Inu-Yasha Introduction to Inuyasha

Welcome to the Inuyasha forum. Curious to know what the series is about? How far along it is? Where you can get more information or merchandise for it? Here're your answers.

Summary
A young girl, Kagome, on her 15th birthday, is pulled into an old dry well on her family's property (they run a shrine in Tokyo) by a demon. She finds herself roughly 500 years in the past, during the Sengoku Jidai (warring states period), where she meets a half-demon named Inuyasha and discovers she's the reincarnation of Kikyo, a miko (priestess) who was supposed to protect a sacred jewel called the Shikon no Tama (Jewel of Four Souls). Demons and evil men are after the jewel to use its power, and the jewel ends up being shattered. Kagome and Inuyasha, with the help of friends they make along the way, must journey to recover all the shards and restore the Shikon no Tama.

Anime
The series is up to episode 138 or so (I believe) in Japan at the moment, and is still going. In America, Cartoon Network is airing up through episode 56 this fall. Visit www.adultswim.com for more details. Viz has released 13 DVDs so far (3 episodes per disc), bringing domestic DVD release up to episode 39. 31 dvds (up through episode 92) are available from Japan, but they are region 2, with no subtitles or dub track, and are almost twice as expensive as the Viz dvds for the same number of episodes per disc.

The anime also includes three movies (two fansubbed so far). The first has been released in Japan on DVD already, and the second should be released by the end of 2003. The third movie airs sometime in December 2003. The titles are:
- Inuyasha: Toki o Koeru Omoi (Feelings That Transcend Time)
- Inuyasha: Kagami no Naka no Mugenjou (The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass)
- Inuyasha: Tenka Hadou no Ken (The Sword of World Domination, at best translation)

The anime is currently covering the events of volumes 27 and 28 of the manga.

Manga
The manga is up to volume 33 in Japan. Viz has released up to volume 15 translated in America. There are events in the anime that are not in the manga, and vice versa.

More Information and Merchandise
For more information on the Inuyasha series, release dates, etc., visit the following sites:
Viz's official website
Cartoon Network
Adult Swim
Sengoku Jidai - Inuyasha fansite with lots of information

For Inuyasha DVDs, CDs, etc., visit the following sites:
Viz.com
Splashpage Comics - UFO catchers, pencil boards, collectible cards, and more
CD Japan - Great source for import music CDs
Animaxis - Sells import DVDs, but be forewarned, these are Region 2 (won't play on most American DVD players). Also sells manga and select other merchandise.
Anime Nation
Anime Gamers (formerly OmochaBox). Storefront in Calfornia.
Amazon
Animecornerstore
Sasuga Bookstore - for untranslated manga, artbooks, and some select merchandise (Japanese Bookstore). Storefront in Boston.
Kinokuniya Bookstore - Japanese bookstore, but the website is almost entirely in Japanese (all the important stuff). Storefronts in southern California and New York City.
Planet Anime

You can also search on eBay, but most of what you'll find there (DVD and CD, at least) is bootlegged. You can also find doujinshi there, though, and some decent merchandise.


***If you think of information that should be added, or want to update me on release dates and such, send a PM and I'll fix/add it***