REVIEW: ‘Daemons of the Shadow Realm’ Season 1 Delivers Superb Worldbuilding

Created by Hiromu Arakawa, who is the mind behind one of the greatest shonen series ever, Fullmetal Alchemist, Daemons of the Shadow Realm Season 1 had a steep hill to climb. In the first few episodes, the series faced undeniable growing pains in establishing this dense world of magical realism, including a premiere in which our protagonist has his reality literally shattered. Produced by Bones Film and directed by Masahiro Andō, the story quickly finds its stride after a burst of energy in part one, aided further by a terrific protagonist. The tone is odd, but it bears the expected strengths for anyone familiar with Arakawa’s work. 

 Daemons of the Shadow Realm Season 1 speeds through its lore as it introduces us to the main characters, Yuru (Kensho Ono) and Asa (Yume Miyamoto), prophesied twins who were born between “day and night.” Believed to wield great power, they’re at the center of mystery, deceit, and plots of murder, and those around them try to protect them – or rather, their power – or exploit it. When we first meet him, Yuru believes he lives in Higashi village with Asa, who is kept behind bars and only allowed brief visits. Then, real Asa shows up with members of the Kagemori family and blows it all up. 

Yuru’s life, until this moment, was a lie. From his sister to the truth about his parents, and even the identity of his best friend, Danji (Ryōta Ōsaka), his reality is destabilized. On top of all this, the world is one where daemons exist, and humans can control a duo of them. Yuru gains control of the powerful daemons Left (Takako Honda) and Right (Rikiya Koyama), who haven’t been awakened in centuries. With them and the help of Dera (Yuichi Nakamura), Yuru escapes Higashi village to the modern world below. 

Daemons of the Shadow Realm Season 1 establishes an immediate tonal balance.

The premiere is such a breathless sprint that it takes a few episodes into Daemons of the Shadow Realm Season 1 for it to settle into its groove. But once it does, it takes off. The world is rich in fun details, often brought to life by the daemons themselves.

The daemons range from the muscular, cat and dog-coded Left and Right with their oni designs, to The Aliens who made a contract with a dog, the personality fueled Tortoise and Hare, and the adorable Zashiki-Warashi, inspired by folkloric yokai. The sheer creativity in these designs fleshes out the world even when the story doesn’t directly interact with them. 

The series treats the daemons as commonplace, which lets the world come to life so seamlessly. It’s normal to watch a pair of miniature daemons called Heave-Ho run through the Kagemori household for menial tasks, or for Yin and Yang to circle Asa.

Ivan’s introduction and his ensuing fight with Left and Right deliver the series’ greatest moments. 

But the story also mines comedy from daemons who, like Yuru, aren’t accustomed to the modern world; Left and Right are just as befuddled but joyful about the existence of a car. The magical and realistic come together to create an immersive world that doesn’t overstay its welcome when explaining how it works.

This gives the series more time to flesh out the protagonists and lets the plot accelerate as the universe unravels. One of the greatest strengths of Fullmetal Alchemist was its worldbuilding and how each character was crucial to the overarching plot. It built itself out before bringing it all back to the center. And while Daemons of the Shadow Realm hasn’t yet hit the specific highs of Fullmetal, it demonstrates the potential to. 

This is most obvious in a crucial multi-episode arc where, in an effort to find clues of his parents whereabouts and recently hurt by the truth of Danji being another daemon, Yuru, along with Right and Left, fight off against the skilled Ivan (Shin-ichiro Miki), an assassin whose daemons are his swords.

The action works because of how much we care about the characters. And because it’s just so cool.

The fight sequences in these episodes are tremendous, harkening back to the best fights of Studio Bones’s work. The footwork has tangible gravity, and each blow carries weight. The framing when Right and Left swoop into attack, splitting away to unveil Yuru perched on top of a building in the distance, his arrow taut, is one of the coolest moments in anime this season. 

It’s traditional without being simplistic. There’s no flash-and-bang effects, no Jujutsu Kaisen level animation scrambling. But that weight means a lot. Because it grounds the story, grounds the fight, and gives it that kinetic visual expression that makes it easy to follow the dance between skilled fighters. And, by this point in the story, we’re so invested in the characters, in Yuru’s plight, that it amplifies the emotional tension of the battle too, as Ivan taunts him, trying to provoke a reaction that doesn’t come because not a single one of these characters is surface level. 

It would be so easy for Yuru to be an Edward Elric 2.0. Or any shonen protagonist that rushes into danger without forethought. Instead, crucially, he’s a hunter first. He’s dangerous and a formidable fighter, but mainly because he has the instincts of someone on the prowl.

The series stumbles at times with its comedy and in defining supporting characters.

He thinks first. And that makes him such an interesting lead because he’s not led by impulse but is relatively cool headed and practical. It makes his moments of vulnerability all the more effective, too, because they’re stark reminders that, at the end of the day, this is a 16-year-old kid who’s been manipulated by the systems he’s found himself in, desperately trying to regain his agency. 

Daemons of the Shadow Realm Season 1 has no shortage of profoundly interesting characters. While Asa’s brother obsession could grow tiresome, the series knows when to deploy a well-staged joke (her shattering the glass to wave to him being a highlight) Gabby remains the most polarizing considering he bloodshed she gleefully took part of in Episode 1. But even she, in the finale, has a moment of clarity, explaining how the world is full of awful people and she’s one of them, making escapism crucial. 

Asa was also let down by those around her, albeit in a different way, and the finale also takes its time in detailing the difference between the Higashi village versus the Kagemori clan. In the village, without his parents, Yuru was left to deal with messes far beyond his comprehension. Meanwhile, in a deeply traumatic moment, Asa is handled with care, looked after by Jin (Junichi Suwabe) and the other adults in her life. 

Daemons of the Shadow Realm Season 1 finds its heart and is driven by it. 

Now off the mountain, Yuru is experiencing that same level of care, even if it doesn’t present itself obviously. In one of the more poignant moments of the series, Hana (Miyuri Shimabukuro) talks about how, while she doesn’t like kids, she hates people who’d try to threaten children’s happiness for their own gain even more. These are complicated, complex characters who don’t easily slot into “good” or “bad”. Rather, they all have their own objectives and own moral codes on who and what they’re willing to protect. 

It’s that thread and the ongoing mystery behind Yuru and Asa’s parents and the looming threat as people try to awaken Yuru’s “Seal” to match Asa’s “Break” that make Daemons of the Shadow Realm Season 1 so effective. No, not all of the comedy works, and certain characters needed more time to be better fleshed out. But the worldbuilding is so strong and so many of the characters are so well-written, possessing fascinating, conflicting layers, that it overwhelms any issues. The fun of watching the Danno household fill up with an increasingly motley crew proves how much the series makes us care. 

Daemons of the Shadow Realm Season 1 might get off to a rocky start but it very quickly finds its footing and sense of self. Propelled by its fantastic and eclectic cast of characters, some dynamic voice acting, and the lovable trio of Yuru, Left, and Right, the series executes a tricky balancing act. Between the kinetic action, distinctive character designs that are both timeless and so wonderfully, specifically Arakawa’s, and the lore that drives the story, the series is well poised to hit even higher highs as the story expands even further in Season 2. 

Daemons of the Shadow Realm Season 1 is now streaming on Crunchyroll.