Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon - The Second Act

Episode 15

This episode started off so strong that I very nearly gave it a higher rating. Moroha's reunion with her father is both adorable and absolutely on-brand for both characters, neither of whom are champions when it comes to expressing emotions. Their relief is palpable, as is the fear that keeps them from just embracing the moment (and each other), because they've been dreaming of this reunion for so long that they can't quite bring themselves to believe that it's real. Moroha sleeping through most of the episode after that also feels very real – she's exhausted, relieved, and just generally overwhelmed. Kagome just basically taking the whole thing in stride also feels about right; this is the woman who spent the entire original series bouncing back and forth through time, so it's going to take a lot more to shock her than a sudden reunion with her daughter and nieces. Probably the thing that surprises her the most is that her younger brother has a wife and kid, although she's pretty wowed by Towa's smartphone as well.

Another aspect of this that I really appreciate is that now that we're seeing Towa and Setsuna through Kagome's eyes, it's suddenly very obvious that they're twins. We've known that from the start, but they've rarely acted related, never mind like twin sisters. But from an outside perspective, one can clearly see how they make the same faces, have similar body language, and are in sync with each other in a way that none of the other characters are. Towa's still the more outgoing sister, being much more comfortable talking to her newly recovered aunt, but there's a link between them that wasn't always easy to see before. It's all further proof that when it wants to, or rather, when it really tries, Yashahime can be a legitimately good show.

But then there's the rest of the episode, which wanders off the trail and starts stumbling around in the brambles again. I'm not sure which is the bigger disappointment: Shippo's return, or the truth about what Kirinmaru is up to. The former mostly just feels like a lost opportunity. It's great to learn where he's been (and to see his adult transformation), but his entry into the actual story feels like such a wasted opportunity that even the other characters in the scene don't pay attention to it: he spins in, he and Takechiyo shriek for a bit, and then they're gone, with Kirinmaru picking up his conversation like they were never there. Surely there is a better way to reintroduce a major cast member from the original series; this feels like someone said, “Hey, should we bring Shippo back?” and the guy they were talking to shrugged and said, “Sure, whatever.”

There's even less excuse for Kirinmaru's monologuing moment, where he reveals that Mr. Kirin in the present day is the arm that was lopped off years ago and dumped in the Bone Eater's Well. What is he, a starfish that just grows a new Kirinmaru every time he loses a body part? Do his fingernail trimmings and shed hairs grow mini-Kirinmarus whenever he grooms himself? Because that makes two other characters who grew from discarded body parts, and that's quite frankly two too many for credibility, especially since he can apparently communicate with them. Riku was more deliberately made, so that makes a little more sense, but how the hell is he able to talk to Mr. Kirin? Can he see through his eyes, too? I suppose there's something to be said for consistency there, but it somehow just adds to the ludicrousness of Kirinmaru's big goal, which is to destroy a comet set to destroy humanity at some point during the Reiwa era. It's good that his motives aren't entirely altruistic, but the whole thing still feels pretty absurd.

Oh well, at least we got that first part. I'm still looking forward to Kagome and Inu Yasha returning to the real world and hopefully calling Kirinmaru out on his shenanigans.

Rating:

Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon - The Second Act is currently streaming on Crunchyroll, Funimation, and Hulu.