I've been double checking some stuff, I know it's unlikely, but do you think Takahashi knew what would happen in Yashahime? Did she just do the character designs when she green lit it or did she check over the script as well? I can't find info on it
My understanding of Rumiko Takahashi’s involvement in Yashahime is that she designed Moroha, Setsuna, and Towa and tweaked the scripts when necessary. I’ve been enjoying all of interviews published prior to release of the series and after its release so they all kind of blend together for me.
I wanted to find something specific for you, Anon, so I headed over to YouTube and rewatched Viz’s official “Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon Series Composition Interview”. In this interview, Katsuyuki Sumisawa (who is in charge of script and series composition) stated, “I asked Takahashi-sensei to look at an idea I had and she tweaked it here and there. And finally, with her blessings, I developed a story about Sesshomaru’s daughter. She liked it very much, and said she would do the character designs. Sensei supervises the script and checks the storyline, so it will always remain true to the world of InuYasha.”
My favorite parts of this interview are Sumisawa saying, “It [the story of InuYasha] would have been nice to just put in a vault and preserve it,” and, “Many people abroad think that InuYasha, Kagome, and Sesshomaru are still battling in the Feudal Era. I became acutely aware of that when I went to America. A person in cosplay as Toga ... asked me what happened to InuYasha and said he was waiting for the sequel.”
Wherever that Toga cosplayer is, I hope he’s having the time of his life right now :’).
And not that you asked for my opinion specifically, but I can smell a “Rin is the mom wtf???” ask when I get one. I cannot state enough how uncomfortable having Rin be the mother of my darling Setsuna and Towa has been because it goes against a very big moral no no of mine (earlier in the summer I tried to convivence myself that I wouldn’t care but the amount of times I’ve gotten drunk and yelled at my cat who I’ve so lovingly named “Kohaku” for not sweeping Rin off of her feet tell me otherwise lol).
I’ll never speak on behalf of Sunrise Studios, but I’ve been a fan of Takahashi’s forever. As I processed it all, I could just hear her telling me that feelings have the power to transform over time. I’m not happy with that answer or any of the conclusions I was able to draw about this development but I highly doubt that Takahashi’s intent with Sesshomaru and Rin was ever to provide her stamp of approval on child grooming or child brides. Still, she allowed this shift to occur and to pretend that she didn’t or make her out to be totally innocent by simply being like, “She just designed the characters,” doesn’t feel right to me. If you’re interested in my full take, I made a post you can view here: https://hanmajoerin.tumblr.com/post/640051451094253568/lets-talk-yashahime-inuyasha-sunrise-and.
All in all, there have been so many aspects of InuYasha: A Feudal Fairytale and InuYasha: The Final Act that Takahashi sort of “okay, go’d” in the past that still don’t sit well with me. Moments as little as having Sango check Kagome’s leg for bite marks during the Tsubaki arc instead of InuYasha to bigger issues like implying that in his free time, InuYasha practiced the Wind Scar on Kirara. With the introduction of Yashahime, I’ve noticed a huge shift in us placing the older series on a pedestal. The grass is always greener on the other side, my dear followers.
Even though Yashahime is far from perfect, I’ve still been having fun with it. The same things I find enjoyable about Yashahime are the same things I find tolerable in InuYasha: A Feudal Fairytale and InuYasha: The Final Act. These are elements to the series like small yet precious moments shared between characters, cute and hysterical facial expressions, the music, and the voice acting. You can take the good and run with it or not. Regardless, I want to remind my followers and friends that Sunrise’s Yashahime is simply one of many takes on an “ever after” for the world of InuYasha.
