As we pick up the story, Kagome and Inu-Yasha have only a few moments rest before needing to take on a toad-demon who feeds on the souls of women. There's only one problem--he's taken over a man, against which the new demon-sword is useless! If they manage to get past that, back in the modern world, Kagome must face another demon--exams!

Okay, so there's more than that--an ancient mask with one of the jewel shards is reactivated and Kagome must try to stop it on her own. Can she manage, or must Inu-Yashsa move into the present to help her? Oh, and of course we set up another continuer for Volume 4, as the jewels fall pray to a thief who has a demon on his tail...

This continues to be a fun horror manga, with Takahashi trying to come up with new and interesting monsters for her two heroes to fight. The toad-demon part was kinda pedestrian, though the way he gains power led to a few nice scenes. However, the second villain--who merges people into herself to form a body--was nice and creepy. I also like the fact that Kagome is trying to do things on her own already, which could have taken longer but Takahashi decides to make her a strong fighter already. That leads to the other thing I like a lot---the character development. Both cast members are moving forward along with the plot, which should prove interesting. We're starting to see the same form of bond that appears in Ranma, which I kinda saw coming but I'm not sure how I feel about it here yet. Regardless, this is fun and definitely a manga I'd recommend without reservation for all. (Library, 09/07)

Trebby's Take: This series is highly recommended! ( )