Daemons of the Shadow Realm gives us some diversity, revelations, and revelations about diversity in Ep. 11 “Big Brother and Little Brother”. This comes as no surprise if you’re already a longtime fan of Hiromu Arakawa. She’s always been pretty good about diversity and representation in her manga. This episode just continues that trend as Arakawa explores the people in Japan that get the least representation in any manga and anime.
Daemons of the Shadow Realm Ep. 11 “Big Brother and Little Brother”: Details in Brief
Daemons of the Shadow Realm Ep. 11 “Big Brother and Little Brother” is the eleventh episode (you can read my reviews for Ep. 1, Ep. 2, Ep. 3, Ep. 4, Ep. 5, Ep. 6, Ep. 7, Ep. 8, Ep. 9, and Ep. 10 here) of this dark fantasy action adventure anime series. Said anime is the anime adaptation of the manga of the same name by Hiromu Arakawa (Fullmetal Alchemist, Silver Spoon, The Heroic Legend of Arslan).
Bones Film (Fullmetal Alchemist, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Ouran High School Host Club, My Hero Academia) is the animation studio behind this anime. Masahiro Andō is the director behind this anime, with Noboru Takagi as the writer, and Kenichiro Suehiro as the composer for the music.
Speaking of that music, the opening theme song for Daemons of the Shadow Realm is “Time to Fly” by Vaundy. Meanwhile, “Let’s Fly” by yama is the ending theme song.
Daemons of the Shadow Realm Ep. 11 “Big Brother and Little Brother”: The Good
As you can tell by the title of this story, the best part about Ep. 11 “Big Brother and Little Brother” is the diversity. As I previously mentioned: Hiromu Arakawa has always been very good about diversity in her works. In her previous Fullmetal Alchemist story, people of color featured prominently in that story with deep and complex storylines, with the Ishvarlans and the Xing characters being notable examples. Her The Heroic Legend of Arslan story had characters from Central Asia and the Middle East as the stars of the show, since the entire story took place in a fantasy Persia.
Diversity is the Name of the Anime
Ep. 11 “Big Brother and Little Brother” continues that tradition by introducing us to a new character named Tadera Ken (voiced by Natsumi Fujiwara (JP)), who is half-Japanese and half-Ethiopian. It’s a very rare example of a Black Japanese person in any manga / anime due to how closed-off to foreigners Japanese society normally is, and he’s very well depicted. Even his mother is mentioned to be named Abeba Tesfaye, which is a perfectly legitimate Ethiopian name. Clearly, Hiromu Arakawa did her research there, and it showed. On top of that, Ken’s story is deeply intertwined with the story of the main character Yuru (voiced by Kensho Ono (JP) and Ben Stegmair (EN)), since he gives some plot-critical details to everyone, and gives them a critical goal to move towards in the story.
Not only that, but late in the episode, Dera (voiced by Yuichi Nakamura (JP) and Jarrod Greene (EN)) outright mentions that his “wife” Hana (voiced by Miyuri Shimabukuro (JP) and Meggie-Elise (EN)) is a gravedigger by profession. Though it’s not mentioned outright, that profession heavily implies that Hana is of the burakumin class. Historically, they were a class of people in Japan who were considered to be “untouchables” due to having professions involving death like butchering, tanning, executing, etc.; and were thus outcasts from Japanese society. Even after their legal liberation in 1871, they still face discrimination and persecution even to the modern day because of those historical roots. So seeing a fairly major burakumin character, even by implication, is a very nice touch for Hiromu Arakawa to add.
Daemons of the Shadow Realm Ep. 11 “Big Brother and Little Brother”: The Bad
Alas, if you’re looking for some high-intensity action with a plethora of violence, you’re out of luck for Ep. 11 “Big Brother and Little Brother”. This is a very plot-heavy episode, with numerous character explorations and interactions. However, what it does not have is action. Or blood. Or even any violence aside from some comedically implied violence. If you want some action as good as in the previous episode, you might have to wait a bit. At least until the next episode of Daemons of the Shadow Realm.
Anime Recommendations
If you can’t wait that long though, then there are alternatives for action and violence. You can check out You can check out Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Kaiju No. 8, DDDD, DAN DA DAN, Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online II, Zenshu, Blue Box, Solo Leveling, Black Butler, Nyaight of the Living Cat, May I Ask for One Final Thing?, and/or TRIGUN STARGAZE for that. However, if you want more in the way of calmer, more dramatic and / or comedic anime, then you might also like Spy x Family, Senpai is an Otokonoko, Apocalypse Hotel, Spice and Wolf: Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf, The Ancient Magus’ Bride, My Dress-Up Darling, This Monster Wants to Eat Me, Hana-Kimi, Journal with Witch, and/or Witch Hat Atelier.
What do you think of this week’s episode of Daemons of the Shadow Realm? Tell us your diverse thoughts in the comments section below.
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