Daemons of the Shadow Realm has Asa give us her long-awaited backstory blues in Ep. 7 “Asa and Break”. This is not an action-heavy episode in the slightest because of that, but it contains major revelations about the overarching story, especially about the pasts of both Asa and Yuru. It even contains bits of bloody drama for fans of action to enjoy before the next episode might hopefully give us some more of it.
Daemons of the Shadow Realm Ep. 7 “Asa and Break”: Details in Brief
Daemons of the Shadow Realm Ep. 7 “Asa and Break” is the seventh episode (you can read my reviews for Ep. 1, Ep. 2, Ep. 3, Ep. 4, Ep. 5, and Ep. 6 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. 7 “Asa and Break”: The Good
Much of Ep. 7 “Asa and Break” is basically a series of flashbacks. However, despite the title and the end of the previous episode, this episode isn’t just about Asa (voiced by Yume Miyamoto (JP) and Molly Zhang (EN)). Yuru (voiced by Kensho Ono (JP) and Ben Stegmair (EN)) also contributes his share of flashbacks. In fact, the episode opens with a flashback to his childhood, which said flashback reveals to be quite bloody and traumatic. Shockingly so for a child of that age. And yet, it’s also matched by how bloody and violently traumatic Asa’s backstory was, since she literally died in that backstory. That bit at the end of the previous episode wasn’t hyperbole. It’s part of a very dark, dramatic, and bloody backstory that’s quite engaging in how deeply it explores both Asa and Yuru as characters. It’s also the kind of dark drama that Hiromu Arakawa loves doing with her stories, including in her famed Fullmetal Alchemist.
That dark and dramatic backstory actually lasts three-quarters of the episode. The remaining quarter is back to some relatively calm slice of life to ease out the tension. Not only that, but we get introduced to a new character: a member of the Kagemori family who is seemingly uninvolved in the family’s supernatural dealings, although he is aware of it. Aside from that, we also get more interactions between the various characters because they’re not actively engaged in combat. Combat is very entertaining, but this episode also shows how calm moments allow characters to breathe and interact with each other to the benefit of the audience.
I will say though, the brief moment of combat in this episode is very well-done. It heightens the tension right before it via having Asa’s kidnappers/murderers argue with each other while the camera slow
Daemons of the Shadow Realm Ep. 7 “Asa and Break”: The Bad
Alas, fans of the bloody action of the previous episode will find Ep. 7 “Asa and Break” to be a bit disappointing. Almost the entire episode is dialogue and character exploration. We do get a brief moment of action when Asa unlocks her Break powers. However, it’s very brief, and we don’t see exactly what happens. We do see the very bloody result of her first use of her powers against her kidnappers/murderers though, but the camera cuts away from the actual action. So alas, you all will have to wait for later episodes to see more bloody action.
Anime Recommendations
Fortunately, there are many alternatives if you can’t wait that long. If you want to watch some bloody action stories, then 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 might tide you over in the meantime. However, if you want some nice, calm slice of life or drama, 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 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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