Daemons of the Shadow Realm

Episode 21

When it comes down to it, this is the emotional climax of the show so far—the big confrontation between Yuru, Asa, and the Daemons who deceived/replaced them. To say that there are big feelings here would be an understatement.

For Yuru, the two closest people in his life, his best friend and sister, were lying to him constantly for years. They deceived him about their identities and even their nature as Daemons. But worse still, they were used to bind and control him. Kiri was a way of trapping him inside the village—to make sure he never had curiosity about visiting the outside world. Danji, on the other hand, was a way to keep tabs on him in his everyday life. But the worst part of this unforgivable betrayal is the simple fact that there was absolutely no malice in it.

In fact, Kiri and Danji deeply care for Yuru. While their relationships were built on lies, the feelings beneath ring true. And besides, as Daemons, it's not like they had any choice in the matter. They were ordered to perform their roles and couldn't really go against their master.

And while Asa originally tried to kill Kiri in a rage upon meeting her in the first episode of the series, she can see the truth as well as Yuru can. Asa's place in her brother's life was stolen—she was left suffering, alone, and in a world she couldn't understand. And the one person who would have moved heaven and earth to find her didn't even know she was gone. She can't quite forgive Kiri, but she can at least see that Kiri is a victim in the whole situation.

The confrontation between the siblings and the Zashiki-Warashi also serves to highlight what's really going on with Asa deep down. While often played for laughs, Asa's obsession with her brother is a coping mechanism. Asa has no one—trusts no one beyond a certain point. The people who were supposed to love her unconditionally and protect her are all gone. All she could do was latch onto the hope that they weren't dead—that if she fought long enough and worked hard enough, they could be reunited.

For a decade, she has held onto what must have felt increasingly like a childish delusion. That's why Yuru's words that her parents might have been killed by Ivan send her into a panic attack. The foundation of her world is breaking down in real time.

Luckily, Yuru is smart enough to see the obvious: there's no reason to believe Ivan. Everything he said could be mind games to throw Yuru off his game and make him easier to capture. But it's not this logic that gets Asa to calm down. Rather, it's the fruit of her efforts. She has made great effort to never lie to Yuru—no matter how painful the truth. She knows the pain of lies and betrayal and cannot—will not—inflict them upon her only remaining family.

In light of this, Yuru responds in kind. With him and him alone, Asa can trust that he is saying the complete truth as he knows it. He has no ulterior motives—cares only about her and not her special powers. So when he says Ivan's words could easily be BS and that they should proceed as if their parents are still alive, she can believe him.

Yuru and Asa may have spent a decade apart, but the foundation of love between them is still there. They both want to find their parents and learn the truth behind everything. But beyond that, Asa wants nothing more than to be a normal girl—to escape the cage she's been in ever since she was a tiny child. And as for Yuru, he may not know what “Dizneyland” is or what the appeal is in randomly chatting about boys. But what he does know is that, to Asa, those things represent freedom—and he will stop at nothing to make sure she gets it.

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Daemons of the Shadow Realm is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.