Missing Nostalgia: Inuyasha Episode 2--Very Punny

I REALLY DON’T THINK NOW IS THE TIME FOR PUNS

This post is brought to you by Justin from OASG and Patreon!

Previously: Episode 1

This episode picks up right where the first one left off, with Inuyasha out for Kagome’s blood in order to obtain the Sacred Jewel. While running away from him, they manage to get some beads around his neck, and the old woman from the village tells Kagome to think of a word to “bind his spirit.”

Well, now I understand why people like to yell that at Inuyasha cosplayers

I guess this is the payoff from the ear-rubbing last episode, since Kagome’s first thought is how he looks like a dog. I’m still not seeing it, but the beads pulling him to the ground make for an interesting sight gag, at least for now. I am curious why the village didn’t use this fifty years ago, though. Was it more convenient to leave him pinned to the tree in a coma? If he’s this easy to control, then I don’t get it…

Speaking of fifty years ago, the old woman—whose name is Kaede—brings Inuyasha up to speed. He remembers her as the girl from before and assumes that Kikyo is still around as well, only to hear that she’s dead. I mentioned last time that it seems like their relationship was pretty complicated, and the face he makes here only furthers that belief.

On the one hand, Inuyasha was mad enough at Kikyo last episode that he wanted to kill her on the spot. On the other hand, he seems genuinely sad about her death, and not in a “I couldn’t get my revenge” kind of way. I guess fifty years is a long time to be out of the loop, even if you’re a half-demon.

But Inuyasha is not the only one who unhappy to be in the village. Kagome is warned that other demons and monsters may come after the Sacred Jewel, so she’s better off staying put where she’ll be protected. However, she’s feeling more and more homesick, so she decides to go back to the dry well in the forest to see if she can find any clues on how to get back home. This seems like a good idea—

—Until she takes no one with her and is immediately kidnapped by bandits. Amazing.

At first I thought that this part would play into the damsel in distress trope, but not only is Kagome unafraid of her captors, she also figures out that something is wrong with their leader and ends up turning around to scold them. I like her attitude, so I have to admit that Kagome is growing on me!

That pretty much sums it up

Inuyasha swoops in at the last moment to save the day—and did he just break a sword with his sleeve?! Why did he need the Sacred Jewel when his clothes are sword proof?!

Anyway, it turns out that the bandit’s leader was actually a corpse possessed by a monster bird after the Jewel. It’s only been two episodes, but this show has been pretty creative with monsters that make my skin crawl. The bird ends up taking the stone while Inuyasha states once again that it’s the only thing he cares about, and they end up chasing after it.

Inuyasha gets the idea to have Kagome shoot the bird down based on the fact that Kikyo could do it. Despite the still shaky evidence that she’s Kikyo’s reincarnation, Kagome gives it a try.

...I guess reincarnation can only do so much

The bird heads towards the village and carries off a kid, whom Inuyasha implies that the bird will kill and possess next. However, he only cares about the jewel, so he shows no concern towards the kid falling into the river when he rips the bird to pieces. In contrast, Kagome immediately jumps in to rescue him.

So, unless the Internet has lied to me (which is still a possibility), I’ll admit that I’m interested in seeing how Kagome and Inuyasha’s relationship develops into a romance. So far I’ve been enjoying the dynamic of Inuyasha trying and failing to use Kagome for his own ends while Kagome doesn’t really care what he does so long as he doesn’t endanger other people. I imagine that difference will be the main source of conflict between them, and I’m excited to see how it changes in the future!

But right now, they still have an undead bird to destroy. Kagome comes up with the idea to tie a piece of the monster bird to her arrow (ew) so that it’s guaranteed to hit the bird. Her plan works, and the bird explodes to pieces (double ew).

However, this has an unintended side-effect. Kagome’s arrow ends up hitting the Sacred Jewel, shattering it into pieces that are thrown in all different directions. This sets up what I assume will be the focus of the first story arc—to collect the pieces and put the Sacred Jewel back together.

Inuyasha's "WHAT DID YOU SAY" made me laugh pretty hard though.

The show still feels like it’s in the plot setup stages, but I’m interested in seeing whether or not this arc will break away from the monster-of-the-week format in favor of establishing some overarching story. That said, there are a lot of plot questions already out there, like how Kagome ended up in the past in the first place and the details of Inuyasha and Kikyo’s relationship. I’m getting more and more interested, but Inuyasha still hasn’t won me over just yet. I guess I’ll have to wait and see what happens next!

Until next time, here's today's out of context screencap!

Images from Neon Alley via Hulu.

~

Want to support posts like this one? Check out Subdued Fangirling's Patreon! Backers get to vote on which series I cover and figure review previews!