Daemons Of The Shadow Realm Ep. 3 “Dera And Hana”: Boy Meets World Harder [Review]

Daemons of the Shadow Realm has Yuru and his new daemons meet the modern world even harder in Ep. 3 “Dera and Hana”. With that meeting involving both explaining modern technology and concepts to them, as well as Yuru discovering the joys of modern food. It’s some great example of reverse isekai, all while a dark urban fantasy story is taking place in the background.

Daemons of the Shadow Realm Ep. 3 “Dera and Hana”: Details in Brief

Daemons of the Shadow Realm Ep. 3 “Dera and Hana” is the third episode (you can read my reviews for Ep. 1 and Ep. 2 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. 3 “Dera and Hana”: The Good

You can divide the best parts of Daemons of the Shadow Realm Ep. 3 “Dera and Hana” into two parts. The first would be Yuru (voiced by Kensho Ono (JP) and Ben Stegmair (EN)) discovering modern Japan alongside his daemons Right (voiced by Rikiya Koyama (JP) and Bill Butts (EN)) and Left (voiced by Takako Honda (JP) and Colleen Clinkenbeard (EN)). From them getting the entirely wrong impressions about how cars and flip phones work, to them (Yuru specifically) discovering just how much more delicious modern Japanese takeout food is compared to his village’s food, it’s all a wonderful example of cultures colliding. In a way, it highly resembles a time travel story. Yuru has effectively time travelled from a medieval Japanese village to modern Japan, and so is free to discover all the modern things that we take for granted.

Some Fine Animation

All with Dera (voiced by Yuichi Nakamura (EN) and Jarrod Greene (EN)) and Hana (voiced by Miyuri Shimabukuro (JP) and Meggie-Elise (EN)) as their modern tour guides. They in turn provide their own drama, as well as an urban thriller element with their knowledge of how the modern world works, and thus the things they need to do in order to effectively blend in. Things that in turn provide their own sitcom moments, and all while creepy and dark things happen in an aside partway through the episode. We’ve not much idea of what is happening, but there is certainly something wicked happening in the shadows.

All of which happens with some of the finest animation I’ve seen, courtesy of Bones Film. As you would expect from the same studio behind the Fullmetal Alchemist anime adaptations, every scene is filled with high quality details. Even the faces of background characters are well-drawn, pointing to an impressive animation budget. But most importantly for me: much attention is paid to the food. It’s all simple fare like riceballs and Japanese convenience store takeout meals, but there is so much delicious detail to the food and in the characters enjoying them that you can’t help but hunger for Japanese cuisine.

Heck, this episode features the most intricately detailed animated sequence of someone opening a convenience store riceball I’ve seen in any anime to date. From ripping the wrapper open in half via the provided tab, to removing the two halves of the wrappers, to neatly setting the unsettled seaweed wrapped around the riceball: every detail is like a work of culinary art for something so simple. It delighted my culinary interest to no end, and makes me eager for more delicious delights in the next episode.

Daemons of the Shadow Realm Ep. 3 “Dera and Hana”: The Bad

Alas, if you’re looking for bloody shonen action, Ep. 3 “Dera and Hana” ain’t it. Oh, there is a moment of some truly creepy horror happening to someone who definitely deserved it, but it’s leaning much more on the horror rather than any action. If you want action like in the first and second episodes of Daemons of the Shadow Realm, then you might have to wait a bit for it.

Anime Recommendations

If you can’t wait that long for more action though, then you might be able to slake that thirst with 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 to enjoy more calm slice of life, 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 did you all think of this week’s episode of Daemons of the Shadow Realm? Tell us your delightfully delicious thoughts in the comments section below.

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