Hiromu Arakawa might be one of the most famous and important manga artists of all time. Having a woman hold such a significant place in an industry dominated by men is genuinely something to be cherished. Whether you know her name or not, you’ve almost certainly seen one or both of the anime adaptations of her third manga series, Fullmetal Alchemist. So, my anticipation for her latest adaptation, Daemons of the Shadow Realm, was through the roof, and when the credits rolled, I immediately wanted more. Episode one might be one of the strongest premieres I’ve seen since Oshi no Ko.
To go into any plot details would be doing this first episode a disservice. The less you know going in, the better. The direction this show takes had me on the edge of my seat to such a degree that I genuinely wanted a prompt to pop up on my screen telling me to start the next episode.
What I can say is that we follow Yuru, who lives in a fantasy world where dragons regularly fly over his village. In this world, humans can command supernatural creatures called Daemons. The introduction of the Daemons is both fascinating and revealing, landing with the same level of impact as seeing Edward Elric’s metal arm for the first time. Despite being animated by Bones, the studio behind Fullmetal Alchemist, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, My Hero Academia, and Mob Psycho 100, the animation is actually the weakest aspect of the show.
While Hiromu Arakawa’s signature character designs translate perfectly into animation, the 2D animation in motion looks great and even incorporates creative CGI to emphasise the Daemons’ actions, resulting in some awe-inspiring and captivating moments. However, the more traditional 3D animated sequences stick out like a sore thumb and noticeably detract from the overall presentation. On top of that, the background art can look flat compared to the characters.
However, everything else about Daemons of the Shadow Realmis utter perfection. The violence is especially raw and unflinching, with heads and bodies being sliced and diced in various ways. It can be shockingly brutal, especially given how tame the first ten minutes are, filled with light hearted, comedic moments, but it’s not entirely unexpected. Fullmetal Alchemist, while not as bloody, also blended humour and darkness with remarkable precision. Constantly comparing this series to Fullmetal Alchemist feels lazy at times, but the hallmarks of Hiromu Arakawa’s previous work are unmistakably present throughout the show.
Daemons of the Shadow Realm also features a strong voice cast that delivers consistently great performances. Their work helps the world feel believable despite how fantastical it is and how much information is packed into such a short runtime. Even at just 23 minutes, the first episode flew by and felt closer to fifteen.
Never has a first episode gripped me the way Daemons of the Shadow Realm did. The wait for episode two might be one of the most agonising experiences I’ll have to endure for a long time. Hopefully, the rest of the series will be as fantastic as its debut, because if it is, it could easily become one of the best anime released this year.
★★★★1/2
On Crunchyroll from 4th April / Kensho Ono, Yume Miyamoto, Yuichi Nakamura, Misaki Kuno, Rikiya Koyama / Dir: Masahiro Ando / Crunchyroll
Related
Discover more from
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
