#and the same for any other potential children he and Kagome has

[creative-hanyou-girl]

You guys know on how InuYasha, the few times he talks about it, badmouths his father and says he doesn't care to avenge his death when he battles Ryukoltsei?

I wonder if InuYasha starts to regret his mindset towards his father once he himself becomes a father. Or at the very least, he starts to understand his father better. Especially if you want to go by the Movie 2 canon where part of Toga's death was from protecting InuYasha and his mom.

Just makes me wonder if InuYasha looks at Moroha or any of his other children and has the thought that it'd break his heart if any of his kids felt resentment towards him like he felt for his own father, especially when everything he ever does is to protect them. And I wonder if it makes InuYasha start to look at his father's memory differently, now that he's a parent himself and would do anything and everything to protect his kids, even if it meant dying and leaving them without a father.

Not that he'd go and try to get himself killed, as he wants to actually be alive so they don't have to grow up like he did, but you know he'd sacrifice himself if it meant his children could live, just like his father did for him (according to movie 2).

I don't know, I just wonder if InuYasha starts to ever regret the way he looked at his father's memory back when he was a teen once he becomes a father to Moroha and starts to understand his father's actions as a parent now that he himself is a parent. Ya know what I mean?

[mrfeenysmustache]

Banner art by @cakeit0n

Drabbles written for February Discord Drabble Night!

Prompt 1: Eternal

Word count: 100

Popcorn sucked.

And so did soda.

And so did Candy.

And so did the sound of 30 other humans chewing and drinking in a cramped room.

And so did the smell of stale, sticky air.

And so did the overly loud, tinny speakers.

And so did-

“Thanks for bringing me to see this tonight Sessho, I know how uncomfortable theaters make you.”

A squeeze of fingers, a kiss on the cheek, a rush of sweet scent.

Maybe he was being unfair.

He kissed her hand.

Maybe The Eternals had a better story than the last movie she’d drug him to.

Prompt 2: Potential

Word count: 100

Kagome’s eyes widened beyond what should have been possible as Sesshomaru took her at her word and “got comfortable.”

When she’d nervously invited him to her hut for tea after his visit with Rin she’d half expected him to say no, but she’d been thrilled to spend more time with him when he’d accepted.

But now he was stripping off his armor and shaking off mokomoko, sitting causally against her wall in just a silk kimono.

The potential for disaster had just gone way way up.

“So… TEA!?” She asked and he nodded serenely, his beauty unruffled.

She couldn’t relate.

Prompt 3: Lasting

Word count: 100

“It is a what?” Sesshomaru asked, one brow cocked as he stared down at the tiny red ball in the palm of his hand.

“Everlasting Gobstopper, a candy from my time! I brought some for every one to try.”

It thrilled him that she included him in the little treats she brought through the well, evidence of their growing closeness, fuel for his hope for more.

But he didn’t know what to do with this.

“You eat it. It’s like sweet food.”

He put it in his mouth.

He bit down.

The Miko laughed, and he couldn’t help but smile.

Prompt 4: Worn

Word count: 100

The path he would take was well worn,and the footsteps he would follow were easy to see and step right into.

ALL in his line before him had taken this path, all… except his father.

He’d been so eager to bypass his fathers deviation from the plan, to pass by this little foot path and sneer at it as he left it behind for what it was:

Weakness. Foolishness.

Abomination.

“Sesshomaru-sama, do inu have any stories about the stars? Humans do.”

Kagome leaned her head on his shoulder, and he paused on the path carved for him.

And stepped off.

Prompt 5: Fade

Word count: 100

“Oh my gods… what did you do?! Kagome screeched, and Sesshomaru hesitated in the doorway of their home.

“You said you were going for a haircut!”

“I did. It is called a ‘fade.’”

“THAT’S not a haircut Sesshomaru, that’s a hair massacre!”

“You are being dramatic, Kagome, it will grow back out within the month. My hair has been the same for centuries.”

“EXACTLY!! It’s been how I like it for centuries!! Now it’s all gone! Oh all the beautiful hair, swept up and tossed in the garbage!”

Sesshomaru sighed and pulled Kagome into his arms.

“It. Will. Grow.”

Prompt 6: Endure

Word count: 100

“I can’t go on.”

“You have to.”

“I cannot.”

“This was your idea Sesshomaru!”

“And I was wrong.”

“GET UP! GO!”

“It is too much.”

“Sesshomaru please, everyone is staring!”

“Because you are so beautiful.”

“Sesshomaru this is a damn IKEA, not a beauty pageant! They’re staring because you’re blocking the whole display! YOU’RE the one who wanted to save some money on bath towels this time, now get up and I’ll get you as many meatballs as you can handle.”

He sighed.

Sometimes it hurt how unsympathetic his mate was to his hardships.

But for meatballs, he would endure.

Prompt 7: Ageless

Word count: 100

Time changed a lot of things.

Children came and grew up.

Human friends aged and passed on.

The world morphed and transformed as technologies changed and landscapes adapted.

And some 500 years after she fell down a well, went on an unbelievable adventure and ultimately fell in love with a formidable, immortal Demon….

Kagome was happy to see that nothing was ageless.

Laugh lines creased around their mouths, and the shimmery luster of Sesshomaru’s hair dulled just at his temples.

They actually LOOKED like they’d walked all those centuries together.

Sesshomaru smiled, and his eyes crinkled.

That was her favorite.

Prompt 8: Relic

Word count: 100

“What I am about to show you, Kagome, is a priceless relic from a time long past.”

She nodded, heart racing, as she watched Sesshomaru unlock the door of the storage closet in his apartment she’d never been in.

Reuniting with Sesshomaru in the modern era had been her salvation after the well had refused to let her in. YEARS she’d tried, and she hadn’t given up until she’d run into HIM.

Their friendship had been necessary, their love welcome but unexpected.

And now he was sharing bits of his past.

“Wait, that’s…”

“An original 1980 Pac-Man arcade machine.”

“…oh.”

Prompt 9: Timeless

Word count: 100

“I thought it was ‘timeless,’ Kagome. Is that not what you told me when we ripped up boards and put in those terrazzo floors you insisted you needed? And was timelessness not your excuse for needing to cover the hideous nature of THOSE with the revolting shag carpets? And then it was timelessness again when we had the carpets cut out and the decorative tiles put in. WHAT, pray tell, are you trying to convince me is ‘timeless’ this time?”

She winced and held up her catalog.

“Kagome, We STARTED with wood floors!”

“And THAT’S how you know they’re timeless!”

Prompt 10: Human/Mortal

Word count: 100

“How do you know you’re immortal?”

“I have watched many ages come and go, and yet I remain.”

“But that’s not immortality, that’s just longevity.”

“And how would you define Immortality then, little human priestess?”

Kagome giggled and curled up against his chest, twisting her fingers into his hair, her heart into his soul.

“Completely unkillable, like a god. You can die, that automatically makes you mortal.”

“And how do you know I am not a god?”

She burst out laughing.

“Gods don’t get gassy when they eat too many-“

He rolled them over and silenced her with a kiss.

[thefrostqueen]

Hanyo no Yashahime

Season 1 Review

It’s review time

Hanyo no Yashahime is the sequel to the classic anime InuYasha, in which a teen from present day travels back to Feudal Japan where demons and magic are very much a reality. The sequel follows the children of the main characters from InuYasha and puts them on their own adventure to save the world.

Note: All opinions are my own. This is a critical review of entertainment media, and will include criticism. If you do not agree, then simply ignore.

The Plot

Early on, it was established that Towa and company would seek out the dream butterfly and get back Setsuna’s dreams/sleep. Treekyo told them they would have to defeat Sesshomaru and Kirinmaru. After many episodes, this plot line was unimportant and almost discarded. Passing and fleeting, the true motive of the girls quest is sporadic and mentioned sparingly, and for many episodes it seemed they were only there to slay high level demons.

Mysteries and questions were extremely abundant and established early on, and as the episodes went by, it was clear they wouldn’t be answered. At least this season. One thing the fandom has noticed is how many questions there are, and how in some crazy way sunrise managed to withhold all answers and key plot points from the plot for so long. Treekyo? Not that important apparently. Her prophecy? Never mentioned again. The dream butterfly? Seen not explained. It’s connection to Kirinmaru and Zero? Contradicted in the show. InuYasha and Kagome? Just as forgotten as Moroha when there is a fight.

The pacing of this show was all over the place and inconsistent, providing too much focus on filler in some episodes and not enough plot in others. And in the episodes where we got to come back to the main story, we would get info dumps. I mentioned in my mid-season review how info dumps are cheap in the scheme of writing and plot outline, and I’ll say it again because I was surprised as the episodes went on how inconsistent everything was getting.

Now, don’t get me wrong, InuYasha had lots of fillers too, but unlike Yashahime, they established a lot of exposition and plot within the first 12 episodes; we got the main characters and their ambitions/conflicts, the main villain, the dual antagonist (Sesshomaru, at least he was a villain for a bit anyway) and the basics of the magic system was established and explained. Yashahime did set up the character’s goals, but the character’s quickly seemed to forget them, while in InuYasha their goal of finding the jewel shards was always at the forefront of the majority of the episodes. The main villain was supposedly Kirinmaru (his careless attitude throughout most of the show did not provide the antagonistic “high stakes”) and he sent demons to battle the girls, but the girls were so overpowered and perfected their powers so quickly that the demons provided no real challenge or added any stakes or drama.

The ability/powers of characters were retconned. This was odd and not something I expected. One of the most notable examples is how certain abilities are apparently genetic and inherited through dna instead of through the swords that harbored them like the original series established. An example is Moroha’s “Crimson Backlash Wave” where it mimics the ability Tessaiga has where it sends an opponent’s own demonic attack right back at them, destroying them with their own demonic energy. Moroha does not use Tessaiga, she uses Kurikaramaru. The backlash wave was said to be unique to Tessaiga, and only able to be used with Tessaiga, but that lore was weirdly chosen to be retconned. It is unclear wether or not this will be expanded upon in season 2.

In episode 19 of Yashahime, there was blatant homophobia and transphobia. No excuse, there was. InuYasha also had homophobic and transphobic characters. Yashahime could have changed that, but it perpetuated that instead, and it was extremely disappointing. In episode 20, Shiori, a beloved character from the original series, is shown changing into her human form during a solar eclipse. Yashahime chose to whitewash the character by lightening her dark skin. In InuYasha, several characters had darker skin, like InuYasha himself, and when he turned into his human form, his skin would stay the same. There is no excuse for this. Both of these episodes blighted Yashahime’s potential to step away from those things, but it continued to do it instead.

The final episode of the show was fast and full of unanswered questions. The dream butterfly was still not explained, Rin did not wake up, InuYasha and Kagome were not even mentioned, let alone released, and Kirinmaru parented Towa and Setsuna better than their own father. Zero flees, using spider silk (she strangely has many parallels with Naraku, even down to spider imagery) and sets herself up to be the main villain. And Setsuna dies, and Sesshomaru doesn’t seem that worried at all. It was interesting however to see Kirinmaru fight the girls, and he basically began teaching them about their moves and powers. Another interesting aspect was how Sesshomaru is apparently, potentially, time traveling. He shows up and hands Towa the Tensiaga, and the rain stops, and when she takes it, the rain starts again. Towa looks up and it is shown Sesshomaru has vanished instantaneously.

The Characters

Towa Higurashi: In the first two episodes, Towa was portrayed as a tomboy who kicked ass and cared for her family. She was confident and had ambition. Once she came to the feudal era however, her entire personality changed. Her surroundings and the people/beings she met were indeed something she had never encountered, but she suddenly became a moralist, and cautioned Setsuna and Moroha to never fight, despite she herself being notorious in modern day for fighting bullies and bad people. It is almost like her fighting persona in modern day had never happened. Overall, it felt her character was overly gullible, and though she meant well, her sudden drop from “school fighter” to “naive moralist” was odd and seemed to contradict the character they set up in the first three episodes.

Setsuna: Like father like daughter, Setsuna retains her father’s most iconic personality traits, and is focused on her ambitions and remains cautious around people and demons alike. She was, perhaps, the one out of the three princesses to have the most backstory and character focus (despite Towa being the main character) The mystery of her connection with the dream butterfly was genuinely interesting, though it did feel like it dragged on for too long in certain aspects (some lore even felt contradicted) Writing wise, Setsuna felt the most consistently written character of the three girls, both in personality and in development.

Moroha: The perfect mix of her parents, Moroha has had little to few familial relationships and friendships in her life. Her goal of earning money seemed petty at first, but when Moroha finally got her own episode, it was revealed to have a deeper meaning. That episode highlighted Moroha’s strength and perseverance. What was a poor move on behalf of Yashahime’s writers was the strange choice to constantly omit Moroha from vital fights (and even basic fights) It happened pretty much every time, and Moroha was never around for key information about her parents or their quest. It is unclear why her being there for the information would be a bad thing. Her relationship with Towa and Setsuna was shallow, and their bonding had no real emotional impact. In fact, Towa and Setsuna openly mention how they need her for her abilities, not because they like her. The one episode they tried to make them bond fell flat due to the lack of build up and relationship development.

Conclusion

Hanyo no Yashahime was inconsistent and fell flat with several character relationships and motivations. Plot point execution was sporadic and lacked emotional depth and coherent understanding, leaving viewers more confused than awed. Characters from InuYasha were out of character and felt hollow; some of them were not even involved as much as one would think and one didn’t even show up. Kirinmaru is perhaps the most interesting new character to come out of the series, and his respect for the Great Dog Demon has led him to enter a deal with Sesshomaru, and even protect the three princesses. This contradicts several actions he took, and makes a compelling mystery in certain aspects. In conclusion, the show felt rushed and lacked emotional and character depth, and presented several problematic and harmful themes.

Note: Again, all opinions are my own. You are free to comment, but please be respectful.

[abouthoundsandlittlebirds]

I've really been enjoying your theory posts! I mean at this point I don't think they're likely to come true, but it's still fun. And I think the reason they are so fun is because they're just so much more interesting than how HNY is actually going. The reason it's so hard to see Rin in the girls is because, well, there just isn't much to Rin. Her character design is kind of generic. Her coloring is basic, her eyes and face shape are the same as every other child character. She doesn't have any special powers or weapons or even personality traits to pass down. Like sure she is "kind" but so are Kagome and Sango. Being rescued isn't a special ability. It's too bad, I would have loved to see how Rin develops as an adult, she could have been a medical specialist and her children doctors, or a tajiya with her own special techniques and weapons to pass down, but no she never had the opportunity because Sunrise made her too busy giving birth.

Let's be honest and say that every child character offers a good potential to work in a sequel, since they are just like clay and can be molded into anything.

However, Sunrise simply destroyed Rin's character and it was not only because they paired her with Sesshomaru, but because they didn't give her a backstory.

When you see Rin's character in this sequel all you can feel is pity. Rin was designed as a teenager and they portrayed her as child. I can't see a teenager full of personality or a mature woman there. All I can see is a child that didn't have an infancy. She can't play with her toys or with her own children. She was left behind for anyone that she once cared about and instead of becoming strong she lost her life one more time as a sacrificial lamb... Tell me, how can someone see this character and think that she is an example to be followed or worth of admiration? SHE SUCKS!

If Rin was supposed to be a sad character, then they did a poor job. Take Kikyo for instance. Kikyo was the depression herself, yet she was loved/hated and had personality. It is impossible to discharge her from InuYasha OG, because you can't imagine the OG show without her. You can love or hate her, but you can't ignore her. Now, with Rin the situation is another. She could easily be replaced by any character. Even Kaede would've been a great mother than her. Kanna that was the youkai of nothingness was more complete than her, even Akago had more to offer, and he was only an evil baby holding a blue ball that meant nothing in the end... Geez.

Everyone is having some kind of denial regarding Hanyo no Yashahime. I'm creating and sharing these theories because I refuse to accept that the same group that did InuYasha is airing something so bland, after all those interviews telling us to wait for something huge. Yet, all that Sunrise gave us was a controversial show with a boring script.

Imo they should've followed what was intended in InuYasha OG, when they made Rin looks like Kagome, meaning that they were relatives. Seeing Rin becoming a powerful priestess and explaining where Kagome's powers came from (not from Kikyo's soul, but through her bloodline) would be more interesting, especially because the Higurashi family is a temple owner for generations. I confess that I'd love to see Rin being closer to Kohaku (it doesn't need to be a love relationship, though), because they both experienced sad moments as a child and would understand each other best while growing up. I don't like the way they did Kohaku knows nothing regarding Rin, even if they lived in the same village and used to be close before (he didn't even know that she gave birth).

This show has so many holes for us to turn into theories that sometimes I hope that they won't lose more potential working only with the shallow info that they've released so far. The characters deserve better, just like the audience deserves better.

Thank you so much for your nice words and support! It's always nice to know that we are not alone in the world, because someone over there have similar thoughts.

[chenoehi]

Thoughts on Ep. 15: Koga, Moroha, Zero, Riku, and Kirinmaru

First, now that good boy Koga is back in the game, a fun theory/headcanon I’ve had is that Moroha’s sword is actually Koga’s sword—you know the one he always carries around but never uses? They look the same as far as I can tell, and I noticed that immediately in addition to the other hints she was raised by the wolves (which I think most of us suspected, but it’s lovely to have it confirmed). That or the sword came from the wolf tribe at least, it resembles the kind of sword Ayame has, too. With the confirmation of Ep. 15 this theory is now becoming more likely.

Also, I just have to say that as devastating as it is that Kagome and Inuyasha did not get to raise their daughter and that they felt betrayed by Sesshomaru after coming to trust him (I absolutely believe he is helping them, not hurting them), it is comforting knowing that Koga had a hand in raising their daughter. He loved Kagome and treated well, having so much affection and respect for her by the end. He even showed some compassion for Inuyasha (in his own way). You can say he became their friend rather than simply being their ally. The fact that they trusted him to protect their child speaks volumes. And did you see how proud he looked when Hachi brought her to the tribe? Moroha is not his child but you know he will treat her like one. We don’t know the details yet of who raised her exactly or how she came to be separated from the wolves, but I have full confidence that Ayame and Koga treat Moroha like their own.

I know some people are sad that Miroku and Sango did not raise her, but knowing the threat against her and that their human friends already had a young family to take care of, it makes sense they would want to hide her away. And although it would have been perfect if Moroha could have lived in the barrier and been safe with her cousins (and possibly Rin), but again we’re not sure of the details yet.

Obviously, Inuyasha knew of the threat against Moroha’s life from Kagome who learned about it from Riku (a comment on that in a minute). I think the swiftness of everything and Moroha’s being sent away rather than being protected behind a barrier like the twins may be due to how immediate the threat became once Kirinmaru was awoken.

What’s unclear is 1. how long after Moroha’s birth is she whisked away? 2. why did they go somewhere specific to confront the maru bros and send their child away? 3. why would they delay sending her away in the first place (they had to with Kagome being there, and also Moroha’s hair is a little longer than the twins at birth so maybe this indicates it wasn’t immediate, or maybe not)? 4. if they delayed sending her because they just found out Kirinmaru had been awoken (by Zero) then who told them? Sesshomaru? 5. if so, did Sesshomaru tell them he had a plan or ask them to trust him while also explaining where to meet and that they needed to send Moroha away? 6. did Koga and co. know that Moroha was coming to them? They don’t seem very surprised, mostly just happy/pleased to see her, but also like they were expecting her. I don’t know how they would have gotten a message to them, but maybe they sent word to the wolves alerting them to the danger and the possibility that they may have to send Moroha away, Koga may have agreed to care for her, and when the time came to follow through they already knew to expect her.

Riku though...

Oh Riku. Seriously what the fuck. I thought I knew where this was going but..I’m trying to justify how Riku is introduced the same episode that we see Kirinmaru in the flesh. They are both shown eating grapes in their introductory scene. They both spit said grapes out and make some similar comments, showing that they have similar ideals and mannerisms (even if it is just grapes we’re talking about). They both are associated with water. They both are on boats a lot. Riku is referred to as a pirate washed up on shore or lost, trying to find his ship, etc. All the characters (human and demon) refer to him as lord or -sama. Kyuki (a peril) knew him. He has a personal grudge against the perils. The perils serve Kirinmaru. They both have green eyes (not a human eye color in feudal era Japan or even modern day Japan). They both have red hair (same comment). Riku is clearly shown to have some control over the pearls or ability to use them that might possibly exist in tandem with other abilities he possesses.

Riku also kind of just revealed himself to be something other than human in Ep. 15 when he commented that 18 years passing was nothing to him as we see visibly that he has the same appearance in present day as he had the year that the cousins were born. Could be that he means time itself means nothing to him because he can travel through time but that’s still unclear. Conclusion is that Riku is Kirinmaru’s hanyo child as he’s clearly not human but does not appear to be full demon either and has obvious visual connections to both Kirinmaru and Zero.

BUT. Kirinmaru doesn’t appear to have any love of humans like his doggy counterparts. He practically looks like he’s about to have a stroke when he hears that Sesshomaru married a human and sired hanyo heirs. It’s hard to imagine that person has a hanyo child floating around who everyone is aware of. However, he does seem to be contemplating something beyond what Zero is telling him and if he does have a hanyo child then he could be realizing that he potentially created a being that will kill him.

Another thing that is bothering me is how Riku warned Kagome. Obviously everything about that and Riku himself is shady af and we have no idea what’s going on yet, but what’s interesting to me is that Kirinmaru doesn’t realize that hanyous are a threat to him until Zero points it out—which is months after the comet when Moroha is born. Of course, this is all assuming that the moment Kirinmaru is awoken by Zero comes after Moroha has been born and not before. It is possible that Zero awoke Kirinmaru immediately after the twins were born and that Kirinmaru spent some time plotting but that’s kind of illogical. Why wait to kill a child until after it’s born if you can just kill the mother? Which then makes it even more sus that Zero waits to wake him up and tell him this. It’s also sus how Zero warns Sesshomaru of the threat on his daughters’ lives (the threat she’s making) only to send Jokka after them as a pawn before biding her time until after Moroha is born to then conveniently and casually point out to her brother that all half and quarter demons are a threat to him.

Zero’s movements make little sense until we have a better understanding of what’s motivating her and why the timing of everything was so important. I’m not leaving the possibility of her betraying Kirinmaru off the table honestly. Something’s not right. I have this feeling that Kirinmaru is just being used. I know he’s still supposed to be the villain and he does try to kill the girls (eventually) but something is very wrong. And Zero’s comment that she expected Sesshomaru to protect his children with a barrier...if she expected that to happen then why didn’t she attack when it would have been unexpected? Why didn’t she try anything when Rin was still pregnant? Wouldn’t that be devastating to lose your wife and two unborn children? Why the cloak and dagger? It seems that she’s purposefully trying to pit Kirinmaru against Sesshomaru, but she’s also not hiding her hatred of Sesshomaru and his whole family either.

This episode kind of further reinforces the Riku is a time traveler theory because Riku knows Kagome is pregnant when she’s not even showing and he warns her about Kirinmaru although at this time Kirinmaru doesn’t even know hanyous are a threat. In fact, he seems confident that the InuTaisho’s sons took care of the comet. He shows no inclination of wanting Inuyasha dead.

But one thing that’s bothering me is just how shook Kirinmaru is that Sesshomaru has a human wife and hanyo babies. He’s shook shook. Like, blindsided. Everyone but Myoga so far has taken the news with little reaction (to be fair, we’re not sure how the OG gang felt but Kohaku wasn’t in utter disbelief as far as I remember). Maybe that’s just because he knew Sesshomaru for a long time and he really can’t believe it, but I have this feeling we saw his reaction being a bit overblown (and honestly, kind of undignified) for a reason. Something clearly went down between Zero, Toga, Sesshomaru’s mother, and possibly involving Sesshomaru as well. Kirinmaru seemed to have made peace with Toga and he doesn’t appear to be on adversarial terms with his son, but something is wrong. Everything feels very personal, like somehow Sesshomaru marrying a human and siring children with her is an insult to Kirinmaru personally. If he already knew about the hanyo threat by that point it would make sense but no dice, so then why.

Also, if Osamu Kirin is in fact Kirinmaru in human disguise, wouldn’t he save himself a lot of trouble by just killing Towa in the Reiwa period when he had the chance? It’s not like she was hiding her presence, she didn’t even know she was a hanyo. So if that theory is true, did he choose to leave her alone for a reason or has he suffered memory loss? We already know Kirinmaru in the fuedal era was a little off so it’s not a stretch.

[hirazuki]

Ooo I'm curious about your hot takes on the Inuyasha reboot after reading your tags 👀

Ahaha, where to start XD Idk if they are hot takes, but here are my thoughts in bullet point form for coherency, I couldn’t figure out how else to organize them. Under a cut, as usual, because it got lengthy... as usual :D

We are 13 episodes in, and I still have no idea wtf is going on or what the series is actually about. And yes, I’m aware that we didn’t know of Naraku’s existence or of the overarching plot until at least episode 16 of that series either and Inuyasha was still very episodic in nature at that early point too, but here’s the thing: Inuyasha did not build upon a pre-existing series. For better or for worse, Yashahime has certain expectations to live up to that the original anime didn’t, by virtue of its being a sequel. Unfair? Maybe, but tough; that’s what happens when you make a sequel. Additionally, despite us not knowing The Main Plot™ of Inuyasha until later, the basic framework for it was laid out clearly by... episode 2? I think? Find and collect the Shikon Jewel shards. Boom, done. Were there distractions or fillers? Sure, but you never got the sense that the characters simply up and forgot about the shards. Even in fillers, the shards often made some kind of appearance. With Yashahime, there’s like three potential storylines going on: 1. The most obvious: most of our main cast from the OG is missing; where are they? Apparently no one in-story cares! :D Inuyasha, who’s that lol. I’m all for a sequel focusing on the new generation with cameos of the old crew; after all, they already had their own series. But this is like... no one cares about them? No one talks about them? And the more characters go about not mentioning them, the stronger their absence is felt. Like, for instance, Kaede knows Moroha is InuKag’s daughter. Moroha grew up on her own, doesn’t know her parents. Kaede doesn’t mention them to Moroha, doesn’t even spare a passing thought about them for the audience’s benefit, Moroha doesn’t ask. Kagome’s family in the present day meet Moroha, recognize her as Kagome’s daughter and... say nothing??? Souta shows Towa Kagome and Inuyasha’s old photos, but doesn’t say a word to Moroha?! Like. It makes no sense. By people not even acknowledging their existence, it makes the fact that they are nowhere to be found even weirder. Also the new gen girls don’t care about their parents or finding out who they were/are... like, okay, it would maybe be in character for one or two of them, but all three don’t give a fuck??? 2. Kirinmaru/the rainbow pearls: Idk how familiar you are with the story, but similar deal with Naraku and the shards here. Kirinmaru is being set up as the villain, still a mysterious figure; our new gen trio is supposed to collect the rainbow pearls that... some of his henchmen have? Or he is after them? Or is that Riku? Unclear. ANYWAY the new gen girls often forget all about the pearls’ existence :D 3. Setsuna’s memories: Setsuna’s dreams have been stolen by the dream butterfly and they need to get them back, because without her dreams she has no memories and is unable to sleep. Cool! Finally a solid, easy-to-follow plot line! Except wait! Towa, who supposedly made it her goal to get Setsuna’s sleep back, forgets all about it! All the time! Like, none of them make an effort to look into this other than being like “oh yeah, know anything about the dream butterfly?” to random folks every now and then. The Inugang back in the day was putting some grad school level research towards their goals, just saying. It just feels like everything’s all wishy-washy and there’s nothing really solid tying the series together. People just remember shit exists when it’s convenient.

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Character development is MIA. I’m not expecting ground-breaking char dev in 13 episodes (though I do know 12 episode series that were phenomenal in that regard), but like... I do expect the series to focus on building the dynamics between the main three characters. So far, the series is more focused on teasing the audience with glimpses and promises of the OG cast instead. The creators are using nostalgia and bait (esp of a certain pairing) to drive interest in the series, rather than developing the new characters as fully-fledged characters for their own sakes. 

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Moroha is was the only thing I actually liked about the series. She is a little spitfire and you can somehow instantly see both Inuyasha and Kagome in her, while she also remains very uniquely herself; I have never seen such a successfully developed main pairing child in any series. She featured quite prominently in the first few episodes -- and unlike both her parents, she’s got a great memory and knowledge of lore -- where she balanced funny moments with badass fighting moments and being the token supernatural encyclopedia. It was great! And then... they’ve like... forgotten her. She’s been left behind so many times by the twins. She’s the butt of every joke. She’s become the type of comic relief that’s, well, insulting. More like a buffoon than anything else. And it’s basically all for the sake of giving the floor to Towa :/

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Setsuna is okay. Not offensive, but unremarkable. She’s got her dad’s personality but like way toned down due to her different growing up circumstances, which is nice, but like... I feel she isn’t given any room to grow or breathe or anything. She’s also basically there as a device to enhance Towa’s development.

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Towa... oy. I tried to like her, I really did, but she just doesn’t work for me. They set her up having a very Kurosaki Ichigo type deal with beating up bullies and getting into trouble at school and shit -- I’m fine with that. That’s cool. Esp if it’s linked to not feeling like she fits in bc she’s a hanyou? Awesome. Except once she travels back in time to the feudal era it’s all “Oh killing is bad you shouldn’t kill people” and “even though they attacked me I can’t possibly hurt them” and “you need to empathize and talk things out” and “friendship is magic” and shit. It feels like she had a personality transplant, it literally makes no sense. Her design is totally nonsensical too -- out of everyone at her school, she’s the only one dressed in a bright white suit? Do protags not wear the school uniform? Someone should tell Kagome lmao. She’s a pro at hand to hand, and she can absorb demons’ powers and fling them back at them like a personified Tessaiga, and she has a lightsaber sword, and she’s immune to miasma, and -- like... you get it. It’s too much. It’s way too OP for the type of universe that Inuyasha/Yashahime is set in. She’s hanyou for fuck’s sake; remember all the training Inuyasha had to go through? When he couldn’t lift his sword? When his sword attacked him? Sango, Miroku, Kagome, even Sesshomaru all had trouble with their weapons and had to work to become stronger. But Towa? Nope. Towa is straight out of the Yas Queen/Girl Boss manual, so she gets a free pass on everything.

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UGH they are doing the VLD/bad writing thing where things happen (like, BIG THINGS) and none of the characters actually react to them. Or stuff happens and there are no consequences. No one ever talks about anything. It’s wild.

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Everyone has amnesia!! :D People either don’t know or don’t remember anything or anyone. People who absolutely should know things all of a sudden magically don’t know them. Like, Kohaku -- traveled with an undead priestess, spent years in the company of demons, traveled with Sesshomaru... and yet had NO CLUE that Setsuna is Sesshomaru’s daughter or that she is hanyou, despite her living and working with his team of demon slayers all this time. Like... how, man. How. And Kaede! Don’t get me started. Since when does she perpetuate random demon-boogeyman type stories as facts? Demon children will kill each other in the nest so that only the strongest one will survive, therefore Setsuna must have killed Towa when they were infants. O_O What are they, sharks? Has she been hanging out with Kisame? Wtf?? And she’s speaking about Sess’s kids as though she doesn’t know him or anything about him, when she has had Rin under her roof all these years. It just makes. no. sense.

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Things that happened in the original series are happening again now! Because that’s the best we’ve got, recycled plot elements wooo! No, but really, characters that died or things that were resolved in Inuyasha keep coming back. Why? What was the purpose of bringing back Kinka and Ginka? To have a foil for Towa and Setsuna as twins? Someone please tell Sunrise they can just create new characters. Like, it’s one thing to have call backs to the original or cameos, references, whatever. But like... this is entire (dead) characters and interactions.

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No one knows how long it’s been since the original series ended. Fans initially heard 20 years from promo material, then “over 15″ and “10 years since” in-series regarding two different events, and now in a future episode summary we’ve gotten 18 years since Hosenki II gave Inuyasha the black pearl. But like, which black pearl? Because the one in Inuyasha’s eye doesn’t exist anymore, but Hosenki II had told Inuyasha that it would take 100 years for him to produce one. So, are we retconning that or where the fuck did it come from? Also, this doesn’t help one bit, it just confuses things even more. Back to the point, though, we have no coherent timeline or real frame of reference whatsoever, and I’m betting it’s in large part to keep the mystery of who is Sesshomaru’s wife going, as it keeps Rin’s age very vague. Everything is vague and mysterious in Yashahime, to the point where no one knows what’s going on, in fandom or in-story even. It’s kinda like how too much plot twist/shock reveal ruins a story, too much mystery does the same. It’s insane that both shippers and antis of that ship can lay equal claim that the “18 years since” announcement works in their favor.

tl;dr: Idk man, Yashahime is a clusterfuck of a series. Even if the mother of Sess’s twins is either of the characters I ship him with, I will still not like the series. There’s no saving this writing. Every episode feels like this:

[thejustmaiden]

I will never believe that Rin is the mother, wanna know why? You can clearly see in MirSan's son that he's a looks like his father and is also demon slayer who wields the Hiraikotsu from his mother. You can clearly see that Moroha is a well done InuKag mix. Meanwhile there's nothing about Rin in the twins, not even her signature colors, personality, appearance, traits, nothing. I think it's pretty clear right now that Rin isn't the mother. Why do people still believe that she's the mother?

Hey there, nonnie, and happy weekend!!

Thank you for everything you had to say by the way. I couldn't agree more.

You're certainly right, there's not even one stand-out characteristic about Towa or Setsuna that screams Rin. I've noticed that too.

"Oh, you're just saying this because you're an anti!!"

I assure you, my blogs up to now have been nothing but respectful and as unbiased as possible. Keep in mind that actual Sessrin shippers have told me the same. So how about you consider finishing this before you flag it unnecessarily. On second thought, how about you give others the chance to read it too and not flag it at all. 😉

In all seriousness, Sessrin shippers--

Unlike many of us fans caught up with this ship- Sessrin shippers and antis alike- I have not blocked a single one of you. Of course there's nothing wrong with blocking users, but by my choosing not to block you my blogs are visible and accessible to you. The thing is, I actually want that and have this entire time! I want you to read what I have to say, and I also want to hear what you have to say if you choose to interact.

AlI I literally ask is that you show me a little respect and keep my blogs in the tags. There isn't anything about them that is inflammatory and I have never shown you any disrespect or called you names. If you don't like what I have to say, then all you gotta do is keep on scrolling. It's really that simple.

One more thing real quick! My opinions will of course factor into my blogs- that's the point!- but never have I stated that my opinions are superior to yours. Please stop claiming that's what I'm doing when I'm quite clearly not. I do apologize though if that's how you've taken them in the past.

Anyway haha sorry about getting sidetracked!

So yes, nonnie, I too can't make sense of Rin being the mom when all the signs- or lack thereof rather- are telling us otherwise.

Once you remove all the (unofficial) fan service such as the drama cd, that pro-sessrin calendar, and more recently the livestream with the letters, what you're left with isn't a lot to go off of in terms of guaranteeing Sessrin. Not saying it won't or can't go canon, shippers, just saying it doesn't bode well for you in my opinion.

Moroha clearly shares a resemblance with Inuyasha and Kagome. At first glance, she's already her father's daughter with that big personality of hers, and it's very well possible that she inherited her mother's spiritual powers when we see her shooting an arrow.

So yes, genes play a significant role. Maybe not in all mangas/animes, per se, but in Inuyasha they obviously do. It's apparent that many particular traits are passed down to characters from their parents, be it in features or demeanor.

Combine a specific combination of the two and BAM! You got babies!!

Great point, nonnie, it isn't just Moroha this applies to. Hisui is a spitting image of both Miroku and Sango! There's no shadow of a doubt that they are family.

It's clear that both Sesshomaru and Inuyasha are their respective parents' children, too.

Which brings us to Towa and Setsuna. Oh my goodness, do they have so much of their father in them. Especially Setsuna!

But that's it. There isn't a solid trace of anyone else we know of in them. Nothing about them brings another character to mind. Well, not nothing per se, I just mean I'm not very confident in any of the potential candidates and neither are most people.

No matter how much I wish the mom to be a resurrected or reincarnated Kagura, I would never outright claim it's canon before anything has been officially confirmed. Sure, we're allowed to theorize but that's it. To me, nonnie, it's fine if fans are already imagining that Rin is the mom. It's a whole other thing however when they gang up on fans who disagree, those are the shippers I don't get. Disagreeing isn't an attack, besides nothing is canon yet. Don't they realize that they're going to be extremely humiliated if/when it doesn't turn out to be her. I may be shocked and disappointed if it is in fact Rin, but at least I will have been prepared for the possibility. Hope for the best and prepare for the worst, I always say!

Although I'd love to believe Sesshomaru produced Towa and Setsuna out of thin air (I mean, he's got the power to!), I've come to terms with the idea that he actually reproduced. That's still a hard pill to swallow lol but I'm more on board with it now than I was intially. As long as it was not with his adoptive daughter that is.

As many of us know already, tomorrow Rumiko Takahashi is appearing for that highly anticipated interview we've all been dying to watch since we got the trailer for the sequel. I'm looking forward to any info she will be able to divulge about Hanyo No Yashahime. She better give us at least a few juicy details, am I right? Gods know we deserve it. Nice writing to you, nonnie. Cheers! ♡

[countdown-to-destruction]

Inuyasha Sequel: a rant

Put this up this earlier on a post I re-blogged, tried to edit a part or two where I didn’t like the way I had phrased it, and ended up messing up the whole format I wrote this in. Luckily I wrote this as a draft earlier anyways! So I did a some fixing and now I’m just copy-pasting it again and making it a text post instead. This will be very long and a little nit-picky but I wanted to make a post ever since I heard about the upcoming sequel to Inuyasha, Hanyō no Yashahime. I did put a TLDR at the end for those who don’t want to read everything. Not sure how many people in the fandom still follow me and will see this, as it's been a long time since I was actually active in the fandom, but it's hands-down both my favorite manga and anime of all time and I’ve been feeling nostalgic lately so I had to post something. Before reading this be sure to read all of the translated character bios for Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha so that this makes sense.

When I first heard that Inuyasha would be getting a sequel I was excited! But after reading up on it, to be completely honest I'm not feeling this sequel anymore. I know it’s an unpopular opinion but hear me out. Firstly, it seems like Rumiko is mostly involved in the character design aspect and the writing is up to Katsuyuki Sumisawa. The music will be produced by Kaoru Wada which is great! And from what I’ve seen and read online a number of others who worked on the original series will reunite so hopefully the story will go well. However, knowing Rumiko isn't personally writing and not knowing how much input she has or will give makes me unsure about watching. The original Inuyasha anime followed and was based off of the events in the manga, and there was no manga prior to this for it to be based on. Depending on what happens this could be an alright sequel or a total miss. Unfortunately sequels in general are known to be disappointing in some way. 

Secondly, if I hear anything about Rin being the mother of Sesshomaru's twin daughters I'm out. This part will be a SUPER long and in depth explanation on why I think this way, feel free to skip if you're not interested. Please don't come for me on this, I'm here to explain my thoughts and feelings on the sequel and the theories around it so far, not start an argument. I'm more than aware that there's plenty of controversy out there on this pairing and personally I do not support it. I never saw their relationship as more than a friendship, or something akin to child and guardian as Sesshomaru and Jaken are basically Rin's caretakers up until she goes to live in the village with Kaede. He definitely cares for her deeply but I can't see it in a romantic way, being that Sesshomaru isn't even a character focused on romance to begin with. He learns compassion through Rin's second death but that doesn't mean he loves her romantically. As a reminder his main goal is to seek power and be powerful, and it's stated that he needed to learn compassion and grief in order to mature. It's what helped him learn to wield the Tenseiga at its full potential. In addition, she was really young when they first met and still was when she went to live with Kaede. The idea of Sesshomaru (an adult) having romantic feelings for a kid under ten years old (around eleven at the end of the series, and still a literal child in all ways) and waiting for her to age with the intention of marrying her sits totally wrong with me. Age wise I realize that Inuyasha is decades older than Kagome and that his father was much older than his mother, Izayoi, as well. The difference here is that Kagome was a teen when she met Inuyasha (who not just physically, but more importantly mentally was also a teen) and clearly Izayoi was old enough to conceive Inuyasha and give birth. As far as the audio dramas (more specifically "Asatte") go they're generally considered as an outtake reel and are essentially parodies, or a form of satire. Some will debate on this but realistically there’s plenty of reasons this is true, and those who take the time to properly check them out understand that. For me I've always had a headcanon that at some point in her teen years Rin would inevitably develop a one-sided crush on Sesshomaru and that he would ultimately set boundaries and reject her, seeing her as more of a close companion than a love interest and wanting her to live with someone she can grow old with. He gave her the choice to follow him and it's most likely that she would, but I think that once she began aging he would want her to have somewhere to settle, given that he enjoys roaming and seeking out other powerful beings to battle. It's strange to me that they decided to give Sesshomaru hanyō/half-demon children in general but based on the artwork we've seen it's fair to guess that they might have made Sesshomaru and Rin a pairing in this sequel.

IMPORTANT NOTE: I want to clarify that if you ship them together I'm not writing this here because I want to hate on your ship for no reason, or in order to create an argument on if the pairing makes sense, these are my thoughts and opinions on the matter and I’m voicing them because it’s what I believe. I already know that somebody won’t like this and will take it personally. People usually say that once Rin is an adult the pairing is acceptable but I disagree. I find it quite creepy that someone would think it would be alright for an adult to wait around for a kid to grow up with the intention to marry and/or sleep with them. Watching from a distance is the same exact thing, after making an impression on the child... let’s not normalize this. In this situation it would be grooming. We all have our own opinions when it comes to our ships and fandoms and I try to respect that but I can’t get behind this one.

Next we have the apparent lack of parental figures for the heroines. Where are the original Inuyasha characters at? Moroha's character bio says she barely knows her parents (Inuyasha and Kagome, our former main protagonists) and has been alone since she was young! It makes me think either something has happened to them or some kind of bizarre event separated them. And sorry, not related, but why does she transform by PUTTING LIPSTICK ON?? That part threw me for a loop.

When it comes to Setsuna and Towa their parents are absent too. I find it difficult to believe that Sesshomaru wouldn't keep track of his children given how he treats Rin and reacts to her going missing in any capacity. Especially if he happened to be fond of whoever their mother is. One daughter works as a taijiya/demon slayer for Kohaku and the other mysteriously transports to Kagome's era and is raised by Sota (I thought we had finished with the time jumps when the well closed but apparently not. When the Bone Eater's Well closed after Kagome's return it gave a sense of finality and closure to the story, and showed that Kagome had chosen where she was most happy and felt she belonged. I think that bringing the theme of time travel back into the sequel makes it feel repetitive, like something right out of a predictable fanfic. Props to Sota for taking in and raising a child who showed up out of nowhere though).

Another thing that came to mind when I read these character bios was why Inuyasha and Kagome's daughter and Sesshomaru's daughters are the exact same age. Of course there's nothing wrong with that. It only struck me as odd because suddenly everyone is having kids at the same time. And so far there's no mention of other characters like Sango, Miroku, Shippo, Jaken, Kaede, or Miroku or Sango's three children or where they are. One might expect that a story focused on the children of some of the original Inuyasha's main characters would feature appearances from those who had important roles in the previous series and their children. Which brings me around to wondering what made twin daughters a trend? Two sets of twin girls is a unique choice (Sango and Miroku's twin daughters. For such a small group of parental characters, what are the odds of two sets of twin girls? Where is the creativity and again why the repetition?).

Lastly, Sesshomaru's daughters lack some of the common yōkai/demon characteristics we see on Inuyasha and other characters. Their ears are human, and they have no markings or otherwise (that I noticed) with the exception of Setsuna's mokomoko/fur which is similar to Sesshomaru's. So perhaps they take more after their human mother? Given that Inuyasha seemed to inherit strong genes from his father it's interesting that they did not. Their ages also interest me as they appear to age the same way as humans do. Yōkai/demons are known to have a longer lifespan than humans and appear to slow down or almost stop aging at some point. Perhaps this confirms that the slowdown in aging occurs once they reach the equivalent of a human teen? 

Overall Inuyasha was a fantastic manga and great anime on its own, and I never got the feeling that it needed a sequel. As a stand-alone it was everything it needed to be. I thoroughly enjoyed both formats of the original, though I do have a tendency to disregard certain parts of the anime. I always preferred the manga more when the anime dragged out certain scenes (Shichinintai/Band of Seven arc for example) or straight-up excluded, changed, and added others. Taking that into consideration the sequel might end up being the same for me in that way, but rather than one scene that plays out for too long or an excluded, altered, or unnecessary added scene, if it’s not any good I’ll simply disregard it altogether. When the anime comes out I certainly plan to try watching it out of loyalty to the fandom, and due to the fact that it's "technically" canon (without Rumiko being the writer I don't necessarily consider it canon, much like how some folks do or do not consider the movies canon) but I get the feeling that I'll wind up giving up on it in disappointment.

TLDR; Overall I'm left questioning if the sequel is worth watching (for me) given what I've read and heard so far, but nonetheless I will give it an optimistic try! I'm currently wondering how much we'll see of the original Inuyasha characters, if we get to find out what happened to them, if the number one pairing I'm not fond of will make an appearance (and cause me to drop the whole thing), and questioning parts of the character backstories and designs (why is there a repetitive and recurring theme of time travel and does it end up hindering or ruining the story, why do the protagonists all lack parents, and why do the hanyō/half-demon characters lack common yōkai/demon traits and does it make them more human than demon?).

[xcaeli]

So here a little detail of this fanfic I dont know if I ever will write III

First part Second part Third part Fourth part Fifth part

Sesshoumaru A.K.A Shuuhei( 修兵 ) Inukai | +800 years old, officially 28 years old.

Sesshoumaru has become a successful businessman, and recoignoized for rejecting any social event that he is invited, he prefers to send a representative of his company instead. His company is almost full of youkais and hanyous, being the human population the minimal in it, only being hired if they have knowledge of the youkai world. 

He acts as father figure and guard of his adopted child Rin. Who has been involved forcefully in the last battle with Naraku and present the moment when the jewel was sealed. 

He became guarded of humans from several years as the gunpower of that kind keep growing to become a menace to his kind. He was one of the taiyoukais that made the pact to remain hidden from the human world as a way to survive. 

In the early years of humanity raise in power, he was witness of the result the humans can do over his kind in their way to acquire knowledge and several times had to finish the lives of the test subjects. Ending their pains. 

Inuyasha and him had become close, they cant say that they are in the brotherly love field, but Sesshoumaru had seen his brother rise in power and conquest over his unruly youkai blood. If the time needs, he knows that he can count Inuyasha to protect Rin and, in the other way around, Inuyasha knows that Seshoumaru will come to his aid if he needs him. 

Sesshoumaru is the ruler of the west side of japan and seat at the counsil of the other ruler twice a month. Becoming accusstomed to work with other to sustain their society. He is currently being pressured by the older member of the counsil to finally mate and sire a heir. Sesshoumaru is not interested and knows that the pressure came from the disgust to see hanyou seat in his place if he die. 

He currently work to maintain the prolongued existence of Kikyou and Kagome whereabouts masked from the rest of the youkais. Knowing that if their existences are known then their tale over the destruction of the shikon will crumble and a feud for power will arise after years of paceful coexistence with the humans.

Sesshoumaru is aware that many youkais are searching for a way to outrun the humans rule over the world and he will not risk that they held the shikon nor the woman that can destroy it in their hands. 

Sesshoumaru keep an eye over the Higurashi shrine since several decades before Kagome was born, making monthly donations to it and even meeting Kagome’s mother during her teen years when she was being courted by Kagome’s father. 

Sesshoumaru was the one who told Inuyasha about Kagome’s survival. An grow annoyed with him by his stupidity to try to distant himself from the girl when the pull over her was obvious to anyone. 

Miroku A.K.A  Yuu ( 優 ) Anzai ( 安斎 ) | +500 years, officially 28 years old. 

Miroku share most of the same story as Sango after Kagome’s departure, they settled in the village and soon become parents of three children. 

During his first years of parenthood, he was the sole provider of his family, along with Inuyasha they set on journeys to destroy several minor youkais in different villages for food and other necessites for his family. 

He also became the formal educator of his children, teaching them to write and read. And lastly he was the principal teacher of his daughters in their path to become mikos. 

As Sango, he noted his lack of age after ten years, showing no sign of change over the years. He suspected something happened the day the jewel became sealed and he was the one that connected Midoriko’s intentions. This also makes obvious that the only ones involved in the immortality fiasco were the humans direct involved in the battle with Naraku and the jewel. 

Knowing that they would not age meanwhile their children grow and age in a normal pace was a weight difficult to digest, but tried to put a front for the sake of his family. His son death was his first call out of this immortal life he was living along his wife, knowing that their children will be taken from him any moment by other or time itself. It was Inuyasha that reminded him that he needed to be stable for the sake of the girls and Sango. 

The mourning process over their son was large, but they come to term with it (or so he tought), but after the death of his girls at old age, he could not come to the idea to raise a family again and become distant to his wife. Cursing his fate, being free from one curse to be tangled in other. Irony of all, instead of a curse to live short, this time is a curse to live long. 

 They finally give in again on their feelings for eachother trying to not conceive in the process. This proved to be difficult for a long time, and hurt more their relationship as they have to give up their children everytime to not see them die.  

He finally became distant with Sango over the centuries, and became entangled in several affairs to cope with his physsical needs to scape the memories of all he has to give up over the years, never attaching himself to any of his conquests. Finally, he overstep the boundaries of his home and broke the remaining relationship with his wife. 

This created a rift with the rest of the Inugami, specially Inuyasha that become overprotective of Sango and grew annoyed of Miroku’s attitude. This also make him analize his own conduct, after knowing that Sango knew all along that he was seeing other women. 

Miroku worked as a philosophy teacher for a long time, changing his name and apparence over the years with the help of Shippou, finally settled in his real appearance after two generations passed. He also work directly for Sesshoumaru, aid him in works that need an spiritualist, a priced resourse in a time with lacking of spiritual users. 

He relieve Kikyou’s care over the seal of the jewel once a month to help her rest and make her able to feed and refil her own spiritual power. To comply this task, he tends to call Inuyasha to make him now the hour he will come to his place, giving plenty of time for Sango to decide if she wants see him or not. 

Miroku wants to reignite his relationship with his stranded wife, but fin himself unable to approach her, feeling shame of his behaviour and tongue tied to search for help from his old friend or anyone for the matter.

He is in charge of Kagome’s spiritual training, trying to exploit all her potential before she has to engage in battle with the shikon once again.   

[rubykgrant]

I can’t show the sketches of it (because I can’t go to where I scan my pictures right now), but I started thinkling about a reverse-role Inuyasha thing, and it is just so funny to me-

Inuyasha is like a normal highschool boy, he’s a loud-mouth and gets bad grades, most people assume he’s in some kinda gang but he’s too much of dork to even function with a group of people (he’s basically Yusuke from Yu Yu Hakusho hahaha). Koga is this other kid one grade up, he’s somehow a legit punk who has also managed to create a goody-two-shoes facade around the teachers because he gets straight As and is good athlete, and they HATE each other’s GUTS. Koga hates him because he always has some smart-mouth comment to say, and Inuyasha hates him because he’s a show-off.

Sango is totally the PE teacher and coach for various sports teams, and Miroku is that one teacher who thinks he’s a great writer but he just teaches history. Also, I’m gonna fix Miroku a little bit for my own sanity; he definitely hits on all the other teachers and single moms (plus a few who aren’t single, which earns him a black-eye once or twice), but he leaves the students ALONE. In fact, he’s actually super paranoid about the kids, he’s a chaperone for all the field trips, and if kids from another school try to flirt with any of his students, he jumps in with “REMEMBER, DON’T LET ANYBODY PRESSURE YOU INTO ANYTHING”. The intent is nice, but the result is embarrassing. Sango is way more chill and everybody thinks she’s super cool.

Shippo is a younger kid who goes to a different school, but he winds up knowing Inuyasha through online gaming; Shippo keeps kicking his butt. They meet at a gaming convention tournament, where Inuyasha was ready to have a legit fight with the jerk who’s been killing him online for almost a year, but then he just sees this child who’s all “Hey, I’m *username-whatever*!”, and he goes “Oh he’s like... 11? He’s a baby? Man, I can’t punch a baby”. So they accidentally become IRL friends. People ask Inuyasha why he’s friends with a little kid, and the answer is “Well, I was gonna smack him, but I changed my mind. Now he just keeps following me” (which is what a sibling relationship is).

Sesshoumaru is Inuyasha’s half-bro still, and currently, Inuyasha has no idea who he is... but Sesshoumaru does. He’s aware of the fact that his father left his mother for somebody else, had a child with this other woman, and then passed away. He finally tracked down his half-bro, and is thinking about how to approach this teenager. Sesshoumaru is himself an adult, outwardly seeming like a successful businessman who owns an antique shop, but he has some shady side-businesses. There is some complication with his father’s inheritance; if he tries to claim it, Inuyasha would also be notified, and the kid currently has no idea his father left him anything. Sesshoumaru doesn’t want to share what he feels should be all his, and he’s debating if he should maybe try to just pull an intimidation tactic to scare Inuyasha (Sesshoumaru is a pretty unnerving dude, but Inuyasha also has no fear and no braincells, so that might not work).

Kaede is Inuyasha’s foster guardian. She’s known him since he was young as a neighbor, and was there when a fire took his mother’s life. Years passed, and wasn’t getting along with his current foster family, so Kaede took him in. She often argues with the boy, but no matter how mean he acts, she never kicks him out or gives up on him. He doesn’t often admit this, but he truly appreciates it, and knowing he’s got somebody who cares about him makes him try to be better.

Neraku has a similar life to Sesshoumaru, but on a MUCH larger scale; he’s managed to be an incredibly rich and corrupt businessman who is actually the one responsible for a lot of death and pain in the lives of others, but manages to go mostly unnoticed. He’s incredibly cruel and also also plans ahead. Knowing he had various health problems, he literally only had children so he would have more likely matches for potential organ transplants. While he gives these children very “elegant” lifestyles, they have never known any affection from him, and he’s not above pulling them into the life of crime as well. He’s aware of a rare artifact one family has kept for generations, as well as an inheritance another family hasn’t fully claimed, and plans to get his hands on BOTH. The fact that everybody connected to the people he wants to steal from have also been previous victims of his evil at some point is very amusing to him.

On a day when several plans go into action, Inuyasha is given what he thinks is a goodluck charm from Kaede, but it is actually a very special jewel... both Sesshoumaru and Neraku (with his family and accomplices along for the ride) seemed to think along the same lines, and attempt to kid-nap Inuyasha; but he is WAY more trouble than they expected. Sango and Miroku get pulled into the situation to protect their student, Koga (and his buddies) is there because he can’t let Inuyasha have ALL the attention, Shippo was in the wrong place at the wrong time to try and talk to his friend, and everything turns into a huge mess. Eventually Sesshoumaru realizes that Neraku is after him as well, so he decides it will maybe be a little better to change his plan; now telling Inuyasha that he’s here to SAVE the boy, because he’s Inuyasha’s long-lost brother and something-something-emotional-manipulation, he joins the group running from Neraku. Inuyasha leads them back to his home, where they attempt to hide in the old shrine house... and then things go from scary to an absolute NIGHTMARE. A demon literally comes out of the old well, pulling everybody in (this includes the pursuing villains)

Both groups wake up in the past, scary demons ready to eat them for a snack, all ready to take the jewel Inuyasha holds. They meet Kikiyo, who demands to know why this boy in the strange clothes has what is supposed to be her family jewel. She runs to the shrine in her village and sees it is still there... somehow, there are two of them. One is from the future, kept over the generations by Kikyo’s family, until her ancestor Kaede gave it to Inuyasha. It seems odd that she’d trust him with this, but now it sure is his problem. As more demons attack, Inuyasha gets lost, and finds somebody in the forest; a young girl, who is actually a demon herself, sealed to a tree. Unable to protect himself from the demons, Inuyasha frees her (he still winds up as the one with the SIT collar though, Kagome was a little too quick and avoiding the beads)

So, the rest of the series involves the characters from the modern world learning various skills or gaining abilities that let them fight enemies (I think maybe only one of the jewels gets shattered, and the main characters each get one ow two shards that they use). Kikiyo remains in her village to guard the jewel from her time that is still whole, and Inuyasha gets a bit of a crush on her because she’s so much nicer than the mean demoness he has to spend all his time with. Neraku once again allows himself to be consumed by demons to become more powerful (he also transforms his children into half-demons, which they don’t much care for, but they can’t exactly stop him). Koga has fun being a superfast wolfboy. Miroku and Songo are mostly the same, but because they are teachers and most of these kids are their students, they are super over-protective of everybody. Sesshoumaru has to keep pretending he doesn’t totally despise Inuyasha, and WHOOPS, he kinda maybe starts to give a heck about this brat. Eventually, everybody goes home... including the now demon Neraku. Using his new powers, he causing all kinds of problems inthe modern world. Kagome winds up following along, and the rest of the story happens in the current time. Neraku summons ancient demons to the city, or creates all new monsters, and the group tries to stop him. He steals the jewel shards they gathered, then they all get lost again, same old song-and-dance, but with a contemporary setting. Sesshoumaru winds up adopting a young homeless girl because having a bro around kinda got to him, Neraku steals and brainwashes Sango’s little brother, and through it all Inuyasha starts to maybe kinda sorta like Kagome

[asksythe]

Wait so FTGOG!AU Kagome and Kagami route has an out of wedlock kid? Does any other route or do they all have children born in wedlock? Oh! Scenarios for how each individual baby daddy reacts to his unknown offspring (funny somewhat serious please)? Does Kagome get heat for having a kid outside marriage?

1/ Yep, Kagami route has an out of wedlock kid. We get to see this kid in the epilog of the route when Kagome brings him/her over to meet the daddy. 

2/ One other route has the potential for out of wedlock children. The Hasharima route. More specifically, the horrible tragedy permutation of the Hashirama route where Kagome (or rather players choosing her decision) loves beyond rationale and despite knowing that she’s in for a lifetime of pain and loneliness, decides to keeps loving him regardless. In the normal route, Kagome and Hashirama know to stop before too many people get hurt. Their attraction is undeniable, but their being together hurts too many people and even the courses they are walking towards. There is, however, one permutation of Hashirama’s route that can be unlocked with the right quest choices. In that permutation, there are two children from Kagome by Hashirama. I do not recommend this permutation however since it requires some extreme breaking of Kagome’s character. It will require me to execute some pretty extreme scenarios to bring her to the point where she lets her feelings overwhelm her reasoning and past experience at being the side woman to Inuyasha and Kikyo. There’s a reason I call this specific permutation ‘moth to the flame route’. 

3/ In Kagami’s route epilog, three years after the end of the great war (against Madara and Kaguya), Kagome visits Konoha again ostensibly to open a new chapter in their diplomatic relations. In truth, however, the trip is so that she can meet Kagami (who she once thought of as a little brother/protege figure up until the moment he confessed that he loved her, and then died for her) and sees if he still feels the same about her.

They meet in Hashirama’s office, with Kagami being summoned without being told who he is meeting fresh from a mission. Kagami, up until then, has been pretty miserable since he believes that he’s nothing more than a fling for the love of his life (which is kinda true in a sense since his feelings for her were pretty one sided until the moment Kagome decided that fudge it, she’d been lonely for so long and she wanted to be loved). He reacts to her presence with… well… how do you react to seeing the love of your life after three years of missing and longing and thinking you were nothing more than a momentary lapse of reasons for her? 

Well, anyhow, their interactions from that point start out coy and hesitant, with neither side quite sure of themselves. Eventually, Tobirama suggests that Kagami guides her around the village for a tour (haha! Only sane one Tobirama sees the writings on the wall and this is basically his apology for screwing with / abandoning Kagami in the aftermath of the failed assassination on Kagome). It’s during this walk that they refamiliarize themselves to each other. Eventually, Kagome asks Kagami point blank whether he still feels the same about her. He’s surprised and a little skittish. By this time, she’s the most powerful woman of their world and a monarch and he’s just… a soldier of Konoha and a member of clan Uchiha. By the conventions of that era, he has no business even standing within five feet of her as anything more than a bodyguard or a vassal. Still, he decides that he has nothing to lose, so he answers honestly that yes, he still feels the same. 

That’s when she brings out the kid (or rather, her bodyguard brings him to them). Kagami breaks down crying then (a little) because he comprehends what she means to say behind this gesture. Their relationship when viewed by the conventions of this era is incredibly unequal and in bad taste. The man is supposed to provide for and protect the woman, but Kagami has almost nothing for her. More than that, he was the traitor who once sought to kidnap her from her own country. That whole guilt/sinner complex I talked about in the big Kagami post. By their own conventions, he has no chance whatsoever and he knows it. To ask for forgiveness from her is already pushing it, let alone to ask for her love and her hand in marriage. Certainly, affairs between royalty/noble and their ninja guards have happened in the past and there are a handful of instances when the individuals in question were indiscreet enough to let their flings resulted in children, but usually the parentage of such children or even the children themselves were kept secrets out of shame and propriety and also as a warning against the ninja parents who might think to use those children to ask for benefits or influence the politics in those countries. Kagome could have easily done the same thing. Hide the parentage of said child and carry on as if nothing is wrong at all. She is more than powerful enough to do that, and having Kagami be known as the father of her child does nothing but hurt her political position. So, in allowing him to know and allowing him to even see his son in the first place, Kagome is basically declaring that she accepts and cares for him enough to do something deemed very unwise by the majority of nobility and fellow monarchs. It’s a more powerful declaration than words of love at that moment. 

And then she goes one step further. She asks if he still wants the same thing he said three years ago. She asks if he still wants to be with her, to see the world, to raise a family, to grow old together. It’s basically Kagami’s best day at this point. 

So after a while, they go to the Uchiha clan compound and talks of marriage and clan relations start. It’s not only a new chapter for Kagami but also a new chapter for clan Uchiha. Royal marriages are huge and have far reaching implications. There’s a reason nobility and royalty don’t acknowledge the ninja parentage of their bastard children after all. A Kagami-Kagome marriage means a blood link between the Uchiha clan and the world super power nation Gems. So by marrying Kagami, Kagome basically gives the Uchiha (by then already feeling the pressure from the subtle machination and politicking from Tobirama and other anti-Uchiha factions especially in the aftermath of a world war caused by Madara). 

That’s the ‘a new future for the Uchiha’ sub-ending. This sub-ending can only be unlocked via Kagami’s route (the good permutation where he doesn’t just die) and leads to the half of the Uchiha clan migrating to Gems. And oh yeah, this is the only sub-ending with crown prince Shisui (and long-suffering royal bodyguard Itachi who is constantly pestered by a small squad of royal Uchiha children and that infuriating Shisui)!!!!     

4/ Yes, Kagome does get heat for having a child out of wedlock especially once the parentage of said child becomes known. But she simply doesn’t care, and by that time, her position is strong enough and her nation wealthy enough for that heat to be irrelevant to her and her work.  

[thejustmaiden]

I'm not against SessRin as the ship itself, rather I'm against the idea of it being canon. I wouldn't even care if InuYasha was of a more mature genre. Yes, the trope is very popular even in hentai, yaoi and yuri. However, all of these genres are explicitly for adults - the type of audience that are well capable of seperating between fiction and real life, knowing what's wrong and right. Yasahime's still cleary targeted at a younger audience - kids that can still be easily affected by fiction.

Hey, nonnie! I really appreciate the ask. Apologies for the slight delay. 😊

I read what you had to say, and I think you bring up a very valid point that I don't see being discussed enough quite honestly.

Because you're right, Inuyasha is geared towards a younger audience. That explains why it was the very first anime for many of us growing up.

Ironically enough, some of you who like me stayed up late to catch it on TV remember that Inuyasha came out on a network called "Adult Swim" of all things. haha (I gather that had more to do with the occasional foul language than anything else.) Cartoon Network- what Adult Swim is known as during the daytime- shows children's programs and Inuyasha wouldn't have been exactly appropriate on there either.

Now let's take a quick look at the other anime shows I remember that would come out on the line-up along with Inuyasha. Cowboy Bepop and Ghost in the Shell are the first two that come to memory. If you aren't familiar with those, readers, I encourage you to look them up and see how they're described in comparison to Inuyasha. They both tackle some pretty dark and heavy adult themes. Inuyasha, on the other hand, is based off a shonen manga aimed at young teens, boys specifically.

I'm not personally familiar with the yaoi and yuri genres myself, but from what I do know, a lot of their stories center around sexual romance and homoeroticism. Inuyasha may include some romance, but by no means does the author insert explicitly sexual elements into her story. Fans who are mature to handle that kind of content can if they so choose to-- bring on the fan fiction and fan art! But can the series itself be justified in doing so? Well, I hope not since the average Inuyasha viewer is only just a teenager.

You're correct, fiction is capable of influencing and shaping how some kids learn to view and make sense of certain events. I'm going to give you a real life example here. Keep in mind, readers, that this is an extreme case that obviously wouldn't apply to everyone or every situation. The purpose of recounting this tale is to demonstrate that young minds are more vulnerable to the influences around them, be them real or imagined.

Years ago there used to be this internet urban legend called "The Slender Man." In 2014, these two 12-year old girls (so roughly the same age many of us started watching Inuyasha) became obsessed with this fictional character and wanted to prove to everyone he existed. In order to do that, they made up their minds to kill one of their classmates to please him. They ended up stabbing the victim numerous times, but she somehow miraculously survived. The two girls who were found guilty of this crime ended up being admitted into mental health institutions. Please feel free to read up more on this yourself. It sounds creepy, I know, but how the community came together to support the victim and her recovery was a touching ending to such a horrific story.

Like I already mentioned, this was an extreme case that almost resulted in murder. Death, however, isn't the only bad outcome that can occur. Child abuse in all its complex forms is a serious outcome, too. It should go without saying that no child watching Inuyasha should accept the idea of a young girl (like themselves but maybe younger) being pursued later once she's "old enough" by the same male authority figure who was her main protector during their travels. You could tell Rin felt legitimately safe and happy for the first time in a long time while in his company. I also like to wonder if that's because Sesshomaru reminded her of someone she knew before her family was killed. But who really knows? After all, kids are very trusting by nature. Let's be honest, the happy-go-lucky Rin would've followed just about anyone who saved her! It just happened to be Sesshomaru, which of course I'm grateful for. So tell me again, why does this protector-ward dynamic they've got going on need to turn romantic?

Seriously, why are viewers expecting a romance to happen anyway? It's not like we have been given any solid indication to suggest that these two are destined for it. Allow me to explain why I believe that is. Sessrin fans anticipate a romance in their future despite the lack of foreshadowing, because this trope IS popular. (But only in series geared towards adults- like you said, nonnie.) In other words, it's been so engrained in our minds that it's a completely normal direction we should come to expect a relationship between an older man and a young girl/woman to take. So even though it hasn't been hinted at much if at all, it's apparently bound to happen regardless.

A young woman who decides to be with an older man isn't the issue here, BUT there's a fine line and at times the stories we tell will tread that line and test its boundaries. Case in point: shipping Sesshomaru with "Adult Rin" although we've only met and gotten to know her as a young girl up until now. In many instances, adult!Rin supposedly only has to mean she's old enough to bear children. If it was the norm for a girl to have kids at 15 or 16 in Feudal Japan, then that must mean we should not only tolerate it but celebrate it too, right?

Yes, fiction is a creative outlet to explore and push the boundaries from time to time, but we must be careful of what messages we're sending and who the target audience is. Would it really be wise to portray in a positive light a teenage girl getting pregnant with one of the people who helped raised her's babies on a show for teens? That's not my idea of a wholesome family lesson I'd ever want to teach my kids or have them learn elsewhere.

What we're essentially doing is telling the young Inuyasha viewers that it's totally normal to sexualize and romanticize a young girl's future without her say. That it's okay to speak for her and decide that's what her character would want even if we haven't met this adult version of her yet. What about Rin's hopes and dreams? How about we wait to see how she is as a grown-up first before we come to such big conclusions. Wouldn't you say you're jumping the gun a bit, shippers?

Nobody is saying you can't picture it, alright, but to claim it's the only obvious progression- because evidently there must be one for some reason?- of the relationship Rin's formed with Sesshomaru is absolutely absurd. If that's the case, then basically all the other "who's Sesshomaru's baby mama" theories are just as plausible as yours if not more so.

Also, guys, we really ought to stop stating that Sesshomaru will never have the capacity to care for another human being besides Rin like it's a fact. I'm aware that to many the appeal of this ship is that she was the first one to break through that icy exterior of his, so that must translate to a love that transcends and what not. If she wasn't a child he guarded like his own first and foremost, then this ship could have potential. That's not the case though, so moving right along!

Right, so who says his affection towards humans has to stop at Rin? Why can't the mom- if there is a mom- be some new character? That's really not reaching- yes, even for Sesshomaru. Knowing Rin, she's probably the one who introduced them! Plus, it's not like we don't have other canon sources that already show us Sesshomaru coming to the aid of humans. He has saved and protected Kagome on a few occasions that we know of so far, as well as Kohaku. And no, he didn't just protect him because Rin asked him to. Perhaps that was why he did at first, but please give Sesshomaru credit where credit is due. He is not the cold heartless demon we once believed him to be. How else do you think he is capable of activating Tenseiga's powers? Yeah, no, Sesshomaru grew to care for that kid, and Kokahu wouldn't have stuck around him for as long as he did if he didn't believe Sesshomaru didn't have his best interests at heart. Well, in Sesshomaru's own special little way that is. 😆

I got a little sidetracked- my bad! I suppose it's all relevant when you think about it. Alrighty, nonnie, I hope I adressed your ask the way you wanted. Please feel free to drop by again! 🖖

Reminder: Do not plan to engage in discourse on this blog if you are going to be disrespectful. The views I'm expressing aren't "an attack," so there's no need to get defensive and aggressive. I've even had a few Sessrin shippers themselves tell me I make valid points and that I do it in an upright manner. So if you don't believe me, then maybe you'll believe them. Thank you!

[asksythe]

What is Kankuro and Kagome's relationship in FTGOG? I was curious bc we often see temari and gaara but not kanky

Kanky is the only sane man / reader’s every-man surrogate. 

Heh… To be honest, I am fond of Kankuro. As you pointed out, in between woobie destroyer of the world Gaara and feisty warrior princess Temari, poor Kanky with his weird man-makeup and plain features is often the forgotten sibling. But… I feel like he has a lot of potentials as a character and as a narrative device. I have a fondness for characters who can build and create on top of holding their own in combat-heavy series like Naruto. Any person can hurt and break and destroy, but it takes something extra to build and create. So that’s another point in Kanky’s favor (in my eyes at least). I have such plans for him!!! Ehhh!!! Excited!!

As for the relationship between Kankuro and Kagome, heh… it’s nothing so dramatic as the relationship between Kagome and his father and younger brother. Kankurou is very grounded, very every-day kind of character. He has his own issues, but his chips aren’t the titanic sized ones that Gaara and Rasa have. Their relationship starts out… hmm… I guess Kanky is both curious and intimidated by Kagome whereas Kagome is mostly apathetic towards him (to be fair, during that phase, Kagome is actually apathetic to almost everything with the exception of perhaps Gaara and Rasa. Gaara because he reminds her of herself, and Rasa because the man keeps infuriating her to no end). 

As time passes and Kagome starts to interact more with the Kazekage clan, Kankurou grows increasingly perplexed, worried, wary, and somewhat grateful (and a tiny bit jealous) towards her. Why so many emotions? Because Kagome does things nobody in their sane mind would (in Kankurou’s eyes that is). Trailing behind the homicidal Gaara to supposedly help him with his issues? Treating him like a confused and wounded child instead of the trigger happy murder baby that he is? Going against the Kazekage for the silliest things? Her actions boggle the mind. Kankurou’s view of Kagome goes from intimidated/curious (at the begining when Kagome is something new with the power that promises a better future for Suna) 

-to wary/afraid (when she shows that she can send Shukaku packing in three shots and is fully capable of disobidience against the Kazekage) 

-to perplexed/pitying (when he watches Gaara fight her attempts to help every step of the way. He thinks she’s wasting her time on a lost cause and is perhaps a little dim for trying the same thing over and over despite the many failures) 

-to perplexed/regard (when he sees her seemingly futile attempts finally bearing fruits in the most unexpected way, her breaking through to Gaara, her strange insights on things he hasn’t even thought of)

-to grudging respect / jealous (when he sees her actually changing the village and the people in ways he didn’t think possible. Respect because anybody who can do what she does deserves it. Jealousy because… Kankuro tries so hard his entire life. He is the normal every-day guy in a family of power house ninja. He is overshadowed by his father, his sister, his brother. And yet… he has his pride in his own puppetry. He’s unique in that he’s the only builder of the house, capable of feats other than pure destruction. He holds dreams of changing things in different ways, in ways outside of combat and violence, of creating grand things to help his homeland. It’s a tough thing, a far-off dream, he knows, but it’s something he constantly works towards regardless. And all of a sudden, here comes this girl who is not that much older than him. She appears one day and does the things he has always wanted to do - change the world - in a matter of months. It feels a little like she steals his dream from him. He knows that’s irrational but he can’t help but feel like he’s overshadowed again when he’s just starting to hit his stride)

- to irritation / a little fed up (when she becomes more and more tangled with his family. She starts a relationship with his father. She is friend with his sister. His little brother develops a possibly unhealthy crush on her. It’s like she’s this intruder/virus that he just can’t get rid off and he can’t run away from. She just walks into their lives and changes things as she pleases)

- to resigned / reconciliation… because Kanky is a grounded character. He’s a no drama kinda guy. He has a flare for the dramatics when he’s fighting and when he’s on the stage, but his real life is where he doesn’t want any of that drama. He’s chillax like that bastard Shikamaru from Konohagakure, except he’s more handsome and has wicked makeup skills. While he feels all of these emotions towards her, he’s very aware of himself and his own reactions (He is probably the one with the most self-awareness in his family) so there will come a point where he feels like he needs to come to terms with the fact that Kagome is a fixture that he can’t get around and can’t get rid off and that he feels both respect and annoyance when it comes to her.  Heh… poor Kanky… but really when you think about it, he’s the most normal person in that household and in some way, that’s kinda a super power in itself. 

So… eventually their relationship will develop. Acceptance leads to familiarity. He starts picking up a thing or two from her, starts getting steam from her grand ideas and willingness to go against convention to change the world. 

As for Kagome’s side, as said before, at first she mostly feels apathetic towards Kankurou, but as she interacts more and more with their family and her life becomes entertwined with them, she also becomes more aware of him. When Kankurou starts becoming irriated by her presence, she knows it. If Temari is the eyes through which we see how the Suna ninja view Kagome, then Kankurou is the mirror through which Kagome becomes aware of her impact on the Suna people, both the good and the bad. Kankurou’s presence is a constant reminder for her that she needs to be aware of her own actions. She is an intruder in many ways. She bears ideals radically different from the average Suna people and because of her power, she wields massive influence over their life. She may not mean harm, she may be trying to help, but that does not mean the impact of her actions is always good. 

Once she gets past her apathy, she starts feeling curious about Kankurou. He builds these things, these contraptions that remind her of home especially in a world where a significant part of the populace can casually bend the laws of nature to their whim. 

Once the reconcilliation / acceptance happens, she will start to seek him out more and more for his opinions and to sometimes sees him build his constructs (and perhaps gives him a few ideas too).

In other words, they bond over robots and mechanical sciences (she doesn’t understand most of what he talks about but she enjoyes hearing him talk nuts and bolts regardless because it reminds her of home. Besides which, robots are cool!!).

Eventually, their relationship will come to an easy state of friend/family member where they are used to each other’s presence and know where they stand with each other. An easy dynamics, normal, with no drama whatsoever. 

Heh!…. and then Kankurou becomes Kagome’s second and third children’s idol figure (twin boys. Think the Weasley twins except with ninja magic and a penchant for robotics and mechanics). They think Kanky is way cool with his many contraptions and traps primed for all sorts of mischief! That’s when all the hell breaks loose in the new Kazekage-Higurashi’s family!!! 

Hah! I’m sorry Kankuro. The drama you deftly avoid for most of your life has now caught up to you in the forms of two little rascals following you around everywhere you go while trying to learn all the cool puppetry techniques from you for the sake of epic pranking!!! Like their mother, you just can’t get rid of them. Just what are you going to do, Kanky? Your easy, peaceful no-drama days are now effectively over!! Ahahahahahaha….

…. Oh I can’t wait for the part where I get to play with Kankuro in FtGoG!