Inuyasha - The Way to Wisdom (Vol. 19)
The third season of Rumiko Takahashi's popular fantasy-adventure opens with two episodes that stress the emotional dynamics among the regular characters. Although the rest of the cast treats fox-spirit Shippo as a child, he has feelings, including the need to believe that he's a contributing member of the team--which he demonstrates in episode 55. Demon-fighter Shango and the perpetually lecherous monk Miroku begin to explore a potential romantic bond, which delights Shippo and Kagome. Inu-Yasha doesn't understand it, which surprises no one: he's even less romantically inclined than Takahashi's most famous creation, Ranma Saotome. The quest for the remaining fragments of the magic Shikon Jewel comes to the fore in episode 57. A gargantuan "sage" with formidable magical powers shrinks Kagome, Shippo, Miroku, and Inu-Yasha and imprisons them in his "box garden," an adventure that recalls parts of "Gulliver's Travels." (Unrated, suitable for ages 13 and older: violence, grotesque imagery)--Charles Solomon