When the Inuyasha sequel Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon was announced, there was both delight and trepidation on the part of many fans. Many were delighted to have a continuation of a beloved classic anime, as well as a resurgence of interest in Inuyasha itself. Others were concerned about how well the new series would mesh with its source material. When the show premiered last year, fan reactions were polarized, to say the least. There was criticism regarding the new characters, the lack of cameos from fan-favorite characters from the original, and an even more extreme response concerning a specific plot point in the series. That last point was the straw that broke the camel’s back for a lot of older fans, causing them to abandon the show midway through the season.
Wherever fans stood concerning the sequel, a dub was inevitable and eventually was streamed by Funimation in November 2020. And now, channel block Toonami has announced that the Yashahime dub will be part of the block’s Saturday lineup, starting June 26th.
The original English cast of Inuyasha returned to reprise their roles for Yashahime as previously reported, which includes Richard Ian Cox as Inuyasha, Kira Tozer as Kagome, David Kaye as Sesshomaru, Jillian Micheals as Shippo, and Kelly Sheridan as Sango. Ian James Corlett will be replacing Kirby Morrow as Miroku after Morrow’s unexpected passing in November of last year. New English voice actors to the series include Alan Lee as Kohaku and Aleks Le as Hisui. Rounding out the cast is Erica Mendez as Towa, Kira Buckland as Setsuna, and Moran Berry as Moroha.
While having the dub in a more accessible format helps it reach more viewers, it’s almost expected that the increased accessibility will bring back the controversy over the series, especially after the announcement that a second season is slated for the fall of 2021. While there’s still time for the show to hook in new viewers, it’s doubtful that those fans will return after the divisive plot points of season one, or that season two will attempt to remedy them in any way. Will you be giving Yashahime a watch or re-watch? Or are you leaving this show in the past?
Source: Toonami
