InuYasha, Volume 33

I have to admit that for the last few volumes, I've felt like the InuYasha series was just treading water. But in this volume the story and InuYasha and Kagome's abilities actually advance. InuYasha, Kagome and crew travel to the land of the dead to find the final unaccounted for shard of the Shikon jewel, which is located inside the corpse of InuYasha's father and is guarded by Lord Hosenki, who previously created the black pearl for InuYasha. The battle that ensues is intense, made moreso when they are joined by Naraku, and InuYasha's brother Sessho-Maru. Rumiko Takahashi's artwork is, as always, superb. Her action sequences are full of energy and her characterization is flawless. One of my favorite things about InuYasha has been the creative demons. The story arc that starts at the end of this volume and carries into the next introduces a new creepy creature to give you nightmares. All in all, I enjoyed this volume more than I have the past ten.