REVIEW: ‘Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon,’ Episode 30 – “Hisui the Demon Slayer”

Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon (Yashahime)is a fantasy/adventure anime from Sunrise. With Sesshomaru having killed the dream butterfly that was stealing Setsuna’s dreams, the young woman quickly fell into a deep sleep. But when she awakens, she finds herself in unfamiliar surroundings. But why has she been brought to this opulent manor, and what does the young princess who greets her want from her in Yashahime Episode 30.

I generally like it when a series takes the time to flesh out its side characters. The more characters the viewer has a strong understanding of the more characters that they will become attached to. Threats to these characters will be of greater consequence if the viewer feels like they know them. Like most aspects of storytelling, however, timing is key. Giving these side characters moments to shine is great, but not immediately after a countdown to an important character’s death starts. This poor timing on the part of Yashahime Episode 30 makes a fairly strong episode feel out of place when considered with the rest of this season’s story.

When Setsuna awakens after sleeping for a couple of days straight, she finds herself in a strange manor garbed in a kimono. By her side is a young woman who identifies herself as Princess Aiya. She immediately makes a request of Setsuna: Take her place for the day so she can have a single day of freedom. Setsuna finds it impossible to ignore the lady’s pleas and agrees to help her.

This turns out to be the shortest-lived ruse of all time as Setsuna discovers the Princess’s tutor is none other than Hisui. Immediately recognizing Setsuna, the two begin to converse about how Hisui came to be tutoring the Princess. This takes the episode on a journey into Hisui’s past and how he gets along with several of his family members.

Getting a glimpse into the young demon slayer’s life was an enjoyable story in itself, but the lack of urgency on the part of Setsuna feels simply baffling. The last thing she had learned before falling asleep is that the clock was ticking on the Silver-Scale Curse claiming her mother’s life. Yet this never once comes up during Yashahime Episode 30. 

The only other place where this episode’s narrative struggles in its own rights is in how it brushes aside some fairly negative characteristics on the part of Hisui’s sisters. The duo is shown to be manipulative and exploitive of their younger brother. But these less than stellar qualities are dismissed with little more than a shrug of Hisui’s shoulders as if their being family makes it ok.

The visuals deliver the story well throughout Yashahime Episode 30. Hisui’s laid-back nature comes across well in his mannerisms and expressions, and the episode’s final battle is fought against one of the more unique demons the show has brought out recently. When all is said and done, Yashahime Episode 30 manages to tell an entertaining story, even if its placement within the larger narrative seems a bit questionable.

Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon Episode 30 is streaming on Funimation and Crunchyroll.