REVIEW: ‘Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon,’ Episode 38 – “Kirinmaru of the Dawn”

Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon (Yashahime) is a fantasy/adventure anime from Sunrise. Having severed the strand of fate that linked Lady Zero to their mother, Setsuna and Towa finally have an opportunity to meet their estranged parent. Meanwhile, Moroha confronts Kirinmaru for the black pearl that holds her parents in Yashahime Episode 38.

The first half of this season’s narrative has overwhelmingly revolved around our heroes’ fight against the many machinations of Lady Zero. With her finally defeated, I came into this episode curious to see what direction the show would move in. I’m pleased to say that Yashahime Episode 38 managed to surprise me in several ways as it pushes the series narrative in a direction I was not expecting.

As Towa and Setsuna head out to finally meet their long-imprisoned mother, Moroha confronts Kirinmru for the black pearl that holds her parents. Never known for subtlety, Moroha initiates a full-frontal assault on her opponent. This confrontation serves as the crux for this episode’s story as it grows from a one-on-one fight to something much larger.

As surprised as I am with the new direction Yashahime Episode 38 sends its main protagonist in, I was equally impressed with how well-paced the episode clicks through its evolving battle. Rather than drag out the fight with a lot of pointless blustering, the show gets to the heart of the matter quickly so it can get done everything that it needs to. The pacing in this series is something that has been improving over the past few episodes and I’m happy to see this ongoing improvement didn’t get lost during the holiday break.

The other element of this episode’s events I appreciated was seeing how far its cast has come where their power level is concerned. With Kirinmaru once more on the battlefield, we get to see how some of the characters have grown since the climactic battle that ended last season. The new perspective on the show’s power balance helps give a bit more context for the earlier events of the season. All the battles are protagonists have gone through seem to be yielding results.

The visuals throughout Yashahime Episode 38 deliver the episode’s key confrontation skillfully. The moment is given plenty of punch and the heated emotions of the various participants are crafted in a way that brings them through to the viewer clearly. It also feels like the series went a bit further than usual with a couple of the energy attacks this episode features, giving a little extra flash to the proceedings.

When all is said and done, Yashahime Episode 38 delivers an entertaining battle while also sending the show into the next leg of its ongoing narrative. I’m curious to see where this new direction will take Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha as we head into the back half of this season.

Yashahime Episode 38 is streaming on Funimation and Crunchyroll.