Daemons of the Shadow Realm 1×18 and 1×19 Review – “Fujin and Raijin” and “Sword and Bow”

Daemons of the Shadow Realm anime season 1 episode 18, titled ‘Fujin and Raijin’, and episode 19, titled ‘Sword and Bow’, continued to balance action, comedy, and mystery as Yuru and Asa continued their respective missions.

With Yuru being kidnapped and brought to Shingo in episode 17, I was looking forward to seeing how he would figure out a way to escape. Even if Yuru couldn’t manage a solo escape, Dera was on his way to Yuru’s location. Asa was with Gonzo, also slowly nearing Shingo’s HQ. Our young lead just needed to stall until the rescue occurred.

We got to learn a bit more about Shingo’s Daemons, the titular Fujin and Raijin. As the name stated, his Daemons controlled lightning and wind. However, Shingo wasn’t a fan of using the lightning attack because it messed with electronics. As someone partial to weather-related powersets (I’m a Storm/Ororo Munroe fan after all), I wouldn’t mind having Fujin and Raijin as my Daemons. I liked their lizard-esque designs, allowing them to settle on Shingo’s shoulders as his two little devils.

An enjoyable moment in the episode dealt with how Dera and Asa figured out particular locations in ways that made sense. Dera was working with a Higashi Villager whose Daemons could control humans. The Higashi Villager controlled one of Shingo’s minions to learn about Shingo’s HQ as well as where fake Asa and the village girl were being held hostage.

As for Asa, she found her way to the location of the hostages after recognizing the smoke signals created by Danji. Giving Asa an understandable way for finding the hostages instead of her simply visiting an area by chance added to this show’s well-written narrative.

One of the things I have continued to enjoy about Daemons of the Shadow Realm is the writers opting for the show-don’t-tell route where possible. The creative team could have taken the easy way out by simply adding a throwaway line about Asa’s ability to still recognize the Higashi Village’s smoke signals after being taught by her father Mine. But nopes. ‘Fujin and Raijin’ had an entire flashback actually showing young Asa learning about the village’s special smoke signals from Mine. Yay to Mine for teaching both his children survival skills instead of only focusing on Yuru.

That particular flashback also allowed viewers to understand more about the emotional state of Yuru and Asa’s mother, Nagisa, after running away from the village. Of course, she felt guilty about leaving Yuru behind in such a manner. But other matters demanded her immediate attention as she tried to find a way to keep Mine and Asa safe on their way to the city.

Coming back to the present, I couldn’t help but laugh at Asa’s disappointment when she realized that Yuru wasn’t at the hostage location. Instead, Asa came face-to-face with Fake Asa. And Asa wasn’t a fan of Fake Asa at all.

As for Dera and the Higashi Villager, those two did find Yuru at Shingo’s HQ. However, before an actual battle could ensue, Asuma’s Daemon Yozakura flew away with Yuru. Dera’s decision to make a run for it too made for another hilarious moment. There was no way Dera was going to face off against Shingo and his Daemons himself.

The reveal behind Asuma’s real intentions was handled well. Turns out, everything that had happened was part of Gonzo’s plan to finally take Shingo off the board. The Head of the Kagemori Clan had grown tired of people like Shingo messing things up concerning Yuru and Asa’s fate.

Asuma remaining loyal to Gonzo didn’t come as much of a surprise to me, but still, as mentioned, the entire plan was handled well. Every character’s reasoning for siding with Gonzo made sense, including Yuru and Dera agreeing to be part of the plan.

A major moment for Yuru linked to Danji’s smoke signals. Yuru was faced with two choices. He could either heed Danji’s smoke signals and go help Danji rescue Fake Asa, or he could ignore the hostages and go assist Left and Right in their battle with Ivan to learn more about his parents’ whereabouts. It was a nice little dilemma to give Yuru, especially after his very recent betrayal by Danji.

Episode 19, ‘Sword and Bow’, shared Yuru’s answer. He had decided to go help Danji. I had been waiting for those two to talk about their feelings, and I did get a satisfying reunion, considering the circumstances. Even though Yuru said he didn’t join Left and Right’s battle because he trusted their strength, you could tell that Yuru wanted to make sure Danji was doing okay. Yuru also wanted to save the hostages, regardless of Fake Asa lying to him for years.

Asa did order Fake Asa to tell Yuru the truth after the dust settled. So, I’m looking forward to seeing that particular conversation. Yes, there’s a whole bunch of lies between them (for the so-called greater good), but when it comes down to it, Danji, Fake Asa, and Yuru do still care about each other.

With the hostages rescued and Asa accompanying Gonzo to face Shingo, Yuru left to assist Left and Right against Ivan. Danji and Dera also followed Yuru as support.

I have to say that I’m quite impressed by Ivan holding his own against Left and Right for so long. While Right was trying to capture Ivan alive, Left was going in for the kill. Yes, Ivan wielded powerful Daemon blades, but he was still a human using them. I mean, I hope he dies, but still, I’m impressed by his skills.

I really enjoyed the moment where Ivan tried to get under Yuru’s skin by lying about having killed Yuru’s parents. Ivan wanted Yuru to lose his calm and rush in for an attack instead of shooting arrows at Ivan from afar. And Ivan’s emotional tactic almost worked if it hadn’t been for Yuru remembering Asa’s confidence in their parents still being alive. Again, the creative team actually showed Mine teaching Yuru to keep his cool under pressure instead of simply relying on dialogue.

Being backed into a corner in a 5-vs-1 fight with no option to make a run for it, Ivan decided to get serious. I’m not sure how his Daemon blades functioned, but from my understanding, it might have to do with Ivan sacrificing his life force for an insane boost in power and speed. Left and Right were genuinely concerned with Ivan’s new form. And I’m excited as heck to see how their fight concludes!

Did you watch Daemons of the Shadow Realm anime season 1 episodes 18 and 19? What did you think of them?

Let us know.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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