Chapter
40: 四十ノ章 夢の浮橋 Yonjuu no sho Yume no ukihashi (Journey 40 - The Floating Bridge of Dreams)
Towa and Setsuna are jarred by the crowds and business of modern Tokyo. Staring at the sprawl from the top of Tokyo Tower, the girls comment how all of this seems like living in a fairytale. With no progress being made on finding Riku, Towa explains that Sota is taking time off work to scour the internet in hopes of finding comments that may lead them to Riku or the Grim Comet. At home, Sota finds an online news article about an unusual comet that is making a close approach to earth after hundreds of years. Suddenly the root head demon bursts through the door. When the girls arrive home, they find the apartment in disarray and the demon threatening to kill Sota, Moe and Mei. The demon holds out a phone and the voice that comes through is that of Riku, revealing that he arrived to the present years earlier and has been living as Towa's homeroom teacher, Osamu Kirin. He tells Towa to come meet him face-to-face while he continues to have the root head demon hold her family hostage and insists that Setsuna and Moroha stay behind as well. Trapped, Sota wishes that Kagome and Inuyasha were there to help. In the past Kagome awakes with a start sensing something is amiss. She finds Inuyasha outside sitting on the roof of their house saying that he too senses something. Kagome and Inuyasha follow Rin into the forest where they find her meeting with the spirit of the Tree of Ages. Inuyasha is stunned that the spirit resembles Kikyo. The spirit gives Rin a small toy pinwheel, the Weathervane of Time. The spirit explains that she stole it from Lord Akuru, but as she has broken the laws of time to try and help Towa, Setsuna and Moroha she is destroyed as punishment. As she dies, the Tree of Ages thinks that she was happy to live in the guise of Kikyo and do what she too would have done. Rin thinks about how the Tree of Ages gave strength to Sesshomaru during the thousand years he was trapped in the time loop, and she wishes she could give him the same support and strength that he has always given her. Rin realizes she can help by asking Kagome to use the Weathervane of Time, because Sesshomaru would be too prideful to ask Kagome for help. Back in the present, Towa arrives at school to confront Osamu Kirin, or rather, Riku. Removing his glasses, Riku tells Towa that he prefers to be called Kirinmaru instead, and that he wants the demonic aura she learned to absorb during her time in the past. Kirinmaru summons root head from the ground, revealing that the creature will possess Towa to make her use her powers to support Riku/Kirinmaru. It seems the present day has very little demonic energy to draw from, and in peparation for this Kirinmaru buried parts of the Grim Comet as a catalyst. However centuries of war and natural disasters destroyed much of it, and so Towa is needed to replace the power lost over the centuries. In the past, Kagome has tied the pinwheel given to her by Rin to her arrow and fires it, telling Inuyasha that she knows it will be able to travel through time to help Towa, Setsuna and Moroha against their attackers.
Published In:
Shonen Sunday Super 2025 Vol. 2
Yashahime Vol. 10
Publication Date: December 25, 2024
Pages: 42 (black and white)
Anime Adaptation: None
Notes:
We see a billboard featuring Shampoo as a cat as Towa and Setsuna wander around Tokyo.
After visiting Tokyo Tower, the girls go to WacDonald's, the restaurant chain that made a number of appearances in Inuyasha and Kyokai no RINNE.
"Drat this country's firearm and sword law." - Moroha is not carrying her sword in the modern age due to the illegality of it. Moroha refers to it in hiragana "じゅ-と-ほ-" (Juutouhou) rather than kanji "銃刀法". She refers to the internet in the same fashion (ねっと rather than ネット). The law Moroha is referring to "The Firearms and Swords Possession Control Law" (銃砲刀剣類所持等取締法/じゅうほうとうけんるいしょじとうとりしまりほう/Juuhou toukenrui syojitou torimarihou) was passed on March 10, 1958.
"As the Hyakunin Isshu puts it, 'A morning in disarray leaves one deep in thought.'" - Osamu Kirin is referring to the Hyakunin Isshu (百人一首) is a collection of poems by one hundred poets.
Kikyo-oneesama made a special appearance in Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon as The Tree of Ages, but this will probably be her last appearance. Unlike actors, characters don't have a set schedule, so they can be called upon whenever they want. So even if their role in the story is over, they may appear in flashbacks, for example, but when I'm drawing the manga, there are times when I get the feeling "Ah, this girl won't be appearing anymore."
Basically, the characters in this manga are those who have come from Rumic World to my workshop temporarily. But even so, they still exist inside me while I'm drawing. They suddenly disappeared after this scene, so I think they must have returned to Rumiko Takahashi-sensei's place. When I'm writing, in my head, it's like a scene in a movie or the set of a drama: "Kikyo-san, we're done. Thank you for your hard work! Clap, clap, clap, clap."
By the way, Satsuki Yukino, who plays Kagome, mentioned a funny episode in an interview when she talked about the time of recording Inuyasha. I won't go into the details here, but I touched on it a little in this chapter (laughs). It's a fun episode about the characters inside that is well known to fans of Inuyasha and Ranma 1/2... well, only those who know will laugh.
It was a lot of fun drawing the half-demon princesses wandering around modern-day Tokyo. I wanted to describe their time there more, but considering the overall balance, it's a bit disappointing that I couldn't devote any more pages to it. The hamburger restaurant where the princesses took a break is the same chain that Kagome sometimes visited in Inuyasha. However, it's a different branch because it's a scene where she says, "After touring the city center, I won't be hungry until I get home, so I'll have a quick meal."
The "Flying Root Head" that appeared at the beginning of the anime is introduced here along with the "Root Neck". The setting is that Kirinmaru buried these two types of yokai in a safe place along with the materials in preparation for starting the windmill in the future. Well, you see, if you dry them out, they can be stored in a dormant state for a long time (laughs).
The root head that attacked the apartment is assumed to have invaded the water system. That means that even if they get rid of it, repairs will be necessary, which will cause problems for the residents there. The scene where the princesses say goodbye to the Higurashi family should be set at a shrine, so it would be natural for Sota's family, who can no longer live in the apartment, to live with the Higurashi family for a while.
Rin-chan was asked a favor by Sesshomaru after their conversation in "Embrace" and before she went to Towa's place. In fact, that's the only time it could happen. Rereading it, it seems like the conversation was cut short, but that's not necessarily the case, so let's just go with that.
Rumiko Takahashi-sensei was pleased with the setting of "Riku changed his appearance and was next to Towa before she met him [in the past]." It would have been better if we had included hints at this earlier in the story, but honestly, I didn't have time to do that when I was writing the first chapter, so it was unavoidable. However, while it does incorporate a flavor of time-based sci-fi romance similar to The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (時をかける少女/Toki o kakeru shojo) and Somewhere in Time (ある日どこかで/Aru hi dokoka de), the structure towards the end is quite simple, so it looks like it can be wrapped up in 10 volumes.
It's difficult to presume what Shiina is referencing in regards to an event related by Satsuki Yukino that was alluded to in this chapter and would be known to Inuyasha and Ranma 1/2 fans. Perhaps it could be their interview where Kappei Yamaguchi (Inuyasha and Ranma) repeatedly called Kagome (Satsuki Yukino) "Akane" during the early days of recording. Akane is portrayed by Noriko Hidaka (Kikyo).
Table of Contents
A: Rin-chan was asked to do this immediately after the conversation at the beginning of chapter 31.
Chapter
41: 四十一ノ章 伝心 Yonjuuichi no sho Denshin (Journey 41 - Telepathy)
Root head attacks Towa, trying to force her to begin absorbing demonic energy to power the Windmill of Time. Riku tells Towa that Kirinmaru will remake the world where everyone can be happy, Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's father will have lived, Rin and Sesshomaru could still meet, fall in love and raise the girls together as proper parents. He tells her that she could even meet Riku and fall in love. As Towa begins to surrender, suddenly energy appears in the sky and Kagome's arrow from the past crosses time and explodes into Sota' apartment building, killing the root head there and freeing Setsuna and Moroha to go and help Towa. Sota drives off with Moroha and Setsuna in search of Towa, and he thinks back to when Inuyasha came to the present to help save Kagome and brought Sota along on the adventure. The spiritual energy from Kagome's arrow allows Towa to free herself and kill the root head trying to control her. She refuses to accept a false, unearned happiness in the world Riku is promising her, knowing it would mean she never would know Sota, Moe and Mei. In the past Rion is freed from her collar and tries to help an injured Jaken as Sesshomaru continues to battle with Kirinmaru. Towa tells Riku that she resists because she hates what he has become prompting him to laugh and tell her that he will kill her and simply wait another 500 years until the 26th century when the Grim Comet will pass this way again, but then he will have gathered enough demonic energy without depending on Towa. Moroha gets Stoa out of the way after he brings Towa her sword. Together Towa and Setsuna battle against Riku who uses all of Kirinmaru's powers against them. Setsuna's naginata is shattered during the battle. Realizing they should not try to match Riku's enhanced Kirinmaru powers, they use Yukari no Tachikiri to cut Riku's thread of fate using Tenseiken. With Riku's true, honorable soul freed from this Kirinmaru controlled puppet, Riku returns to normal. Towa and Riku's reunion is cut short as Moroha warns them of the approaching Grim Comet.
Published In:
Shonen Sunday Super 2025 Vol. 3
Yashahime Vol. 10
Publication Date: January 24, 2024
Pages: 47 (black and white)
Anime Adaptation: None
Notes:
Sota's flashback to his childhood with Inuyasha is when they went to help save Kagome from the Mask of Flesh in chapter 26.
The item around Rion's neck is translated as a "cangue" which is a Chinese implement (known in Chinese as a 枷/jia) used for public humiliations. In the Japanese text it is called a "kubikase" (首枷) which is more often translated into English as a "pillory".
"...what the folks in your time call 'salty ay eff'." - In the original Japanese, Moroha makes much the same comment using modern Japanese slang. There she uses the modern term "gekioko" (げきおこ) which is short for "Gekiokopunpunmaru" (激おこぷんぷん丸). This is a "gyaru" phrase to mean "very angry".
The drama is nearing the end. The task of reconstructing the anime and putting it into a simple manga format is even more difficult when you also have to calculate the number of remaining chapters.
Amidst all of this, I was able to complete my personal theme, "the feelings of those left behind," and I am quite satisfied with the end result. In the comicalization, Sota is the hidden protagonist, and he is my alter ego. I was so excited when I came up with the idea of setting the road where Moroha and Setsuna go to save Towa next to the apartment complex where they went to save Kagome in Inuyasha. Although he was unable to enter the world of Sengoku Otogi Zoushi, he was able to resolve something that was unfulfilled by playing the role of someone he admired. I think Sota has personally experienced the common story line of "he lives on inside you." Well, Inuyasha-senpai is alive and well in the Sengoku period, though.
The insanity or incompleteness of Kirin-sensei in the anime version was a variation on the creepiness of the mental structure of the monsters in Sengoku Otogi Zoushi. It's a bit of a shame that they omitted that, but I think the arrangement of making him the same person as Riku was an idea to neatly summarise Riku's theme in a short page count. It was good up until the point where the modern era and the Sengoku period were synchronized, but Kirinmaru and Sesshomaru have been in a matchmaking state for months (laughs), so I want to bring it to a conclusion soon.
In the part where Towa turns down Kirin-sensei's temptation, right up until the last minute I thought she would just say "I can't throw it away because of the time I spent with the Higurashi family is important to me". However, while I was writing, I received a signal from Towa and Lord Sesshomaru saying "I have a suggestion for this scene". After discussing it, they said "It's because I don't like you!" (laughs). It certainly sounds more like them that way. I've introduced examples of this kind of ad-lib several times before, and receiving suggestions from characters is the best part of writing manga. When you create a scenario in your head, you tend to just put it together with logical consistency, but if you treat the characters as real colleagues and creative partners, they will bring in these kinds of leaps that go beyond logic. I've been very grateful to Mikami and the [Zettai Karen] Children, but I never imagined I'd be able to have such a relationship with Sesshomaru from Rumiko Takahashi-sensei's family. Also, "Kohaku picking up Lord Jaken" was actually an ad-lib from Kohaku, and I was secretly grinning while drawing it. I felt Kohaku's maturity after Inuyasha and thought, "He's grown up."
It was a fun job, and the three years went by in a flash. I'm very sad to say goodbye to the characters and the world of the work in just a few more chapters. I feel the pressure to end it nicely, though. I'm also worried about what I'll do with my next project after this is over.
There's still quite a bit to do until the conclusion, when the battle with the Grim Comet will be resolved, the battle between Kirinmaru and Sesshomaru will be resolved, and Towa and the others will return to the Sengoku period, so please stay with us...there's still quite a bit to do.
Table of Contents
A: The entire production staff has been wiped out by the flu.
Chapter
42: 四十二ノ章 結集 Yonjuuichi no sho Kesshuu (Journey 42 - Assembly)
Speeding away in his car, Towa takes a call from Moe as they flee from the rampaging Grim Comet as it rains debris down onto Tokyo. Setsuna warns Riku not to keep at Towa as she changes clothes in the back seat while shards of the comet crash down around them. Mei remade Towa's uniform for her, though Towa teases that white is a difficult color to keep clean. As the Touto Dome is hit by the Grim Comet firing down on them, the girls realize that they need to stop fleeing as it is only spreading destruction. Setsuna say that with the Tenseiken and the Yukari no Tachikiri they can reach the distant comet and attack it. They drive to Tokyo Tower, a high enough point to wage an attack against the Grim Comet. Riku has done his best to repair Setsuna's blade using knowledge he retained from his Osamu Kirin persona. Parting with Sota, everyone heads to the tower. Riku explains that the one-eyed comet they see in the sky is just a manifestation, the actual body of the comet, its core, is following the orbit of the moon. They realize that severing the demonic spirit that is connected to the core of the comet is the key to defeating it, even though the core is 400,000 kilometers away. Towa is able to slice all the way into orbit, but her power, even combined with Moroha, Riku and Setsuna is not enough to cut the huge cord that binds the Grim Comet. Setsuna realizes they can rely on the power of other demons. She realizes that perhaps if they can sever threads they can also make them. She prays to connect with the past and the small pinwheel begins to spin as the Grim Comet appears through portals to the past. Inuyasha, Kagome and Rin see it, as do Miroku, Sango, Kin'u and Gyokuto. The comet then appears above Kirinmaru and Sesshomaru's battle. Even Sesshomaru's mother, Koga and Shiori see the comet. Kohaku marshalls Kirara, Hisui, Jaken, Takechiyo and Rion to help as well as Sesshomaru smirks at what the girls have managed to accomplish.
Published In:
Shonen Sunday Super 2025 Vol. 4
Yashahime Vol. 10
Publication Date: February 25, 2024
Pages: 31 (black and white)
Anime Adaptation: None
Notes:
As debris from the comet rains down it strikes Ikkoku-kan, the apartment from Maison Ikkoku.
"Did the strap of your "brah" snap?" - Moroha says "brassiere" in hiragana (ぶらじゃ) rather than katakana (ブラジャー) since it is an unfamiliar word to her.
The Touto Dome is obviously the Tokyo Dome. It is currently holding a concert for "Six Mews" which is a reference to SixTONES and NEWS, both groups having done theme songs for the Yashahime anime.
"An 'Eye-Dol' event?" - Just as she did with "bra", Moroha says "idol" in hiragana as "あいどる" rather than in katakana "アイドル".
The final battle takes place in a certain tower, in keeping with the anime. In the anime, there is a wide scaffolding on the upper floor, and the princesses are stationed there. After looking into it, I found that there is no structure like that in reality. Please understand that "the building in the story is fictional, with the scaffolding on top of the digital terrestrial broadcasting antenna."
Although the storyline in which the dome stadium in Tokyo was cut, I found a spot where the dome can be seen from the Shuto Expressway when I checked Google Maps, so I briefly depicted it there. By the way, Moroha's line "It's not peaceful" is a little joke that references the voice actor and Sunrise's work. Also, Ikkoku-kan makes a cameo appearance (?) in the confusion, and the actual location is said to be an image of Higashi-Nagasaki, where Rumiko Takahashi-sensei lived at the time, so it would be strange for it to appear when the attack is heading towards the city center from Nerima. However, I couldn't help but include it even though I was worried that Takahashi-sensei might get angry at me, which is my complicated fanboy mentality.
If the Earth is the size of a soccer ball, the Moon is about the size of a tennis ball, with an orbital radius of about 7 meters. It's surprisingly far away. But on a cosmic scale, another small celestial body passing that distance is a near miss. If they get that close over a period of several hundred years, it seems like a collision would be inevitable over a span of hundreds of millions of years, but I guess that's what's made it work with the divine powers of Amaterasu. I interpreted the fact that it "appears above Japan" as being made possible by some spiritual mechanism, and that's why the setting for the Grim Comet is like that. I connected that to the logic that "cutting off the connection will make it work somehow."
Towa-chan needs to wear her original suit in the final battle, so she changed in the car. And then I realized that if I went with the flow of the manga, I could draw "Riku fighting in a suit" (laughs).
Although it's a bit forced, preparations are complete for the all-star cast to gather at the climax. It looks like we'll be able to land the story in a way that's close to the anime. However, in the comicalization, Sango-sama is set to be 3-4 months pregnant, so even though her belly isn't that noticeable, I can't let her go on a rampage. So, I thought of a projectile to replace the "Black Hiraikotsu", but the idea I'm currently working on is a literal projectile, or rather, it's a bit of a foul play, so I'm not sure if it's okay until I actually draw it. So, whether I use it or not, I'll tell you the details next time.
Oh, that's right, last time it was Inuyasha sleeping in the futon next to Kagome. I drew it thinking that they were a married couple, so of course they were sleeping with their pillows side by side, but later my family said to me, "No, this also looks like a depiction of Rin-chan being there," and I was like, "Ah" (laughs). It was a rare opportunity to casually depict daily life after Inuyasha, but what a jerk I was.
Table of Contents
A: Why do I keep buying more plastic models even though I only put them together occasionally?
Chapter
43: 四十三ノ章 超越 Yonjuuichi no sho Chouetsu (Journey 43 - Transcendence)
In the present the girls ask for their friends to lend their strength to the cause of battling against the Grim Comet. In the past Koga attacks, followed by Sesshomaru's mother and Shiori. Mahiruma and Oharu offer their help as well as Hisui, Kirara and Kohaku all join the attack. Akuru trie to explain that the comet is attacking from both the past and future simultaneously, but is shocked when he realizes he has lost his Pinwheel of Time. At the demon slayer village, Miroku leads the attack and Sango quickly comes to join him. Miroku is worried about Sango's participation due to her pregnancy, but she unveals her secret weapon- a cannon made from the remains of Ginkotsu of the Band of Seven. Kin'u and Gyokuto join the assault as the village fires bows, arrrows, rifles and cannons at the Grim Comet. The comet cannot understand how everyone is able to attack it from the present and past simultaneously, but suddenly the goddess Amaterasu appears and explains that only those who can transcend all barriers are able to as Kagome and Inuyasha leap into battle. As Shippo watches on, Kaede and Rin join the battle wielding bows and a rifle. With the comet injured Towa, Setsuna and Moroha attack and sever the thread holding the Grim Comet together, destroying it in the past and present simultaneously. However in the past Kirinmaru screams as Sesshomaru and Rion look on.
Published In:
Shonen Sunday Super 2025 Vol. 5
Yashahime Vol. 10
Publication Date: March 25, 2024
Pages: 31 (black and white)
Anime Adaptation: None
Notes:
Mahiruma (Mayonaka) and Oharu return, having debuted back in chapter 18.
Shiina explained that Ginkotsu was a character he particularly liked during Inuyasha on his Twitter account. He explained that the character reminded him of someone from Kamen no Ninja Akakage (仮面の忍者・赤影) He humorously added that he felt that he was the only one that could replace Sango's black Hiraikotsu. Further he stated, "I remember that when firing, Sango said "Rampage!" and it made me sad. No, it was a joke in the character song. Those who know will know." This is a reference to the character song "Abarero!!" by Bankotsu and Jakotsu.
Table of Contents
A: Every time I pay the bill at a convenience store I think, "It's more expensive than I thought."
