InuYasha, Volume 4

The InuYasha manga series is currently one of my favorites. Volume four I like because it has the thunder brothers in it. I like how Kagome claims that InuYasha is her true love, but when Hiten wants InuYasha to give him shikon shards in exchange for his "love", InuYasha doesn't try to play along with Kagome's little white lie, and InuYasha fights Hiten. Its very funny, and I like Shippo in this one. The story of the little girl spirit in this volume is a good story to. This is one of my favorite volumes. It's GREAT!! Kate

Volume 4 of Inuyasha features a battle between Inuyasha and the Thunder Brothers, Hiten and Manten, two demons whose power has multiplied due to the Shikon Jewel shards in their possession. Kagome has been kidnapped and is in danger of being boiled alive and used for hair tonic to treat Manten's practically bald scalp (He has like two hairs and thinks that if he had a full head of hair he would be a ladies man like his brother). It's up to Kagome and the little fox spirit Shippo to rescue her. Then Kagome must deal with a vengeful ghost child in the modern world, intent on taking the lives of her family. I will call her "mini-grudge"! The art is great as usual, and the battle scenes never become boring or repetitive as in some other manga. Probably because you like the characters so much that the fights are full of drama. There's also an emotional facet to Inuyasha that makes it unique, whether it's the death and orphanage of Shippo or the reasons why the little girl ghost is trying to kill her brother. And throw in a little romance while you're at it. Great read.

I wouldn't recommend reading this book if you haven't at least read the first book, and even then this might be confusing. It begins with a continuation of the confrontation that began in the third book. Kagome has been kidnapped by a pair of demons, the Thunder Brothers, but she manages to convince them that she'd be of more use to them alive than dead. They find Inu-yasha because they want the shards of the Shikon Jewel that he has, in order to increase their own demonic powers. In the second half of the book, Kagome is back in her own time period and trying to survive school. Unfortunately, she can never seem to get anything done without something supernatural appearing. Kagome has to somehow get a dead girl to find peace before the Tatari-mokke, a demon that plays with the ghosts of newly dead children, opens its eyes. The girl will go to hell if she can't find peace before then. The second part of the book is, I think, the first time that Kagome and Inu-yasha have ever done anything that didn't give them the possibility of recovering a shard of the Jewel. Rumiko Takahashi handles the death of a child and the idea of learning forgiveness very nicely in that second part.

I have to say that Inu Yasha is the BEST manga I have read! Just wonderful! The graphics may not be absoulty goregous but they are good enough to follow the story through in such away you become addicted! Kagome is also a WONDERFUl main character, she not your basic clutzy, ditzy, not-school-smart heroin that the other books have sterotyped to our leading ladys. I couldn't reccommened this manga enough! Yea, it maybe high-priced but its defentally worth it!

This book is a definite MUST-BUY for all Rumiko Takahashi fans, like me, or even just a manga fan. The story is interesting and it was easy for me to get hooked on it. Ever since I've been introduced to this manga, I have also given it to my friends to read and they all loved it. Before you read Inu-Yasha, though, you might also want to consider buying Ranma 1/2 to get you into the manga spirit. Ranma 1/2 is also by Rumiko Takahashi. It is easy reading, hillarious, and another MUST-BUY. I've read several reviews before I wrote this and Inu58 had mentioned an Inu-Yasha translations site, for those who want to get ahead and read their way up to book 13, which is what Japan is up to at this moment. The page is an excellent information site for new inu-yasha fans and those loyal fans who have to go through a painful week of waiting for a new translated chapter. For those who only know Pokemon, Sailormoon and Dragon Ball, I will have to say that ALL of Rumiko Takahashi's works are way better than any of those other manga. Unlike those, Rumiko Takahashi actually includes funny scenes and excellent drawings instead of tasteless humor and bad artwork. So, try this out (you may want to start with book one) and you are guaranteed to enjoy it as much as I have!