Daemons of the Shadow Realm sees some very dark dealings (complete with blood flying) going on in Ep. 12 “Retainer and Shaman”. It’s the kind of dark dealings that almost turns this episode into a political thriller, complete with some very unexpected violence. It makes for a very creepy episode that keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Daemons of the Shadow Realm Ep. 12 “Retainer and Shaman”: Details in Brief
Daemons of the Shadow Realm Ep. 12 “Retainer and Shaman” is the twelth 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, Ep. 10, and Ep. 11 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. 12 “Retainer and Shaman”: The Good
The story of Ep. 12 “Retainer and Shaman” is definitely the reason why you’d be on the edge of your seat, and it’s all down to how complex it is, with multiple plotlines running concurrently with each other. All featuring the rather good animation from Bons Film’s animation team. It’s not the absolute best like with Witch Hat Atelier, but it’s still quite nice, and on par with some of their previous works, including Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.
Now as for that story, let’s start with:
Yuru and the Apprentice
Yuru’s (voiced by Kensho Ono (JP) and Ben Stegmair (EN)) plotline becomes intertwined with that of Dera (voiced by Yuichi Nakamura (JP) and Jarrod Greene (EN)), Hana (voiced by Miyuri Shimabukuro (JP) and Meggie-Elise (EN)), and new kid Ken (voiced by Natsumi Fujiwara (JP)) in this multi-faceted shadow war in modern day Japan. The result is something very much like a political thriller story, in which alliances are made in the face of various creepy threats even before the actual fighting has begun. All with Yuru just having the simple goal of finding out what happened to his and his sister’s parents.
Except now that simple goal comes with some additional side goals, including Yuru essentially taking in Ken under his wing as an apprentice. You can clearly see them developing a relationship something akin to a big brother and little brother relationship as they bond over their shared values and goals. I’m getting the distinct feeling that Yuru is not just forming his own faction, but his own found family as well.
Asa and the Horror Show
Speaking of which, Asa (voiced by Yume Miyamoto (JP) and Molly Zhang (EN)) has her own distinct storyline in Ep. 12 “Retainer and Shaman” too, and it’s a bit of a horror show. Quite fitting since she’s staying with the Kagemoris in their house full of daemons. Her actual life in the Kagemori house is actually shockingly peaceful for the most part, aside from some scheming on the part of the middle brother, who keeps raising red flags and questions in his dealings with an elder Kagemori head.
However, it’s when Asa’s (and by extension Yuru’s) grandmother calls that we get thrown fully into the horror parts of the story. The thing about this horror isn’t just the horrific visuals, but also the Schrödinger’s grandma situation here. Both the cast and us as the audience are not sure if the grandma is alive or not. That uncertainty adds to the tense horror of the situation.
Higashi Village Horror Continued
It’s not just Yuru and Asa getting horror though. The village that Yuru grew up in is getting their own horror on top of it, and so soon after that initial massacre in Ep. 1 to boot. They even foreshadow it via what happened to the shaman in his flashback, and it only makes sense when we see it now. I’m pretty sure this is a case of someone deciding that now is the time to just wipe that village off of the map once and for all. Alas, we will have to wait until the next episode of Daemons of the Shadow Realm to see if that bloody plan succeeds.
Daemons of the Shadow Realm Ep. 12 “Retainer and Shaman”: The Bad
Alas, Ep. 12 “Retainer and Shaman” does end on a bit of a cliffhanger right after the bloody action starts, with the promise of more blood and gruesome violence to follow. Also alas though, I have become a bit desensitized to this cliffhanger after watching the season finale of Witch Hat Atelier, so this doesn’t seem nearly as bad in comparison, especially since we get to see what will happen next week given the back to back cours for Daemons of the Shadow Realm. A small bit of annoyance is a decent price to pay for that.
Anime Recommendations
If you find yourself unable to wait for more bloody action though, then you might want to 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. However, if you want a more calm anime to chill out to, then you might 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 horror-filled thoughts in the comments section below.
For more on Anime, make sure to check back to That Hollywood Show.
Reviews