Inuyasha Park: The Season of Love Has Come to the Animal Kingdom ♡♡

Translated by: Harley Acres

●Inuyasha, airing every Monday from 7:00 pm on Yomiuri TV, Nippon TV and other networks.
©Rumiko Takahashi/Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, Sunrise 2000

First up is the "dog" of Inuyasha Park, where the canine tribes gathers in groups. The season of love has arrived here, and some unexpected couples have been born. Let's take a look at the four themes. Your guide will be producer Michihiko Suwa. ^[1]

Observation Point #1
Dogs vs. Wolves
Courtship behavior over females!

Oh, we're seeing a vivid glimpse into their lives. With Kagome between them, the dog and wolf are in full swing with their courtship behavior. Both are full of energy! What wonderful scenes of nature. It's "woof" versus "wolf", isn't it wonderful, Suwa-san!?

"Thank you for having me today."

...Eh, Inuyasha and the wolf demon are said to be "enemies" in animal character studies, so perhaps the key point here is the difference in their approach.

"I think so. Koga is very forthright, like, 'Be my woman.'"

He's gives very clear signs.

"That's right. But in Inuyasha's case, she says 'Sit!' and he doesn't lift his head."

So, does that show the difference in behavior between a wild wolf and a domesticated dog?!?!?

"Yes. Kagome also said, 'Inuyasha wouldn't say something like that.'"

So, would Kagome accept the wolf's advances more than a dog's?

"Well... Inuyasha and Koga will face off in episodes 39 and 40, so that might be where the conclusion is. However, I'll also share some information that someone has set a trap..."

Wolves are a species at risk of extinction, so let's keep a close eye on them.

	Dog	Wolf
Ears	They have excellent hearing abilities and are slightly larger than wolves.	Their small, sharply shaped ears give them a wild look. Their hearing is also excellent.
Tail	It has never been shown before. If it was a Shiba Inu's, it would curl up...	Koga's tail is bushy and long, in contrast to a dog's.
Athletic Ability	Fast and can run as if he were flying through the air. His long claws can also be used as weapons.	His feet are fast. Koga runs like the wind. He has three shards of the Shikon Jewel inside his body.
Personality	Perhaps because he is a half-demon, he shows human kindness and sweetness. He has a weakness for older women.	He gets what he wants, even by force. He is a confident person who believes he is always right.
Behavior Pattern	Although he generally prefers to act independently, Inuyasha has been trained to "sit."	His kind generally form groups, with Koga acting as the leader of the pack. They are athletic.

A comparison of the ecology of dogs and wolves

Let's compare dogs and wolves from an animal character perspective. It is said that dogs are originally wild wolves that humans domesticated. Since they have the same roots, it seems that they have a lot in common. However, there are few females among Koga's wolf tribe, and it doesn't seem like there is much diversity in the species. ^[2] Could that be the reason why Koga is so obsessed with Kagome?...Then it's the same as Miroku-sama...

Observation Point #2
The females are fighting over Miroku-sama!

There's a lot of them here. Let's observe the females... no, I mean, the women. Who is the one Miroku is holding?

"It must be Koharu from episode 41. She's an old acquaintance who adores Miroku."

An old acquaintance...?

"Apparently Miroku called out to her."

...Oh no, not again. He was preparing to breed, saying things like "Please give birth to my child." That's why Sango is acting intimidating.

"But thanks to this girl, Sango realizes her feelings for Miroku."

How old is this girl... Koharu?

"14."

... It's a little early for breeding...

Observation Point #3
Beautiful yokai girls are multiplying from Naraku-san!!

Speaking of breeding, this one is quite amazing. It's Naraku. He's the rarest of rare animals. I thought he was a baboon, but he has a spider on his back, so he might be an insect. I heard a rumor that yokai are breeding in large numbers from Naraku.

"Yes, in episode 40 Kagura was born and Kanna was born in episode 41, they are yokai sisters born from Naraku."

What, two females!? Amazing! And he breeds on his own... What a skill. Plus he gives birth to beautiful women and girls, what incredible vitality!

"By the way, the voice of Kagura is Ogami-san, a former female announcer at Nippon TV."

What, wolf!?

"No, no, Izumi Ogami!" ^[3]

Ah, she's the wife of Giants player Motoki♡. ^[4]

Observation Point #4
An unexpected symbiotic relationship emerges between Sesshomaru-sama and a young girl!!

The end is a major incident that overturns the laws of nature. That ferocious yokai dog, Sesshomaru-sama, saved a human girl, Rin?!?!

"What a strange relationship they have."

A kind of symbiotic relationship, perhaps. Like a crocodile and the little bird that cleans its teeth.

"It might be close. At first, Rin tried to help Sesshomaru."

So, since Sesshomaru is also a dog, he didn't forget the kindness he received once?

"That's difficult to say. But it could be said that Rin has become Sesshomaru's weakness."

Oh, let's keep watching!

Observation Point #5
Movie Information

Let's take a look at the theatrical version of Inuyasha the Movie: Affections Touching Across Time, which is scheduled for release in December. From the visuals we have, it looks quite hard-hitting.

The story is an original concept supervised by Rumiko Takahashi-sensei. The new characters are the mysterious enemy Menomaru and his two beautiful subordinates. Menomaru seems to be a yokai from the continent that Inuyasha's father fought long ago. What is the enemy's goal? We can expect some dynamic developments.

★Summer vacation special information! Entering its second year on the air, the special Inuyasha ~Super Special Edition~ will be broadcast on Yomiuri TV from 12:00 to 12:55 on August 25th and nationwide! ^[5] Each TV station has a different time slot, so be sure to check the "Network"!

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Footnotes

• [1] Michihiko Suwa (諏訪道彦) is the long-time producer at Sunrise responsible for Inuyasha, Inuyasha: The Final Act and Yashahime. He is also the producer of Detective Conan (名探偵コナン/Meitantei Conan), City Hunter (シティーハンター) and Magic Knight Rayearth (魔法騎士[マジックナイト]レイアース/Maho Kishi "Majikku Naito" Reiaasu).
• [2] Ayame, the female wolf demon and anime-only character, was not yet introduced when this article was originally written.
• [3] The pun here is the that "okami" (狼/wolf) and Kagura's voice actress' last name "大神/Ogami" sound very similar.
• [4] Kagura's voice actress, Izumi Ogami, is married to professional retired baseball player Daisuke Motoki (元木大介).
• [5] Inuyasha ~Super Special Edition~ (犬夜叉~超特別編~/Inuyasha ~Cho tokubetsu-hen~) was later re-edited and released as an extra bonus feature on the first movie's DVD release under the title Cho tokubetsu-hen! Inuyasha no Tsubosupesharu (超特別編！「犬夜叉」のツボスペシャル).

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