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Gateway Drug, noun- A habit-forming substance whose use may lead to the abuse of drugs that are more addictive or more dangerous. In theory,a substance such as marijuana, which is easily available, less expensive, and more socially acceptable than harder drugs such as cocaine. Inuyasha is a gateway anime. The series is easily available, it's been shown endlessly on Cartoon Network, merchandise can be found at your local mall, games and videos at any rental chain, and both manga and anime at your local library. To fill in the gaps of missed episodes, one turns to the manga. Catch up on part of the story, and you pick up another series to fill the time, then another, and soon you're a member of this site.

The same can be said of other series, Bleach, for instance, but Inuyasha is different. The plot of the series is, frankly, only so so. Good guys and bad guys vie for control of magic item. Could be the second season of Fullmetal Alchemist, could be Lord of the Rings. More annoyingly, as the series ended when it caught up to the manga-only half done at the time-there's no conclusion. However, this is also what makes it so easy to be slowly reeled in. It doesn't matter very much if you don't see the episodes in order, or miss handfuls at a time. The characters don't really change and are always easily identifiable, short flashbacks fill in any really pertinent information, and while an arc might last a few episodes, things are returned to the status quo before beginning again.

Haphazardly is perhaps the best way to watch. When one sits down and views entire seasons in a row, the result is less satisfying. The shear repetitiveness: search for shards/Naraku, huge fight, eveyone nearly dies, they all get away, rinse, repeat...it gets to be mind-numbing. And that leads to thoughts like "How many times can you survive being stabbed through the chest, even if you are half-demon?" or "Just how much property damage has the mutt caused in this battle?", a level of scrutiny best not applied to most popular works of fiction.

As with all culturally pervasive things, there will be those who cannot stand the series, and those who cannot bear to hear a word against it. Reality usually lies somewhere in the middle. But thanks to Inuyasha, many of us have moved on to explore the wider world of anime, manga and j-pop, and for that, the series deserves some credit. read more

You know, I did try. For a long time I just ignored this series, too long, peculiar premise, no time. I finally ran into the first few volumes at the library and gave in. Why not? I thought. The whole series is out in English, the library actually has them, I enjoy Inuyasha and this is Rumiko Takahashi's other famous work. It can't be that bad, now can it?
Well, that depends on your taste. Ranma 1/2 is a comedy. A rather plotless, inane comedy filled with slapstick and truly horrible puns. (Shampoo, granddaughter of Cologne? Yeesh.) And it is indeed reminiscent of Inuyasha, though, that really should be the other way around-Ranma came first. The art is markedly similar, Takahashi-san does have a unique, enjoyable style, and it hasn't changed greatly over the years. Neither has her sense of humor; the comedic interludes of Inuyasha immediately sprang to mind as I read. But there was nothing else to pull you in. No clearly defined antagonist (Random romantic rivals coming out of the woodwork, but no villain or even anything close.), no particularly sympathetic protagonist (Ranma? Bit of a jerk, really. And the whole lot act like idiots on a regular basis.), and not much of a plot. Boy and girl forced into arranged marriage. Boy also changes sex involuntarily. Stuff happens.
Five volumes was more than enough for me. Your mileage may vary. read more

Imagine if the Star Wars trilogy was redone as a single movie, and the only parts they included were the fight on Jabba's floating barge, and the conversation between Yoda and Obi-wan about the Skywalker family tree. Newcomers would have no idea what was going on, and those familiar with the story would be furious at how it was butchered. If you also randomly turn Luke into a girl, you would have the relationship between this OVA and the source manga.

Rg Veda is set in a complex, beautifully drawn, fascinating world. Some of that is translated to the screen. The main characters are strikingly done, and the main, if not only, enjoyment of watching is seeing them come to life in full color. The nameless soldiers and mooks? Seem to have been done on more of a budget, prompting flashbacks to 80's morning cartoons.

I watched this having read only the first five volumes of the manga, as my public library never bothered to obtain the other half of this series. So I can't say how closely the second part of this anime comes to the original, that part must take place in a later volume. As to the first half, it isn't so bad as a 5-minute version of the story, but we're definitely in Cliff'snotes' territory. Also, Ashura's sex change lends a disturbing, Lolita-esque quality to some of her scenes with Lord Yama.

Honestly, there are better things to do with an hour and a half. read more