I wouldn’t be too interested in this show if it was just a bunch of people from the past doing battles against demons. What can I say? A part of me simply can’t immerse myself in a story if I have to also imagine living in the olden days before the existence of modern conveniences. You might think I’m referring to stuff like smartphones and the internet — and sure, living without them would suck — but I’m talking more like refrigeration and a proper ass plumbing system. That’s why the thought of being isekai’d into a fantasy universe has no appeal to me. Yeah, yeah, I now get to cast magic… but I also gotta take a dump in an outhouse. Thanks but no thanks. Plus, could you imagine eating nothing but salt-cured foods all the time? But that’s what you gotta do before the advent of refrigeration. People also wouldn’t know about germs and bacteria, so they’d stick their grubby, lil’ mitts on everything. Ugh. No thanks. Keep the past away from me.

Going into this show, I wasn’t really sure what I was getting. I didn’t watch a trailer, nor did I bother to look too closely at the key visual. I saw the guy with a bow, but I didn’t really glance at the other character. Basically, I didn’t think too much of the key visual. If I had looked closer, I would’ve realized she was wearing contemporary clothing this whole time. Well, I like going into shows as blind as possible, so it was definitely a surprise when Yuru, one of the two twins at the center of this story, looked up at the sky and referred to contrails as “dragon gas.” Uh huh. Well, dragons do be fartin’ all over the place. Point is, I also didn’t even know this is by the Fullmetal Alchemist guy until I finished the first episode.

When Yuru eventually returns to the village, he makes sure to pay his sister Asa a visit like a dutiful brother should. But his twin sister is behind bars. Also odd. The story doesn’t linger, though. It could’ve kept us in the dark for the entire first episode, only leaving us with a twist at the very end to keep us hooked for next week’s episode. But no, pretty soon, the barrier protecting the village goes down. As a result, the villagers can see that all that “dragon gas” is actually accompanied by a plane. Yes! I thought, At least this takes place in modern times! No pooping in the ground for me! Though it is weird, isn’t it? Why hide the plane but not the effects it leaves behind? Ah well, maybe the barrier only works on technology somehow.

Pretty soon, modern soldiers armed with guns storm the village and proceed to indiscriminately slaughter the villagers. No warning either. They see, they shoot. Some girl can command a set of (presumably Daemon) jaws, which she uses to brutally “chomp” the villagers to pieces. They’re not holding back on the violence unless, of course, you’re a child. But then what are they going to do with this little girl? Can’t just leave her there surrounded by her dead family. I guess we’ll have to wait to find out — if we even find out about her fate. Basically, no one here is important except Yuru. Does every single adult deserve to die for their duplicity? I dunno, we don’t have a clear enough picture yet to make that determination.

Finally, the other lady from the key visual shows up, and she shows no mercy either. She takes one look at Asa and kills her (or so we think). No drawn out conversation, no nothing. But when Yuru confronts her, she claims to be Asa! Oh, the mysteries abound. Well, I’m inclined to think she’s telling the truth and that the village has been pulling a wool over Yuru’s eyes all this time. First, she’s wearing pants and an eyepatch. She has presence. But I mean, granny and the village have already lied about everything else — about the time period, about the existence of technology, about the “lower world.” When Yuru speaks, he sounds like he’s been brainwashed. Argh, there’s nothing important in the “lower world.” I could live my entire life in this village with my dear, imprisoned sister! She’s only imprisoned for a good reason! Who cares about meeting new people or seeing new places! But I mean, that’s why you can never overlook a single lie. I’m not even comfortable with white lies. If they’re willing to lie about one thing, what else would they lie about? Like, perhaps, the identity of your actual sister?

So then why? Why go to such lengths to fool a kid? Well, when the twins were born, granny — if she’s even a granny — claimed that Yuru and Asa were destined to command the Daemons. Yeah, I don’t know what the special spelling for demons is for. To look fancy, maybe? Like how some people think they’re adding a bit of mystique to their story if they write “magic” as “magick.” Oooooh. But the point is, these kids obviously have special powers, which people will go to any length to hoard. Elsewhere, a man facepalmed in either agony or frustration. If that was the twin’s father, he sure as hell didn’t look happy about such an auspicious occasion. So maybe the parents tried to escape the village with the twins, but could only manage to smuggle one of them out. And to give Yuru a reason to remain dumb and deeply uncurious about the outside world, the villagers had an imposter step in and pretend to be Asa. Poor lady, though. Do you think she ever got to leave the cell? In any case, I still can’t really explain why the village has to LARP as a bunch of folks from centuries ago. Oh well, again, we’ll find out eventually. I hope.

Unfortunately, Asa and the soldiers ultimately failed to take Yuru into their custody. I can already imagine it probably taking the story several more episodes before the twins are reunited. And in the meantime, Yuru firmly believes that his sister has been murdered. As a result, even when they do meet, he’ll likely fight back against Asa with all he’s got. And all he’s got includes a pair of menacing-looking Daemons. I hope the story doesn’t draw this out too long. If they’re willing to shatter the illusion of the village so suddenly, I hope the rest of the story’s pacing remains just as brisk and succinct.