▪	RELEASED BY:		VIZ MEDIA
		▪	ASPECT RATIO:		4:3 FULL SCREEN
		▪	AUDIO:		ENGLISH AND JAPANESE DD  2.0
		▪	RUNNING TIME:		450 MIN
		▪	RATING:		T
		▪	RELEASE DATE:		09/04/2007
		▪	REVIEW DATE:		10/01/2007
		▪	REVIEWED BY:		HOLLY ELLINGWOOD

SYNOPSIS:
Modern-day schoolgirl Kagome and half-demon Inuyasha and friends continue their quest through feudal-era Japan to find and vanquish the evil demon Naraku and gather all the shards of the Shikon Jewel. Along the way, they are befriended and bedeviled by an array of characters: Koga of the wolf-demon tribe, mischievous magic-wielding monkey sprites, and an old-lady exorcist of questionable abilities.

REVIEW:
The fourth season of Inuyasha sees a turning of the tables as the group of heroes have a wounded Naraku on the run. Searching fervently to find him and destroy him once and for all, Inuyasha will come across perils and some quite unexpected challenges. There’s quite the mix of moods in the fourth season that runs the gamut of action adventure, drama, ample comedy, and even some romance, plus a visit by Inuyasha to present day Japan!

There is a wide variety of stand out stand alone episodes and two-part story arcs while the search for Naraku spans the entire season. Out of the two-part episodes include a possessed princess, a tragic story about zombies reappearing involving the possible reappearance of the necromancer who resurrected Kikyo, there is also one that highlights Koga of the Wolf Tribe. This demon with a heart still has his heart set on Kagome, much to Inuyasha’s ire. But the appearance of a fiancée and a long forgotten childhood memory may change that course.  Although this arc has a lot of comedy with the jealous rivalry between Inuyasha and Koga, there is an especially poignant moment towards the end when Koga’s real feelings and true goals are revealed. Another two-part arc involves a Sacred Jewel maker and a tale of woe when Kagome is targeted and the end results are tragic. It highlights the suffering half-demons like Inuyasha must suffer and shows how Inuyasha differs from those half-demons who give into self-loathing and despair.

Some of the stand alone episodes hold quite the impact. The one that is head above water over all the others is the episode in season four when Kikyo gets trapped and Kagome is the one who finds her. These two unique rivals have to find a way out of the trap alive and during that time they share some telling moments that prove to be revealing ones on both sides.

This might make it sound as if there’s a lot of heavy drama this season, and it certainly holds its share of profound moments. But there are still plenty of comedic and fun episodes too. There’re monkey spirits that make life arduous for Inuyasha, causing laughs much to the proud half-demon’s expense. The one that viewers will likely love the most is when Kagome must return home after getting a bad cold, and a worried Inuyasha follows her to present day Tokyo – without her knowing. There are all sorts of scenes when Inuyasha can’t help but get involved in daily events when he sees a girl trapped in a fire and stops some bad guys. When Kagome realizes he’s in present day Japan, it’s a funny but sweet moment. More sweetness is ahead as he stays to watch over her and Kagome’s little brother comes to Inuyasha looking for advice regarding Sota’s first love. It’s candy coated sweetness and there’re a few very interesting scenes between Kagome and Inuyasha. Laughs and romance – it’s a wonderful mix.

The effervescent animation shows marvellous constancy in its high quality. Many longer running anime series suffer from changing animation quality, happily this is not the case for Inuyasha. Going into its fourth season, the show is as excellently rendered as it has been from the beginning.

The fourth season also introduces two new theme songs. Towards the very end of season 4, a new opening song “Grip!” sung by Every Little Thing, features some all new characters that have yet to appear in the Inuyasha saga. They look very cool and will definitely be something for fans to look forward to in upcoming seasons. The beautiful ending theme “Every Heart – Minnano Kimochi” sung by RoA is such a favourite that I listen to it fully every time rather than skipping to the next episode. It’s a lovely ballad with stunningly beautiful visuals.

EXTRAS:
Bonus features include character introductions, and clean opening and closing animation. The fourth season comes with another all new glossy art box, this time green themed slip cover and fold out that holds all the discs snugly amongst the lovely box art featuring the main characters and a couple of the villains from this season. This is also offered in a limited edition box set with a replica of Miroku’s beads.

IN SUMMARY:
Inuyasha has a spellbinding blend of fantasy adventure, romance, comedy and moving drama.