Daemons of the Shadow Realm has the ambushers learn about becoming the ambushed in Ep. 15 “Yuru and Danji”. All after some fairly serious family drama between the titular Yuru and his best friend / brother figure Danji. Fortunately, it seems that they still have some sort of bond with each other even after that. Unfortunately, this is also where the ambush goes horribly, horribly wrong.
Daemons of the Shadow Realm Ep. 15 “Yuru and Danji”: Details in Brief
Daemons of the Shadow Realm Ep. 15 “Yuru and Danji” is the fifteenth 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, Ep. 12, Ep. 13, and Ep. 14 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. 15 “Yuru and Danji”: The Good
As I’ve said before, Ep. 15 “Yuru and Danji” is all about the ambushers getting ambushed. Usually, it’s Yuru (voiced by Kensho Ono (JP) and Ben Stegmair (EN)), his Daemons Left (voiced by Takako Honda (JP) and Colleen Clinkenbeard (EN)) and Right (voiced by Rikiya Koyama (JP) and Bill Butts (EN)), and the rest of his growing family who are the ambushers. However, what makes this episode good is the fact that now, they are the ones being ambushed. All while in the midst of setting up their own ambush to boot.
This kind of story basically turns Yuru’s usual strategy upside its head, and now he finds out just how devastating it can be for ambushers to be ambushed. It’s a nice bit of reference to military tactics, and how one of its most important tenets is that “No plan survives contact with the enemy”. Especially in this case, when the enemy unleashes a daemon with powers Yuru and his family couldn’t have predicted, and a very familiary swordsman with powers that Yuru and his family definitely didn’t have intel on…until now, that is. Unfortunately, it now means that Yuru is in a very precarious situation, and we will have to wait until the next episode of Daemons of the Shadow Realm to find out what his fate will be.
It’s not just Yuru though. Asa (voiced by Yume Miyamoto (JP) and Molly Zhang (EN)) gets a bit of her own limelight in this episode. We find out that she’s just a bit…obsessed with her brother. At the same time, we also get a look into the Kagemori family, and how they are definitely not a monolith in a way that invites a lot of political tension.
Oh, and kudos to Hiromu Arakawa for including a very blatant reference to Fullmetal Alchemist. And when I say “blatant”, I mean it. There are literal clips taken straight from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood showing on the TV that the characters are watching. Complete with Shou Tucker saying some coincidentally appropriate lines for the scene. It is peak reference to a previous peak story of hers.
Daemons of the Shadow Realm Ep. 15 “Yuru and Danji”: The Bad
Alas, if you like bloody action, then there might not be enough of it in Ep. 15 “Yuru and Danji” for you. There is actually a lot of action in this episode of a supernatural kind. There’s even quite a bit of stylish violence to go with it, as well as some significant bloodshed from some very dead bodies. However, it’s not quite blood actively spraying out at the moment, so it might not be enough for some action fans. Fortunately, there is the promise of more action in the next episode, and it will be primarily between Left and the mysterious swordsman to boot.
Anime Recommendations
Fortunately, you all have many alternatives if you can’t wait for the next episode. 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?, TRIGUN STARGAZE, and / or Kagurabachi for that. However, if you want a more story-focused 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, Witch Hat Atelier, and / or Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia.
What do you think of this week’s episode of Daemons of the Shadow Realm? Tell us your ambushed thoughts in the comments section below.
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