Inuyasha was a show based on Rumiko Takahashi’s works that I fell off of back in the day before it completed. A combination of heavy filler on a more conventional shonen action series, combined with the show’s very long length made it tricky for me to keep up with the show. When I learned that there was a sequel series due to come out, that was an anime original show, and was following the daughters of the first series protagonists, I was intrigued, and decided to try to keep up with the show this time. That show was Yashahime.

Yashahime does do a pretty good job of making the premise approachable for those who are unfamiliar with the original series. The show follows Towa and Setsuna, the half-demon twin daughters of Inuyasha’s brother, Sesshomaru, in feudal Japan. They’re separated at a very young age during a forest fire, during which time Towa not only is cut off from her sister, but also whisked to the present day. Towa is found by Sota Higurashi (Kagome’s brother), and is raised with the rest of his kids. Through some time-travel shenanigans, the now high-school-aged Towa and Setsuna are reunited in the past, along with Moroha, the quarter-demon daughter of Inuyasha and Kagome.

So, instead of the Shikon Jewel being the main focus of this series, instead the show shift’s its focus much more firmly on the characters. In the intervening years, Setsuna’s ability to dream, and much of her childhood memories, were taken by an entity called the “Dream Butterfly”, and only the Dream Butterfly can recover her ability to dream, and her memories of being with Towa before their separation.

The show’s narrative leans towards the moderately episodic – with a lot of the episodes forwarding the plot a little bit, or introducing a supporting character. That said, the show never really feels like it gets going until very late in the series, which is a problem, because the ending of the series ultimately ends up feeling somewhat rushed, with several plot threads left very much hanging, and a significant cliffhanger regarding the fate of one of the big 3 characters (without getting into spoilers).

While the series has been green-lit for a second season, which is good considering how it ends and that it’s an anime original show, it’s something of an awkward conclusion to this first season. I’m going to keep watching once season 2 comes out, but it’s something that makes it hard to recommend.

Yashahime is currently available for streaming on Crunchyroll and Funimation.

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