Unfortunately, this means a lot of exposition. Some exposition is necessary to grease the wheels and get the story going. But I think this show could’ve done a better job at pulling back the curtains. Ah well. So what are we learning in this week’s episode?
To take stock, Yuru has just left the village. He’s been told that he needs to hide out in the outside world, i.e. modern Japan. As he enjoys modern food for the first time, he can’t help but think of his sister. The person in his mind is not his sister, though. The time he spent with her was real. As are his emotions. But who can say about her emotions? It was all an act. Even if fake Asa did eventually come to care for him like her own sibling, those feelings were born from deception. So yeah, I can’t even pretend to know what it would be like to be in Yuru’s… sandals. But he’s taking this all pretty well. Too well.
Dera and Hana reveal that they’re retainers for the village. How do you even get saddled with such a responsibility? Through inheritance, apparently. You gotta respect the clan’s rules, because… because what? ‘Cause your ancestors told you so? I can’t imagine it, especially in this day and age. And now Hana is expected to play along and pretend to be Dera’s wife. Rather than deal with potentially salacious rumors, Dera thinks it would be better if they got fake married. So… she just gives up on her normal day-to-day routine? What if she’s in a relationship? She has to give that up too? Man, I would quit. Fuck the clan’s rules.
Meanwhile, the Daemons tell Yuru what they know about his family, which isn’t a whole lot. All they did for the past centuries was stand guard. As a result, they got to see his parents escape with his sister one day, but they have little context. Yuru always thought his parents ditched both him and his sister, but now he has to deal with the fact that he was the only one left behind. Maybe they had their reasons — in fact, I’m sure they do — but for a guy who just had his whole understanding of reality turned upside-down less than 24 hours ago, I wouldn’t have been surprised if he broke down or was consumed with rage. But once again, Yuru is too rational about all of this.
As the group continues their journey back to the city, I hate how Dera downplays the fact that some people left the village over a “difference of opinion.” Bro, like half the village got slaughtered. Kids lost their entire family in an instant. You need to give me more than a “difference of opinion.” So we have to leave it up to the Daemons — now named Right and Left — to clue us in. Every time a cursed pair of twins are born, the nation is divided by a civil war by people desiring to take advantage of the twins’ powers. So what did the village have in store for Asa? I mean, her life must have been threatened in some way for his parents to escape in the middle of the night with her. Unless, of course, the parents are evil, but I doubt that.
We then learn that the twins’ mother was just a normie who stumbled into the village by mistake. So what happened? They probably told her she couldn’t leave because she now knows too much. But then she fell in love and settled down? Also, the steps to get into the village are so convoluted. She must have been incredibly unlucky. I can’t imagine shitting in a pot or a hole in the ground for the rest of your life just because you got lost in the woods. And oh yeah, having to escape with one of the your twins in the middle of the night and leaving your son behind. That must have sucked too. I’d put it second on the list.
The next day, Yuru is having a casual chat with his Daemons at a park. To everyone else, however, there’s just this kid walking around, talking to himself. Dera and Hana aren’t doing a great job at helping him blend in with society. Speaking of which, at least Yuru isn’t going to trust Dera and Hana completely. At the same time, however, the real Asa is also a complete stranger. He needs more information. He needs to get both sides’ stories. At the very least, he needs to know why he was left behind. But hey, we now have our bearings and an idea of what to do next: go meet up with sister and have a family reunion. A proper one, this time.
Stray thoughts & observations:
— Imagine seeing and feeling plastic for the first time. And oh yeah, all white rice. But Dera and Hana could’ve taken Yuru into the rest stop to eat. Instead, he’s stuck in the car with the two Daemons, eating cold ass onigiri. At first, I understood Dera and Hana’s position; they probably don’t want the kid to have a sensory overload. Hot food full of seasonings he’s never encountered, a crowd of people sitting and eating in one room, bright lights everywhere, etc. But after finishing the episode and seeing how well Yuru takes everything in, he probably would’ve handled his first restaurant just fine.
— At one point, we cut to a woman being cornered by a stalker in the elevator? But that’s no woman! It’s actually an anglerfish with a human-shaped lure. That Kagemori guy’s side hustle is handling stalker cases, apparently, so he has his Daemon lure these bastards in. Such an oddly specific job with an oddly specific Daemon, though. Like I get why this scene exists. Let’s show us what this Kagemori guy is capable of! But still, such a random cut.
— Too much exposition. Way too much. After they mentioned how Asa has probably acquired her powers, we could’ve cut to her using it on a mission or whatever. Just like how we randomly cut to the guy and his anglerfish. But instead, they chose to feed us exposition instead.
— Yuru is quickly adapting to modern sanitation as well. He just doesn’t like those hand-drying machines, but I hear those are major germ spreaders so good instincts.
— Next week, Hana will introduce us to her incredibly ugly cat.
