Inuyasha Kanketsuhen Episodes 05-06

No individual post for episode 05 due to not much happening during the episode. There wasn’t much to talk about and I also had some fairly pressing constraints on my time, so I decided it would be better to combine episode post. You could call it an executive decision. Now that I’ve gotten in my required groan-inducing pun, let’s recap. In episode 05 Inuyasha meets with Tottosai to discuss the problems with the Tessaiga that have been occurring ever since it integrated the youki-absorbing scales with the blade. Going to see a master recommended by Tottosai, the gang goes to a small town to seek his counsel. After going through this, the next episode is all about Goryoumaru/Mouryomaru and Naraku. Sprinkled throughout are various weapons upgrades as the development of new weapons and new countermeasure continues at a pace rivaling that of The One Year War or the Operation Stardust incident.

Episode 05: Starting out two snake-like youkai are fighting their eternal battle against each other when Goryoumaru appears intent on absorbing their power. They briefly unite and are easily beating their foe when one turns on the other in front of their mutual enemy, a move that would make Chiang Kai-Shek proud. Exploiting this Goryoumaru absorbs them just in time for Sesshomaru to show up and attack him. Though once again he’s bailed out and allowed to escape by Byakuya’s intervention. The rest of the episode involves Inuyasha and his group going to the town where the old master lives and seeking his help. His guts where absorbed by a passing youkai, and he tasks Inuyasha with retrieving them without using the Tessaiga. After fighting a disguised youkai, he learns how to detect and attack the vortexes of youki that all youkai possess.

Episode 06: At the opening Naraku comes to absorb a youkai and human eating tree that was sealed long ago by Kikiyo. It’s becoming active again as the barrier fades from age and Kikiyo’s weakening, and Naraku tricks it into attacking him, consuming it himself and taking its youki piercing vines. Kouga briefly encounters Kikiyo who explains to him why his Shikon shards have been slowing him down at times. She tells him that she’ll take them peacefully or by force, but he refuses and runs off to continue his pursuit of Goryoumaru. Kouga’s quarry flies to confront Naraku, considering himself sufficiently powerful to meet him in battle. They fight as Kouga, Kikiyo, and Inuyasha’s groups converge on the area. There they witness Goryoumaru seemingly defeat and absorb Naraku, combining their Shikon shards. Inuyasha and Kouga attempt to slow him down, using the terrain to their advantage, but the Infant’s anti-youki barrier is preventing Inuyasha from finding the vertiexes in his energy. Kikiyo then informs Kagome and Sango of her plan, and despite Sango’s objections Kohaku is willing to sacrifice himself to the plan.

Naraku is a magnificent bastard though, and all is not as it seems. The Shikon shards have no combined and as Goryoumaru attempts to absorb Kouga, Inuyasha guesses correctly that the point of absorption is a vortex and has Kouga fire the Goraishi at the Tessaiga and then strikes this point. Making things worse for Goryoumaru inside his armored form Naraku has endured despite the attempt to consume him. And now inside the shell, normally unable to be pierced, he makes his move. The seemingly random acquisition of the youkai tree is now revealed to be integral to Naraku’s plan. The tree would consume youkai by penetrating their youki field and in the close quarters of Goryoumaru’s interior the vines easily work their way through the infant’s barrier. The tables are now turned and Goryoumaru is destroyed, the infant now a hostage to Naraku in his new form. At this point Miroku sees a chance to destroy him, heart and form now in the same place and vulnerable, and opens his wind tunnel. But this takes time and Miroku strains himself, the curse spreading through him as he draws Naraku in. He’s determined to end things here and not even blood pouring out from his eyes and mouth. In the end, only Inuyasha’s intervention prevents him from taking both himself and Naraku out, though his wounds are still grievous. Kikiyo offers to heal what she can, but notes that a body that has taken that kind of damage will never be fully restored.

Sorry if I’m a bit at a loss for commentary for these episodes. Episode 06 was significant in terms of storyline, but it didn’t give me much to speculate on as things were left up in the air on many fronts. Though Naraku reaffirmed himself as a worthy antagonist by his skillful use of specialized weaponry and deception to strike at the heart of Goryoumaru and the infant, reversing his seeming decline vis a vis Goryoumaru. Naraku was the original Big Bad, and he proved that he still holds the crown in this series.

Crusader’s Song of Sango and Other Observations

Filler aside Sango didn’t do terribly much while the monument to stupidity that that annoying baby created was powering up. Naraku wins yet again but so it was written. Miroku made Sango cry and I do lament how the lowly monk’s hand did not glow with an AWESOME POWER WHOSE LOUD ROAR TELLS HIM TO DEFEAT NARAKU. Oddly enough for once I am starting to like Kikyo more since she isn’t just a cold Miko anymore now that Kohaku is following her around. Wolf boy is starting to get on my nerves he can’t control the shards yet hopes to abuse their power… As fights go it was pretty meh Wolf Boy’s weapon was pretty much a non factor against the Mobile Armor more over Inuyahsa and Wolf boy are no 8th Team nor Immortal 4th Team and Mouryoumaru is no Norris Packard. Indeed Mobile Armor-san did chicken out and beat a brave retreat when the Lord of the West showed up to field test his newly reforged Narsil Tenseiga. Still the annoying baby is gone the Mobile Armor is now a pile of scrap and all that is left is Naraku and his new boy toy origami otaku. I guess that makes it a net plus before ep seven.