to boot! After the fast paced events of the previous two episodes we now have a somewhat slower paced episode as the characters have a short break. In one case this is spent relaxing (to a degree) while Sesshomaru and his group contemplate Kagura’s recent death and prepare for the next move. As this happens, Totosai appears before Sesshomaru and tells him the time is right to begin the weaponization of Tenseiga.

Always having a flair for the dramatic, Sesshomaru sits on a seaside cliff, his thoughts preoccupied with the recent death of Kagura. Though he maintains his cool, he clearly was affected deeply by her passing. Tenseiga appears to have noticed this turmoil in his heart as well for Totosai appears before Sesshomaru at the calling of his sword. He tells him that the sword has responded to the grief in Sesshomaru’s heart and that it has called out to be reforged into a weapon. Meanwhile the main group is resting in a village and filling in Kaede on her sister’s plans while Kagome attends to her studies back in the present era. Splitting her time between the feudal and modern eras continues to vex her come test time, and the stress even gets to her to the point of dreaming that she’s solving math equations at the speed of Light.

At this point both groups divide up the remainder of the show with their stories. In contrast to the dramatic and fast paced events in the first two episodes the Inuyasha group seems to take a break on something not very plot related while Sesshomaru works on reforging and learning to use his weaponized Tenseiga. First up the Inuyasha group is walking through a forest and being shadowed by an unknown figure when they come upon a suspicious looking inn. Several women beckon for them to stay the night, a ploy which works perfectly on our Good and Pure Monk. After Miroku basks in attention as usual, the women change form into fox youkai and receive points for tricking him. Shippo then follows them and finds out that this is a ranking exam for other fox spirits. Through the night the youkai try, successfully and not, to trick the humans and Inuyasha to receive points.

As day breaks the person stalking the group reveals herself as Mujina and asks for Shippo’s help in taking some of Inuyasha’s power to avenge her father. Shippo, for some reason goes right along with this even when Mujina straight out attacks Inuyasha in an attempt to steal Tessaiga, absorbing his Wind Scar attacks into her sword. She then uses Shippo as a hostage when her attacks prove useless, to which Inuyasha responds with a fist to the face, revealing her true identity as Mujina’s father. After attempting to threaten Inuyasha with the Dakki sword Inuyasha simply cuts it in half and punts the annoying youkai away and dispenses a punch of justice to the head of his treacherous comrade. Still, the fact that Mujina’s father even had a blade that could absorb Tessaiga’s Wind Scars makes Inuyasha want to investigate.

At an undisclosed location of interest to UN weapons inspectors, (Totosai claims he is only enriching swords for peaceful purposes) Totosai finishes the weaponization of Tenseiga for Sesshomaru. Guided by the intelligence that resides within the sword Sesshomaru unsheathes the blade for a test. An oni is summoned as a test subject and Sesshomaru makes his first attack with the Tenseiga: the Meido Zangetsuha. Appearing to not even touch the oni at first, the slash forms a rift between the living world and the underworld behind the target, rending the body into pieces and taking some of them into the underworld. Totosai is once again a little jealous at how quickly Sesshomaru can pick up new techniques, but knows that his heart and the sword are now aligned for a righteous purpose. Sesshomaru has a brief flashback to Goryomaru’s words taunting Kagura’s death and reaffirms his determination to avenge her. As he sets out, the wind picks up behind him, Kagura’s spirit following him on his journey to strike down Goryomaru and Naraku with great vengeance and furious anger.

Crusader’s Song of Sango and Other Observations

It has been many years but it is good to see Sango-san beat the crap out of Miroku once again. How I have missed her, but at any rate times have changed Miroku has not and was most faithless. As for the tail check it was understandable and warranted as Miroku cannot run if he has no tail to tuck between his legs. I must say though I am sure those transforming fox demons would have probably at least known loyalty but time changes nothing and Sango-san is willing to marry well below her stature. The Lord of the West was noble as always as he conducted a Soviet Style Weapons Test, no doubt the ogre was a coward who violated the “Not one step back!” order and as a result of “There are no POWs only traitors” order, met a most well deserved fate. Rin might not be Noto’s best role of the year but I have no ill will towards the kid, but i hope at some point she supplants Jaken as Sesshomaru’s #1 fan. Besides as a poor war orphan she has suffered enough though I await the day that the Lord of the West metes out justice on Koga for massacring Rin’s village all those years ago. I kind of feel bad for Kagome as time has not been so kind to her situation as she lacks the latest in educational technology, as surely there is a lightning demon somewhere to charge lithium ion batteries. If she is having problems with math…well there is an app for that. I still find Shippo to be rather annoying, as he’s the kind of achievement whore that would throw his friends under a bus and sell his father’s pelt for a PSN trophy. I was most delighted when it turned out his new playmate was a dirty old geezer. I doubt his masculinity will soon recover after he was attracted to an old man in young woman’s clothing. In the end it was delightful, though I by this point I don’t really mind filler if the episode gives me a so much as a hint of my adorable Sango or even a bit of the Lord of the West being badass.

One last not though, the weaponization of Tenseiga was within the confines of the Treaty, after having lost Tokijin the development of a new weapon was mandated to retain the balance of power. Though please not that the Lord of the West has the option to convert his weapon to have multiple warhead capabilities should he feel the need to match Inuyasha’s ever increasing arsenal and Naraku’s military build up of questionable quality and loyalty.

Executive Otaku’s Screencap Commentary, References and Bad Puns