Based on the manga by Rumiko Takahashi, the creator of Ranma 1/2 and Urusei Yatsura, the Inu-Yasha TV series (2000) has been eagerly awaited in the U.S. Kagome Higurashi, a normal 15-year-old girl, falls down a dry well--and finds herself in the feudal past, 50 years after her ancestress Kikyo imprisoned the half-human/half-demon Inu-Yasha. As the reincarnation of Kikyo, Kagome possesses a magic jewel that greatly increases the power of demons. (Inu-Yasha needs it to make himself all demon.) Kagome fetters Inu-Yasha with the help of her priestess-ancestor Kaede, and when the jewel is shattered Kagome and Inu-Yasha must ally to recapture the fragments. If a demon or evil human were to obtain a single shard, the consequences would be terrible. Inu-Yasha sometimes feels like cross between Ranma and Blue Seed, but Takashi once again blends interesting characters, comedy, and adventure into a winning story line that is entirely her own. (Unrated: Suitable for ages 13 and older: violence, grotesque imagery, brief nudity) --Charles Solomon