Daemons of the Shadow Realm jumps right into some bloody action with a new second cours in Ep. 13 “Daikyo and Shokyo”. And just two weeks after the conclusion of the first cours to boot. We certainly didn’t have long to wait before we see the bloody conclusion to the action-packed ending of Ep. 12. You can even tell that Bones Film got a bigger animation budget for this cours on top of that for a nice cherry on top of the gripping story.
Daemons of the Shadow Realm Ep. 13 “Daikyo and Shokyo”: Details in Brief
Daemons of the Shadow Realm Ep. 13 “Daikyo and Shokyo” is the thirteenth 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, Ep. 11, and Ep. 12 here) of this dark fantasy action adventure anime series overall, as well as being the first episode of the second cours. 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 the second cours of Daemons of the Shadow Realm is “Back Shot” by Masanori Otoda. Meanwhile, “Kujaku” (孔雀; lit. ”Peacock”) by Kei Sugawara is the ending theme song for the same.
Daemons of the Shadow Realm Ep. 13 “Daikyo and Shokyo”: The Good
From the moment you start seeing blood spray out of severed body parts and dismembered bodies lying in spreading pools of deep red, you know that Ep. 13 “Daikyo and Shokyo” is going to be an action-packed episode. Indeed, I suspect most people are going to remember this episode for that bloody action and drama as Ivan Yosano (voiced by Shin-ichiro Miki (JP) and Alejandro Saab (EN)) cuts a bloody swathe through Higashi Village. It’s all very stylish action too, with time slowing down very subtly and quickly whenever Ivan starts slicing and dicing to show off his swordplay and even the blood sprays. Honestly, after all those Higashi Village folks dying to this guy, I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s barely any adults left in the village.
We even get some supernatural fighting when the daemon that had been pretending to be Yuru’s sister goes into battle with Ivan. It’s here where you can tell that Bones Film definitely got a bigger animation budget than in the previous cours. Said previous cours still looked great, but there’s a noticeable smoothness to the action in this second cours that wasn’t quite present in the first cours. Again, it’s all down to the increased budget. More money means that the artists can spend more time drawing more frames that make the characters move smooth as butter during those high-intensity action sequences.
But What About the Story?
I’m getting to that story, by the way. Yes, the action is amazing, but that’s only half of the episode’s greatness. The story and chracter interactions / drama form the other half. Hiromu Arakawa shows off just how good she is at writing both long and complex storylines, as well as writing characters. The dark plot surrounding Ivan and his bloody ways, and then the amusing plotlines involving Yuru’s childhood friend holding on for dear life to a spirit horse as they speed down a highway; all of them show off Arakawa’s skill in writing.
In particular, we get to see more of the side job of Hana Danno (voiced by Miyuri Shimabukuro (JP) and Meggie-Elise (EN)), which is definitely confirmed to be a gravedigger. This means that said depiction of her job is by necessity quite bloody and gruesome despite the lack of action. Indeed, we get to see just who she’s burying and the condition of the body, which is…not great, to say the least.
However, this allows the story to explore Hana as a character, which reveals that she takes that “side job” very seriously (complete with the ability to operate heavy machinery to excavate the grave) and with all the seriousness and compassion it deserves, as evidenced by the incense she leaves at the unmarked grave. It’s a fascinating look into her character that makes me wonder where the story is going to go with her, since it appears that she now possesses vital information for that story.
It’s just a shame we have to wait until next week to find that out. Both Hana’s role in the story, as well as the fate of the other characters in Daemons of the Shadow Realm.
Daemons of the Shadow Realm Ep. 13 “Daikyo and Shokyo”: The Bad
Honestly, the only thing I wish Ep. 13 “Daikyo and Shokyo” had is just slightly better animation quality. Yes, I did just praise this episode to the stars for its animation quality. However, I did recently watch an anime with even better animation quality than even this one: Witch Hat Atelier. It might have spoiled me just a bit about animation quality in an anime when Witch Hat Atelier animates individual hair strands during close-ups. Again, no bones about Daemons of the Shadow Realm‘s animation quality. It just doesn’t quite reach Witch Hat Atelier‘s level.
Anime Recommendations
If you can’t wait for more bloody action, then you might also like 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 something calmer or something more story-focused, then you might want to check out 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 bloody thoughts in the comments section below.
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