REVIEW: ‘Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon’ Episode 19 – “Princess Aiya’s Beniyasha Hunting”

Normally, even at its worst, redeeming qualities can be found with this show. Yashahime Episode 19, unfortunately, has none of those. A bizarre twenty minutes of “What is happening?” make up this week. From Sunrise, Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon is an anime-original sequel to Inuyasha. The series follows Towa and Setsuna, daughters of Sesshomaru separated across time at a young age. They join forces with their cousin Moroha, a bounty hunter, to travel the feudal era in the hopes of recovering Setsuna’s memories.

Yashahime Episode 19 opens on the absolute worst princess ever, Aiya, the local Lord’s daughter, meeting with the demon slayers. Kohaku is absent, so Hisui is trying to take charge. The job Aiya offers is actually a competition against a group of bounty hunters; the winner will be admitted into the Lord’s forces. The financial security that it entails is motivating to Hisui. They also find out that Moroha has been roped onto the bounty hunter’s team. Hisui accepts, wanting to ensure a better life for his family. The rest of the episode is meant to be a comedy of errors, but the execution fails on all fronts.

For a reason that isn’t explained until the very end of Yashahime Episode 19, Setsuna and Moroha decide to leave Towa in the dark about the competition. The reason for this decision does not hold up at all by the end of the episode. Obviously, their plans do not go according to plan, and Towa thinks Moroha is in severe danger, putting her at odds with Setsuna. Once again, instead of anyone explaining what is going on, Setsuna goes on an overdramatic tirade against Towa about how she is “too soft.” It is likely meant to comically echo their actual confrontations from earlier in the season, but it is frustrating instead of funny. None of the “jokes” hit.

Additionally, there is one eyebrow-raising character design. The bounty hunter who goes by The Lady looks like an insensitive caricature. It isn’t clarified whether they are meant to be a man in drag or a trans woman, but either is not a good representation in the slightest. At the very least, The Lady doesn’t have much screen time.

The entirety of Yashahime Episode 19 just feels like whiplash after the last couple of weeks. That’s not because filler episodes are unexpected, but this is rather late in the season. Additionally, there are zero references whatsoever to the events with Sesshomaru. On top of the plot being so thin it could, and does, tear when you look for a bit more detail, it is tonally puzzling. It is, frankly, an absolute mess. Even Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha aren’t enough to pull a positive here since their actions are frustrating because they make no sense.

Yashahime Episode 19 is a train wreck of a filler episode. It creates a tonal whiplash for the viewer, and the character’s justifications for their behavior are borderline nonsensical. The plot barely exists, and to add insult to injury, the show briefly includes a character whose design is a dated queerphobic stereotype.

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