#Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

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Yashahime Translation: Animage Magazine June 2022 Issue

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Thank you everyone for all your support over the past 2 and a half years. Sadly, I believe Animage has stated on their Twitter that this will be their final interview on Yashahime.

The Journey Will Continue!

Even after finishing their fierce battle with Kirinmaru, the Yashahimes still continue their demon slaying journey. The more time they spend fighting and laughing together, the stronger the three’s solidarity becomes!

No matter how strong a demon is, Towa and Setsuna have gained the strength to fight them, having also done Sesshōmaru’s “trial of courage and cowardice”. In addition, while being a quarter-demon with no brethren (as in there are no other quarter-demons), Moroha obtained irreplaceable comrades.

The battle with Kirinmaru and Zero was long and agonizing, but it brought about just as much major growth within the Yashahimes. If it’s the three of them now, they can likely live indomitably in this chaotic feudal world.

However, it seems the three princesses are still trying to aim higher. Just before travelling to the Land of Iyo (now Ehime prefecture) to slay demons, Setsuna told Hisui her aspiration of “While I’m at it, I’m thinking of traveling to various places as I train.” It’s possible that perhaps in the near future, the girls will become well-known as “The strongest girl trio” instead of “the daughters of the great demon, Sesshōmaru” and “the daughter of the half-demon, Inuyasha, and the legendary priestess, Kagome”.

Let’s have a peek into one act of Towa and Co.’s journey. After finishing their work in the Land of Iyo, they’re all in the middle of happily enjoying a relaxing time at *Dōgo hot spring? This kind of peaceful moment seems like it will also strengthen the girls’ bond further!

(*Translator’s Note: Dōgo Onsen is a real place located in the city of Matsuyama on the island of Shikoku. It is considered one of the oldest hot springs in Japan)

Character Bios

Towa Her personality is such that she is not reluctant to sacrifice herself for the sake of others like encouraging Rion while her own kon was being chipped away. From now on, we would like her to treasure her health as well.

Setsuna Using the “Yukari no Tachikiri”, she can see and cut threads of fate that connect people and objects. However, she doesn’t notice the thread of feelings Hisui has for her?!

Moroha She previously lived on her own while shouldering loneliness, but is now surrounded by her parents and reliable comrades. Her slightly shy side is something she inherited from her father, Inuyasha.

Riku He considers Towa a special existence. He showed an embarrassed but happy expression when he first met Towa after reviving.

Takechiyo The former young lord of the Mamidaira clan who was driven out of his position due to a family squabble. Despite the turmoil being resolved, he chose to boisterously spend every day with Moroha and the others and didn’t return to the island.

Character Design Descriptions

Towa’s Kimono Form Towa, who wore a school uniform that was a combination of both genders, also wears the kimono she got from Rin in a boyish manner, wrapping her chest with a *sarashi. The white fabric with the navy-blue pattern has a refreshing impression.

(*Translator’s Note: A bleached cotton)

Setsuna’s Kimono Form A kimono drawn with a vivid yellow base and a purple stream pattern. It paints her with a soft, bright impression as she normally gives off a cool aura. Unlike Towa, she dresses like a girl.

Moroha’s Kimono Form A coordinated outfit that combines the complete redness of Inuyasha’s Robe of the Fire Rat via the kimono, and a green like that of the school uniform Kagome once wore via the obi. It’s probably something Kagome tailored with love.

Riku’s New Outfit Riku received Rion and Kirinmaru’s kon and haku and revived; his new outfit design gives you a foreign impression in some respect. His tunic and stole (shawl/scarf) vividly remind one of Rion’s eyes and hair color. His earring is on the right ear!

Sango A youthful Sango. As the best skilled demon slayer, she played a very active role in overwhelming the demons using the “Jet Black Hiraikotsu” that she and her daughters, Kin’u and Gyokuto, made.

I Want to Pursue the Three Princesses’ Journey” Animation Character Design and Chief Animation Director, Hishinuma Yoshihito

The Difficulties of Customizing for Animation

— Please tell us how you feel now that you have completed 4 cours of work.

Hishinuma: I feel relieved to have finished. However, more than that, I bare a large regret of “If I had done it more like this!”. As the animation director for the main story this time, I couldn’t look at an entire episode completely and there were parts in the second half that didn’t go the way I’d hoped due to the schedule arrangement. Being the chief animation director doesn’t mean I get to see all the cuts, even for a single episode, so I start work by selecting and prioritizing things like “which characters will cry”. If possible, I would’ve liked to have put my hand in all the cuts though…… Truthfully, I’ve also been reflecting and feel that my task going forward will be to figure out how to improve my work from here on.

Also, right as soon as we finished work for the final episode, we had the company move. The company was unified in April, so we’re in a new office building.

— When I visited the former Sunrise Studio #1 in the latter half of March, the Hanyō no Yashahime team acted like normal. It seems you all stayed behind for as long as you could and worked!

Hishinuma: Hence why we didn’t really have time to immerse in the lingering memories right after we were done and a little while after, I had this feeling well up of “Oh, it’s over……”. After that, I couldn’t muster up the energy to draw something for a while. Like maaan, I don’t want to do anything kind of thing (laughs).

— You became an empty shell I see. Was it the same when you finished Inuyasha, The Final Act as well?

Hishinuma: Inuyasha was a work that had an *origin work to begin with, so I knew how it was going to end. Hence, I was able to prepare myself emotionally in the second half. I was the animation director for the final episode of Inuyasha, The Final Act but even I have a feeling that part of me worked on it indifferently. Even though I of course felt desolation, I don’t think I felt as exhausted as I am now…. Perhaps what I should say is it’s slowly getting hard on me age wise (laughs). I mean, I’ve only got 3 years left until I turn 60. However, when I look around, I see people of the same generation as me trying their best on the frontlines, so there’s no way I can rest.

(*Translator’s note: As in it was based off something)

— It’s a lifetime service! Alright then, please tell us again what you thought when you first saw the character concepts that Takahashi Rumiko-san (original author of Inuyasha) drew for Higurashi Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha.

Hishinuma: I originally heard that it would be “the twin’s story”, so I thought only two character (concepts) would be produced but there were three. From the costume, my big shock over ‘it’s Inuyasha’s daughter!’ was the first thing. With Moroha around, I felt that the world would expand quite a bit and make things interesting.

From an animation character designer perspective, I thought how we would consolidate Towa was a (key) point. In the beginning, there was a plot where “she was caught in a fire when she was a child and there’s a trace that part of her bangs was burned” but then it was like “No no, there’s no way that could happen as the hair will grow out and change” (laughs). Though there was the part where I was at a loss as to how to put in Towa’s characteristic hair streak, she somehow came out protagonist-like, I think.

— When you generated the characters for animation from Takahashi Rumiko-san’s drawing, was there anything you kept in mind in your head, Hishinuma-san?

Hishinuma: This is actually hard! The balance in Rumiko-sensei’s drawings is very exquisite. If you take it in a realistic direction, it’ll become different from the nuance of the original drawing. That being said, if you make it too manga like, then it looks cheap. Since there’s fighting drama, the characters must also be able to withstand the heavy story. Making allowances for that was truly difficult.

Although, I did work on Inuyasha for a long time, so I thought it wouldn’t be so far removed from that. At first, I wasn’t sure if Rumiko-sensei would give us any concepts, so I tried test drawing like “In the event that there’s nothing, does that mean I’ll have to think of something?”, but I’m truly glad she drew such lovely concepts.

— Hishinuma-san, you design all the characters except the three princesses, correct?

Hishinuma: That is correct. Though, speaking my true feelings, I wish I had received concepts for them as well. But of course, I couldn’t ask Rumiko-sensei for concepts of all the characters as she’s got her own work that’s currently being serialized (laughs). Also, if Rumiko-sensei had, for example, done a concept for Takechiyo, I think he would’ve turned out a different character. I really was worried that I would be told “That’s not Rumiko-sensei’s lane!”. However, with the help of his voice actress (Fairouz Ai-san who plays Takechiyo), I think he turned out to be a really good character. Though people constantly used him as a means of transport as they pleased, he very much had a presence within the story.

What Are the (Design) Points of the New Outfits Exhibited in the Final Episode?

— Takechiyo played a very active role as a mascot character that softened the atmosphere of a heavy story. Even for this special illustration, Takechiyo’s feet are cute.

Hishinuma: Even if it is a hot spring, there’s no way I could draw them completely naked, so I tried to have his feet stick out a little bit. Having him use his tail as a pillow to rest his head on was my personal fixation point (laughs). Whether he can actually do that though, I don’t know.

— As a cat lover, you were also fixated on Kirara, right Hishinuma-san?

Hishinuma: In the main story, Kirara did not accompany them to slay demons in the Land of Iyo. Towa and Setsuna did ride her when they departed though. It’s just that in this illustration, the space above Setsuna’s head was open and desolate, so I had little Kirara make a special appearance (laughs). It’s great that Kirara can be perceived in a variety of ways based on how people see her. The same expression can make her appear sharp or seem like she’s staring blankly. I personally love cats, so it was really fun to draw Kirara.

— The smiling faces of the three peaceful princesses as they take a foot bath is great. These outfits are the ones that the three princesses wore in the ED and final episode (episode 48, “A Future that Continues on for Eternity”). Please tell us their design points.

Hishinuma: I thought about dressing the three of them in kosodes that people typically wear in the feudal era. Moroha was dressed as a priestess in the ED but in the final episode of the main story, I felt that it would be strange for her to be dressed as a priestess with the way the scene was flowing, so I created a new outfit.

— The length gives a vivid reminder of Kagome’s mini skirt from the Inuyasha era.

Hishinuma: If I’m right, I feel like Director Hishida Masakazu said, “Short length would look good on Moroha”. I did add variation to the trio’s silhouettes, and I think Moroha currently looks cute with this amount. The green that’s similar to Kagome’s sailor style school uniform on the ribbon around (Moroha’s) stomach was an idea that the color scheme designer put in. I also realized “This ribbon, it’s the color of Kagome’s uniform!” and thought it was a good idea.

— What about Towa and Setsuna’s outfits?

Hishinuma: Regarding Towa’s kimono, the pattern was carried over from the Dog General’s costume. Towa and the Dog General overlapping was even shown in the main story, so the idea formed from there. She was holding an *uchiwa in the final episode, so I had her hold it in this special illustration as well. For some reason in the final episode, there was a designation in the storyboard for an uchiwa.

For Setsuna, I expanded on the image of the kimono she wore during her childhood, but looking at it again, there’s also some resemblance to *Gobodō-sama (Sesshōmaru’s mother). In terms of the color, Setsuna tended to wear dark colors like shades of blue, so I decided to go in the complete opposite direction.

(*Translator’s note

Uchiwa is a type of Japanese fan. You typically see people, both young and old, holding one when they’re dressed in a yukata.

Gobodō is a very respectful way of saying your/his mother.)

— The yellow that seems to also link to Sesshōmaru’s obi is lovely. Please also tell us about Riku’s new outfit. This one has a slightly Western impression.

Hishinuma: As Kai was originally “a villain with the same appearance as Riku”, he was established with a dark image. However, his role changed, and he became Riku’s disguised form for when he appeared in the end game; since that was the case, I made the colors brighter. I didn’t consciously make it Western style, but he’d always been wearing a regular kimono, so I wanted to make a small change around his neck. Although I don’t know whether it’s accurate to the times, the area around the demon slayers’ necks is also like this, so I thought it was fine. When in this outfit, there’s a small element where the design of the earring is different from usual, and he wears it on the opposite ear.

He Racked His Brain Over What to Do About the Age Feel of the Inuyasha Characters

— It appears that for the plot of the ending, there were views amongst the staff that sided on “extinguish Riku” or “revive him”. Which side were you on Hishinuma-san?

Hishinuma: I was on the “revive him side”. If not, Riku would be pitiable, and it would be too lonely for Towa. Rather than wanting them to get together in the future, it’s more like it’s probably good to have someone nearby who can watch Towa. Afterall, as (a piece of) entertainment, you want it to end in good form. That’s why with Hisui too, it’s like “Do your best!” (laughs).

— I’m sure Hisui is going to receive a lot of special training from Kohaku from now on.

Hishinuma: Speaking of Kokaku, I wanted to see more sibling interaction between him and Sango. Kohaku is someone who has lived through very severe circumstances and for me personally, he’s also a character that I like a lot.

— That reminds me, Sango is forever young isn’t she.

Hishinuma: I mean…… I can’t mess with that visual!! When I thought about whether I should draw her slightly more middle aged since a couple decades have passed since the story of Inuyasha, I thought that’s probably not what everyone wants to see after all. Also, regarding Miroku, I was told by the origin work side “I would like for him to not grow a beard”. That’s why I thought ‘I guess I can’t make it feel like they’ve aged conspicuously.’ Thus, it shaped out that I inserted just one wrinkle under one of Miroku’s eyes as it would’ve been conspicuous if it were under both eyes, and Sango stayed roughly the same as before. If I had been required to “make it obvious that Sango aged”, I still wouldn’t have been able to draw it.

— Kagome, who was trapped in the black pearl, and Rin, who was asleep in the Tree of Ages, still (look) young, so there’s that balance too.

Hishinuma: That’s right. However, I was quite troubled with Rin. With how young she is, even when you line her up next Towa and the others, she doesn’t appear motherlike, no matter what. The origin work side pointed this out too, so I drew her eyes a little bit narrower to make her look more adultlike, such as in the final episode and what not. However, I don’t think a woman abruptly becomes a mother just because she gave birth to a child. I think she gradually becomes a mother as she raises her child. In that sense, Rin is just starting that process of becoming a mother. That’s why I quibble in my own way like “It’s fine if she’s somewhat childlike right now!” (laughs).

— Well then, going through the series, please tell us a scene that left a particularly lasting impression on you.

Hishinuma: What was memorable was the scene where Moroha reunited with Inuyasha and Kagome (episode 38 “Kirinmaru of the Dawn” and episode 39 “Parent-Child Reunion”). The key frame animator and the animation director really did their best to maintain the quality there, so I feel glad that it was done properly. I’d also have to say the final episode. You see, the final episode was the only one I was able to watch on air in real-time. Work was done and the studio couldn’t be used because the office building was being surrendered, so it was during that time that I was able to watch the on air (broadcast) at home. Watching the episode in a format where the eye catch was properly inserted as well as the program sponsor and commercials was somewhat moving.

Totally looking back, I have a strong impression that Sesshōmaru appeared in a lot more scenes than I thought. Afterall, as a chief animation director, there’s no way I can’t not put my hand in when it comes to Sesshōmaru. I thought “He has too much screentime, give me a break already~! (cries)” (laughs). Of course, even if you omit the work aspect talks, I personally wanted to see more of the three princesses’ adventuring figures in a place that’s distant from the Inuyasha world. Of course, Hanyō no Yashahime exists because of Inuyasha so it can’t be helped, but when it turns to the parents’ story, it gets heavy no matter what. I want to see a travel story of just the three princesses.

— Thank you very much. And now lastly, a message to the fans who’ve supported you this far!

Hishinuma: Personally, I did have some regrets and such, but if all you fans were able to enjoy (the story) up to the final episode, then I’m happy. I’m very happy that you all favorably rooted for the three princesses more than I imagined. Thank you for watching until the very end!

Sketch Description

This is Hishinuma-san’s rough sketch. The pencil lining is lively and depicts Towa and Co.’s travel diary. It seems that *Ehime’s tangerines weren’t around yet during the Feudal Era, so it’s setup that Riku supplied them from somewhere. The coloring of the completed version (Pg 57) was done by Hishinuma-san’s wife, Hishinuma Michie. “When working as a married couple, we can consult each other while working like “Do you think I can do this part like this?” which is convenient (laughs)”.

(*Translator’s note: Ehime Prefecture located on the island of Shikoku)

**Today’s Diary (Interview Diary)

This time, we visit Bandai Namco Film Works which was newly established in April. The sparkling conference room for interview receptions was decorated with rows of figures and plastic models from successive generations of Sunrise’s work.

First, please look at the collected postcards and provide a general comment.

“I can tell all of you worked hard in drawing these, so I feel truly grateful. This was a work with a lot of characters, but I’m deeply moved seeing them all drawn equally.”

Among the many characters, which character was the easiest for you to draw Hishinuma-san?

“Every character has a point that you must be careful of, but characters that aren’t that many heads tall like Takechiyo, Shippō, and Akuru are fun and easy to move.”

Reversely, was there a character you struggled with?

“Sesshōmaru was the one I had to pay attention to the most. Because the story can lose its persuasiveness if Sesshōmaru’s drawing is ruined, there’s no way I can’t not follow-up on him as the chief animation director. In addition, Kirinmaru was in a final boss kind of position, so it was necessary for him to have a presence. These fathers were more of a handful than the three princesses who were the protagonists.”

Lastly, a word to the fans please.

“I think when you draw as a job, you tend to forget the enjoyment of drawing a picture. Seeing everyone’s postcards this time, I tightened up, remembering my original intention. Putting this feeling of gratitude for being able draw pictures for a living and receive support like this in my heart, I would like to keep doing my best going forward!”

Hishinuma-san stated that for the most part, he normally doesn’t draw color illustrations. “When I see everyone’s various coloring techniques, I honestly think it’s amazing.”

(**Context Behind This Section: Animage magazine held a Hanyō no Yashahime art contest with Hishinuma-san as the judge. Hence the postcards they’re referring to are the contest entries.)

#Yashahime #Hanyou no Yashahime #Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon #translation

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