A Minor Variation

Image courtesy of Freelance-Manga.

I love me some Sesshoumaru, I really do.

I've been fairly cranky at this whole last arc, both because it looked like Takahashi was ignoring the past two or three arcs at least of Sesshoumaru's character development and, more importantly, it looked as though the purpose of the arc was to hand all of Tenseiga's powers over to Inuyasha and bow Sesshoumaru out of the storyline. It sucked when Kouga did it, and considering I like Sesshoumaru a lot more than I liked Kouga, I was prepared to surl.

In the past two chapters, though, it's become clear that Sesshoumaru's character development is all still intact - he's just being his usual wonderful analytical asshole self. And although Meidou Zangetsuha did get passed along to Inuyasha, which is lame, the fact that Sesshoumaru did it voluntarily and in his own style - fully confrontational, to the point that Naraku believed he was trying to kill Inuyasha, and then walking away as soon as it was over - I dig it. Sesshoumaru has had consistently awesome development over the course of the series and I'm glad that Takahashi didn't drop the ball on him in the name of powering up Inuyasha and Tessaiga yet again. I really like his highly analytical nature and the way he seems compelled to a) test things out, b) make a decision, and c) having decided, drop the whole thing like third-period French and move on. I like that, having made up his mind about Tenseiga and discarded it, he is too proud to take it back up even when it turns out to still be intact. I like that he is too proud and too cantankerous to be in any way outwardly helpful or conciliatory even when he is eating an enormous dish of crow. And frankly, considering that this whole arc has been a huge kick in his face - in that, now that he's let go of his obsession with Tessaiga and learned to appreciate the power of the sword he has, it turns out that his father only intended him to perfect that power and give it to Tessaiga for Inuyasha to use - I think he handled it with remarkable grace.

There's the glee. Now for the griping...

Because the fandom, of course, is bitching about the fact that Sesshoumaru abandoned Tenseiga at the end of the chapter and didn't "sit down and talk things out" and, I don't know, have a hug-and-make-up session with Inuyasha and join the Inu-tachi. Or something.

And are complaining that Sesshoumaru's arrogance is dragging out the series.

...guh!

Okay, yeah, Takahashi sucks at actually ending a series and Inuyasha is the Manga That Does Not End, and I get that people's interest is palling the longer the series goes on. But blaming that on Sesshoumaru is, well, stupid. He has been playing a more prominent role lately - but he's been visibly developing in character with each arc, including this one, in ways that have been fantastic to watch. As opposed to Inuyasha, who has not developed appreciably since the end of the anime - if then. Whether Sesshoumaru chooses to walk away rather than "talk things out" - and WTF anyone thinks there is for them to talk out, I don't know - has no influence on how quickly the series reaches its conclusion. Nothing he does prevents the main group of characters from going and kicking Naraku's ass. He's a side character and fans who like him are going to be lucky if Takahashi bothers to complete his character development instead of just writing him out like she did Kouga.

So, you know.

CALL THE WAAAAAAAHMBULANCE. This chapter is way more interesting that any given arc in which Inuyasha perfects a new power for Tessaiga which he will use a handful of times and thereafter forget in favor of the next shiny new power.

I think I may need a Sesshoumaru icon.