Daemons of the Shadow Realm (2026)

I was really eager to watch this anime because it has the same author as FMA:B

This anime should have continued like FMA:B because it takes 14 episodes for the story to finally open up. Until then, most of the episodes are spent building the world, introducing characters, and showing action. This gets frustrating at times. You need to watch it with the same mindset as Naruto or One Piece, where you know the main story and conflict will eventually develop. Unfortunately, the buildup here isn't that interesting.

When the story finally gets really interesting after episode 14, you start having a lot of questions because the earlier buildup was not interesting. Another major problem is the sibling bond. In FMA: B, the bond between the brothers was very convincing, but here, it doesn't even come close to 10% of that.

The anime fails to hook you after the second episode, even though the writing is very good. Some characters also feel bland, like Gabby.

The story takes a long time to develop, and new characters are introduced towards the end, making their arrival feel forced. Overall, this anime would have worked better as a continuous series rather than a seasonal anime.

There are some twists that are not mind-blowing but still feel natural and not forced. Some of the daemons' powers are also quite interesting

The anime also fails to properly explain why the villagers were killed, even though it is one of the main highlights of the story. I had to watch it multiple times and read discussions online to understand the reason, and that finally convinced me.

**Spoilers ahead**

The villagers wanted both siblings dead so they could control their powers. They killed Asa, but things backfired because they didn't expect her to fight back and break the barrier. In Yuru's case, they couldn't kill him directly because he had a strong instinct for sensing murderous intent. So, they tried to use bandits to get rid of him instead.