Daemons of the Shadow Realm gives Yuru and his Daemons and allies a very much not-so-peaceful night in Ep. 16 “Kagemori and Shingo”. Indeed, it’s a rather bloody and violent night, full of twists and turns that will leave viewers gaping in shock. All in all, it’s a very entertaining episode for us. Now let’s see how many characters survive this night.
Daemons of the Shadow Realm Ep. 16 “Kagemori and Shingo”: Details in Brief
Daemons of the Shadow Realm Ep. 16 “Kagemori and Shingo” is the sixteenth 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, Ep. 14, and Ep. 15 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. 16 “Kagemori and Shingo”: The Good
As you might be able to guess: the blood and violence-packed action of Ep. 16 “Kagemori and Shingo” is the highlight of this episode. Indeed, there is so much blood spilled in this episode, enough to fill a small swimming pool. Not to mention enough corpses to fill up at least one or two dumpsters. Oh, and of course, there’s so much stylish violence here. Much of it is between Left (voiced by Takako Honda (JP) and Colleen Clinkenbeard (EN)) and Right (voiced by Rikiya Koyama (JP) and Bill Butts (EN)) versus the daemonic katana-wielding Ivan Yosano (voiced by Shin-ichiro Miki (JP) and Alejandro Saab (EN)), which consists of a stylish battle that is basically a pair of skilled martial artists versus a swordsmaster. It’s quite entertaining in both the action and in the intellectual battle between the combatants as they vie for the smallest advantages to overcome each other.
However, it’s not just them who gets all the action. Kagemori head Gonzo Kagemori (voiced by Hiroshi Iwasaki (JP) and Kent Williams (EN)) gets to have his own action scenes as well, and my god, he’s terrifying. He’s basically a martial artist who’s not afraid to get his own hands dirty to get the job done. The why of him beating up some apparently random guys up isn’t clear at first…until the intrigue kicks in at the very end.
Indeed, that intrigue is the other part of why this episode is so good. There is a complex web of intrigue and drama being woven around in this plot that makes this whole story a treat for fans of complex storytelling. It’s not just Yuru that’s in this plot, although the story about him and Break is a critical component of this plot. Asa (voiced by Yume Miyamoto (JP) and Molly Zhang (EN)) ends up being part of the plot in a shocking way at the very end, when it turns out that one of the Kagemoris appears to be a traitor. Which one it is is a secret for now, but we’ll find out more in the next episode of Daemons of the Shadow Realm.
Oh, and kudos to Bones Film’s animators for making all of that action look so smooth and fluid. The slow motion scenes in particular give up a good look at how smooth that animation is while also ratcheting up the tension.
Daemons of the Shadow Realm Ep. 16 “Kagemori and Shingo”: The Bad
Alas, the only bad thing about this episode is the cliffhanger at the very end. It’s not an especially terrible cliffhanger, objectively speaking, but it still leaves you biting your nails in anticipation of the next episode of Daemons of the Shadow Realm because of how abruptly it ends, and right in the middle of Asa reacting to a very sudden betrayal to boot.
Anime Recommendations
If you can’t wait for that episode next week, then you do have options. 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. If you want more story-focused anime though, 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 darkly moonlit thoughts in the comments section below.
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