Anime

Episode 19 – Daemons of the Shadow Realm

Published

1 day ago

August 17, 2026

daemons-19 — © Hiromu Arakawa/SQUARE ENIX, Project TSUGAI

On it’s most basic level, this episode is about how our sibling heroes think. Despite their lives of being lied to, hunted, and coveted by those who want to use them for selfish ends, the pair still retain a strict moral compass.

Last episode, when we left Yuru, he was stuck facing a dilemma. While he had originally walked willingly into the trap to save both Fake Asa and the village girl, that was only his immediate goal. His overall goal is—and long has been—finding his parents. By teasing that he knew what happened to them, Ivan forced Yuru to make a choice: Does he save the hostages (and whoever sent the smoke signal) or chase after his own selfish desires?

With this episode we see that, despite being a hardened killer towards anyone who threatens his life, Yuru will put his life on the line for friends, family, and the innocent—even if he may not particularly like any of them at any given moment. Danji and Fake Asa may have lied to him for years—kept him ignorant about both the outside world and the fate of his family—but it’s clear that part of him knows that there was something real beneath the lies. And it’s something he can’t simply abandon.

On the flip side of the story, we see that Asa, despite having a far worse life than Yuru, still shares the same philosophy. She may have come to rescue her brother, but upon encountering the hostages, she immediately whisks them to safety and checks to make sure she hasn’t missed saving anyone else—even though one of them is near the top of the list for people she hates most in this world.

Of course, let’s not pretend that Asa is being truly altruistic with her actions. Her only real life goal is to revitalize her relationship with her brother—the only true family she has left. Helping him by removing the enemy’s leverage against him isn’t exactly an action that requires deep thought. And while Asa would almost certainly save any innocent given the chance, saving Fake Asa is a far more calculated move.

Asa understands what her brother is going through more than anyone. She knows about the isolation, the fear, and, especially, the lies. The deceptions of first the villagers, and later those who thought to exploit her powers, hurt her—led to her death, even. Because of this, she knows just how important the 100% unfiltered truth is to Yuru. In a world without repercussions, I have no doubt Asa would have killed Fake Asa on the spot. However, what’s more important to her than vengeance is having her brother learn everything first hand about what was done to him and why.

In a world where they can trust no one, Asa wants to prove that she can be trusted—to the point that she’ll put her own desires aside for her brother. And that’s why it’s so heartwarming that Yuru responds so positively towards her—agreeing to meet her after this crisis is all over. Her innocent, earnest feelings are getting through to him because she backs them up with action. And hopefully, when the immediate issue has passed, she’ll get a good taste of the familial love she’s longed for all these years.

Rating:

Daemons of the Shadow Realm is currently streaming on
Crunchyroll.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of Anime News Network, its employees, owners, or sponsors.

Anime

MediaOCD Adds Kyo Kara Maoh!, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, Kashimashi Anime, More Titles to Discotek Deep Dives Project – News

Published

13 minutes ago

August 18, 2026

qasimgillani

Blu-ray box art for Kyo Kara Maoh! — Image via MediaOCD’s website

MediaOCD announced on Monday a new round of titles that it is adding to its store as part of the Discotek Deep Dives initiative.

The company has added the following titles for pre-order in August:

MediaOCD announced in January that it has started to carry distributor Discotek Media‘s entire back catalog (that the company specifies “to the extent that it’s available”) through the initiative. The company will add 20-30 Discotek titles monthly to its store for pre-order, prioritizing titles “that are getting hard to find.”

Source: Press release

Disclosure: Kadokawa World Entertainment (KWE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, is the majority owner of Anime News Network, LLC. One or more of the companies mentioned in this article are part of the Kadokawa Group of Companies.

Anime

Comico Manga Service in Japan Shuts Down in January 2027 After 13 Years – News

Published

19 minutes ago

August 18, 2026

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Service launched in 2013

NHN Japan Corporation’s free manga app Comico announced on Monday that it will end service after 13 years on January 6, 2027. The company plans to transfer customers’ previous purchases to the Mecha Comic digital bookstore.

Announcement image of Comico app ending — Image via Comic’s X/Twitter account

The app will suspend the addition of new content, rental renewals, coin sales, and new account registration on August 31. Users will also no longer be able to post works to the app after that date.

Sales and rentals will end completely on September 28. Tickets will no longer be usable.

From January 7-April 30, users will be able to transfer their bookshelves to another designated platform and refund their unused coin purchases. Some titles will not be eligible for transfer pending the permission of the original publishers.

Global webtoon platform Pocket Comics ended its English and French platforms, and the Korean Comico platform in October 2025, due to “business reasons.”

NHN launched the Pocket Comics app in English in the United States, Canada, and Singapore in July 2020. It launched with 41 titles, including both Japanese manga and Korean webtoons. Some of the Japanese titles that launched in the English version include Yayoiso‘s ReLIFE, Kakeru Utsugi‘s How to keep a mummy, Kurose‘s Momokuri, and Shō Futamata‘s Nanbaka. All four manga have previously inspired anime.

Pocket Comics launched in France in January 2022 and quickly found success, topping the local App Store charts by targeting women in their 20s and 30s. But the early momentum has faded, with local readers still favoring traditional print manga.

Comico is a free manga-reading smartphone app created by NHN PlayArt in 2013, and it launched different versions for Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Sources: Comico‘s X/Twitter account, Comic Natalie

Anime

Ayumu Murase Steps Down From Kanon Himeno Role in The Idolmaster SideM – News

Published

1 hour ago

August 18, 2026

qasimgillani

New cast member for Mofumofuen unit to be announced at later date

Image of Kanon Himeno — Image via Idolmaster’s website

Bandai Namco‘s Idolm@ster franchise announced on Tuesday that Ayumu Murase will “graduate” from the role of Kanon Himeno in The Idolmaster SideM franchise, no longer voicing the character. The company announced a new cast member will join Kanon’s Mofumofuen unit at a later date.

There are currently no plans to replace previously recorded audio, but that may change in the future. Murase will complete recording obligations for a few projects before his departure.

The Idolm@ster SideM Growing Stars smartphone game launched in Japan in October 2021, and ended service in July 2023.

The game inspired a stage play in June 2022.

The Idolm@ster SideM smartphone game launched in 2014, and ended service in January 2023. Like other games in The IDOLM@STER franchise, SideM is built on the concept of “idols you can produce.” The app focuses on the male idols at the agency 315 Production (pronounced “Saikō Production” or “Ultimate Production”). The Idolm@ster SideM Live on St@ge! smartphone game launched in 2017, but it began winding down service in January 2021.

The first game’s anime adaptation premiered in October 2017, after a prologue special about the three Jupiter idol unit members aired in September 2017. Crunchyroll streamed both anime as they aired.

Sumeragi launched the The Idolm@ster SideM Wake Atte Mini! manga in 2016 and ended it in January 2018. Sumeragi‘s The Idolm@ster SideM Wake Atte Mini! Returns sequel manga then launched in Dengeki Maoh in September 2018 and ended in January 2019. The sequel manga’s one compiled volume shipped in March 2019, and bundled an anime episode. The first manga inspired a 12-episode television anime series of shorts that premiered in October 2018. Crunchyroll streamed the show as it aired.