REVIEW: ‘Daemons Of The Shadow Realm’ Episode 4 — “Jin And Yuru”

At this rate, you’re either on board or checked out. Proving itself yet again undeterred in its particular strain of weirdness, Daemons of the Shadow Realm Episode 4 is also, unquestionably, the best of the series so far. Hiromu Arakawa’s work gets a worthwhile adaptation from Studio Bones as the series gets its legs under itself with expected off-kilter humor and a fantastic moment for protagonist Yuru (Kensho Ono). 

The tonal disconnect is the one remaining factor that causes some issues for the story, and yet Daemons of the Shadow Realm Episode 4 utilizes that charming dissonance. Because, evident from the name, “Jin and Yuru,” we spend more time with Jin (Junichi Suwabe). Jin, who, up until now, has seemed like the de facto antagonist. 

He even goes so far as to admit as much, telling Yuru late in the episode that it was he who orchestrated the attack on his mountainside village. He’s the one who disrupted Yuru’s sense of peace. And that disruption, lest we’ve forgotten in the episode’s sense, was chaotic and bloody. It was devastating, and Yuru flashing back to that devastation when he stands up to Jin is well-played. Because even though we get a cute interlude with Jin, Asa (Yume Miyamoto), and Gabby (Misaki Kuno), we can’t yet forget the willful violence they wrought on innocent bystanders. 

Hiromu Arakawa has a talent for creating complex characters.

But Arakawa has always been a master of introducing what seems to be a villain before stripping away the facade, leaving morally complex characters in their wake. The same goes for her heroes. In Fullmetal Alchemist, Mustang is both a major protagonist who helps save the day and a cog in the military machine. Meanwhile, while Scar (also FMA) is guilty of his own sins, he was also a victim of war, his people having been completely eradicated. 

All of which is to say that there’s a likely chance that Daemons of the Shadow Realm pulls off the same feat of introducing complicated characters and further complicating them for greater intrigue. And “Jin and Yuru” certainly helps humanize them all. 

First, however, Daemons of the Shadow Realm Episode 4 picks up in the new “family” dynamic between Dera (Yuichi Nakamura), Hana (Miyuri Shimabukuro), and Yuru. With a new apartment to call home, Yuru meets Hana’s Daemons, Kotetsu and Jiro, who take the forms of a cat and a dog. Similar to the moment where Yuru unwrapped the onigiri in Episode 3, the moment when the cat slices his finger open is similarly effective. This time, though, through cringeworthy detail. It’s always funny to see which little bits the studio puts extra time and attention into (and it’s clear at least one animator is a cat owner). 

Daemons of the Shadow Realm Episode 4 complicates what we think we know. 

But there’s no time for domestic downtime. While Dera and Hana have been trying to secure an apartment, Jin has been trying to track down Yuru, along with Left (Takako Honda) and Right (Rikiya Koyama). This is where Daemons of the Shadow Realm Episode 4 indulges in some unexpected humor.

From the shot of Gabby, lying up and playing on her Switch (a striking contrast from Episode 1, where she used her Daemon to annihilate unsuspecting victims), to Asa’s clear affection for her brother, it’s a reminder of their ages despite their gifts. And the fact that Gabby’s Daemon possesses a bizarre artistic ability is just another note of bizarre but effective comedy. 

However, neither Jin nor Yuru is content to sit at home. In Yuru’s case, he enlists Left and Right’s help in trying to track down Asa. But instead of finding her, they find Jin instead and his Daemon, Scavenger, who used some of Asa’s blood to fool Left and Right. This showdown, with Jin supported by two men, is where the series picks up and the tone clicks into place. And it all boils down to the complexity of characters. Asa seemed more innocent in her interaction with Jin and, now, in contrast, Yuru seems more deadly. 

Yuru, with the help of Left and Right, cements his place as a formidable fighter.

Yes, he’s trapped at first. And the sequence has a lot of fun as Left and Right must battle other Daemons (hilariously in the form of a tortoise and a hare) despite being unaffected by the bullets that ricochet off of them. They’re made of stone, after all. But despite Yuru needing help to escape the clutches of Jin’s Daemon, he is very much his own fighter. And, in Asa’s own words, a skilled one with the mind of a hunter. 

From the weight that bears down on Left as she struggles under the attack of the tortoise Daemon, to the power of her kick as she swings through the teeth of Jin’s Daemon, there’s a tactile energy to the fight. But it steps it up a notch when Yuru is freed and shows off his full stealth capacity by destroying the light source at their location. He gains the upper hand and becomes a fully realized protagonist. He isn’t just a fish out of water or a chosen one but someone who has been trained for a very specific type of showdown and, in its own warped way, aided by the limitations of the mountain. 

Yuru takes Jin hostage. The latter admits his role in the village attack, and Yuru forces down his rage, instead forcing Jin to take him to Asa. It’s a thrilling sequence that reveals a lot about the human characters while also showing what makes Yuru’s dynamic with Left and Right so distinctive. Because they don’t simply follow orders. Yuru treats them with respect, understanding they’re their own beings, but asks for their help, allowing them the freedom to choose their own paths as long as they all arrive at the same goals. 

With Daemons of the Shadow Realm Episode 4, the series finds the right balance.

Meanwhile, Jin and his men have a much more controlling dynamic with their Daemons. They can’t fathom how Left and Right could run and hide while Yuru takes care of his own troubles. It’s just another (catlike) quality of the two main Daemons, making their personalities more interesting due to how they differ from their own kind. 

“Jin and Yuru” isn’t vastly different from the other three episodes. But it heightens all of its individual charms – the humor and reality of living in the real world – with a story that’s finally coming together with clarity. It’s the first time that the story has a grasp on what it really wants to be, forcing the previously separated worlds – Jin and Asa’s versus Yuru, Dera, and Hana’s – together. Who knows what the reconciliation will bring? But that convergence of worlds, that balance, is the point. And it’s anchored by a formidable protagonist. 

Daemons of the Shadow Realm Episode 4 is a confident installment that builds on the worldbuilding with strong propulsive movement. There’s no resting now or filler bouts of humor. The story is accelerating and, armed with strong animation and inventive structure, it has become immersive and clear. 

Daemons of the Shadow Realm Episode 4 is available now on Crunchyroll. 

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