Inuyasha (1998)

[犬夜叉]

Volume 4

Author/Artist: Rumiko Takahashi
Publisher: Shounen Sunday Comics

Synopsis:
Kagome is captured by Manten of the Raijuu Brothers and Inuyasha must save her. Kagome must tame a vengeful spirit in the present day.

Story/Characters:
It says something about how well done the early chapters are that the villains can still be memorable even when you've gone 56 volumes. (You'll see those fires cool considerably once we get past the Hakureizan Arc.) Hiten in particular was fairly interesting with his hair-trigger temper and genuine love for his brother (not that he was above threatening Manten in fits of the aforementioned temper). The next story is pretty good ghost story even if it doesn't have much relation to the overall plot. I have a feeling Takahashi may have wanted to intersperse more stories like this until Naraku comes in to dominate the narrative. C'est la vie, right?

Art:
The fight between Inuyasha and Hiten in particular has a lot of punch to it (no pun intended regarding the awesome full-page panel of IY decking Hiten good). The emotional punch of Mayu's story is well illustrated too.

Conclusion:
We get a really good battle with the Raijuu Brothers and a decent ghost story after it. More for the former than the latter, this one belongs in the collection.

Rating:
Own It