NoaIzumiAnime Review: Inuyasha, Swords of an Honorable Ruler
May 29th 2009 02:14
When an evil sword once owned by their father escapes, Inuyasha must join forces with his half-brother Sesshomaru to recapture it. But they have to find a way to put their rivalry aside first, or the whole world will be in danger of being sucked into hell itself.
Lord Sesshomaru has made appearances in the previous movies, but now he takes center stage as he and Inuyasha have to take care of some family business. Swords of an Honorable Ruler came out around the airing of the fifth or sixth season, so by now Sesshomaru and Inuyasha have on occasion set aside their differences and worked together, but never on something as important and personal as this. This is a story the fans have been waiting for.
This movie is the cap to Sesshomaru’s development over the course of the series. Originally, and this is shown in the first scene of the movie, all Sesshomaru wanted was to be a powerful demon lord. Over the course of the TV show, he starts to understand that great power is meaningless unless there’s some purpose to it, and that lesson crystallizes for him in Swords of an Honorable Ruler.
As for the Sesshomaru-Inuyasha angle, the development is more subtle. Even after working together, they don’t walk off arm-in-arm, swearing loyalty to each other forever. They’re rivals in the series, they’re rivals here, and will probably always be so. But like it or not, Sesshomaru and Inuyasha will also always be brothers, and there is an unspoken realization of that bond by the time the credits roll.
Although he doesn’t get much screen time, the third main character is Inuyasha’s and Sesshomeru’s father. Even counting this movie, we don’t see much of him in the anime at all, but he’s a great influence on both of his boys. Much of Inuyasha’s and Sesshomaru’s development in the series can be traced to their father’s example, and more light is shed on that here. The emotional focus on the father and the brothers is a refreshing change from the Kagome-Inuyasha-centric character of the first two movies.
Plot-wise, unlike the other movies, this is not a villain-of-the-week type of story (at least not as much). The sword Sounga was created for this film, but it fits well within the Inuyasha mythos. Looking back through the episodes, it makes sense that this confrontation is exactly what their father was trying to prepare Inyasha and Sesshomaru for all along.
Extras: Footage from the series of the various Inuyasha-Sesshomaru confrontations, line art gallery, trailers
Great moments: Lord Seshomeru saves Rin in the nick of time (he really is quite dashing), Inuyasha saves Kagome from the “volleyball demon”.
Summary: Highly recommended, especially for Sesshomaru fans. The best of the movies. Grade: A.
Age rating: 13 and up. Violence against demons, an army of rather scary zombie warriors, a vision of Hell.
| 27 |
| Vote |
Add To: 
