Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon - Season 1, Part 1 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon - Season 1, Part 1 Blu-ray Movie Review

The return of InuYasha.

YashaHime: Princess Half Demon has arrived. Season 1, Part 1 begins the epic journey. YashaHime: Princess Half Demon is the triumphant return of InuYasha – and new adventures await. The series is based on the original characters from the InuYasha manga created by Rumiko Takahashi. Produced by Hisakazu Naka, the series features animation by studio Sunrise (Cowboy Bebop, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing).

Towa Higurashi (Sara Matsumoto) and Setsuna (Mikako Komatsu) reunite for the first time (after ten years apart from one another). After reuniting after so many years, the twins discover they are in fact the daughters of Sesshomaru. Joining forces with the daughter of Kagome and InuYasha, Moroha (Azusa Tadokoro), Towa and Setsuna set out on a new mission: to unlock the mystery of their past.

The series picks up after InuYasha: The Final Act. The saga continues to explore the original cast of characters. Meanwhile, YashaHime: Princess Half Demon has found an exciting way to integrate a assortment of new characters (with the focus being on Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha. It is nice to see these characters given a chance to help expand the storytelling universe of InuYasha.

The animation looks outstanding. YashaHime: Princess Half Demon is a remarkably beautiful anime series. The art work is exquisite and complex. There is something profoundly beautiful about the production and the wonderful artistry imbued. The animators clearly invested a lot of time into developing the series animation.

Featuring animation direction by Yoshihito Hishinuma (InuYasha, Turn A Gundam), who also handles the character designs for YashaHime: Princess Half Demon as well, Hishinuma has brought an “A” grade approach to the table. The line art is effective, background art makes a solid impression, and character designs are effective for both the original cast and new characters.

The epic continues.

The cinematography by Shigemi Ogawa (InuYasha, Cowboy Bebop: The Movie) shines bright. The series has a remarkable sense of cinematic storytelling which Ogawa imbues in to the production. Ogawa brings forth a filmic and naturalistic quality to the production. The visuals are crisp and compelling: showcasing a strong aura of light.

The score composed by Kaoru Wada (InuYasha, Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight) is one of the best elements of the sequel. YashaHime: Princess Half Demon has fantastic original music. The score builds on the original InuYasha series and finds new ways to help explore these characters and their world. The score effectively helps showcase the action-packed majesty of the production.

Written by Katsuyuki Sumisawa (InuYasha, Dragon Ball), YashaHime: Princess Half Demon has a lot of ambition. The series aims to expand on the original InuYasha tale and bring something new to the table at the same time. Fans of the original series will want to explore this new sequel. The original characters return and the new characters offer something compelling for this experience as well. Compelling.

Directed by Teruo Sato (InuYasha, InuYasha: The Final Act), YashaHime: Princess Half Demon is a showcase for the fine artistry of action-anime. Sato is a gifted director with a clear sense of making visually compelling animation. Director Sato provides YashaHime: Princess Half Demon with the chops necessary for great action-packed fun.

Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon - Season 1, Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from VIZ Media, YashaHime: Princess Half Demon is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The presentation is top-notch on the release. The series looks as lush and detailed as the best anime productions: the art work is crystal clear and the cinematography shines brightly.

Color reproduction stuns. The anime has impressively detailed line art and the encoding does a solid job of preserving the efforts of the animators. The action-scenes are effectively showcased. A solid encode by VIZ Media.

Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon - Season 1, Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo (with English subtitles) and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. The high-resolution audio tracks are impressive. Dialogue is crisp, clear, and easy to understand. The music score is well reproduced and is effectively integrated in to the sound mix. The sound effects are well balanced. The action scenes have noteworthy LFE. A solid audio mix by VIZ.

Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon - Season 1, Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc 1:

Episode 1 Audio Commentary

Episode 2 Audio Commentary

Disc 2:

Clean Opening & Clean Ending (HD, 3:02)

Art Gallery featuring 50 click-through illustrations.

More from VIZ (HD, 1:07)

Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon - Season 1, Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

YashaHime Princess Half Demon is an entertaining and action-packed thrill ride. Fans of the original InuYasha anime series will want to explore the sequel saga. The first set contains the introduction to new characters and the new world-building. The Blu-ray release has an exceptional video-audio presentation and a nice selection of bonus features. Highly recommended.