English Dub Review: Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon “Double-Edged Moroha”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

This episode covers to origins Moroha’s debt to Jyūbei. It was all due to her old master, Yawaragi.

A member of the wolf tribe, Yawaragi trained Moroha for three years before sending her to defeat Kodoku (voiced by Trevor Devall, who also voices Emperor Palpatine in Lego Star Wars.) Yawaragi specifies she shouldn’t use her rouge in the battle.

Moroha struggles, but ultimately survives, only to find her master has abandoned her. She finds Yawaragi at Jyūbei’s shop, where he offers Yawaragi enough money to pay off her gambling debt and get her cursed Armor of the Iron Rat removed. Yawaragi accepts without hesitation, leaving Moroha to work off her loan, with only the Kurikaramaru she promised her previously.

Unfortunately for the stoic master, when she reaches the Iron Rat village, she finds everyone slaughtered. Konton is responsible for the carnage, and holds the key to her escape. He offers it to her in exchange for killing her favorite student: Moroha.

She does just that, mocking Moroha’s sloppy initial technique with the Crimson Dragon Wave, but discouraging her from using the rouge. Moroha remembers the day when she turned into Beniyasha around Yawaragi, and how she scarred her face in her feral state.

Her inability to fight off the Birds of Paradise that were attacking them both, even with her demon powers, caused Yawaragi to accept the Armor of the Iron Rat from a passing Weasel Man. Despite the armor’s downsides, it did give Yawaragi’s Scattering Winds attack enough power to save them both.

Convinced Moroha finally understands, Yawaragi releases her Scattering Winds once again. Moroha counters with a more powerful Crimson Dragon Wave, and Yawaragi moves to take Konton down with her. Unfortunately, he escapes, while the combined blast hits Yawaragi directly.

Our take:

I wasn’t expecting this showdown to end the way it did.

But it does make this episode one of the stronger storylines in this series so far. Moroha is obviously a fan favorite, despite Towa and Setsuna supposedly being the main characters. She sometimes gets relegated to comic relief though, so it was nice to get an episode focused on her backstory.

There’s also plenty of action, and while the visuals may be dipping a bit in some scenes (what was going on with Towa and Setsuna’s hair when they jump out of the way of the battle?) they make it work when it’s truly necessary.

Themes of abandonment, found family (who in this case are also Moroha’s real family, since they’re cousins), and the dangers of Moroha’s demon blood all make an appearance in this episode. Also, can I just note that it’s a nice change to see the battle-hardened master be a woman for once?

I desperately wish I could find Yawaragi’s English VA, because it’s unlikely we’ll hear from her again (except maybe in flashback) but her performance truly makes this episode.

Her final words to Moroha, to “have strength in [her] heart” had just enough grit to avoid being cheesy, while still sounding sincere and heartwarming. This ending made sense for her character, and allowed Moroha some closure while accepting her cousins’ companionship with deeper appreciation.

But it does have some concerning implications regarding Setsuna’s future, since, as Miroku mentioned while resealing her demon energy, she’s supposed to “find her parents, then kill her parents.” Turns out that may not just be for drama, it’s possibly for real.

Overall, this was a surprisingly deep episode that still packed in enough action and laughs to be fun. I’m looking forward to what the future holds for our favorite quarter demon, as she learns more about the seal Kagome placed on her demon energy (and hopefully meets her parents in real life.)

If there’s one thing for certain, it’s that Moroha has a better appreciation for her powers and those of her half-demon family. Which will likely come in handy when the three of them face off against Konton once again.