Cel Shaded Jason Yadao

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‘Inu-Yasha’ reaches end after 12 years

Looks like Kagome, Inu-Yasha and the rest of the gang found that last piece of the sacred Shikon jewel after all.

After nearly 12 years of being serialized in Weekly Shonen Sunday Magazine, Chapter 558 - the final chapter - of Rumiko Takahashi's "Inu-Yasha" will be published in the issue due out Wednesday on Japanese newsstands.

"Inu-Yasha" is the story of Kagome, a girl living in the present day who gets whisked away to feudal-era Japan after a demon pulls her into a well. As it turns out, she's the reincarnated form of a priestess who guarded the Shikon jewel. The jewel itself has the power to grant the desires of any man ... or demon, as the case may be.

Fortunately, she ends up gaining an ally in guarding the jewel - the half-human, half-demon Inu-Yasha. Unfortunately, the whole "guarding" thing goes out the window when, in a battle against a demon that wanted the jewel for itself, the jewel is shattered.

How many pieces the jewel shattered into was never explicitly specified by Takahashi, which led readers to believe the technical count was "ukubillion." In any case, Kagome, Inu-Yasha and a whole cast of characters, including the fox demon Shippo, the cursed monk Miroku and demon slayer Sango, must search for the jewel shards and battle those who would oppose them.

Chapter 558 will be the final chapter in what will become Volume 56 in the paperback collection. To put this in perspective for American audiences, the translated version being released by Viz is up to only Volume 33, with Volume 34 due for release in July.

So what's the next step for the artist heavily promoted by Viz as "the creator of 'Inu-Yasha,'" even on all of her other series that were hits long before "Inu-Yasha" was a twinkle in her eye? No one knows, really. Whether she takes a break, does more short stories or embarks on another long-term series, though, her place in manga history is certainly secure ...

Pups on the road

Audra Furuichi and Scott Yoshinaga, co-creators of the online comic "nemu*nemu," will continue visiting libraries this week as part of the state library system's Teen Summer Reading Program. They'll be offering a 45-minute presentation on the process of creating and posting comics online at the following locations:

» Mililani Library: Wednesday, 6:30 p.m.

» McCully-Moiliili Library: Thursday, 4:30 p.m.

» Waikiki-Kapahulu Library: Saturday, 10:30 a.m.

» Liliha Library: Saturday, 1 p.m.

Meeting roll call

» Oahu Anime Explorer: 6 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday at HMC Academy, 555 N. King St. Visit oahuanimeexplorer.com for more details ...

Coming up Sunday

School might be out, but Wilma J. and I are offering a bit of education ... manga style. Join us for the "Drawn & Quartered" column as we look at "Project X: Cup Noodle," "Manga CVN73 USS George Washington" and DMP's Edu-Manga line, three ways in which manga educates as well as entertains ...