English Dub Review: Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon “The Delicious Feudal Monks”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

A group of monks encounters Totetsu, one of the Four Perils. He devours one of them whole, leaving the remaining two to flee. Seeking a more flavorful meal, he heads off in search of virtuous monks, guided by his orange rainbow pearl.

Kohaku explains that a demon has been eating monks and Shinto priests nearby. Towa is disgusted. Kohaku sends Hisui, Setsuna, and Towa off to “brother’s place.” Hisui grumbles, “I highly doubt he’d end up getting targetted” but heads off regardless.

Gyukuto asks Sango, who’s praying to a memorial tower, if she has a message for father before heading out. Sango says not really.

While flying deep into the mountains on Kirara, Hisui explains that his father is going through a One Thousand Day training in the pursuit of divine power.

We’re treated to a short montage of this training, showing Miroku hard at work. Gyokuto arrives, and asks Miroku if he’s gotten any stronger, after 800 days. Miroku says he’s not sure.

Just then, Hisui, Towa, and Setsuna arrive. Hisui explains they’re there at Kohaku’s request to guard against the demon, while Gyokuto thanks Towa and Setsuna for taking care of her brother.

Miroku recognizes Setsuna. She shoots back with “who are you?” as she has no memory of him.

Hisui chides his father about his appearance, implying that’s the reason Setsuna doesn’t recognize him. Miroku brushes it off, saying he dresses this way for his training, and it can’t be helped.

Towa asks what kind of powers he’s hoping to gain, and Miroku says until he completes his 1,000 days, he won’t know. He goes on to say he may not gain any power at all, but he’ll be satisfied with whatever he can get. He explains he used to have a power called Wind Tunnel, but continued to slay demons even after losing it.

Kohaku and his group encounter Moroha, who’s taken on a bodyguarding job at a temple. She gleefully explains she’s getting paid whether a demon shows up or not, but is excited about the potential of a bonus bounty from the beast. Totesu flies overhead while Moroha grandstands, passing over her temple entirely.

Gyokuto, Setsuna, and Towa enjoy some tea and snacks. Towa asks if Hisui and Miroku don’t get along. Setsuna suddenly realizes she does know Miroku.

Gyokuto explains that Hisui thinks their father is a “big coward.” Hisui explains his point of view, and that he just doesn’t want Miroku causing more problems for Mom.

Totetsu finally arrives. He states his intention to devour Miroku, who asks Hisui to cover things before running off. Towa tosses some hot sauce at the beast, but it only slows him down for a bit. Miroku returns, and tells Hisui to toss some demon slaying poison into the air Totesu’s sucking in.

This still doesn’t take him down, but weakens Hisui. Setsuna demands that Monk Miroku “undo the seal.” He does so, and just in the nick of time. Setsuna shoves her “poison hand” into his mouth, giving Towa enough time to strike.

Totetsu manages to escape. Miroku reseals Setsuna’s Poison Blood with a cryptic chant of “Meet your parents, then slay your parents. Know that the light to your path lies therein.”

Hisui recovers.

Moroha is bored, and even worse, distraught when Takechiyo reveals the demon is gone, along with its bounty.

Our take:

Lots of flavor in this episode. Hearing Ian James Corlett officially take over for the late, great Kirby Morrow as Miroku feels incredibly bittersweet. But there’s also a fair share of sweet moments, and just a touch of spice when Towa uses the power of habanero hot sauce to take on Totetsu.

Hisui seems…weirdly bitter about Miroku being “shameless”, especially considering his Dad’s past behavior. Running away from a fight is beyond tame for this man! Don’t get me wrong, I’m not crying over Miroku no longer asking every woman he sees to bear his child. But if Hisui only knew about this womanizing past!

Gyokuto’s explanation of their quarrel mostly serves to spark Setsuna’s memory. But her mysterious assertion that Miroku had to “pay a hefty sum” to provide for the family feels a little like something got lost in translation.

The reveal of Setsuna’s poisonous blood also feels just a tad rushed. I get that the whole Dream Butterfly situation creates a convenient excuse for amnesia when necessary, but having her not remember Miroku, then just out of the blue recall who he is feels like a storytelling slip up, even if it does involve some spectacularly sweet giggling from Michelle Marie as Gyokuto.

Hisui checking in with Sango at the end of the episode, who reveals she’d made more masks gives me hope we’ll be seeing more of her in coming episodes. She may have been presented as a housewife in the first episode, but hopefully she’s still retained some of her demon slaying ways. It will also be exciting to see what kind of “divine power” Miroku will obtain in a mere 200 days.

It definitely feels like there will be a lot happening in the next few episodes. Not only are there a lot of storylines going on, but new loose ends (like Setsuna’s aside that maybe Towa “inherited something” like her poison blood from their parents) keep getting introduced.

I’m looking forward to the action, as well as some explanation of what happened to the original cast. But that’s all still to come!