Yashahime was a sequel series to Inuyasha that was somewhat unique by the fact that it was a completely anime-original story, with a new generation of characters, that Rumiko Takahashi was not actively involved in. The first season felt somewhat aimless, though, and going in I had concerns that the second season would be similarly directionless. Thankfully, this is not the case.

Instead, the second season of Yashahime is all about tying up loose ends. Children are reunited with their parents (both heroic parents and villainous parents), and the heroic parents get freed from their varying forms of magical imprisonment. The world is saved from the relevant horrific threat. It’s all a very conclusive resolution to the series.

Additionally, we do also get some serious character growth to some of the members of the core trio who got short shrift last season. In particular, Moroha, who was something of a comic relief character last season, this time has a full side-story where she takes on a solo job. This arc does a tremendous job of letting the character shine – showcasing her cleverness and ingenuity. There’s a similarly strong arc for Setsuna – where Setsuna, having been temporarily de-powered for certain astrological reasons while on a side-job of her own, and after having had her ability to sleep restored, puts together a Home Alone-esque series of booby-traps to deal with the demons on that job, while she sleeps her de-powered state off.

That said, the animation for this season still isn’t necessarily something to write home about – it’s exactly as good as the animation for the majority of last season. Instead, the show is very much dependent on the writing and character relationships to carry the series. Consequently, if you didn’t have any investment in the cast going into this series, there may not be much for you.

Ultimately, I was invested enough going in to keep going, and I’m glad I finished the journey.

Both seasons of Yashahime are currently available for streaming on Crunchyroll.

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