Daemons Of The Shadow Realm Ep. 19 “Sword And Bow”: Clash Of The Antique Weapons [Review]

Daemons of the Shadow Realm sees a violent clash between some very antique weapons in Ep. 19 “Sword and Bow”. All after Asa pulls off a pretty handy rescue of people she doesn’t even like for Yuru’s sake. It’s this mix of classic action and slice of life taking place amidst crushing power that makes this episode an excellent balance of genres. Fans of action and story will definitely enjoy that blend.

Daemons of the Shadow Realm Ep. 19 “Sword and Bow”: Details in Brief

Daemons of the Shadow Realm Ep. 19 “Sword and Bow” is the nineteenth 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, Ep. 15, Ep. 16, Ep. 17, and Ep. 18 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. 19 “Sword and Bow”: The Good

The main thing most people will think about in Ep. 19 “Sword and Bow” is the action. First we get some very interesting action from Asa (voiced by Yume Miyamoto (JP) and Molly Zhang (EN)) in which she basically crushes a whole bunch of bad guys with sheer, overwhelming power. All using the power of Break to sever their ties to their Daemons, giving us the kind of crushing power that would ironically be typical in most isekai anime series. The main difference here is that Asa is steamrolling her enemies because she is intelligent and can mass the forces necessary to ensure that she in in the position of overwhelming power. With the help of the Kagemori family headed by Gonzo Kagemori (voiced by Hiroshi Iwasaki (JP) and Kent Williams (EN)), of course.

The other big source of action comes from Yuru (voiced by Kensho Ono (JP) and Ben Stegmair (EN)). Now, he arrives too late to contribute to anything Asa is doing, and Asa didn’t need the help to begin with. Instead, his fight is with the dual katana-wielding Ivan Yosano (voiced by Shin-ichiro Miki (JP) and Alejandro Saab (EN)). It’s a much more even fight here even though Ivan is very much outnumbered and outgunned, all simply because Ivan is that good at fighting and he’s honestly insanely determined. Frisk would probably give a grudging nod at this guy for just simply refusing to give up no matter what, giving us a very nail-bitingly good fight scene despite our good guys having all the advantages.

All with Bones Film’s animation team doing a very good job animating both action sequences. Especially in the case of Yuru and co. versus Ivan, with especially fluid animation when Ivan dodges and slashes his way around and through attacks. Clearly, they knew exactly where to put the budget.

But What About the Story?

It’s not just the action that’s good in Ep. 19 “Sword and Bow”. The story is top-notch too, and it’s even blended in well with the action. From the story of the hostages taken from Higashi Village (including the fake Asa) to Ivan’s involvement with Yuru and Asa’s parents, all of these are interwoven with the fights in a way that you can’t separate one from the other without degrading both. It’s truly the mark of a great author that Hiromu Arakawa strikes this kind of balance between action and story this well.

Another excellent example of this is in the fight between Ivan and Yuru and co.. That fight saw Ivan attempt to use a major plot point in order to gain an advantage during the fight simply because he’s smart and can see that the relevant plot point affects Yuru greatly. It makes Ivan a very genre-savvy fighter that increases his lethality, further heightening that action with the story.

Daemons of the Shadow Realm Ep. 19 “Sword and Bow”: The Bad

If you’re the type of person who wants bloody action and bloody action only, then Ep. 19 “Sword and Bow” might not quite satisfy your tastes. Yes, there’s loads of action in this episode, but there’s also a decently large amount of dialogue and story. If those things bore you, then even the ludicrous amounts of action in this episode might not be enough for you.

Anime Recommendations

Fortunately, if your brain requires more blood, violence, and action galore, then you’re in luck. You can find all of that in 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; although you all will have to wait a while for 2027 in the case of Kagurabachi. However, if you like having a bit of story in your 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 sword-slashing thoughts in the comments section below.

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