Thoughts on 黄泉のツガイ | Yomi no Tsugai | Daemons of the Shadow Realm, Episode 1: Asa and Yuru (it was really good!):
This will be spoilery for the manga.
I know this is Bones, and Bones gave us Sword of the Stranger, which has Nanashi, and also Bones does the anime adaptations for Bungo Stray Dogs, which has Chuuya, and The Case Study of Vanitas, which has Noe and Vanitas and Ruthven, and a lot of the YNT character designs are just recycled Arakawa usuals... but I was not prepared for how hot they made Yuru lol Don't get me wrong, Alphonse is adorable, and Edward is gorgeous. But... they did something with Yuru's design here that's just... wow (Arakawa draws him well, as usual, but not as hot as he is in the anime lol). I already liked Yuru a lot in the manga (though he isn't my favorite character because Oshira-sama and Asuma exist; Yuru's right up there, though). Just... wow. His seiyu, Kenshô Ono, also has a really gorgeous voice. Which makes sense, as I always liked his performance as Akutagawa in BSD and as Kuroko in Kuroko's Basket.
I also want to pay respects to how well the 2D horse is drawn. Year of the horse, and YNT anime showing off how well it can be done! (Especially with the past season having 3D model horses most of the time in other series). There was also more budget in that pheasant than some entire anime got recently and that's kind of disappointing, but the pheasant itself looks beautiful. Bones just going the distance, as usual. I wish more studios got their budget.
I enjoy Danji's pining for his boyfriend but also just... Yuru so pretty.
Not!Alphonse being in love with stew as ever XD (Well Ed really liked it, because it was the only milk-involved thing he liked)
Women have done every kind of work that exists, historically. I still love the touch that 1) the village is headed by a woman (even if Yamaha sucks), and 2) we see a woman (Kyouka) chopping wood, something that usually only men are shown doing in media.
The addition of Yuru's grave expression as he goes to visit "Asa", as a change from his happier expression in the village, is nice. (We don't see that much of him in the manga during this part of the scene). Although he doesn't fully disagree with "Asa" being imprisoned, he still doesn't like it.
I imagine Kiri is not thinking, "Gee it sure sucks for the villagers while I am literally trapped in this dark cell 24/7" rather than "I hate pretending to be Asa", but still. You're free and she's not, Yuru.
Ah yes, the obtaining of meat. The usual important pursuit of fantasy adventure protagonists.
YNT's manga started in December 2021. I imagine this is actually a reference to COVID. It could just be Dera trying to fit in as one of the locals. Not like it's unusual for illness to be happening, and what he gets here isn't necessarily going to help much with something like COVID. But I would imagine that is what it is. I remember wondering back when I first read this if that was was the case, and seeing it now, I feel like it really is, if it hasn't been confirmed somewhere already.
Arakawa draws him well, but she doesn't draw him as hot as the anime does (he's more cute than hot in the manga), like wow. I think it's also something with his outfit. His wristbands, his bangs, the scarf, his tights... He's really attractive and it's very distracting in a way I only ever had issues with (Not bad ones! Just distracting ones!) in SMH and VnC alkdjlaj (particularly the latter, since Noe is just so gorgeous, though Nanashi, my beloved...).
Yamaha watching Yuru in particularly (and Dera a little) like a hawk. Her eyes are so spooky.
Danji proposing marriage to Yuru. Yuru's hot, Danji, I get it. Also getting pissed off Yuru thinks Danji would focus on Asa rather than Yuru aldkjla It's a mix of things that Yuru is clueless about and that Danji is trying to do here, but it's funny to think Danji is you know, flirting with Yuru, and Yuru is deeply clueless and thinks, "He's just after Asa!" And Danji is annoyed at being so wrongly misunderstood.
The "dragons" are unmasked, and genderbent Ed Gabby arrives :D (To be fair, Arakawa says in the omake that Gabby having Ed's colors was not her design, but she kind of went with it when other folks suggested it). And Asa, who's also gorgeous. And pissed off at everything that's been done to her and her family. I feel so bad for her and Yuru. And their mother, who went through an entire pregnancy in a village like this while people like Yamaha tried to make her think she was hallucinating coming from the regular world. Glad she got out. And hoping she's safe.
I am so deeply distracted by The Plot this episode.
The Plot:
Teenager snatch:
One mother has survived the adult murder spree, so this is good! Keep on surviving, Kyouka!
Poor Yuru. Having his angsty shounen protagonist moments. Always a struggle. It's a problem when you get the one shounen side-bang, dear. Joe Shimamura could tell you as much.
I took way too many screencaps of Yuru, I think I have a problem. I am not prepared for when Ivan and Asuma show up.
The back and forth between Yuru and Dera was fun XD It's a central relationship for the narrative, and the anime pulls it off very well. The seiyu do a great job! And the animation is gorgeous. When Dera was readjusting his pack, whenever he grabs Yuru... Ah. That good Bones animation (if you have not watched Sword of the Stranger, please do yourself a favor, go watch it, it has one of the best sword-fighting scenes in animation).
Left and Right attacking the helicopters was interesting. The interplay of 2D and 3D was... okay. I liked the movement of the daemons as glowing energy monsters who just want bite, anyway. Bones are known for their pretty fight scenes (BSD in particular has some great ones involving modern tech), so the weird overuse of 3D was a bit odd, but generally everything else looked very good and Bones typical, so I like to think this is not going to be the way going forward. I'm still a bit wary of it, but well... We'll see. It's particularly stark because you can see Arakawa drew some really beautiful versions of modern equipment like the helicopters. And then in the anime it's just... 3D models?
Of course, Dera teenager snatch 2.0!
And a proper introduction for Left and Right :D
There's been a lot of debate for the English translations of the series (as is usual for translation and localization), which I'm not going to try to get into. But if you're new to this and you're confused why people are still mad about it, yeah people have been mad since at least the English title of the manga was announced.
Overall, it was a really great episode! The art is gorgeous, all the seiyu do a great job, and it just looks really good! My one main criticism is the weird flashy transitions they have. I don't have epilepsy, but it's uncomfortable to watch, and I can't imagine it's good for folks with actual issues with flashing. Even for flashy anime, that was not great. As for Danji's shadow... I get why people are annoyed about it, but I think it works for the narrative. It's small enough to nearly not there that it makes sense.
Really loved how absorbed Alex got while reading Edgar Allan Poe. It was a delightful performance of a story I hadn't read from about the same age as Alex.
Listened to these in order and with lyrics, multiple times. Thank you so much for these recs <3 You did warn me but holy fucking damn.
Hell - "You told me once that you couldn't love me, but I guess I'll never learn". yeah, pov switch on that one and ouch. First ever song I heard from them and that voice can really tear through you.
Bloom - "Too busy pulling out my teeth to bite the hand that made me weak". Yes, the chorus in this! Also, had to pause this one on the first listen, all those lyrics crushed me.
Little Bird - "You were my little bird and I saw fit to clip your wings". Again, a pov switch and my heart was crushed to blood and pieces. God, the way he sings the little bird part...
Sleep - "Hindsight is a miserable thing. When you don't know where you're going and you don't care where you've been". My heart can't survive this one intact either, jfc. The bridge is a killer on this, I agree.
Passion Flowers - That "BUT WE FUCKING WEREN'T" stabs you through the heart while the melody keeps dragging you through the emotional blaze after that beautiful build up.
Fluorescents - "Does it hurt you if I say I can feel the decay?". Ahh the sweet pain. :') indeed. Also this one had the very short M***n instrumental vibe.
Flowers by the Bed - "I looked well, or so they said". I can feel the hopelessness and struggle in this, it's sad.
Needlework - "My fingers broke holding the rope that tied me to the past". Really liked the melody in this. Quite soft and mellow with some weight in it still.
Wound - "My cynicism serves no purpose, and my love is not enough". Wow. This one hurt like a mf. Some of the lyrics called me out and hunted me down like they wanted money.
Great Grief - "There is catharsis to be found. In the comfort afforded by our generous despair". Yes, this is a beautiful song.
Sanctimonious - "I'd spite the God who saw fit to neglect me of the bliss". Really liked the guitars in this. Nice softer song.
Selah - "Is it true that I am such a waste. That you're ashamed to show me your face". Surprisingly religious themed lyrics. Brought out the feelings of loneliness and worthlessness well.
Bite Through My Tongue - "Rage for the sake of it, stuck on repeat". In this the transition from screams to cleans felt more contrasted.
Puncture Wounds To Heaven - "If it gets too much to hold, I won't blame you if you go". The fear of being too much, the fear of realising too late after being so lost in one's anxiety and guilt </3.
How to Disappear - "And you're happy 'til you're not. Then you're unsure if you ever were". Lyrics about running away from the same pain, wanting to disappear and avoiding questions? Well definitely didn't hit home. This one was bleak and lovely at the same time.
Holy hell what a trip my dear. His screams can really tear out your heart, and the lyrics will disintegrate it once it's been violently taken.
