Inu-Yasha:
The Thunder Brothers
Reviewed by:
Alex Barry (May 17, 2003)
Cover: The 4th installment of Inu-Yasha is packaged nicely
inside a standard plastic keep case and a colorful cover design. Inu-Yasha
and Hiten engage in battle while Kagome and Manten sail behind them
in Manten's flying cloud... uh... thing. The character arrangements
have been altered from the original picture, with Inu-Yasha having
been enlarged to stand out as the prominent figure in the scene. It
somewhat distorts the proportions, but nonetheless has a pretty neat
effect. The back cover features episode titles & numbers, a quick
plot summary, and a well-chosen selection of screenshots from the
various episodes.
Audio: : There's a pretty wide array of music to be heard in
this volume, with foreboding horror themes just barely dominating
as the underlying focus of the score. It's all in good taste, though.
The themes are genuinely chilling, thankfully, and feel right at home
with the subject material of these episodes. I also appreciate the
stylish insertion of an instrumental version of the ending theme during
one of the episodes. Sound effects are as impressive as ever, and
the voice acting is skillfully performed in both languages. Even though
Richard Cox and Moneca Stori still make me cringe every now and then,
it's obvious that they are both becoming more comfortable with their
roles, and seem to tackle their lines with an ever-increasing level
of finesse as the episodes climb into the double-digit numbers.
Video: The visuals are looking as good as ever in the volume,
and continue to set Inu-Yasha apart from most other anime series in
overall visual quality. The animation is virtually flawless, as is
the artwork and coloration. There are some impressive effects to be
seen on this disk, as well, such as the skillful use of lighting in
the first episode, or inverted colors used during scenes involving
souls entering the material world in the third episode. Technical
errors are few and far between, with only some very brief instances
of aliasing and one incident of color bleeding present.
Extras: The extras for this DVD are somewhat of a mixed bag,
with both good to say that there are any extras at all, but also bad
to say that there aren't more. The cast list is a handy feature if
you're looking to see who provides the voice for who, the line art
gallery is fun for a quick browse, and the Japanese promos are a neat
way to get a peek at each episode without many spoilers. It's all
good stuff, but nothing we haven't seen before. Part of the fun of
bonus material on a DVD is getting a new and unexpected little surprise
to look at, but with Viz being so reluctant to try anything new, I
can see these less-than-thrilling extras getting stale in the near
future...
Content: Even though the Thunder Brothers get the title for
this volume, there's actually only one episode for them to be seen
in. Although it's a great episode (and probably the most memorable
out of the three), the overall feeling for this volume is less of
the battle-packed action-fest the cover portrays, and much more cerebral.
Kagome definitely steals the spotlight this time around, which isn't
necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it's good to see her get some significant
screen time without Inu-Yasha, for a change.
The first episode features the primary dose of action for volume #4,
with Inu-Yasha continuing his fight against the Thunder Brothers.
As the heated showdown continues, Inu-Yasha is finding it difficult
to concentrate on the battle while Kagome is still in the clutches
of Manten. With a little of Shippo's help, she is able to escape,
but is quickly hunted down and nearly strangled to death. Inu-Yasha
manages to kill Manten in the nick of time, but his heroic act leads
to Hiten fusing his brother's Shikon shards with his own, making him
more powerful than ever. Inu-Yasha then cleverly uses the Tetsusaiga's
scabbard to deflect Hiten's attacks, and is eventually able to turn
the tables on his opponent. The final scenes for this episode are
some of the most intense yet, and the battle's finale is simply electric
(pun intended).
My only complaint for this episode is the fact that the anime version
is so much less brutal than the manga version. There were still plenty
of hits scored by both sides, but most of the blood from the episode
was either toned down or removed entirely.
Speaking of changes from the manga, the second episode on the disk
is based on a story that originally took place prior to the Thunder
Brothers saga, but was delayed until afterwards in the anime. It is
based around an ancient Noh mask that reappears in Kagome's time.
The "Mask of Flesh", as it is called, seeks human flesh to absorb
and create a body for itself. The anime version has Kagome's grandfather
finding the mask in a storeroom and being sent off to a hospital after
it attacks him and burns the place down. The mask then goes on a rampage
and absorbs multiple people, hoping to get the Shikon shards that
Kagome has with her.
In the manga version, a woman brings the mask to the shrine, and it
possesses her before she can even get inside. It then goes about possessing
more and more people, just like the anime, but in a far more gruesome
manner. Rather than looking like a shapeless brown blob as in the
anime, the manga has the Mask of Flesh actually merging people's bodies
together, creating a hideous mass of body parts (the way the mask
kills its victims is equally macabre). While the story for the anime
version works a little better, the episode just really looses the
feeling of horror its manga counterpart had going for it. Also, since
Shippo is not present and Inu-Yasha is seen using the Tetsusaiga after
its scabbard was damaged in the previous episode, several flaws in
the continuity between events are created by this story's relocation
in the series.
Last but not least is the touching episode were Kagome helps the soul
of a little girl come to terms with the circumstances surrounding
her death. Mayu, a young girl who was killed in a fire, is bitter
because she thinks her mother left her to die on purpose. In reality,
her mother was unaware that she was in their house while it was burning,
and is left with painful memories and the responsibility of caring
for a comatose son who happens to be a friend of Kagome's little brother.
Since Kagome is the only one who can see Mayu, she tries to help her
let go of her hatred and be at peace before she is sent to hell. It
may sound somewhat sappy, but the emotions seen here are genuine and
powerful. The sorrow surrounding Mayu is deep, and Kagome's efforts
to help her really say something about the kindness of her character.
This is definitely a DVD that Inu-Yasha fans will want to pick up,
and it may even convince a few newbies that this series is worth checking
out. The depth of this show is just incredible, and that element is
perfectly illustrated in these three episodes. If you can overlook
the somewhat steep price tag, "The Thunder Brothers" is well worth
a purchase.
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