Hanyou no Yashahime: Sengoku Otogizoushi

Half-demon twins Towa and Setsuna were always together, living happily in Feudal Japan. But their joyous days come to an end when a forest fire separates them and Towa is thrown through a portal to modern-day Japan. There, she is found by Souta Higurashi, who raises her as his daughter after Towa finds herself unable to return to her time.

Ten years later, 14-year-old Towa is a relatively well-adjusted student, despite the fact that she often gets into fights. However, unexpected trouble arrives on her doorstep in the form of three visitors from Feudal Japan; Moroha, a bounty hunter; Setsuna, a demon slayer and Towa's long-lost twin sister; and Mistress Three-Eyes, a demon seeking a mystical object. Working together, the girls defeat their foe, but in the process, Towa discovers to her horror that Setsuna has no memory of her at all. Hanyou no Yashahime: Sengoku Otogizoushi follows the three girls as they endeavor to remedy Setsuna's memory loss, as well as discover the truth about their linked destinies.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Moroha Main

Tadokoro, Azusa Japanese

Higurashi, Towa Main

Matsumoto, Sara Japanese

Setsuna Main

Komatsu, Mikako Japanese

Inuyasha Supporting

Yamaguchi, Kappei Japanese

Sesshoumaru Supporting

Narita, Ken Japanese

Higurashi, Kagome Supporting

Yukino, Satsuki Japanese

Sango Supporting

Kuwashima, Houko Japanese

Kikyou Supporting

Hidaka, Noriko Japanese

Miroku Supporting

Yasumura, Makoto Japanese

Kouga Supporting

Satou, Teruo Director

Nagura, Yasushi Sound Director

Matsui, Kento Episode Director

Yamamoto, Megumi Episode Director, Storyboard

Reviews

Mar 20, 2021

Hayuume

Recommended

Let me state some things first:

Inuyasha is my favorite anime/manga of all times and I waited for a sequel or at least something new about it for more than 10 years. And honestly? It delivered.

Do I really think this show deserves a 10?
No. I would say it is an overall solid 8. But damn I enjoyed this show ways more than I ever thought I would. So I'll keep my 10.

Now, about Hanyou no Yashahime.

It starts giving us a little bit of what happened after Inuyasha with the old cast and then we have our new generation cast to take the show. And I can ... say that the entire new cast is pretty enjoyable and we frequently have some nostalgia moments with our old friends showing up once in a while (sometimes personally, sometimes in flashbacks).

At the start, the pace is kinda fast on how things are dealed easily but that only adds to our 3 heroines, as they develop upon that. I would say that Moroha is one of the most enjoyable characters of the first half of the anime. From the second half onwards, we get more details of what happened and why a lot of things changed. With that, Sesshoumaru gets more screen time as well.

As Moroha is pretty enjoyable, is important to notice that ever since this anime got announced, it was stated that this would be "Sesshoumaru's daughters' story". Every single episode starts talking about "Towa and Setsuna", so it got me surprised on how people would constantly complain that in some moments, the two of them would get more screen time than Moroha. She is part of the main cast, but this is not her show.

About Towa and Setsuna. The other two of our new main heroines.

Sesshoumaru's twin daughters and the center of this anime's plot. I love Setsuna's design as she is basically a female version of Sesshoumaru. Her more cool character that actually hides a huge dere inside remember very well her father too. The way she learns to trust Towa and even Moroha only adds to her development and she was my favorite character of this entire show.

Said that, is Towa who gets more attention for the most of the time. Even though all three are half demon Yashahime (Moroha is actually a fourth of a demon), she is clearly THE main character here. We don't see her change too much like Setsuna, but still she is a lovely character who cares a lot about her friends and specially her sister. Some people complain about she being too naïve or making some stupid decisions, but lets be fair, the old Inuyasha characters had a lot of this derp moments as well. This isn't something new to the series.

About the villains.

Though the side villains are quite annoying (and honestly, this is another thing that is not new to the series), the main "bad guys" are pretty much likeable.
I don't have the same "shit I want this guy dead so hard" feeling I used to have when Naraku was the main villain. Instead, I feel the new characters the same way I felt his creations were in the original manga. They were enemies that needed to be fought, but they still have something likeable about them (damn I cried when Kagura died back then).
They are interesting characters and every one of them have and objective in mind and I enjoyed a lot seeing our heroines fighting them during this show. Sesshoumaru showing some times added more intensity and nostalgia to the whole setting.

Finally, the plot.

This is where things get a bit confusing for some people when it comes to the anime's pace.
We usually have some episodes to add development to the main cast and them some episodes to give us a bit more of background of what's going on. These changes made some people feel it was rushed sometimes and super slow other times.
In my opinion? Even though it felt a bit fast at the start, it was pretty well balanced overall.

For last, I would like to point out that if there is something I didn't liked about this anime, it was episode 19. Would recommend everyone who plans to watch this show to just skip that. I am still trying to understand exactly what were they planning with that, can't even call it a filler. Though, there certainly are people who loved that, so I'll respect everyone's opinion. Said that, everything that comes after that episode is gold and the anime closes perfectly for the incoming next season.

If you really enjoyed the old one, you will enjoy this one as well.

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Mar 20, 2021

Necrotoxic01

Mixed Feelings

I may be in a rare position to criticize Hanyou no Yashahime because I started, and finished, all of InuYasha in 2020 before Hanyou no Yashahime was released. Because I watched InuYasha so recently, I do not have fond memories from years past to cloud my judgment. I am able to compare and contrast these two shows rather easily. Given that, I can safely say that if you are looking for an adequate sequel to InuYasha you may be disappointed. I say you “may be disappointed“ because if you can look past the problems with the story and only look at the good parts such ... as the art, then you are in for a good, and perhaps even a great, ride down memory lane. I, however, was not looking for this. I wanted a worthy sequel to InuYasha and I was left rather disappointed. 6/10.

*Spoilers beyond this point*

Quite a bit of the story of Hanyou no Yashahime is rather similar to InuYasha. A few examples are, a girl from the modern-day has to live in a new era killing demons while learning that she has powers, there are jewels that increase the owner’s power, the first demon that the girl from the modern-day has to fight is a warped Ōmukade, and the group of friends has to travel and kill demons, all be it for a different reason. Like in InuYasha, the pre-episode flashbacks are unnecessary, intrusive, and flow-breaking. The flashing of previously introduced character’s names is also unnecessary, intrusive, and flow-breaking. These similarities could be called references to the original, and I wouldn’t have too many issues with that statement, but where I do have irrefutable issues with the story are the plot holes. A plot hole for example such as Kaede still being alive. Canonically about 15 years have passed between the end of InuYasha and the start of Hanyou no Yashahime, and Kaede was 63 at the end of InuYasha, so she would be about 78 now. That is rather old for someone living in that era. Similar maths could be used to work out how old Rin was when she gave birth to Towa and Setsuna. The last plot hole I will cover is the plot hole of Towa not losing her demon powers on the new moon. My immediate reaction to seeing this was “Surely this happened in the present day, right?” Well as it turns out, she “Is originally from this world, so the new moon did not affect her in her world.” Wich I shouldn’t have to tell you, make very little since. Getting off the topic of plot holes, let me discuss the few other problems I have with the story, such as, the story lacking a main villain. Naraku was iconic. He was smart, intimidating, cunning, and strong. He also posed a constant threat to the main and supporting cast. In Hanyou no Yashahime who is there? Riku? Kirinmaru? Both options are unexceptional.

Many unfortunate realities in anime came to light due to the pandemic in 2020. One of those being that some anime don’t look as nice as they arguably should have. Hanyou no Yashahime could be one of those anime. A few times in the series is have noticed small to moderate seized flaws in the animation, but, is this due to the pandemic, or is this the way that it is supposed to look? Are the simplistic sword slashing animations an unfortunate outcome, or are they purposeful? Are the sometimes stale-looking backgrounds a time-saving trick, or are they true to the vision? I will leave those up to the individual to decide. However, something that I shall not leave up to the individual is the character design, and more specifically, Kohaku. His design is rather different from the other demon hunters, and even other characters for that matter. He wears a high collared half cape arrangement that looks very inefficient and unnecessary for such an efficient group as the demon hunters. He also has a cliche scar across his dorsal base. This not only makes him one of two characters with a scar in the whole series but also the only one with a permanently on display scar, which then furthers his visual clash with the other characters. On a similar note, if Rin has brown hair, and Sesshomaru has white hair, then why do Towa and Setsuna have a red streak in their hair? My theory is that the character designers were told that the main cast had to have a similar color scheme, so they added a red streak in Towa‘s and Setsuna’s hair to make them match Moroha’s red robe.

While on the subject of the characters, they are fine. But, I am not really connecting with them. None of the new characters feel as fleshed out as the original ones. This comes to light when the new characters interact with the old ones. The old ones are still fleshed out from the original series while the new ones look flat when compared. Similar to this, Setsuna doesn’t care about Towa, but as soon as she has a vague flashback to her childhood she is caring and protective. This would be wonderful character development, but it happens too quickly and comes off as the plot needed Towa to be saved and this was the most efficient way that it would happen. On a similar note, Towa has a very good grasp of her powers for someone who has just found out that they had them.

My opinion on both of the OPs and both of the EDs are rather similar to the characters. Just replace “connecting with the characters” with “liking the Ops and EDs” and that would encompass my opinion rather nicely. That covers the OPs and EDs, but what of the rest of the music and sound? Well, a lot of it is reused from the original. The flashback music, the fighting music, and others are all extremely similar, if not the same. This is where I have to question if this is an homage, or is it just blatant laziness? A similar thing could be said for the other sounds in the anime. What isn’t reused for the original is generic sound effects found everywhere else. Really, reusing the music from InuYasha would be a nice callback, easter egg, or reference to the original, but the reused music is implemented too frequently for me to believe that it is either of the previous three options.

I enjoyed Hanyou no Yashahime when it was being Hanyou no Yashahime, and not when it was being an InuYasha mimic. Villains that manipulate space-time, mutualistic pond monsters, and magic rouge all create a sense that this is the world we once knew, but with new aspects and challenges that make it feel refreshing. Easter eggs like Moroha being given the same Kappa foot that was given to Kagome is one that I remember off the top of my head. But, the similar story, reusing the music, and the lackluster characters really bring the whole anime down. I will continue watching because maybe the show will become more of its own in the future. That is a 7 for art, a 6 for the characters, enjoyment, and sound, and a 5 for the story. Coming out to a 6 overall.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Mar 20, 2021

KANLen09

Not Recommended

I'm not gonna mince my words: if you're a fan of Inuyasha, please STOP at The Final Act and don't pursue Yashahime thereafter, and this is coming from a hardcore fan who has grown up with Inuyasha since its inception. Call me biased, but this was to be expected.

It's been more than a decade since Sunrise gave us quite the finale to one of the most beloved series of legendary mangaka Rumiko Takahashi's works, but the resurgence with Hanyou no Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon, only proves that both the production staff team (the original Inuyasha staff for that matter, minus the original creator herself) behind this ... sequel at Sunrise only knows the term "cash-cow", and milk this show all they want, because all the charm of the original is (almost) completely gone, and I wouldn't blame you if the emotions and feelings are mutual. What a behest of an insult to injury to the word called "nostalgia", it sure does feel a time to be alive to fans who only constantly get shot on the foot when old shows like this make a comeback to only make a mockery of themselves. At least Japan was more adamant on the positive side, so a Season 2 (or rather appropriately, a continuation) is coming soon, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

If I can give a TL;DR to what Yashahime is all about, let me put it in a non-spoiler context of the entire Inuyasha series: there is this jewel called the Shikon Jewel, and for anyone who possesses it shall be granted maximus power of their wielding, be it good or evil. And if you are experienced with battle Shounen stories back in the day, Inuyasha is no different with trying to gather pieces of the shattered Shikon Jewel from the vast world that is the Warring States Era. Gather them all and save the world from evil and destruction, pretty typical stuff. Yashahime's foundation of the story and plot is one and the same of Inuyasha's, just with the difference of the shattering of the Shikon Jewel being Rainbow Jewels with the same after-effects and what-have-you. Obviously, since this is classified as a sequel of sorts (that's carried forward straight from the post-events of The Final Act), there's the usual cameos of Inuyasha characters, albeit those that are worth the time and importance to Yashahime's story. Otherwise, everything else about it is all new, albeit (again) that if you're watched even an episode of Inuyasha, it definitely feels right back at home with the fascination of the series as a whole.

The story plot of Yashahime is clearly an ode to Naruto in the most blatant way of how Boruto came to be, heck I'll even go as far to rename this show to Yashahime: Inuyasha Next Generations - "The Spin-off/Sequel Everyone Asked For But Sucks", despite being made as an original as compared to Boruto's manga source material counterpart...IMO not as appalling as how Boruto was, but it's by no means a consolation of condolences. Clearly, the best points of what we got to see from this show is the next generation of the original cast: the trio of half-demon princess girls Moroha (Inuyasha and Kagome's child), Towa and Setsuna (Sesshomaru and Rin's twin children, though the former's nonchalance is prevalent from the get-go), along with returning characters like the protector Grandma Kaede, Sesshomaru and Jaken, plus many others who make the return to nostalgic goodness...at least for the beginning. The new storyline with converging worlds of Feudal and modern Japan (that's obviously connected with the Sacred Tree of Ages), not gonna lie, that was a cool concept that fans would've wished to see in the original series, and we definitely got it here.

Alas, everything else just seems like the usual with Sunrise's decent visuals and animation, but with scriptwriting that's cringe levels of terribad. Let's break it down:
- The Dream Butterfly itself being a connection to both Towa and Setsuna's past memories of dissent (that was awoken without any hint of past life), that was the only driven plot that somehow was half-assed (and eventually half-baked) due to the slow pace and progression of the plot. Not like Inuyasha can evade faults on this aspect, because the former also does side events like these, but not to point where it feels condescending, solely due to Rumiko Takahashi's incredible storytelling that manages to keep fans engaged for the most part, even when it feels dull. Sadly, with Yashahime without the direction of Rumiko Takahashi, the word "nostalgia" is anything but a saving grace.
- The characters: Obviously, fans would've wondered that the OG pairings got together and did the deed, that was also a large selling point for Yashahime's beginning points as well. But as the show progresses, the subsequent feeling of cold feet of them being one-sided plot-centric focal pointers becomes more obvious. Moroha is easily the biggest mistake: From emitting the same nuisance behaviour (like how Inuyasha was), to being relegated as a side character with no proper potential development, holding daily conversations with regulars like raccoon Takechiyo, bounty hunter master Jyubei and killing demons to earn money. All of that, despite being a MAIN character alongside twins Towa and Setsuna. If my speculations are right, Towa inherited Rin's kindness and naiveté while Setsuna inherited Sesshomaru's nonchalance, which comes to serve as both a boon and bane in the journey to pickup and pursuit the truth of the Dream Butterfly's significance.
- As much as I love the original cast return all grown-up, that I find to be the only above-average decency for Yashahime as a whole. Taking demon slayers Kohaku and Hisui (Sango and Miroku's love child) as an example: talk about following the job legacy of Sango whilst not having the perverse effect of Miroku is a welcome surprise to see more of characters like Hisui, that once again, is heavily skewed upon nostalgia values.
- The villains...are a serious downgrade when compared to Inuyasha. Kirinmaru, Zero and "The Four Perils" aren't quite the levels of Naraku and his "offsprings", and the "pirate washed ashore" Riku is just your average typical generic meditator-cum-spy. Sure, there are some moments that seemed just fine even without the lore of Inuyasha (that frankly Yashahime does not need to imitate, and that's fine), but dear heavens, I've seen quite the detraction of badly-written characters, and the villany aspirations are just existent, but only when the plot serves to plate it as such. "Meh, Meh, Black Sheep, have you any (black) wool" as I'll describe it.

The OST is also...just decent, given for a new generation that also does not need to try to mimic all the bells and whistles of the original, and that's also OK for the most part since I wasn't expecting V6's "Change the World" levels of nostalgic brilliance. For the most part, the OPs handed down from current boybands SixTONES and NEWS, I'd prefer the latter any day as it fits the series' more action-heavy tonals, while the EDs are just as decently sounding as to be expected. Overall, just some fine music, but also easily forgettable.

Even with another sequel currently in production (as of the time of this review), I will give a preface to the general audience: whether or not you love or hate Yashahime to a degree, that's not for me to decide the enjoyment values that you'll get out of this show. From an anime-only perspective of people wondering what Yashahime is about, please start with Inuyasha (even if it takes you eons to finish the 10-year journey from the beginning to the Final Act, plus the canon movies), then come back to this and see how you feel about it.

You've tried, Yashahime...no, you should've tried harder. Until next time when the continuation sequel drops, I'm gonna keep my expectations low to exact the same "wash, rinse, repeat" action sequence once again, if it helps qualm the stacked amount of worries. Not the best, but it's nowhere as pathetic as it looks.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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