Daemons of the Shadow Realm

Episode 17

I feel that one of the weakest parts of original manga (as opposed to novel adaptations) is their serial nature. While there is no doubt some sort of overarching story plan, many manga evolve from that plan as they go on—taking the story in ways wholly unintended back when it was first begun. It can often feel like world-building rules are being made up on the fly and should have impacted events earlier in the story had they always been true.

Because of this, I really enjoy it when powerhouse authors like Hiromu Arakawa flex their storytelling skills by setting up plot twists early on—long before we even come to know the rules of the world that support said twist. Previously, we got one of these twists thanks to the fact that Daemons don't cast shadows. This was always true right from the beginning of the series, but we weren't explicitly told this until a literal cour later when it became a vital plot point regarding Danji and his origins.

In this episode, the twist is built around the fact that Yuru only responds lethally to those with killing intent. Way back in episode 4, even before this quirk was revealed, Yuru tried to kill Akio—which means that Akio, unlike the others in Jin's squad, wanted to kill Yuru. Since then, we have also learned that Yuru would need to die in order for him to gain the Seal ability—thus anyone wanting him dead would likely be part of the Kagemori splinter faction. It's just fantastic narrative building, and I remain impressed by it.

Outside of the traitor twist, the most interesting aspect of this episode is the character development we get for Gabby. Gabby flies into a rage not because Akio is a traitor or even because he tried to kill Asa. Rather, what gets her is his comment that he will destroy the Kagemori compound to prevent Asa from having any safe place to hide.

Gabby sees Asa's life as a series of prisons, loss, and death. Trapped in a literal dark cage, Asa escapes only to lose her parents, her extended family, and then her own life. The best she can get at this point is the freedom to move about a small compound while surrounded by the few people who truly care for her and not her powers. Taking even that away is too much for Gabby to bear. She knows she should keep Akio alive but still tries to kill him—damn the consequences.

Yet, despite Gabby clearly saying why she is angry, the mystery behind those words is why all the bad things that have happened to Asa matter so much to Gabby? Yes, Asa and Gabby are friends, but that is only the most obvious piece of the puzzle. Does Gabby see her past self in Asa? Is Gabby in Asa's debt for some reason? Do they have a shared history? We don't know. All we see is the effect but not the cause—and that gets us invested in the character and wanting to know more.

Next week, it looks like the focus will be moving back to Shingo and Yuru—but with Fuyuki and his ability to read people's secrets and Asa out to save her brother, I have a feeling things are going to be okay.

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Daemons of the Shadow Realm is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.