 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | VIZ MEDIA | | | ▪ | ASPECT RATIO: | | 4:3 FULL SCREEN | | | ▪ | AUDIO: | | ENGLISH AND JAPANESE DD 2.0 | | | ▪ | RUNNING TIME: | | 600 MIN | | | ▪ | RATING: | | T | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 07/29/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 09/01/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | HOLLY ELLINGWOOD |
SYNOPSIS:
Half-demon Inuyasha, modern-day schoolgirl Kagome and their companions face their deepest fears and worst nightmares as their quest to find the Sacred Jewel shards continues. The deadly Band of Seven, a group of mercenaries executed for their crimes, have returned from the dead to wreak havoc, and Inuyasha is determined to stop them. But the battle leads them all to the sacred and mysterious Mount Hakurei, where a barrier not only renders demons, including Inuyasha, powerless, but also hides a terrible secret about their worst enemy: Naraku! Contains the complete fifth season, episodes 100 to 126 (27 episodes) on five discs.
REVIEW:
The season kicks off with the 100th episode. Inuyasha and his friends are lost in the Forest of Sorrows and are about to discover the nightmare the place truly holds. Attacked by a ruthless demon, Kagome and the rest of Inuyasha’s friends are trapped in cocoons reliving their worst fears. Now Inuyasha must fight to save his friends before their souls are devoured! This made for an excellent benchmark 100th episode. The nightmares the heroes suffer within the cocoons were a clever way to show their pasts and their bonds of friendship with each other and Inuyasha. Although each is a strong individual, they have come to rely upon one another like a true family. However this is but a small taste of the adventure, challenges, and dangers our group of heroes will face in this fifth season. The season stands out in many ways, not the least of which is for having one of the most cohesive arcs throughout any season of Inuyasha. The season begins with the group searching for Naraku. Although Inuyasha and Sesshomaru seemed to have defeated him at his castle, Naraku escaped before being completely obliterated. And they’re not the only ones looking to find Naraku to defeat him once and for all. Koga of the Wolf-Demon tribe is looking for some payback as is Kikyo, the beautiful priestess, and Sesshomaru hunts Naraku down to satisfy his own sense of pride. It all hits a very large snag when the search has them all run into the Band of Seven, a group of ruthless mercenaries who were so brutal their own people killed them. Resurrected by Naraku, each having a Sacred Jewel Shard, each of these warriors possesses deadly powers and all operate under one order: destroy Naraku’s enemies! The Band of Seven arc creates one of the most action laden stories of the entire series and builds to one of the most emotional sequences by the end of the season. At each stage, Inuyasha and his friends are challenged by the various members of the Band. There’s Renkotsu, the bomb expert, Mukotsu, the master of poison, Kyokotsu the giant, Jakotsu who has a sadistic and twisted crush on Inuyasha, Suikotsu a man torn by two hearts, and their leader, the powerful Bankotsu who has a weapon, the halberd Banryu that could rival the Wind Scar attack of Inuyasha’s Tetsusaiga! Things heat up when the various individuals arrive at Mount Hakurei. The mountain has a strange barrier and its mystery is tied not only to the Band but also to Naraku. At each stage there are various battles, traps and close calls. Within those exist many stand out moments as the heroes try to defeat the Band of Seven and uncover the secret of Mount Hakurei. The confrontation between Kikyo and the altered Suikotsu holds many implications and perhaps an ominous foreshadowing for the priestess. There is a revealing moment between Sango and Miroku when they are trapped within the depths of the mountain and face certain death. There is a moment both emotionally rewarding and visually stunning when Inuyasha and Kagome fight as one to attack the reborn Naraku. But the most striking scene within the season most likely has to go to Kikyo facing off against the reborn Naraku. Their confrontation will lead to a moment that could change the lives of at least two of the shows beloved heroes. A possible character death, Naraku’s rebirth, and a change of hands for the Shikon Jewel give rise to a whole new direction for the show. The anime moves from merely having to defeat Naraku to needing to reclaim the Jewel. With one of their own possibly fallen forever and Naraku now in a new invincible form, the heroes are going to face even greater challenges than ever before to try to bring him down. The animation is stellar. For such a long running series, it boasts one of the most consistent in animation quality. It never falters, remaining vivid throughout the entire series with rich colors and fantastic action dynamics which is what fans want in any fantasy adventure series. The theme songs start with the same from the previous season. The opening theme song remains “Grip” by Every Little Thing throughout the entire season. The closing theme song changes however partway through to the new “Itazura na Kiss” (Mischievous Kiss) performed by Day After Tomorrow.
EXTRAS:
Bonus features includes special Inuyasha footage from the original Japanese broadcast that serves as a recap for fans leading up to the fifth season. The fifth season comes with another all new glossy art box, this time amethyst themed slip cover and fold out that holds all the discs snugly amongst the lovely box art featuring the Band of Seven. This is also offered in a limited edition box set with a replica of Sesshomaru’s scroll.
IN SUMMARY:
The Band of Seven arc affects the majority of the season and ushers in major changes for the main characters and the anime. Naraku is reborn and the Jewel Shard reformed in the exciting fifth season of the feudal fairy tale Inuyasha! |
