Missing Nostalgia: Inuyasha Episode 10--Lightning Battle

That feeling when your brother is dying in your arms but he still won’t stop talking about his hair loss.

I don’t have a lot to say about this episode, so I’ll keep this post short and sweet. This pretty much followed my prediction from last week that it would be a fighting-centric episode, focusing most of its screentime on the powered-up fight between Inuyasha and Hiten after the Manten is taken out. It’s also a return to the kind of brutal battles that the series had sold me on prior to Episode 8, but with the slight change that both sides are pushed to a point where they’re fighting for their lives.

While I was also right in my prediction that the Thunder Brothers wouldn’t get much more characterization than what was already presented, I did feel a bit bad for Hiten when he had to watch his brother die and listen to all of insecurities and regrets before passing. The guy may be an irredeemable side villain, but no one deserves that.

Although it wasn’t much, that narrative choice added more weight to a battle that was only “good guys vs. bad guys” before. I love it when shows throw in some gray morality, no matter how small.

That said, it is confirmed this week that Shippo's dad was skinned alive,
so I'm not exactly shedding tears over Manten's death

On the opposite side, Inuyasha seemed a bit more desperate to protect Kagome in this episode, even though he didn’t bat an eye over her kidnapping. I’d call that an inconsistent response if it weren’t for the fact that Kagome has already proven multiple times that she can handle herself better in a hostage situation than on the battlefield.

But I am liking the hints that may change sometime soon.

But all that said, while I’ve been saying that I’m more on board with this relationship every week, it really sold me on it this week when Inuyasha thought that Kagome was dead. It may just be the angst shipper in me talking, but the “Don’t leave me!” line in contrast to how he couldn’t have cared less just a handful of episodes ago was a great moment. Especially when paired with how they reacted afterwards.

NICE BLUSH YOU HAVE THERE

Anyway, overall I loved the fight sequence in this episode, and even though Shippo was knocked out for most of it, I’m also excited to see more from him as a recurring character. He can be the precocious child to Kagome and Inuyasha’s bickering married couple routine. I wonder what the next character will add to the group dynamic?

The line was "start the hunt," but I did get a good laugh out of this

Images are from Neon Alley via Hulu.com. Please support official simulcasts.

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