Daemons of the Shadow Realm Volumes 5-7 Review

Hiromu Arakawa’s well-deserved anime adaptation for Daemons of the Shadow Realm is currently airing! So what better time to return to the manga series and see how it’s continued to develop over the course of several more volumes! This review contains spoilers for the previous volumes as well as for those who are anime-only viewers.

Volume 4 of Daemons of the Shadow Realm saw Yuru meet and save Ken, who just so happens to be Dera’s half-brother and could have information on the whereabouts of Yuru and Asa’s parents.

However, as we return to the series for Volume 5, we find that another tragedy is about to befall Higashi Village, and that will cause all kinds of problems for our protagonist! The village has come under attack by a Daemon-wielding swordsman known as Ivan Yosano, who is looking to take the fake Asa (and an innocent child of the village!) hostage and lure out Yuru for his master.

During the attack, Danji (Yuru’s best friend in the village) is ordered to get off the mountain and go find Yuru. Obviously he doesn’t want to leave the villagers and his mother behind, but it’s better than everyone ending up dead, so he does as he’s told. And when he later reunites with Yuru, we discover that Danji is actually a Daemon and the fake Asa is his Daemon partner. With her being kidnapped, Danji has no choice but to beg Yuru to help him rescue her.

Yuru isn’t keen on being lured into a trap by Ivan, and he feels betrayed by Danji, who isn’t actually human and knew all along that the imprisoned Asa was a fake. But with an innocent child’s life at stake as well as the fake Asa, Yuru can’t sit back and leave them to their fate. So along with Dera and The Divine Right and Left, they head to the designated meeting place.

And it’s this confrontation that takes place throughout Volumes 5-7. It’s a long arc, deservedly so, as Ivan proves a very powerful enemy. His swords are his Daemon and they certainly pack a punch, even against Right and Left. And to make matters worse, the Divine Guardians sense that Ivan may have had something to do with harming our protagonist’s parents. Could they have met a grisly end already, or can Yuru continue to believe in Asa’s confidence that they’re still alive and well?

Speaking of Asa, we do get to see plenty of her and the Kagemori Clan during this arc, as there is a traitor in the midst! Having gotten to revisit the earlier parts of the series through the anime, I’ve become quite attached to a number of the members of the Kagemori, so I was happy to see so much focus on them alongside what Yuru was doing. There are a lot of moving pieces given all the different groups that exist in this series and their desires that are sometimes similar and sometimes at odds. In any other series there’s a risk of getting lost in all the detail, but since Yuru refuses to get waylaid by overly complicated matters and instead sticks to his very straightforward ideals, we find ourselves able to follow along just fine.

These volumes don’t feel particularly dense when you’re reading them, but Arakawa has packed a lot in nonetheless! That said, there’s a good balance between action, exposition and plenty of comedic character moments to keep our spirits up even when things are at their worst. It’s exactly like Arakawa’s beloved Fullmetal Alchemist in that respect, not afraid to tackle difficult topics but ensuring it’s not overwhelming for the reader at the same time.

Having seen how the anime is adapting the material so far, I’m looking forward to seeing this arc animated. The team over at Studio BONES understands what makes Arakawa’s work so special and has been careful to preserve it. And I just know the fight with Ivan in particular is likely to be fantastic when animated. Certainly, if you haven’t been watching the anime so far, I would encourage you to change that!

Daemons of the Shadow Realm Volumes 5, 6 and 7 come to the West thanks to Square Enix Manga and continue to be translated by Amanda Haley with lettering by Arbash Mughal. All three volumes read well with no problems, and all come with translation notes and some 4-koma comics and sketches included as extras at the end.

The series is still ongoing in Japan, where 12 volumes have been released so far. We’re not terribly far behind here in English either, as Square Enix has released #8 through #10 in English. #11 is currently scheduled for a release in August.

Overall, Hiromu Arakawa’s current series still proves itself a compelling read. There’s a lot happening, but the pacing is well thought out, and it never feels like we’re getting lost in the details. The confrontation with Ivan proves a high point in the series as we get to see the Divine Guardians go up against an opponent that’s more of a match for them than anything else we’ve seen so far.

Free previews can be read on the publisher’s website
Our review copies from Square Enix Manga were supplied by Turnaround Comics (Turnaround Publisher Services).
© Hiromu Arakawa / SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD