REVIEW: ‘Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon,’ Episode 17 – “Trap of the Two Perils”

Rejoice, for forward plot progression is present in Yashahime Episode 17 and it feels as though the series is prepping for its endgame. The anime-original sequel to Inuyasha is from Sunrise. It follows Towa and Setsuna, the daughters of Sesshomaru, and their cousin, Moroha, daughter of Inuyasha and Kagome. Setsuna had her memories and ability to sleep stolen by The Dream Butterfly after being separated from her sister across time. Towa is now determined to travel the feudal era to find The Dream Butterfly and help Setsuna.

Incredibly suspicious Riku is rightfully suspicious. He is finally revealed (to viewers) to be a trusted underling of Kirinmaru. It isn’t surprising in the least, but him helping the other team definitely makes things more interesting, especially now since it is relatively out in the open to the audience. One of the anime’s weaknesses is that the antagonists have been largely forgettable. At the bare minimum, Riku is intriguing. Especially in comparison to the remaining Two Perils: Konton and Tōtetsu. Konton is trying to entrap the three girls to take their remaining Rainbow Pearls, but he needs assistance from both Tōtetsu and Riku. The show also continuously suffers from a lack of depth in its supporting cast. Additionally, since the villains aren’t even that intimidating, the fights don’t feel as high-stakes as they should be.

There are definite positives for Yashahime Episode 17. There are some really nice moments between the three girls as they get ready to battle. They are reminiscent of the stronger earlier episodes and it is refreshing. The musical score when Setsuna is playing her violin with Towa listening is absolutely lovely. When the girls fall into the trap and are separated, Moroha calling out for her cousins hits a painful note. The show has been alluding to her insecurities about loneliness and how much her newfound family means to her. The music and sound design once again shine here. It ebbs and flows well with the tension. Additionally, there are noticeable moments without music, only echoing sound effects on the cliff.

Towa and Setsuna have a strong conversation about how naive Towa still is in the feudal era. It is unfortunately pretty repetitive of earlier arguments they have had. It would be nice to see more progression in their individual characters and relationship by now. However, overall, it still pushes the plot forward towards an overall endgame, rather than episodic antics. It is a welcome change, and although “something is better than nothing” is too harsh of a statement, viewers are somewhat starved for sisterly development. It would be preferable for Yashahime Episode 17 to have had more of a confrontation this week, as it makes this battle feel drawn out at the end. Moroha gets slightly sidelined once again, but at this point, it is to be expected of the show.

Yashahime Episode 17 begins to move more into an overarching plot, with a focus on character moments this week. It will be a welcome shift for viewers, reminiscent of early weeks in the show’s run that was its strongest. It is far from a perfect episode, but ideally, it will maintain this upward momentum going forward.

Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon is streaming now on Crunchyroll, Funimation, and Hulu.