REVIEW: ‘Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon,’ Episode 24 – “Sesshomaru’s Daughter”

A moment of silence for everything that Yashahime Episode 24 could have been if the rest of the season earned what the finale tried to accomplish. The anime from Sunrise is an original storyline that serves as a sequel to Rumiko Takahashi’s Inuyasha. It follows twin sisters Towa and Setsuna, and their cousin Moroha, as they travel throughout the feudal era in search of The Dream Butterfly.

It is actually impressive in a backward way how Yashahime Episode 24 didn’t resolve a single plotline the show started this season. The fight scenes themselves are well-animated, fun to watch, and honestly, the sole reason to tune in. It is clear a fair amount of the animation budget went into the girls’ confrontation with Kirinmaru. Well…the first half is. The second half got a BIT bizarre. There was a random planetary backdrop, and everyone had comically bad-looking fangs that distracted rather than emphasized their demon blood. Vampires in space had me questioning whether I was still watching anime or if I had partied a bit too hard during my “thrilling” Saturday in quarantine. On second thought, however, “vampires in space” is a phrase I would likely only type in an anime review.

Exciting fight aside, if you thought Yashahime Episode 24 would answer any questions, you would be wrong. What is the connection between Zero and Rin? Nope. A better explanation (or actual resolution) to The Dream Butterfly? Not really. Zero and Riku angrily leave so early into the episode that their motives are still in question as well. Oh, and Totosai is now on his way because of a fabled blade? There are too many “end goal items” to keep track of. The best part? In a rather frustrating nod to the original series, The Rainbow Pearls are scattered throughout the land. They were gathered for a grand total of maybe fifteen minutes before the quest had to begin anew. It is really difficult to talk about any real specifics here, partly because there isn’t a whole lot of information given, and what little there is would spoil.

Yashahime Episode 24 does try to punch viewers in the gut with one particularly emotional scene. Although, once again, with everything being surrounded by vagueness, this moment just isn’t earned. The impact is hindered. It was exciting as a viewer, but also sad because I felt robbed of the emotional high I would have had if the writing had built up to this better. Also, Sesshomaru is still a really terrible dad, once again to the point where it feels out of character. His demon pride and a “rite of passage” can only justify his abandonment of his daughters so far, especially after so much of his original character arc featured him moving beyond that toxic pride.

Yashahime Episode 24 is basically the result of accepting every quest in an open-world game and never completing any of them. A fantastically animated fight scene and a few satisfying moments for viewers can’t save what the rest of the season’s writing squandered. The good news for anyone who is frustrated enough to keep going to finally (maybe?) get some answers? A second season was announced after the cliffhanger ending.

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