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Wow... first of all, I've never had the chance of seeing Inuyasha on
the big
screen before, so I think that just added to the experience. So I'm
trying
not to have too many stars in my eyes throughout this review, but yes,
I did
enjoy the movie in itself that much. It was a beautiful adventure for
Inuyasha-tachi, complete with new friends and enemies, and a lot of
blowing
stuff up. Talk about starting off with a bang, and leaving few moments
of
quiet to breathe in between!!
This movie, in a way, felt like a throwback to a "land of the lost"
type of
story, with the characters being called to a land of legend from times
past.
So it felt a bit like "Inuyasha meets Atlantis." For what it's worth,
however, it didn't feel as if the storyscape of Houraijima was a forced
setting to the Inuyasha world. It's kind of hard to explain that, but
somehow, I suppose because the series is already full of mythological
creatures and strange happenings, it felt more natural for the
characters to
be on Houraijima than I might have expected.
The movie opens up with the six hanyou children staring up at what
looks
like the form of Kikyou. Then when the Guren appear on their backs,
they
realize that the attack on the island has begun again, and send little
Ai
out to the outside word. Then we switch to battle against the
turtle-god
Goura, and Inu-tachi rescuing the near-unconscious Ai after she's found
exhasted and collapsed on the shore. Seeing Inuyasha in his red kimono,
kneeled in the trees and searching after the scent of youkai, I just
felt...
well, so amazed. That's when I realized just how cinematic the movie
was
going to be.
This also brings me to Kaoru Wada's music. Throughout the whole movie,
it
was your usual Inuyasha fare, with a bit of a new flavoring to it that
fits
with the atmosphere of the movie. Man, have I MISSED hearing that
Inuyasha
theme playing amidst the action-packed sequences of battle. The main
title
theme goes back to the traditional "hanyou Inuyasha" style, quick and
high-paced for the fight, with a bit of ancient-sounding flute
accompaniment
to once again add to the all-around Atlantis-like feel of the movie.
This battle brought Moment of Cuteness™ Number One, when Kagome is
holding
Ai, and Inuyasha flies up through the trees beside them. Ai recognizes
Inuyasha and screams "INUYASHA-NII-CHAN!!", which prompted a good
"Huh?"
reaction out of Kagome. Once the battle was over, it was time to lay
down
the groundwork for the story. Here, Ai brings Moment of Cuteness™
Number
Two, where she throws herself into Inuyasha's arms, and while the
flustered
dog hanyou tries to get her to let go, it gets a "WTF is going on?"
reaction
out of the rest of the cast. Of course, they're not about to let Ai's
troubles go unheeded, so that night (while sitting 'round the campfire,
no
less), Inuyasha explained the legend of Houraijima.
"Once upon a time, there was a magical island where everyone was free
and
happy to live in peace and harmony..." was kind of how it played out.
When
Inuyasha and Kikyou had come to the island years before, they found
that the
Shitoushin had already laid seige to the island. That's where they met
the
six hanyou children for the first time, and also how Inuyasha received
his
Guren wound while fighting against Ryuura. For some reason, that battle
played out quick, and I think it was also kinda weird seeing Inuyasha
fight
with his hands again, and not Tessaiga.
A few smores, a bit of an argument to get Inuyasha to show his back,
and one
osuwari later, Inuyasha-tachi see that the Guren wound on Inuyasha's
back
has reappeared. They book the next flight to Houraijima, and there they
meet
the other five hanyou children. Of course, they have to get past the
welcoming committee, which consists of one very hotheaded Ryuura, and
his
two uber swords of ELEMENTAL POWAH!! He and Inuyasha have their opening
spat, which is basically Tessaiga vs. Fujinga and Raijinga (that would
be
"Wind-blade Fang" and "Thunder-blade Fang"). And Inuyasha gets his ass
fried. I think Kappei Yamaguchi probably lost a lung screaming the way
he
did in that scene.
INUYASHA: Fight? Hah! Let's see you fight my... REALLY POWERFUL SWORD!!
RYUURA: Oh yeah?? Well let's see you fight my... TWO REALLY POWERFUL
SWORDS!!
INUYASHA: DAMN YOU!! DAMN YOU ALL!!
The path through Houraijima to the hanyou village was painted to be
filled
with waterfalls, and dense jungle-like trees. And lots and lots of
fireflies. The village itself is gives the impression of a "city in
ancient
ruins." Actually meeting the other hanyou children in the city was a
bit
sobering after all the fighting sequences, for some reason. That's
where
Inuyasha and the others walk in on Asagi singing the ancient song...
which
was really quite lovely. Not your typical "Rock-a-bye baby" lullabye.
Chichi wa iwareta ayakashi no te wa mamori no te,
Haha wa iwareta hito no te aru wa hagukumi no tame,
Ryou no te awase tobira o hiraki guren no naka ni nare o kaesu,
Na ga kora o hikari to narite mamori tamae.
Father has said that the hand of youkai is the hand which protects,
Mother has said that the hand of human is to nurture,
Both hands join together and open the door to retun thee to the
crimson,
And ask thee to be the light that protects the children.
The children all have distinct personalities, some of which I could
take or
leave, but even saying that, somehow, they were written so that I
actually
did care about what happened to them. Asagi was probably the one who
actually had the most presence throughout the story. Ai was always just
really huggable and cute. The twin boys Roku and Dai were brats that I
could
take or leave at times, but they were still fun. Moegi and Shion were
the
two weakest of the children. Shion's timidness got on my nerves after a
while, but even he had a way of making me care about what happened to
him.
After introductions and a brief "soo... now what's up with you guys?"
explaination, Asagi realizes that she's being "called" by the magical
powers
of Houraisan (Mount Hourai)... and of couse Inuyasha and the others
accompany her, to where they encounter THE RUMBLING KETTLE!! Er,
rather, the
meidou no kama.
Meanwhile... Sesshoumaru has also sensed strange things happening.
I was a bit confused at how Sesshoumaru had really gotten himself
involved
with Houraijima. Apparently in the past, he's approached by two youkai
who
had been Inu-papa's followers (named Kujaku and Seiten), and asked to
help
protect Houraijima and fight against the Shitoushin. At first he turned
them
away in his typical "As if I should help insignificant peons like you!"
manner. Then when Kujaku and Seiten get into battle with Kyoura,
Sesshoumaru
kinda saunters in (fashionably late, no less), starts fighting, and
gets
himself a Guren of his very own!! In a way, his appearances and fights
seemed a bit forced (to appease Sesshoumaru fans, in other words), but
despite all that, HE LOOKED AWESOME. Unfortunately because his
appearance is
already sort of weak, Jaken and Rin's appearances are your usual "we're
just
here just because Sesshoumaru is" fare.
Meanwhile... Kikyou has also sensed Houraijima's reappearance.
Kikyou's involvement with Houraijima makes sense, because of the past
she
and Inuyasha had on the island, but to be honest, her actual scenes
seemed a
bit weak. Anyhow. Years before, when she and Inuyasha had visited
Houraijima, the Shitoushin managed to get some of her blood. And now,
they
use it to create... BATTLE ARMOR KIKYOU!! WOOHOO!! Battle Armor Kikyou
seemed to have more presence in the movie than the real Kikyou did,
actually... Not only that, she appears nude (covered up by
strategically
placed hair and camera angles). Either way, because of what's going on
with
the island and the surrounding area, Kikyou goes to investigate.
Back in the cavern with the meidou no kama... I was getting a bit
confused.
Asagi and Inuyasha get caught up into the kama and get pulled into some
sort
of Fiery Pit of DooOoOoOooom™!! Lucky for them, they somehow survive
being
pummeled through what looked like an abyss that Anyone Other Than the
Main
Characters of the Movie would have been killed in. ;) That's where we
get an
explaination of the Shitoushin and how they attacked Houraijima years
ago,
the powers that protect the island, and all the wonderful bedtime
stories
that, honestly, I wish I could remember and explain in greater detail.
Here
we learn about the Shitoushin using the powers of hanyou children in
order
to regenerate their own strength. This is also where Inuyasha and Asagi
find
the spirit of Kanade, and she gives them the sealed box where she'd
sealed
away the Shitoushin's power.
KANADE: It's not chocolate, mind you. So no opening that until
Christmas,
you hear?
INUYASHA: WOOHOO! Christmas is in two days!
KANADE: ....
Outside, Kagome and company are trying to open up the now-closed door
of the
meidou no kama, using the riddles written on inscriptions along the
walls,
and the words of the ancient song to help them out. (I think this is
where
the parody of the Ayashi to Matsuri no Houraijima CD came into play...)
That
brought a few funny sequences. It also brought more action when Forces
of
Evil!!™ try to thwart their progress. Things like, evil poison
cockroaches
and stuff!! I missed the explaination of where the roaches actually
came
from, so I'm not sure if they were just Attack Roaches meant to guard
the
meidou no kama from intruders, or actually sent in by the Shitoushin or
something.
But in the end... how do Inuyasha and Asagi manage to fight their way
out of
the kama? First Kagome and the others and the hanyou kids manage to
open the
sealed door, but then... oh, I can't resist talking about this. Heehee.
Inuyasha whips out Tessaiga and gives the door one hugeass blast...
WITH
KONGOUSOUHA!! I just about hit the floor when I saw they put
Kongousouha in
the movie. Me, being the "OMG, I get to hear Kappei scream KONGOU....!
SOU
HAAAAAA!!!!! in Dolby Theater Surround Sound!!" person I am, yes, I was
one
very happy Inuyasha fan at that point. :P
After that, we meet BATTLE ARMOR KIKYOU!! She comes swinging in, all
Tarzanlike and snatches the Shitoushin's box away from Inuyasha, which
prompted him to chase her, which prompted a "He's a two-timer, isn't
he?"
from Roku and Dai. That kinda made me blink, since I couldn't think of
how
the boys would know about Inuyasha, Kagome, and Kikyou. Then I
remembered
that they probably remembered that he'd been with Kikyou from before,
and
seeing that he was with Kagome now... uh... yeah, well, that's the best
I
could figure. Just a nitpick, in any event. Both times I saw the movie,
the
audience really seemed to love this part, where Kagome goes into
Pissed-Off
Kagome Mode, gives the twins the Evil Eye and storms off, scaring
everyone.
Following that, Battle Armor Kikyou brings the box back to the
Shitoushin,
opens it, and returns the powers back to the four gods, which naturally
spells even more trouble for everyone.
So then this begins to build to the climactic battles. To make the
Guren
wounds dissappear, they have to defeat the Shitoushin. Each defeat
means one
of the four marks goes away.
So! In ring number one, it's Sesshoumaru vs. Kyoura!! In ring number
two,
it's Juura/Goura vs. Miroku/Sango!! And with an exciting double-round
battle, it's Inuyasha vs. Battle Armor Kikyou, followed by Inuyasha vs.
Ryuura!! WOOHOO!! Go, team, go!! Of course, things don't end so simply,
after all! Even though the individual gods are defeated, one mark
remains.
Which means...
Once those battles are done, the four gods combine into one Uberboss,
and we
get Inuyaha and Kagome (with a little cheering on by everyone else,
naturally) versus the ALMIGHTY THREE-HEADED COMBINATION
RYUU-KYOU-GOU-JUU-RAAAHHH THING!! And this is where the big moment of
Inuyasha-Kagomeness happens. Protected and guided by the fireflies,
which
are the spirits of those who had passed away on the island long before,
they
combine their powers to create an uberattack that looked downright
beautiful, but I have NO idea what the hell it really was. I swear it
sounded like Inuyasha started to scream "Kongousouha!" but then
finished
with "Bakuryuuha!" And then it turned into this crystalized attack wave
of
massive pwnage. Kongoubakuryuuha, perhaps? I'll have to watch the movie
when
it comes out on DVD to be sure...
(Addendum, June 2005 - Yes, after having seen the movie several more
times,
I'm quite sure that it was indeed a "Kongou-bakuryuuha." :P)
So then comes the part that kind of made me laugh, despite myself.
After the
defeat of the Shitoushin, Inuyasha and the others take the six hanyou
children from the island, and it fades away again, not to appear for
many
more years to come. Shion looks up at the fading island and bids the
spirits
of his family farewell. And then the camera pans back as Inuyasha gives
him
a little encouraging "Let's go!" to the obligatory And It All Ended
Happily!! shot of the happy cast as they end this day's adventure.
And then comes "Rakuen" and the credits. I've totally fallen in love
with
the ending theme song. And unlike "Four Seasons," "Rakuen" actually
seems to
fit in very well with the movie. As is tradition with the Inuyasha
movies,
the end credits roll with some stills of the gang. So far, I think the
images of Guren no Houraijima have been my favorite. Jaken riding (and
crashing) Kagomes' bike was cute, as was the following Inu/Kagome
bickerment. The ending "angst" shots of the entire cast were also
lovely.
When the cast gets angsty, they sure look gorgeous doing it.
Sesshoumaru and
Kikyou in particular.
So what is my final impression of the movie? Yes, I really loved seeing
it.
Again, it's one of those things where I actually don't think I like it
more
or less than the others. Tenka Hadou no Ken's Takemaru is probably
still my
favorite as far as the enemies go. I did like the hanyou children and
the
way Inu-ikkou interacted with them, Inuyasha in particular. The
Shitoushin
had distinct personalities but still fell into the realm of "past
enemies a
bit reincarnated." Ryuura was Bankotsu, Kyoura was Abihime (er...
despite
the fact Kyoura is a guy), Jyuura was Renkotsu. In that sense, they
were a
bit weak, but I definitely enjoyed seeing the four of them get the snot
pounded out of them. Where Guren no Houraijima really shines is,
naturally,
its visual beauty, and it's become my favorite in regards to the sheer
amount of action and adventure, which I thoroghly enjoyed. The fact
that the
movie was absolutely beautiful in terms of animation, and its wonderful
mythical setting on the island added to that.
I walked away feeling very satisfied and, most of all, feeling
downright
happy that I'd "joined the cast" on their adventures again. I don't
think I
realized how much I missed the anime until I saw Guren no Houraijima...
so
in that sense, it was just wonderful hearing their voices, listening to
the
music, and just seeing familiar characters brought back to life all
over
again.
That's probably one of the biggest reasons I just couldn't stop smiling
after the movie was over. I'm glad that the Inuyasha series is still brought to life like this, and I can only hope that the success of this movie means more in the future!!
Sebby
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