Demons of the Shadow Realm Episode 24 of season 1 of the anime, titled ‘Higashi Village and Nishino Village’, continued to focus on the narrative themes of family and loyalty when our protagonists became aware of a dangerous threat attacking them all.
The end of Demons of the Shadow Realm Season 1 of the anime took a very surprising turn. I expected a lot of action and twists towards an exciting cliffhanger. And although we had an intense moment during the cliffhanger, the writing team decided to continue exploring certain emotions instead of pushing Yuru, Asa and the others into another battle for the rest of the episode.
Since Akio escaped from the Kagemori Mansion in the previous episode, I liked how we got a scene between Hikaru, Gonzo, and Gabby after the staff recovered the body of the gardener who tried to stop Akio. Staying true to his character, Hikaru wanted Gonzo to forgive Akio instead of ordering his execution upon his capture.
I understand where Hikaru was coming from. However, as Gabby said, Akio had made his decision. Therefore, Akio had to face the consequences. The real world was not as kind as Hikaru liked to portray in his popular manga series, especially for Daemon Weilders like Gabby and the rest. The clans were in constant war. It was kill or be killed. That was why it was essential for Clan members to remain loyal.
As far as Gabby was concerned, no matter what Akio’s supposed biological parents had told her, the fact that she succumbed to their opinions and proceeded to attempt to murder Asa and betray the Kagemori Clan was unforgivable. Because, again, the Kagemori Clan had given people like Gabby a safe place. The least someone like her could do was not betray the Clan’s trust.
The writing team did a good job of allowing both sides to present their arguments. Hikaru even mentioned how Akio’s betrayal could have been avoided if Gonzo had allowed his staff to be more open about their feelings. Apparently, Gonzo’s strictness influenced Akio to want to connect with people outside the Clan.
I mean, I understand why Hikaru would make such a statement. But let’s be realistic. Hikaru is too lenient. There is a difference between kindness and being so unrealistically kind that it could lead to the extermination of an entire Clan by those who seek to exploit said kindness. It would do Hikaru some good if he accepted reality. Not to the point that it changes his bland personality, but at least so that he realizes what’s really at stake here and the severity of the decisions that people like Gonzo have to make to keep the Clan alive.
Unlike Hiraku, Akio’s adoptive siblings (Haruo, Natsuki, and Fuyuki) were more accepting of Akio’s fate. They didn’t like it. But they were mature enough to realize the seriousness of the situation. Like Gabby, his loyalty to the Kagemori Clan was unwavering. It will be interesting to see how they will interact with Akio when their paths cross in the future.
As for Asa, I liked how he continued to find the inner strength to not blame himself for everything that happens around him. Asa is not to blame for Akio’s betrayal. She also couldn’t be blamed for the clans fighting among themselves. I appreciated Gabby giving Asa some love about her feelings. It was a nice comedic moment while also respecting the emotional weight of Asa’s conflicting emotions.
I laughed out loud at the scene where Asa contemplated Break’s power to “break down” difficult math equations during his study session with Gabby.
Upon reaching Yuru, we had a flashback of a young Yuru who needed to dispose of the corpses of his murderers himself while growing up in Higashi village. That poor child. No wonder it is quite self-sufficient. Also, kudos to Yuru for holding on to his humanity through his bonds with the fake Asa and Danji, even if those two were later revealed to be demons. It’s a good thing that Yuru now has a whole group of demons and humans he can trust. He deserves that support.
The ending seemed to make clear the need for clans to have people responsible for cleaning up corpses. Jin played that role for the Kagemori Clan. Nishino Village had a strange girl wielding dung beetle-like demons. And the Higashi village had Hana. And while we’ve seen how Jin and the weird girl handled business, we’ve yet to witness how Hana buried the bodies. Her modus operandi might be as simple as manual labor, but I’d still like to see her work.
Speaking of Hana, a major turn of events involved high-ranking Higashi Village agents in the city being summoned to a meeting with their President. It is understandable that Dera did not run, especially since he is closely linked to Yuru, whom the president loved. I was a little worried that the president would see through Hana’s lies about not being aware of Dera or Yuru’s location, but it was handled well.
The cliffhanger involved the Higashio Village agents being attacked while inside their usual warehouse. I highly doubt Hana will die during the attack, which used the same tactic of blowing up Daemon’s relics. But I’m interested to see how it will survive an attack at such close range.
I was wondering if the mysterious Western Clan was connected to Nishino Village. Well, you may have received an answer at the end. Gonzo was skeptical that Nishino Village was responsible for the recent attack inside the mansion, because said village had been destroyed a long time ago. But of course, a Clan can regroup and continue operating even if a single member survives. The location could have changed, but I feel like the West Clan is a new version of Nishino Village, seeking revenge on the Kagemori Clan and Higashi Village.
It wasn’t the action-packed season one finale I was hoping for, but it did a good job of setting things up for what’s to come. There is so much story to tell.
Fortunately, Demons of the Shadow Realm The anime has been renewed for a second season. That’s why I’m very excited to get back to this story as soon as possible.
Did you see the end of Demons of the Shadow Realm anime season 1? Are you excited for season two?
Let us know.
Author: Farid-ul-Haq
Farid has a double master’s degree in Psychology and Biotechnology, as well as a master’s degree in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books, including Missing in Somerville and The Game Master of Somerville. It gives us information about comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.
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