Chapter
22: 二十二ノ章 涙 Nijuuni no sho Namida (Journey 22 - Tears)
Suddenly Inuyasha, Kagome and Rin appear, shocking their children who immediately realize that their parents have returned. Inuyasha proceeds to attack a stunned Zero, but passses through her. Much to her relief, Zero realizes that Inuyasha and the other's spriits have returned, but not their corporeal bodies. Zero attacks, realizing that there is nothing that will prevent the new arrivals from stopping her battle against Setsuna, Towa and Moroha, however Rin jumps in the way to deflect Zero's spider webs. At least that is what seems to happen. Kagome explains that Zero's true nature diverted the webs when she saw the illusory Rin trying to protect her children. Kagome compares it to how Naraku too was driven by emotions he could not understand. Zero is stunned as Kagome tells her that the Grim Comet is manipulating her. Kagome suggests what is really driving her vendetta is trying to deal with feelings of losing someone important to her- Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's father. Rin tries again to protect her children as Riku pleads with Zero not to run away from her feelings of sadness and to embrace her true nature. When Zero reaches for the Rainbow Pearls a slash from nowhere suddenly rips her hand off as Sesshomaru appears. Realizing her back is against the wall, Zero flees. Setsuna and Towa have a moment with Rin, as does Moroha with Inuyasha and Kagome before they begin to fade an vanish. With the dream butterfly now gone, Setsuna's emotions have returned as she cries at the loss of her mother who slowly fades away. Left alone, Sesshomaru gives the Rainbow Pearls to Towa and tells them to continue to head westward towards Hizen. Towa stops Sesshomaru before he leaves and asks how many years he was trapped, repeatedly saving Inuyasha in the time loop. He indifferently says it was likely close to a thousand years before floating away, making the stray comment that Towa's eyes remind him of Rin's.
Published In:
Shonen Sunday Super 2023 Vol. 8
Yashahime Vol. 6
Publication Date: June 23, 2023
Pages: 48 (black and white)
Anime Adaptation: None
Notes:
Sesshomaru tells the girls to take the Rainbow Pearls westward towards Hizen (肥前の国). This is the historic name for an area roughly around modern day Nagasaki.
In his blog this month, Takashi Shiina explains that this marks the conclusion of the first half of the series and that Rumiko Takahashi and Katsuyuki Sumisawa both receieved the reunion of the parents and their children well.
Shiina goes on to state, "since the princesses are traveling in search of their parents, it would be normal for them to meet them again at the end of the story, but if they only know about their parents through personal stories, their motivation to 'meet them and save them at any cost' seems a little weak. So, I made the first half of the trip a climax, where the girls only meets their parents and learn of their love for them. If the emotional excitement of meeting them is depicted first, the story can be narrowed down to a description of the sense of accomplishment after the rescue."
"Also, I would like to ask Kagome-chan to do a great job of verbalizing Zero-sama's true motives in detail. Zero is naïve like a little girl and is sulking about her love for the Sesshomaru and Inuyasha's father, and she has never been able to move forward from this... I don't think she would stand a chance, even as a villain, if a junior high school student pointed this out to her (laughs). And Kagome-chan has seen a concrete example of 'repressed and turned-away feelings giving birth to inconsistencies in behavior and outbursts.'"
Shiina states that he was surprised to be able to include a panal showing Naraku in the latest chapter. "Incidentally, I was able to draw a panel with Naraku this time. At first, I was just going to suggest it with a line of dialogue, but when my supervisor said to me, 'You have to draw him here!' I said, 'Oh, is that okay?' (laughs). No one forbade me to (from depicting Naraku), but somehow it had become a forbidden move for me."
Regarding Rin, Shiina added, "As for Mama Rin-chan's actions here, I had been struggling with it since the start of the serialization because I wanted a sense that she was both 'the mother of princesses' and still 'the future of that little girl we saw in Inuyasha'. The manga does not have Mamiko Noto's voice, and the pictures are different. Therefore, I felt that the continuity with Inuyasha should be emphasized more than in the anime."
"As usual, I consulted with Rumiko Takahashi and my editor, who is an Inuyasha fanatic, and came to the conclusion that I wanted to portray a 'woman who still has a childlike personality' and a 'natural wife who can get along with her mother-in-law,' which I had done in the past, and this time I wanted to portray a 'gourmand mother' (laughs). I don't think there was any particular emphasis on this in Inuyasha, but it gives the impression of a girl who lived a strong life in the Warring States period, and she is like an old-fashioned mother telling her girls to 'just eat well.' I used food as a bonding symbol in volume 1 as well, so it works as a subject matter. However, in both the rough draft and the final manuscript, I wrote, "Like the 'ramen' that Towa had!" but the magazine changed it to "ramen" because they thought it was a typo, which was very frustrating. I was secretly smiling as I replayed "ramen" in Noto-san's voice in my brain while I was writing the manuscript (laughs)."
Further, Shiina states, "The line 'It's only been a thousand years' by Sesshomaru-sama was one that I had intended to have him say from the time we decided on the time loop setting. I thought I could express both his demonic nature and his love for his wife and child at the same time. When describing his feelings, it is not good for him to be too human, but it is also not right to be too eccentric. He is a character for whom it is difficult to find a satisfactory place to put on a convincing performance. However, since I participated in the project, I knew that I must not be too timid and shallow in my approach. In other words, in the end, I throw it all in (laughs), and fortunately, Takahashi-sensei said yes again this time. It takes a lot of calories just to say, 'For you, hard work is nothing. But I think that's why the character becomes dramatic just by saying that one phrase.'
"Well, basically every character has a bias of interpretation between the anime staff and me, and it can't be helped that the flavor is different from the original that Takahashi-sensei created... Last time and this time, with Inuyasha I used Takahashi-sensei's idea as a part of the slap that cuts towards Zero. Therefore, it can be said that the imagery is different, but the content is like that of the original, the genuine Inuyasha himself (laughs)."
"So, I will continue writing next month as usual, and we are only halfway through the book. Please look forward to the Western Japan part in the next issue!"
Table of Contents
A: This concludes the first half! Please look forward to the second half!
Chapter
23: 二十三ノ章 港 Nijuusan no sho Minato (Journey 23 - Port)
The girls arrive in Sakai as they continue their journey westard. The girls are shocked by how comparatively modern Sakai is compared to the other towns they have visited in their travels. Riku seems crestfallen, believing that the half-demon princesses will wish to part ways as their agreement was to escort him and Rion as far as Sakai. The girls reassure him they would like to continue on with the pair all the way to Kirinmaru's castle. Here in Sakai the girls meet Hachibei, another of Jyubei's family in the corpse-dealing business. Hachibei suggests to them that their best way to continue westward is to sail across the Seto Inland Sea, though lately demon attacks have made chartering a ship difficult. Oshichi, Hachibei's wife, tells the girls a ship with demon slayers has docked recently and they can seek passage on that ship. As they enjoy food and a brief rest, Rion and Riku apologize for the challenges Zero and Kirinmaru have inflicted upon the girls' families and seek to make amends. Myoga appears, suggesting that they become retainers of the girls, much as he was the retainer of Sesshomaru and Inuyasha's father. Towa insists that her only desire to see their parents saved and that if Riku and Rion wish to aid them in that journey they are welcome to, but she does not wish for them to be at her command any further than that. Rion explains that once her duty is done she will die once again and Riku states he has no soul and no life beyond his current mission, but Towa tries to inspire them to find a place in the world. Myoga quietly thinks that Towa has a great deal of her grandfather in her personality. Soon a boatman arrives to ferry the girls to the ship and they set sail under a familiar captain- Shiori.
Published In:
Shonen Sunday Super 2023 Vol. 9
Yashahime Vol. 6
Publication Date: June 23, 2023
Pages: 32 (black and white)
Anime Adaptation: None
Notes:
There is an advertisement in this month's issue of Shonen Sunday S for volume 5 of Yashahime.
On July 23, 2023, just a few days prior to this chapter's release, Takashi Shiina tweeted that he was ill with the Coronavirus. "I had a fever and was in bed. I was corona positive. Even if you are as hikikomori as I am and have limited contact with other people, will you still get infected?".
Sakai (modern Sakai City 堺市), is a major seaport in Osaka prefecture. It is due south of the city of Osaka and known for its keyhole-shaped burial mounds called "kofun" (古墳).
The boatman is meant to look like Mermaid Saga's Sakagami Headman.
Shiori appears for the first time in Yashahime's manga adaptation. In the anime she was a surrogate mother to Setsuna, however here she is a ship's captain.
In his blog this month, Takashi Shiina explains his coronavirus diagnosis and goes on to say that he wanted to include Shiori in his comicalization. He points out that the anime had her guarding a hidden village of half-demons, but he since his story had taken the setting to the Seto Inland Sea, he felt he could repurpose her and include her here.
He goes on to discuss Takahashi's fondness for Shiori as she looked over his plans for this chapter. "Shiori is a character that Rumiko Takahashi-sensei has strong feelings for, and I have received reactions that seem to indicate that I have succeeded in stirring up Takahashi-sensei's image of Shiori. She said things like "This is an interesting setup," and "She thinks very highly of her encounter with Inuyasha, so I look forward to seeing how she and Moroha will talk to one another!" It made me very happy, but I'm under a lot of pressure. (laughs) When Takahashi-sensei saw my name (rough layouts) this time, she seemed to have a very clear image of "Shiori as an exterminator of the sea" in her mind, and she checked my dialog, character performance, and design very carefully even though I had only written two pages. Takahashi-sensei suggested, "I'm Shiori, I'm a half-demon," so I used exactly what she told me. So, I can say that the drawing may be different but the dialog is the real thing. (laugh)"
"Shiori in the anime Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon was a character involved with Setsuna, but as Takahashi-sensei said, if I put more emphasis on the Inuyasha setting, Moroha would be the "benefactor's daughter", which would be a bit of a problem. Also, in my story's space-time, I don't really depict the discrimination and hardships of half-demons. I start from the premise that the three main characters have grown up being loved and accepted by the people around them, although they have had lonely times with their parents, so they are treated as "people with unique powers" rather than "inhumans". I would like to strike a balance in this regard and create a different image of this "elder sister" than what was depicted in the anime version."
"This time, the main focus was on sorting out the situation and preparing for the next chapter, so in terms of the drama it was just "We're going to get on this ship," but I did my best on the small stuff, like "Lord Jaken, why are you green!?" (laughs) Shiori's subordinate was a guest-star, the villain of The Village of the Fighting Fish, the inverted-haired master. When I first saw this character, I was amazed at how Takahashi-sensei, a young lady from a good family, could portray such a savage rogue with such a strong sense of presence. However, in this work, he plays the role of a "tough-looking but good-natured person," so please enjoy the real charm of this character in the original Mermaid Saga. On the surface, this chapter revolves around Shiori and the half-demon princesses, but... well, more on that later."
"By the way, I'm sure there are some Japanese history buffs who instantly noticed, but the scenery I drew as the town of Sakai was actually modeled after the diorama of the National Museum of Japanese History, which recreates the area around Ryogoku during the Edo period. So, at the beginning, some might say "Is this is really the Sengoku period!?" My response is please understand that "Sakai during the Warring States period was so prosperous that it could be mistaken for the Edo period." The model of the ship is the Kitamae-bune at the end of the Edo period, which is displayed at the Museum of Ship Science in Odaiba. However, Japanese-style boats were almost completed in the Middle Ages, and it seems that there were no major innovations after that, so I don't think there is any difference from the actual situation. Since I started this job, I've been visiting various museums for interviews, but it's really fun to think about the scenery that Kagome-chan and Towa-chan saw when they traveled back in time, so it's a great place to go during summer vacation. It's highly recommended for Inuyasha: A Feudal Fairytale fans. It's a bit disappointing that the Edo-Tokyo Museum is closed at this time."
Table of Contents
A: Unexpectedly, Shiori appears, she'll be useful in the new setting!
Chapter
24: 二十四ノ章 後悔 Nijuuyon no sho Koukai (Journey 24 - Seafaring)
Off the coast of Shikoku, the girls encounter Shiori who is shocked to learn of their kinship to Inuyasha. Shiori recalls Myoga encouraging Inuyasha to murder her in order for Tessaiga to gain the barrier-breaking abilities he was in search of. Shiori vows to help the girls in their battle against the sea demons that have been attacking the shipping lanes, but warns them that battles against demons while on the ocean are very risky, as they can be pulled under the waves and never seen again. Shiori explains that the demon they will be hunting is called Zuchi, the sea goddess. Riku helps with work on the boat, impressing the veteran sailors with his skills. While he does that, Shiori uses her echo-location to search the waters for their prey. In the distance they find Mizuchi attacking a ship, but in was merely a ruse to lure Shiori's ship closer. Suddenly Mizuchi and her sea serpents attack, but Shiori raises a barrier to drive them away. Towa tries to rescue the sailors that were used to lure them in, only to discover they have been petrified by the sea serpent's bite. No sooner does she see this than one of the serpents bites her arm and her body turns to stone and falls overboard into the ocean as everyone watches in horror.
Published In:
Shonen Sunday Super 2023 Vol. 10
Yashahime Vol. 6
Publication Date: August 25, 2023
Pages: 32 (black and white)
Anime Adaptation: None
Notes:
The events shown in flashback in this chapter occured in Inuyashachapter 218.
Sea Goddess Mizuchi is called "Wadatsu Mizuchi" (ワダツミズチ) in the original Japanese.
I come from a clan of guardians. But without a precious orb to stabilize and amplify my shield... I can't keep it up for long." - The orb Shiori is referring to is the Red Stone that was possessed by the Hyakka Mori clan. Inuyasha sliced this in order to gain the powers of the barrier breaking Red Tessaiga.
In his blog this month Takashi Shiina explains that the original sea serpent character in the anime version had a backstory involving a misunderstanding with humans, but because he wanted to move the story along and focus more on the central characters he omitted this and opted for a simple "sea hunt" story instead. He explains his changes in her appearance as well:
"I love reptiles, and I've never found them too creepy. Aren't their wide eyes super cute? Moreover, sea snakes have round and thick necks, and although they may be dangerous, they look charming. So, I changed Sea Goddess Mizuchi's hair from the anime's sea snake style to a deep sea fish style. Deep-sea fish can be cute depending on how you look at them, but if I was going to create a "sea hunt" monster, I wanted a symbol that would make it easy to understand at a glance that it was "ferocious" and "lives in a world that's very different from humans'." I think it looks more like a medieval monster with her breasts exposed, but I chose to have her wear a swimsuit to avoid having her breasts covered in all sorts of ways. By the way, Towa's use of opera glasses is actually a small joke that corresponds to the sunglasses in the anime."
Further, Shiina discusses Myoga's unwavering loyalty to Inuyasha and how he wished to revisit something from the original manga series.
According to Rumiko Takahashi, "Myoga has no mercy or respect for anyone other than the Inu no Taisho clan." In the original story, he didn't hesitate to advocate slaying a little girl to strengthen Tessaiga, right? I was rereading the Hyakki Bat Arc and thought, "This old man is awful!", so the opening scene was a punishment from me. (laughs)"
Shiina also discusses some of the other changes he made from the anime, as he felt having the barrier around the village that Shiori was able to generate should not be possible after the loss of the Red Stone that Inuyasha sliced to add its powers to the Red Tessaiga.
"In the anime version, Shiori was "protecting the half-demon village with a powerful barrier." However, in Inuyasha,the story ended with the destruction of the barrier amplification device's Red Stone, so I think some adjustments are needed. While the anime focuses on introducing Sengoku Otogi Zoshi to a wide range of new generations, the manga version is based on the concept of an "Inuyasha pastiche." Therefore, in order to bridge the gap that the manga artists who draw the manga are different people, it is necessary to strengthen the continuity. Then, while mentioning the loss of Red Stone, I came up with the concept of a "powerful but momentary force field." The hearing and ultrasonic waves are based on the anime settings, and the depiction of a bat as a familiar is omitted due to the setting being on the sea. I don't know what to say, but did you notice the pattern on her obi?"
Shiina also explains that though he had no context to show Shiori's mother, in his version she is alive and well and it is thanks to her that Shiori grew up well and became a demon slayer herself.
Further, Shiina discusses having to compromise an element of historical accuracy he wanted to include when his editor and his wife (who is Rumiko Takahasshi's former assistant) insisted he omit it.
"I wanted to depict Riku in a loincloth, not because it was simply my taste, but because it was the Sengoku period and he was on the sea, so I thought a loincloth would be the correct costume. I had seen Toshiro Mifune in a loincloth many times in (Akira) Kurosawa's period films. However, my editor and wife firmly refused to allow me to do so (laughs), so I compromised by removing only the upper half of his outfit. I thought that wearing a loincloth would have emphasized the sense of "blending in with the ruffians" more, but... well, I also thought that it might not be appropriate for a serious scene, so I decided not to show Riku in a loincloth. (laugh)"
Shiina concludes by happily sharing the "voice comic" that was made to advertise the release of volume 5 of the manga, and sharing how wonderful the voice actresses all are. He included links so that fans could check it out: here, here and here.
Table of Contents
A: Looks like I've caught the new strain of the coronavirus.
Chapter
25: 二十五ノ章 騎士 Nijuugo no sho Kishi (Journey 25 - Knight)
Setsuna dives in to the ocean to save a petrified Towa. When the two do not quickly return, Riku too dives in to save them. Sinking fast, Setsuna struggles with her petrified sister who is dragging her into the depths until a series of bubbles triggered by Shiori's sonic powers helps to float Towa. With his cutlass clenched between his teeth, Riku dives in to help haul Towa to the surface, as he does sea serpents begin to swarm from the darkness of the sea. The creatures begin attacking the ship as they try to disrupt Shiori's bubble. She tells Setsuna to use the Yukari no Tachikiri to find the location of Zuchi, the sea goddess, so they can kill her and break the petrification cast on Towa. Using her powers she is able to sense all of the demons Shiori has slain who's spirits are helping to mask the sea goddess in the deep water. Setsuna severs the bond of the demons, allowing Shiori to use her shield to drive Zuchi to the surface so Setsuna can slay her. With the demon dead Towa and the other sailors return to normal. As thanks for his help, Riku asks to be knighted by Towa, a foreign custom he became aware of in his travels. The rough looking sailor admires Riku's fortitude, noticing he must like Towa. He admits that he too is in love with Shiroi's mother who is alive and well. On Dan no Ura, a strait nearby, Kohaku and Hisui await the arrival of the others.
Published In:
Shonen Sunday Super 2023 Vol. 11
Yashahime Vol. 6
Publication Date: September 25, 2023
Pages: 32 (black and white)
Anime Adaptation: None
Notes:
We see a sinister looking Dappya Man and Lost Soul from Urusei Yatsura and Mermaid Saga respectively among the sea demons preparing to attack Towa and Setsuna. In his blog notes, Shiina also comments that one of the creatures looks like Shiori's grandfather, Taigokumaru, but he would leave that to the reader's imagination if it was somehow him back from the dead. He explained that he had considered that his spirit still existed as a grudge against Shiori, but was no longer nearly as powerful as he had been when he was alive. He said this might give the reader that he has pursued Shiori during all the years between her appearance in Inuyasha and her appearance here.
Knight/night - In English to emphasize that Towa was not certain of what was intially being explained to her they say "Night's Oath" rather than "Knight's Oath". In Japanese this was similarly done by having Rion tell her "naito" (ないと) in hiragana, having Towa then say it in katakana (ナイト) after realizing it was a foreign word. Towa then asks "If she meant 'kishi'?" (騎士). "Kishi" is the term used for a medieval European knight (or a samurai on horseback).
Dan-no-ura (壇ノ浦) is the historic name of Shimonoseki between Yamaguchi and Fukuoka. The Battle of Dan-no-ura (壇ノ浦の戦い/Dan-no-ura no tatakai) took place here during the Genpei War in 1185.
In his blog Shiina mentions Riku becoming Towa's knight, and adds that it was a coincidence that Takahashi was bestowed the Order of the Chevalier recently (which means Order of the Knight) by the French government. He explains that Takahashi's ceremony did not involve having a sword tap her shoulder and she does not become "Sir Rumiko Takahashi" as with English knighthoods. He goes on to explain that he wanted the knighting ceremony to symbolize Riku's rebirth as an independent person, though he added that his editor was unfamiliar with the knighting ceremony and thought his readers might not understand it. Shiina explained that it would be alright if readers do not understand and only later see a knighting ceremony and remember they saw something like that in the Yashahime manga. He explains that most of his knowledge of such ceremonies comes from Riyoko Ikeda's The Rose of Versailles (ベルサイユのばら/Berusaiyu no Bara).
Shiina explains Riku's "yokai-mode".
"What do you think of Riku's yokai mode? I believe that a yokai is not only a creature that possesses unusual abilities, but also a monster that is fundamentally outside of the human race, but Riku in the anime is very polite about not revealing too much of that. I think it's erotic to reveal your true nature that you wanted to keep hidden for the sake of someone you care about. Sensei's favorite is when a cornered female non-human character reveals her true self and then says, "Don't look at me when I'm like this...!" The most important thing to remember is that the most important person in your life is you. And as a symbol of direction, "taking off the kimono" is already a metaphor for "opening up," "becoming vulnerable," "freeing oneself," etc. If it is true, then that scene with the loincloth... (I'm still talking about that)."
He explains that Shiori's "be gone, this is my ship" was his favorite scene in this chapter and wanted to show her working well with Setsuna given the deeper relationship between Shiori and Setsuna in the anime version. He explains that Shiori telling the pirate that her mother only likes handsome men was a reference to Shiori's very good-looking father that was briefly shown in the original series.
Shiina explains the audiology of Shiori's powers, explaining that his research suggested that bat's screeches are at a higher pitch than even dogs can hear, and that creating bubbles using sonic abilities and speaking directly to people through echo-location in their bones was a "manga super science" sort of thing. He added that since this is a world where Ginkotsu of the Band of Seven existed, he felt it was okay to play with science in that way a bit.
Perhaps coincidentally Rumiko Takahashi was publishing chapters in MAO between this chapter of Yashahime and the following month's that also deal with sonics and audiology. Perhaps Shiina's research inspired a similar direction in her own work at the time.
Shiina gives a backstory to Zuchi, explaining that he imagines her as one of a trio of sea serpent sisters from the Mediterranean Sea. He explains one is killed in the "original myth" (likely a reference to Medusa and her gorgon sisters given the petrifying powers shown or perhaps to the myth of Scylla and Charybdis). The other two sisters, he explains were evil (Mizuchi) and good (the kinder version shown in the anime adaptation).
He adds that the story now moves to Kyushu in the next chapter and that Hisui and Kohaku will help set up the action for the second half of the series.
Table of Contents
A: We're now entering the third year of serialization, has it really already been that long?
Chapter
26: 二十六ノ章 思惑 Nijuuroku no sho Omowaku (Journey 26 - Intention)
Shiori explains that as they make landfall it is clear that the Mori clan is preparing for war with the Otomo clan. Because of the warfare Shiori cannot take the girls to Hakatanotsu as she had originally hoped. She tells them that they are welcome to return to join her crew after they they vanquish Kirinmaru. As the girls consider the offer Kohaku arrives riding on Kirara with Shippo and Hisui in tow. Some days ago Shippo came looking for Miroku and Sango when he met up with Kin'u, Gyokuto and Hisui planting crops. Shippo took Miroku and Sango to see Inuyasha, Rin and Kagome who were drifitng in and out of slumber. There, Sesshomaru's mother explains that when the Rainbow Pearls are destroyed they will be able to wake once again. Miroku regrets the fourteen years he has spent unable to help his friends, but Shippo explains that he has known where they were but was sworn to secrety until Towa, Setsuna and Moroha were skilled enough to battle Kirinmaru. Sesshomaru's mother explains that she knows her son has attempted the battle many times over and was unable to win on his own, therefore the girls must be key in defeating Kirinmaru and Zero. Hearing this Kohaku begs to return to Sesshomaru's service, just as he did as a boy. Miroku tries to go in Kohaku's stead, but with Sango pregnant once again, Kohaku insists that he needs to remain in the village to care for her. Sesshomaru's mother finds Kohaku's offer to help dubious, telling him Sesshomaru may kill him if he irritates him before sending away the humans from her domain. With the humans gone, she turns to an invisible presence and asks tiny Akuru, the dog demon deity and guardian of time if involving the humans meets his needs. As they plan their next move Hisui realizes how much Setsuna has changed after the dream butterfly was slain and Shippo and Takechiyo get into an argument when Takechiyo gets jealous about the attention the fox demon is getting from the girls. Elsewhere Kirinmaru speaks with Meidomaru, telling him that he will be all too willing to let the half-demon princesses kill Zero if it makes them grow stronger. Once they are strong he plans to stop death itself as he stares at a strange ceramic vessel. Rion tells Riku that she can sense her father speaking to her urn. As Shippo heads back to watch over Rin, Kagome and Inuyasha everyone else sets off, not realizing that Zero is watching them from afar.
Published In:
Shonen Sunday Super 2023 Vol. 12
Yashahime Vol. 6
Publication Date: October 25, 2023
Pages: 42 (black and white)
Anime Adaptation: None
Notes:
The Otomo clan (大友氏/Otomo-shi) and Mori clan (毛利氏/Mori-shi) were rival clans battling one another at the end of the 15th century. The Mori clan were known for their seamanship, while the Otomo clan are remembered as being one of the first to make contact with Westerners. As a result they developed a working relationship with the Portuguese that arrived in Japan and had dealings with missionary Francis Xavier.
Hakatanotsu (博多津) is modern day Fukuoka City (福岡市/Fukuoka-shi).
In his blog Shiina explains that Hisui and the adult version of Kohaku were essentially new characters and as a result wanted to feature them more in the manga than he felt they were in the anime version. Regarding Kohaku's development, he explained:
"The (Yashahime) anime Kohaku was an adult with a stable personality who had gotten over his past. He is almost a different character, whereas the other old regulars have not changed much from those days. However, the freckles on his nose have been replaced by scars, which symbolically speaks of his life. In the manga version, I focused on this point and made Adult Kohaku a character who acts like an adult on the surface, but inside he is still a scarred boy frozen in his heart. It may be a little difficult for little kids to grasp, but as a big friend who has known them for more than 20 years, I wanted to see something like that (laughs).
This time, I was able to depict Kohaku returning to the "boy from back then" once more. Initially, Kirara was not scheduled to show up, and Kohaku was also supposed to appear riding on Shippo's top, but when I was drawing the picture, a voice in my heart said, "Kirara is also needed in this scene." On the surface, it's said that "Kirara followed Hisui because she was worried about him," but the real reason is probably because Kohaku regained his young boy's heart. Only those with the hearts of boys and girls are qualified to ride on Kirara's back. The comicalize version of Kohaku, who took on the responsibility as the village headman and chose to ride a horse, was probably sealing away his childhood and leaving it behind.
I also like the way he puts all the adult responsibilities on his brother-in-law, Miroku, in order to start over as a "boy" himself. I don't know why I love the description of the brothers-in-law sharing their wounds with each other, even though there was no such depiction of this in the original story. I don't know much about Takahashi-sensei's thoughts on this, but perhaps this is what you call a "fan's desire"? His brother-in-law Miroku is suffering from a craving and hatred for the Wind Tunnel, a complex feeling that rears its head every time he feels helpless. I think the way out is to "rely on one's friends without trying to solve everything by oneself", so maybe this is for Miroku as well."
Shiina goes on to explain that Akuru speaks in hieroglyphics because he wanted him to symbolically only be understood by by other metaphorical "ancient Egyptians" such as Sesshomaru's mother.
Shiina also explains that Hisui is less interesting in the his manga adaptation than in the Yashahime anime, which he apologizes for. He says Setsuna still feels he is dependable despite this.
He also says how much he's enjoying getting to draw Shippo and that his line about "after putting up with Inuyasha's roughhousing for years, I'm tougher than I look," seemed like something that the character himself wrote rather than Shiina coming up with it himself.
Shiina explains that Meidomaru was voiced in the anime by Wataru Hatano who played Ken McGuire and You Fujiura in the anime adaptation of his Zettai Karen Children and he thought about having Meidomaru speak Spanish or Portuguese like the missionaries who were arriving in Japan at the time (in reference to Ken) but decided to hold off.
Shiina further jokes that the real reason Shiori could not got to Nagasaki was because this is when the feudal warlord Mori Motonari (毛利元就) was going to invade Kyushu around this time. He said his editor insisted she should not continue on the journey regardless of Shiina's trying to argue for it, but he jokingly said he imagined Rumiko Takahashi would have told him to not include her any further had he pressed the point.
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A: The pattern on Lum-chan's horns is not quite a tiger stripe. The mark on Kirara's head is a cross.
