Daemons of the Shadow Realm, Vol. 2 by Hiromu Arakawa
Series Name: Daemons of the Shadow Realm
Genres: Action, Adventure, Supernatural
Intended Age Group: Older Teen
Publisher: Square Enix
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-64609-222-2
Rating: 5/5
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Description from the Book
Ancient Daemons awaken to fight a new battle in an age-old war!!!
Yuru’s quiet life comes to a sudden, bewildering end when his mountain home is attacked…by none other than his twin sister, Asa! Forced to assume the role of Daemon Wielder, Yuru manages to escape with the help of his new allies. But while they seek to keep him hidden, Yuru seeks answers, a search that puts him on a collision course with Asa and her mysterious coconspirators, the Kagemori clan…
Personal & Info
I bought this before I read volume one, and I’m glad I did, because I wanted more after finishing the first book. I’ll have to get more after this one. This is as far as my buffer goes for the series. I’ll try to get reviews up for more volumes whenever I manage to get more.
Characters
Yuru is the older male twin of the two main characters. He has great hunting skills and a helpful nature. This volume shows more insight into how much of a badass he is.
Asa is the younger female twin of the two main characters. She is Yuru’s younger sister, and she seems to adore her brother. A more cheery side of her personality is shown here instead of her ruthless assassin characteristics from the first book.
Ryuu Tadera, who goes by Dera, is a seer. This means he can see Daemons. He is half of the Higashi Village retainer pair, and he acts as supply runner and liaison. He often brings medicine and other helpful things to the isolated mountain village. Currently, he is posing as Yuru’s father.
Hana Danno is Dera’s partner, the other half of the Higashi Village retainer pair. She’s also a seer, but she’s never been to the village. When Dera goes up to the village, she usually waits somewhere outside as his transportation. She’s currently masquerading as Yuru’s step mother.
Gabby seems to be a good friend of Asa’s, but she doesn’t like Yuru after the events of the first volume.
Jin Kagemori appears to be a high rank in some kind of family organization fighting against the village.
Haruo and Akio appear to be Jin’s right hand men, at least for this volume. Both of them have Daemon pairs.
Dr. Sakurazawa is a doctor at the Kagemori mansion. It’s unclear if they will be a significant character, but they are present throughout a large portion of the volume.
More Daemons than in the previous volume appear. All of the ones seen before are present, as well as a bunch of new ones. Most of them are likely one-off appearances, aside from the ones who are partners with newly significant characters.
Story & Thoughts
The fast, intense, start of volume one doesn’t lose any ground as this one continues right where it leaves off. Yuru rushes into danger to find answers to his questions regarding his family. There’s no shortage of action.
In volume one, Yuru’s hunting skills are shown to be top notch. Now, we get to see how lethal he really is. He is skilled in more than just the bow that we’ve already seen him use. He’s a nightmare in the dark, and the demonstration of his talents paints him as a real badass. Asa basically has a super power, yes, but I think the sheer skill in what Yuru does with mundane simple weapons is way cooler.
As the story progresses we get a little better of an understanding about what’s really going on. Not nearly enough, but it’s a start. I have a feeling any information involving the parents will be a long way off, but in the mean time, we’ll likely get to know Asa a bit better. She seems thrilled to have her brother close, even if they are complete strangers to each other.
I love seeing all the varieties of Daemons. Some look like they come from mythologies, while others are from straight up fairy tale or story book characters. I just really love this whole concept for how they work.
I think my favorite characters, so far, are Yuru and Gabby. Yuru, because he’s a badass in a way that ticks a lot of my boxes, and Gabby…Well, she’s just growing on me. She has Ed’s cranky face, and I love that, but she’s also super vicious. But I can tell she has a soft side, too. She seems like a good friend, and she really cares about her Daemons.
I’ll definitely be getting more volumes for this series, and I definitely recommend it.