Trepe - you've pretty much described the basis of Kristine Batey's online IY doujinshi - The Hero In The 21st Century or some such. It's an interesting theory (and the doujinshi is a fun read, even if the art takes a little getting used to), but one that I don't entirely subscribe to, as I've mentioned on several occasions on the inu-yasha yahoogroup.
Like this excerpt I'm pulling out of my archives from the last time the issue was brought up - "I've always thought Houjou's role in the series was to provide a sort of counterpoint to Inuyasha. Kagome consistently made comparisons between the two, lavishing praise on the former, while being secretly in love with the latter.

She sees the good points in Houjou and picks on all the bad traits that Inuyasha possesses, but ultimately through these incidents, she sees all the good stuff about Inu-chan as well. Houjou's presence may well have played an important role in her final acceptance of the fact that she's in love with a certain dog-eared hanyou.
... not sure if that made much sense.
Houjou and Inuyasha are very interesting metaphors as well - the stable and secure Houjou representing the comparatively stable and secure 21st century, and the rough and rowdy Inuyasha representing the Sengoku Jidai. I think that says something about the choices Kagome has had to make (and will make). It's also rather telling how Kagome's school friends (perhaps representing conformist Japanese society?) are always trying to persuade Kagome to make the "right" choice."
Dark Kamui - where is that image from? Please don't tell me it's from the latest (September) issue of Animedia, because then I'll just have to kill myself since I couldn't get my hands on a copy this month... bloody things are so popular they sold out by the time I got to the local Kinokuniya bookstore.
Note to those unaware - of the three main anime magazines out of Japan, Animedia has the coolest Inuyasha stuff.
