Inuyasha. Just the mentioning of that name brings up smiles & squeels in it’s fans, and frowns & growls in those that hate it. True, some things have occurred during the show’s airing that riled up some cages, but this review isn’t about the show. This review is about one of the movies that came out during the show’s airing. So, here’s a look at the second Inuyasha movie, The Castle Beyond The Looking Glass.
With a story written by the famous Rumiko Takahashi, and a screenplay done by Katsuyuki Sumisawa, The Castle Beyond The Looking Glass was released back in December 21, 2002, and Viz Media released it in the United States on December 28, 2004. The events of the film take placed between episodes 95 & 96: things start out in a small abandoned hut. The night sky is studded with stars, and the moon is nowhere to be seen. Things then move to one of the key starts of this film, Inuyasha, who’s currently in his human form because of the moon. Everyone else in the gang (Kagome, Sango, Shippo, and Miroku) is outside the hut protected their comrade from the advancing Naraku. He comes in a destroys the hut, but now it’s morning, and Inuyasha is back to his normal half-demon self. After an intense fight, Naraku is defeated, and the suffering that had befallen some of the crew disappears. After a moment of reflection, everybody goes their separate ways.
However, the peace doesn’t last long. Naraku’s two surviving minions, Kagura and Kanna, travel to a small shrine hidden within a watery forest grove. Inside the shrine is a mirror, of which Kaguya, the infamous Princess of the Heavens, resides. She commands the two to retrieve certain objects that can free her from the confines of the mirror, allowing her to go with her plan to plunge the world into a realm where the full moon is always around. Naturally, this machination of evil reunites the gang in an effort to stop the trio’s plan, and stick around with each other once again.
This goes into the first positive of the movie. All of what goes on is typical, standard Inuyasha stuff: a happy-go-lucky crew, somewhat predictable villains, an equally somewhat predictable story from beginning to end (though this movie does have a few twists and turns in it). It’s things like these that cause those who hate Inuyasha to bust a nerve, and throw a conipshinfit. Fans of Inuyasha (including myself), on the other hand, like all of this stuff. It’s kinda like DBZ in a way, only a bit more happy, things are a bit more sensitive and emotional, and charging attacks don’t carry over to multiple episodes.
The second positive of The Castle Beyond The Looking Glass is the visuals. Unlike the shows, which at times seems outdated and rough around the edges, this movie (as well as the other 3 films) looks more modern and smooth. The characters, whether primary or secondary, look and move more realistically. If you never watch any of the Inuyasha films before, you’d assume that it was released in the later half of last decade. Me, I think it looks like something that came out in the middle of last decade.
The voice acting comes is the next positive of this film. All of the voice actors that worked on the show have come back to reprise their roles. Essentially, everything as far as speaking and other vocal sounds is concerned, is the same as in the normal show. If you liked the dubbing of the show, then you’re going to like the dubbing in this movie.
The availability and pricing of The Castle Beyond The Looking Glass are the final positives of this film. Despite being almost a decade old in the states, there are still plenty of copies over on Amazon. As I type, there are 33 new DVDs and 44 used DVDs on the website. The new copies start at $11.46, while the used copies start at $2.59. As you can see, that’s a massive gap in terms of price, yet buying either of them really won’t put a damper on your wallet. So, have a go at which ever one suits your fancy.
Yet, despite how enjoyable The Castle Beyond The Looking Glass is, there are two negatives that for some (partially including myself), act like white elephants in a black room. The first of these white elephants is how predictable things can be. While it isn’t on level with the show, the way the characters interact with each other, as well as how the story plays out, is relatively predictable. Anime fans that dislike/hate/loathe Inuyasha will gripe at this, but I didn’t have a problem with how the story played out. On the other hand...
Kagome. What can I say. It’s a love/hate relationship with me as far as I’m concerned. On the one hand, I love her kindness, her understanding of those that can’t always defend themselves, and her occasional airhead moments. Also for the most part, I like her voice. The only time I don’t like her voice is when she whines, and holy hellraiser does she whine in this movie. Fortunately, you only her these moments of earsplitting pain a little bit in the beginning, a little more in the middle, and the rest of it at the end. Everytime I hear her whine, it rings in my ears for at least the rest of the day.
The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass gets a 8 out of 10. It’s standard Inuyasha fare, the visuals are better than the show, the voice acting is the same as that of the show, and the pricing and availability are nice, but it’s somewhat predictable, and bloody damnit does Kagome whine.
Until later tonight or sometime Sunday, when I reveal something very personal to you all. Stay Otaku in the meantime!
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