InuYasha: Set 6 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

InuYasha: Set 6 Blu-ray Movie Review

An epic chapter fans won't want to miss.

InuYasha: Set 6 is the last collection of episodes in the original run. Based on the original manga by creator Rumiko Takahashi (Ranma ½, Urusei Yatsura), InuYasha later returns with InuYasha: The Final Act (which adapted the later installments of the manga). The sixth collection includes the following episodes: 140-167. With animation by Sunrise (Cowboy Bebop), InuYasha is a gem.

The epic journey of InuYasha reaches towards its grand finale: the entire group descends in to new challenges on their mission. InuYasha and Kagome are inching closer to finding the final missing Shikon Jewel. The stakes have never been higher than this leg of the journey.

As the last stage of the journey unfolds, InuYasha must also face the wrath of the enemy Naraku. Can InuYasha and Kagome find the strength to defeat Naraku once and for all? The beginning of the end has at last arrived.

InuYasha has a great cast of characters leading the story. Rumiko Takahashi is a creative genius and her important legacy is felt throughout the anime. The characters are central to the experience. InuYasha is a compelling lead with a compelling back-story.

InuYasha struggles with the fact that he is half-human and half-demon. The half-demon element of the storyline explores the darkness within InuYasha and his journey to overcoming that darkness. The contrast is a wonderful metaphor for the journey of all humankind.

The epic conclusion... until next time.

Kagome is a fantastic character on the series. As one of the most charming characters on InuYasha, Kagome is bold, brave, and strong. She is an anchor to InuYasha and manages to often save the day. The other supporting cast of characters make a solid impression as well (and are all key to the long-term success of the anime).

The animation is breathtaking. There is a sense of majesty throughout the production. The line art is exquisite. Background animation is mesmerizing and iconic. The series has outstanding art. A terrfic selection of character-designs help the series excel even further. Under the art direction of Shigemi Ikeda (My Hero Academia), InuYasha is one of the best-drawn anime series.

The action sequences continue to impress as well. There is something to be said about the consistently entertaining action scenes. InuYasha delivers action-packed-fun in spades. Fans of the action genre should consider it a home-run success.

The score composed by Kaoru Wada (Samurai 7) shines bright. The music is a wonderful piece of the puzzle. The music helps the storytelling unfold. Wada creates effective character themes and also has capably highlighted the journey of these characters. The action scenes are given more weight and artistic relevance as well.

Adapted by Katsuyuki Sumisawa (Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball Z), InuYasha is a well-written series. It capably brings to life the original manga by Rumiko Takahashi. Sumisawa is a dependable anime screenwriter and the effort brought to the table for InuYasha is commendable. Though the sixth collection doesn't adapt the last arc of the manga series, it represented a temporary “end” until production began again. Sumisawa did a solid job of giving a sense of momentary closure.

Director Yasunao Aoki delivers action-packed fun (as fans have come to expect from InuYasha). Featuring superb direction, InuYasha: Set 6 offers more rousing adventures. The epic tales are entertaining and enlightening. A nice send-off to the original run of episodes.

InuYasha: Set 6 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from VIZ Media, InuYasha: Set 6 is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame. InuYasha looks remarkable in high-definition. Though the release is sourced from standard- definition video, the presentation is a worthwhile one.

The presentation shines with excellent color reproduction. The animation is well highlighted on the release. Though the source-material won't ever appear as robust or crisp as native high-definition material, InuYasha still looks impressive with a solid upscale.

The sixth collection of episodes continues to be an improvement over some of the earlier collections. With the beginning sets of InuYasha on the format, an occasional frame-drop happened (and was a slight distraction). The egregious issue is no longer such a problem. Fans will be pleased with the results of the encoding.

InuYasha: Set 6 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio tracks: Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo (with English subtitles) and English DTS-HD Master Audio. The lossless audio tracks are impressive. Dialogue is clear and easy to understand. The original score is well preserved and integrated. Subtitle options include a selection of songs/signs (as selected from the main-menu) in addition to the standard options. The encoding is worthwhile.

InuYasha: Set 6 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Clean Opening & Ending:

Clean Opening – Angelus (HD, 2:00)

Clean Ending – Change the World

Clean Ending – Brand-New World

Clean Ending – My Will

"Who's in the Well?" includes 25 click-through images for a mini-game in which the image is blurred out. After clicking on the page tab, the character and name is revealed on each page.

"Down the Well: Inside the Feudal Fairytale" (HD, 7:43)

The Finale with the Japanese Cast (SD, 7:53)

Q&A with the English Language voice cast (SD, 18:34)

More from VIZ (HD, 1:59)

InuYasha: Set 6 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

InuYasha: Set 6 serves as the final collection of episodes in the original series run. InuYasha would later return with more episodes in InuYasha: The Final Act (adapting additional chapters of the manga series by creator Rumiko Takahashi). InuYasha is one of the most entertaining anime series of all time: the production excels with outstanding characters, beautiful animation, and exciting action-packed fun. Exploring feudal-era Japan and a fight against demon-monsters, InuYasha is one of the most creative anime series. Fans will cherish InuYasha for many years to come. The Blu-ray release from VIZ has a impressive video-audio presentation and a small (but appreciable) selection of bonus features. Highly recommended.