Inuyasha The Movie 2: The Castle Beyond The Looking Glass

Inuyasha The Movie 2: The Castle Beyond The Looking Glass is the second of four movies based on the hugely popular Inuyasha anime and manga series. This film was released in 2002 in Japan, and 2004 in the USA. The film featured the same voice acting cast as the previous film and as the television series. This film should be viewed after Episode 95 of the anime, though it does have a continuity error, because at the beginning of the film Miroku refers to Saimyosho by name, how ever the party never learns the proper name for the insect swarm until season 4, when they are accosted by Sesshomaru for killing one that he is tracking. So Miroku shouldn't know the name at this point in the story. This film like the previous film should be viewed by those who are familiar with the story, and if someone who was unfamiliar with the series were to watch this movie they would likely be hopelessly confused. That being said though, I feel like this film is better done than its predecessor, the story-line of this episode is more engrossing, and was better at holding my interest. Now again I wish I would have watched these while I was watching the series a few years ago, I feel like I would get so much more out of them. However let's talk about the film based on it's own merits.

The art of the film is absolutely beautiful, and it uses the same art style as the manga, rather than the art style of the anime, which I think looks absolutely beautiful. The animation is clean and beautiful. I have always really loved the amazing art of Inuyasha. The film as well as the manga and anime also have some amazing story telling, that really digs into the hearts of the characters, though again the love story between Inuyasha and Kagome is frustrating, though their relationship does take a very important step forward in this film, which is nice. I also like that this film spends some time in Kagome's world of modern day Japan as well, which I always liked in the series when the show would jump back and forth between the time lines. Like it's predecessor this film is also basically an extended episode of the series, so if you are a fan of the series, it is fun to spend more time on an episode than the typical lengths of an episode. This film really is beautifully done, with some amazing animation and character designs, and definitely a treat to any fan of the series. Would I recommend this film. If you have never seen the series, no. If you have seen the series or are currently watching it and are at the place that the film fits in the to story, then yes it is a must see. For any fan of the manga or anime, this should be a must see. So far of the two films I've reviewed for this blog I would say that this one makes many steps above the previous film.