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Last year, when I was working for my school paper, my girlfriend handed me an issue of the Mermaid Saga. I had a problem reading it, for I thought it was a girl manga, and therefore, not manly enough for me. 
(actually Rumiko Takashi writes shonen or boy's manga). I did not really know this at the time, so I was a little antsy about it. Still, I felt that I owed it to my female readers as well as my male readers to introduce them to a new manga worth reading.
Rumiko Takahashi is the creator of the Mermaid Saga. She is at the forefront of the manga scene with such big hits as Ranma ½, Maison Ikokku, and Urusei Yatsura known in the US as Lum (All of these titles are available from Viz). It was a no-brainer to review another one of her works. Inu-Yasha is one of the latest works from this famed author. Dubbed a feudal fairy tale, I knew that I was going to be in for something cool. I was right. Rumiko Takahashi loves to use Japanese history and folklore in her works, and once again she perfectly blends reality, spirituality, into another masterpiece.
Inu-Yasha is somewhat dark, somewhat funny, and is a fast, fun read. It contains the gothic elements with nasty creatures and demons of Japanese spirituality and folklore. Combine that with the adventure and romance and you have an all around hit.
The story focuses on Kagome, a young girl who lives at a shrine doused in mystical legend. So tired of her grandfather's stories of the legends attached to everything, Kagome begins to ignore them. But her lack of faith in these legends soon turns to belief as a creature attacks her and her brother at the Bone-Eater's Well near the shrine where she lives!
Falling into the well, Kagome suddenly finds herself in feudal Japan. The creature follows her there and Kagome's only hope to stop the creature is to free the half-demon, half-human, Inu-Yasha. He has been stuck to a tree by a magical arrow shot at him by one of Kagome's ancestors, who happens to look just like her.
Inu-Yasha kills the creature, and then proceeds to attack Kagome in an attempt to steal from her a mystical artifact given to her by her grandfather. The artifact multiplies a demon's powers and Inu-Yasha wants it. He fought and hunted Kagome's ancestors for it and will stop at nothing until he posseses it.
The story continues as the artifact is sliced into many pieces and spread all over feudal Japan. Inu-Yasha must team with Kagome to find the pieces and stop other creatures from using them. Forced to be partners, rather than enemies Kagaome and Inu Yasha's relationship grows and takes new twists and turns as they meet new people and the story progresses.
Inu-Yasha is exciting. I have currently read four of the books, and I am about to read fifth. Each story contains different elements that make it great. Sometimes they are funny, but one about a little girl ghost who is angry about her death, and vengeful because of it, was downright sad and beautifully written and drawn.
Currently, Inu-Yasha is being developed into a television anime series, but past Rumiko Takahashi stories that I have seen have not translated well into this medium (with the exception of Maison Ikokku). Still, the best way to enjoy her work is to read it, and if you have enjoyed any of her past works, you will love this one. If you have never read her work, Inu-Yasha is the perfect place to start.
If you like this article, or are a fan or foe of this series feel free to drop me a line at Bandwidth@ybfree.com.