This entry discusses what a Drama CD is, what canon is, what happens in the Drama CD Asatte and is Asatte just for fanservice?
What is a Drama CD or Audio dramas? Inu-drama.tumblr does an excellent job explaining, ‘The Inuyasha (or any) audio dramas are extra "episodes" recorded in an audio-only format by the Japanese voice actors and released to CD. In general, they are parodies or satire of the original series.”
What is Canon? Is the official studio made movies, filler episodes of the animation and drama CD canon?
The best answer would be that is personal preference, depends on what you consider canon.
In defining canon, from google search canon is “a collection or list of sacred books accepted as genuine”. From Merriam-Webster, “the authentic works of a writer.” From the uncreditable wiki “In fiction, canon is the material accepted as officially part of the story in an individual universe of that story.”
While the Drama CD’s, Filler episodes, movies and the extra scenes the studio adds in canon episodes are not Rumiko Takahashi-sensei canon but they are officially made from the animation studio, therefore they are studio canon. A parody from Saturday Night Live is still canon, or a parody from an author is still canon. The movies that are parodies from the horror movie genre are still canon like “Scary Movie ” 2000 directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans. Is the book, The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkein, which was finished by his son still canon? For Batman, which was created by two people and they have both died (Bill Finger, 1974, and Bob Kane.1998) However, there are viewers that says that today’s show are still canon because it is still DC comics. Disney movies are not canon stories of the originals but are still Disney’s canon. The correct answer is it depends on what you consider canon.
Some can say a drama cd, is non-canon which means does not fit into the story line but still officially made. Non-canon does not mean it is not canon, just a different kind of canon.
This is like arguing over Sesshoumaru’s poison whips are not canon. Futile to fight because the views him not having the poison whips in the manga and him having them in the animation are both canon. It is not going to affect any reader or the characters what is canon attacks or canon pairs. Here is another difference in between the Manga and Animation with Sesshoumaru. His outfit is red and white in the animation but it is purple and white in the Manga. It is your own actions that either infects harm on others or make wonderful friends with the same love.
What happens in the Inuyasha Drama CD Asatte?
In an official studio made Drama CD called Asatte. Sesshoumaru proposals to Rin. At the beginning Sesshoumaru is walking with Jaken, after a small conversation this is said.
殺「そろそろ、りんに言わねばならない。」
邪「おー、お、お！？
それはあれでございますな？
人里で暮らすよりも殺生丸様の嫁として暮らすことを遂に…」
殺「だが、その良き言葉が思いつかん。」
Sesshoumaru:
The time has come… for me to have a talk with Rin.
Jaken:
Oooh-ho-ho-ho, you mean that? You’re finally going to ask her to live with you
as your bride rather than live in the human village…
Sesshoumaru:
However, I cannot think of the right words.
They go to visit his father’s tomb to ask his father with using the meidou stone. At the end he tells Rin in a parody situation and she blushes. Later we get to hear his words. This is only the end of his speech. The English Translation is from Inu-drama.tumblr.
殺生丸
隔たりは何も無い。心は繋がっておる。
信じる力があれば恐れることはない。
その気持ちさえあれば心は満ちるはずだ。
だから今はまだこのままでよい。
時は十分にある。
ゆっくりとお前の心を見つめておればよい。
それまで己を大事にせよ。」
Sesshoumaru
Distance is no object. Our hearts are tied together.
With the power of trust, there is nothing to fear.
Simply having that feeling should be enough to fill your heart.
That is why it is fine for things to remain as they are for now.
We have plenty of time.
You can examine your heart at your own pace.
Until then, take care of yourself.
“隔たり” Hedatari could be “distance” or could be translated as “Something between us.” Distance does flow with what Sesshoumaru said before that. The title “asatte” is a continuity of the epilogue chapter which is called “Tomorrow”. Asatte, means day after tomorrow. Tomorrow in this case means the future, where the adventure will lead to. Therefore, this could be literally a day after the epilogue chapter or a day after the future, the tomorrow meant in the chapter. Meaning we don’t know when this takes place from the epilogue chapter. One day, two weeks, 6 months, 3 years, 5 years. We may never know how old Rin is when he proposed to her. And with all due respect it is not worth arguing about. A marriage proposal does not mean married that year, it could be 5 years from when someone asks and Sesshoumaru told her to take her time to examine her heart. Demi levoto got an marriage proposal from a 5 year old boy, Justin Bieber got an marriage proposal from a 8 year old girl, even kids proposes to kids, and there are some couples that waits 5 years before they get married. In addition, many against the idea thinks Rin is still 8 at this time but she is not the 8 year old girl at this point, the epilogue had time jump to three years and the special chapter has a 6 month jump. Therefore Rin is 11 or 12 years old at the end of the manga. Some says the Drama CD takes place 5 years later, some says that is a mistranslation. But if it is 5 years later, She would be 16 or 17 years old. She is not going to stay a child forever. She is not Claudia from “Interview With the Vampire”. Children they grow up. Since, we don’t see her as an adult. Maybe it is hard for readers to see her older.
Is the Drama CD “Asatte” fan service?
Some readers say this Drama CD is not canon and is for fan service. Why would Sesshoumaru proposing to Rin be fan service? If we are meant to view them as daughter and father would it not be of him adopting her or some parody of them “being” father and daughter? The answer is simple. Because the CD would not happen if we are meant to view them as daughter and father. The studio unquestionably based that off the Japanese viewers because the drama CDs are most likely would not be picked up from other countries. That leaves the question, why make something that would not sell in their own country. Therefore, readers in Japan don’t view them as father and daughter.
Let’s take the walking dead, if another country wanted Daryl and Carol together and USA plus other countries did not have that view why would the studio put Daryl and Carol together? That is possibly why Rick and Michonne is together in the TV series since that does not happen in the comics. The writer of the comics works with the staff of the series. The comics and the series are vastly different but still canon.
In the series of Inuyasha, the writers created Ayame. Kouga made a promise to marry Ayame when she is older. The viewers seen her as an adult first and then their backstory. If Ayame and Kouga back story was reveal first would that be less tolerable? Why would it make a difference if at the beginning when someone is a child then seeing them as an adult to seeing someone as an adult first then seeing them a child? Same story either way. If Rin was introduce as adult first and we had seen the backstory of how she meet Seshoumaru and fell in love. Would it had been more understandable and tolerable? Like other stories? Like Doctor Who and River Song? Then again we have not seen Rin as an adult and that is why it is hard for some to see her nothing more than a mere child that in truth she will be a short time period in her life.
On the Simpons wikia, they have some alternative time lines and other studio canon episodes as non-canon. This means the alternative time lines and other episodes are still canon but is not canon from the canon storyline. When non-canon is used it does ‘not canon’, it is more like non-story-canon canon. This blog could had used non-canon instead of studio-canon.
In the blog entry disputing the blogs… Miroku and Koharu were discussed and it was not a marriage proposal.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_%28fiction%29
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/canon
https://www.google.com/search?q=+canon+meaning&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8
http://inu-drama.tumblr.com/post/58955105171/asatte-02
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_drama#Japan
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110605190828AASIWST
