Hey, there! Welcome to my main world. Look here for my personal take on anything and everything InuYasha. I'll probably post reflections on the newest episodes Kanketsu-Hen, character profiles, relationship analysis, rants/ramblings, and fun stuff as well! Keep an eye out for updates frequently! :D

A Primer on Character Themes: Other Main Characters.

Last time I posted, I gave you an introduction to the character themes of the main protagonists of the series. For length reasons, I decided to split this into a few shorter posts instead of one painfully long one. So, for the second post in this series, I'm going to introduce you to the themes for some of the other major characters in the show: Kikyou, Sesshoumaru, Naraku, Kouga, and Kagura.

Everyone Else!:

"Misfortunate Priestess, Kikyou"

I would guess that it's because she's probably my favorite anime character ever, but I think Kikyou's theme is the most emotionally powerful in the entire series. It is beautiful and haunting, just like her. The series uses it masterfully as well, employing her theme at the most opportune and appropriate moments. The other arrangements are gorgeous as well.

"Demon, Sesshoumaru"

Sesshoumaru's theme is probably one of the coolest in the whole series, just because it uses some really nifty instruments to create the sound Wada was looking for. This theme was somewhat abandoned after the first few seasons, but when Sesshoumaru was first introduced it was used during each of his appearances.

"Evil Demon, Naraku"

Naraku's theme is probably the song most deserving of the designation "character theme." It's familiar harpsicord plays during nearly every single appearance he makes, even up through Kanketsu-Hen -- be it as himself or as a puppet. Other arrangements vary little form the original, making Naraku's theme one of the most recognizable in the entire show.

"Wolf Demon Tribe, Kouga"

Kouga's theme is seriously one of the coolest in the show, with a mariachi kind of feel, but honestly, I can't name a single instance when I've ever heard it. Maybe I need to re-watch some of Kouga's introductory episodes or something, but it's not recognizable as his theme. Doesn't make it any less cool, though!

"Wind Sorceress, Kagura"

Definitely a great, but underrated character theme. Mostly used when InuYasha (or another character) is in battle with Kagura, this theme embodies Kagura's wind-based attacks and adds a cool touch to her battle scenes. However, it lacks her emotional depth, which was only revealed in later episodes. Kagura develops, but her theme doesn't really develop with her.

All right, that's enough for this installment. Check back soon for the minor characters post. I've also decided to add a fourth post to this series, as each member of the Shichinintai has a unique theme song as well. And while they're not major protagonists, they are memorable characters who hang around for a long time in the series.

And feel free to leave comments! What do you think of InuYasha's BGM??

- Paige

A Primer on Character Themes: The Inu-Tachi.

InuYasha is known for the quality of its background music (which will be referred to as BGM from now on). All of the instrumental themes in the series were written by the fabulous composer Kaoru Wada, who has also composed music for the Kingdom Hearts games, Vampire Princess Miyu, Ninja Scroll, and a plethora of other animes and games. So, I thought it would be fun to put together a post about the different characters and their unique theme songs. Every major character in the series has one and there are several variants of each that are used for different types of scenes throughout the series (serious, cute and fun, romantic, and so on). Plus, this gave me an excuse to troll around YouTube for a while! ^__^

The Inu-Tachi:

"Hanyou InuYasha"
One of my favorite themes in the whole series belongs to our protagonist and favorite fuzzy-eared half demon. Most notably, this song plays during each and every episode preview throughout the series and variations of it are used for dramatic scenes, romantic interludes, and intense battle music.

"Crossing Time - Kagome"
The original version of this theme is probably not the most recognizable arrangement of it. Generally Kagome's theme is heard in the anime when she's going through some kind of intense emotions -- meaning, she sees Kikyou with InuYasha or she's feeling especially romantic. You hear a "vocal" version a lot in the series as well.

"The Little Fox Demon, Shippou"
This is one of those themes noted for its prominent use in filler episodes. It's cute and fun, very telling of Shippou's character. As Shippou is, generally, a comic relief character, this theme definitely has a major use in funny, light-hearted episodes.

"Delinquent Monk, Miroku"
As with Shippou's theme, Miroku's main theme gets used a lot during filler episodes(or when he's asking girls to bear his child and whatnot) . However, there are plenty more serious arrangements that get used during battle scenes, and there is a beautiful love theme for him and Sango. I can definitely picture Miroku grabbing butts to this song... XD

"Demon Slayer, Sango"
This one is probably my second-favorite theme, after Kikyou's. It is absolutely gorgeous. Sango is one of the few characters whose theme is actually used relatively frequently with her own actions. It starts out pretty somber, then picks up half-way through. It definitely embodies her personality perfectly.

This post was going to originally have all of the themes, but I decided to break it up a bit for length reasons. I may do something cool and link to the different sections later, but this works for now. Check back soon for the rest of the main characters (Kikyou, Naraku, Sesshoumaru, and so on), and then a post featuring some minor characters (Houjou, Toutousai, Myouga, etc.).

Also, feel free to discuss the songs! Which one is your favorite? Do you have an arrangement you really like? Is there another BGM piece you like from the series?

-Paige

"Bakuryuuha!"??

Hello, everyone! Welcome to BAKURYUUHA!, my InuYasha world and fanshrine of sorts. I know the introduction basically sums up what will be going here, but I wanted to give this world a full introduction and introduce myself and my InuYasha history as well. So, here we go!

Oh, and for those of you who have no idea what the title means, it's the Japanese name for the Backlash Wave, Tessaiga's (supposedly) ultimate attack.

InuYasha has been my favorite anime for more than six years. A friend of mine introduced me to it in the seventh grade and I've been hooked ever since. I have seen every episode of the anime and I have read all 558 chapters of the manga. I have written countless pieces of fanfiction and doodled plenty of images of my favorite characters (I can't draw at all, so saying I did fanart would be a bit of a stretch). I have spent oodles of money on merchandise as well, everything from posters to plushies to import soundtracks. InuYasha has been a major of part of my life for a very long time and I am still proud to say I am a fan. I know that the show's fans have been somewhat tainted by trolls and such, and I can't pretend like I wasn't one of them at one point, but I would like to think I have evolved beyond that. I tune in to Kanketsu-Hen faithfully every week, so I will probably start posting about that as well.

Okay, enough about me. I want to give you a better idea of what I have planned for the future of this world. Let's do this in a list form, shall we?

1. Comprehensive character profiles and analysis: As the series has finished, I can fully analyze and profile the major and supporting characters! Expect to see posts about minor characters as well, if they prove to be especially important to a certain plot line (or if I really like them).
2. In-depth guides to major plot arcs: Sure, InuYasha has TONS of filler, but there are plenty of major arcs to be discussed as well. Especially as Kanketsu-Hen hurtles toward the conclusion of the entire series, I will be adding tons of stuff on major arcs from the first series and the current one.
3. Essays and personal reflections: As such a huge fan, I developed some pretty strong feelings on the series and many of its major discussions (Kikyou vs. Kagome, Is so-and-so evil?, etc.). I will definitely be posting about those!
4. Various rants and ramblings: Similar to essays, but without the structure, this posts will come around if I get really heated up about something. Hilarity is likely to ensue.
5. FUN STUFF: Hey, I don't have to be serious all the time! In fact, I really enjoy poking fun at my favorite show. Keep an eye out for fun parodies and stuff that will likely be interspersed with the more serious content.

Well, that's about it. I didn't mean to ramble on for so long! I guess that's just a preview of what's to come, eh? Thanks for stopping by Bakuryuuha!, and make sure to check back for new posts!!

- Paige, Bakuryuuha!'s loyal mistress.