English Dub Season Review: Yashahime: Princess Half Demon Season One

Overview (Spoilers Below)

This sequel series to Inuyasha focuses on Sesshomaru’s twin half-demon daughters, Towa and Setsuna, and their quarter demon cousin, Moroha.

The three girls fight their way through a world of demons in the feudal era, seeking the dream butterfly that stole Setsuna’s memories. Towa must grapple with being raised in the modern era, but now having to live in the past, while Moroha pursues bounty hunting in an attempt to pay off a debt owed by her former master.

With their newly burgeoning demon powers and each other to count on, Moroha, Towa, and Setsuna make quite a team. Even if that’s not what Setsuna wants to be, at first.

Our Take

I was unbelievably hyped for this series. It lived up to expectations in many ways, and the ways in which it fell short tend to either be inconsequential, or simply a result of comparing it to the original series. It’s natural to want it to be more like its predecessor in some ways, but I feel that overall, it holds its own.

If there’s one word to sum up this show, at least for the first season, it’s “rollicking.” There’s a heavy focus on adventure and fun/campy sibling rivalries, with just enough serious moments to lend some depth to the characters and plot.

For viewers that haven’t seen Inuyasha prior to watching, there may be a few confusing moments. Ultimately, I feel like everything gets explained (or sometimes over explained), but I’ve also seen the original series, so who knows.

Overall, it’s a fun, silly show with a classic art style that feels incredibly nostalgic, or at the very least, distinct from most other current offerings. The flat colors and puffy bangs help establish continuity with the original series, while the lighting effects make the most of animation developments since that time.

Additionally, the voice cast is perfection. Cowboy Bebop may set the standard for anime dubs, but this series comes pretty close to the space jazz saga’s perfection.

Morgan Berry, Erica Mendez, and Kira Buckland as our main trio (Moroha, Towa, and Setsuna, respectively) bring a balance of youthfulness and power to the main story. While their appearances are somewhat limited, the voice cast from the original series reconvening to reprise their roles in this New Era (also the name of the fantastic theme song for the first half of this season) make for an incredibly fun and consistent throwback.

David Kaye as Sesshomaru is a particularly impactful callback to the original story, while Richard Ian Cox as Inuyasha and Kira Toze as Kagome continue to boost this series’ appeal to both old and new fans alike. And, while the loss of Kirby Morrow is as devastating as it was unexpected, hearing him in the first episode as Miroku, opposite Kelly Sheridan’s Sango, is perhaps the best way to remember his incredible talent.

In the end, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this series, and particularly this season, to seasoned anime fans and newcomers to the genre alike. There’s plenty of goofy moments and things that don’t make sense. But overall, it’s a god damn delight.