Reviews

Inuyasha: The Final Act is meant to continue where its early 2000s prequel had left off in the continuing plot of Inuyasha and his allies trying to stop Naraku and his plans with the Shikon no Tama. I might as well address the major issue with this series first that comes in the form of its pacing. A good chunk of the anime is quite notable for rushing through many of the major events of the series from the manga, which include cutting out, rearranging or altering key scenes. This has the negative effect of reducing any time that could be focused on how said events effect the characters, developing the events that lead to key points in the series from occurring or getting into dramatic scenes. The third is especially a notable one here as a few major characters in the series die due to Naraku's manipulations, yet their deaths lack much of the emotional punch they could have had thanks to Final Act's pacing.

Things finally start slowing with the pacing towards the middle of the series when Magatsuhi makes his presence felt and the final battle with Naraku unfolds. This made for the genuinely engaging high point of the series as things concerning the true nature of the Shikon Jewel are revealed and Naraku pulls out all the stops to try killing off Inuyasha and his companions in their final battle, whether through his usual manipulations or through directly attacking them. The anime adds in some scenes and developments not seen in the manga such as Kagome going through her high school exams and one of Naraku's incarnations getting some fleshing out that the manga never went into. They're decent little touches for the anime, though the latter development lacks some of the punch it could have had thanks to the fast pacing throughout a good chunk of the series. The later episodes also suffer through a few rather convenient developments that serve to make more pleasant resolutions for events in the series, particularly with the title's ending.

Visually, Inuyasha: The Final Act retains the animation style employed through the first series, while sporting slightly smoother details and more moments of fluid animation this time around since Final Act's length is nowhere as large as the first series. The soundtrack retains much of the insert musical pieces used from the original series, while incorporating J-Pop themes for opener and closer sequences. The insert tracks still fit in well with key scenes, but the J-pop songs are mood killers that aren't too fitting with Final Act's mood.

Overall, Final Act's a step down in quality compared to the first series. While having slightly better quality visuals and the later episodes being quite engaging for the final battle with Naraku, the title's pacing for a good chunk of its run still killed much of the buildup and suspense that led up to the latter. It's somewhat regrettable that the anime adaptations of the series had to end on an underwhelming note such as this.