I don't particularly care so much about spoiling this one, but since I'm not a COMPLETE asshole, here's your honorary spoiler alert warning.
----------------------------------------
Mmkay, so. Got to like, episode 5 of Yashahime before my husband and I both sort of stopped watching because Kirby Morrow, the english VA for Miroku, had passed away. I initially planned to continue watching after a while, to allow for more episodes to release, and for me to just catch up with, but after what I found out today, I'm dropping the series.
Why, some of you may ask?
Well, first off, I'll immediately address what deterred me from continuing the series altogether: SessRin has been 100% confirmed, Rin IS the mother of Towa and Setsuna, and she would have had to have been 14 at the time of their birth. We learn that, during her time in the human village with Kaede, Sesshomaru brought her gifts on a DAILY BASIS. So, then she reaches a certain age (most likely 13 or at the start of her being 14), and Sesshomaru marries her, which makes her a child bride, first of all. "But that was normal back then!!" YES, child brides were common in the time era that this takes place in, but THEY ARE FROWNED UPON NOW. This should NOT be being depicted as some cute, beautiful thing, because it ISN'T. It's disgusting. It is PREDATORY.
They have reduced Sesshomaru's originally complex character (during InuYasha and InuYasha: The Final Act) to a fucking PEDOPHILE who, at best, was in the process of grooming Rin, and just decided he didn't want to wait anymore, and I'm PISSED about it, because that's not in character for Sesshomaru AT ALL. They did him dirty, and dishonored Rumiko Takahashi by doing so, because in case anyone forgot, SHE DID NOT WORK ON THIS PROJECT.
We knew he cared for Rin, but it had always seemed to be a father/daughter dynamic, and for them to deliberately change it into a husband/wife thing is beyond fucked up. This, in and of itself, is trying to normalize grooming of those who are underage. Let us recall that while Miroku WAS a lecherous monk, he NEVER groomed anyone underage, and, when one underage girl became infatuated with him, he politely turned her down. If Miroku can say no to that type of behavior, why the FUCK are we giving it to Sesshomaru, and allowing it to be accepted? Shame on all of you from the fandom who are complacent about normalizing grooming of minors. You wouldn't be so accepting if it weren't fictional.
Next, the plot. It's awful. Let's be real. There's a lot of info dumping, lots of just jumping from one topic to the next, and we STILL don't have a clear understanding of what the end goal is, or what the goal even is RIGHT NOW. It doesn't make sense. I compared this series with Akudama Drive recently, being told it wasn't a fair comparison, but I think at this point, being that the show is further along now than 12 episodes, it is fair. Akudama Drive was able to follow a single plotline and reach the conclusion smoothly within 12 episodes, but Yashahime, which is up to I believe 15 episodes now, still hasn't given us a direct plotline, and people are losing interest in that, but getting hooked on Akudama Drive? That's a HUGE oof.
Finally, the characters. While I was fond of Setsuna, Towa, and Moroha, I don't feel that the original characters we remember are quite in character AT ALL. Miroku seems to have lost all confidence in himself, and all hope of ever being useful again. Sango acts like she didn't used to LITERALLY DESTROY DEMONS. Kagome's original enthusiasm seems completely dissipated, as if her becoming a miko just took away all her joy, and InuYasha seems to be about the same in that department. Sesshomaru, aside from now being presented as a pedophile, has also gotten out of character. He was always the strong silent type, but there was always a HINT of emotion, and he didn't exactly abandon Rin, like....EVER. He always came back to make sure she was okay. But in this, he, what, knocks her up and then just takes the babies immediately after she pops them out? No praise, no acknowledgement of how she JUST GAVE BIRTH AT SUCH A YOUNG AGE, aside from when Kaede and Kagome say something? It's like they took him and removed every aspect of emotion he could ever show.
Also, if Moroha had never met Kagome and InuYasha, and had been in the care of Koga and Ayame, how exactly did she get a robe of the fire rat that looks like a poorly sewn up hand me down directly from InuYasha?
Look, all in all, the show just isn't as good as people are hyping it up to be solely because they're being OVERLY accepting of it due to old characters being involved, but let's not let nostalgia get in the way of acknowledging whether a show is good or not. Yashahime just ISN'T GOOD, and them adding the grooming aspect into the picture just kills it entirely. As far as I'm concerned, InuYasha ended once InuYasha: The Final Act was concluded. End of story. Moroha can still exist because she's a freaking BEAN, but I can't accept the existence of Setsuna and Towa anymore at this point, because their existence stems from a deplorable act, and that sucks, cause they had potential.
I'll stick to re-watching InuYasha if I feel the need to see my favorite characters again, and I recommend that for any other fan who has been vastly disgusted and disappointed by this development in Yashahime.
2087
izzy806
ellievsbear
gracieabrams
turnnoffyourmind
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
