Summary

Daemons of the Shadow Realm, from Fullmetal Alchemist creator Hiroma Arakawa, captures the essence of family bonds while exploring unpredictable powers. The manga deals with moral ambiguity, blurring the lines between good and evil, adding depth to the conflict and characters. With unexpected twists and turns that will keep readers on the edge of their seats, Fullmetal Alchemist fans will find a new favorite in Daemons of the Shadow Realm.

Latest manga by Fullmetal alchemist author Hiromu Arakawa's Daemons of the Shadow Realm is a return to the fantasy mangaka, but more than that, a return to many of the themes that made her previous hit series a success. Fans who have always craved something like Fullmetal Alchemist may be pleasantly surprised that, despite some major differences, these two works have more in common than not.

Daemons of the Shadow Realm follows Yuru, a boy from an isolated mountain village, who has a twin sister, Asa, who is being held in a cell near the center of town, supposedly for her own gain. her own good and the town's good. The birth of the twins marks the beginning of a prophecy, setting in motion a series of events that eventually lead to the village being devastated by an attack from the outside world – an attack led by a woman claiming to be the real Asa. ran away from the village a long time ago.

Yuru is drawn into a massive conflict over who will control the prophesied power the twins will inherit, but all he really wants is to be reunited with his long-lost family. me.

Like Fullmetal Alchemist, Daemons of the Shadow Realm puts two siblings at the center of the story, but it does so by turning Ed and Al's relationship on its head. For Ed and Al, all they had was each other, but Yuru and Asa didn't even have each other for most of their lives. It gives the brothers a very different relationship, in that Yuru cannot completely trust Asa the way Ed and Al can trust each other. Yuru is very sheltered thanks to his village upbringing, despite being a skilled hunter and survivalist, while Asa is used to the ways of the real world.

Daemons of the Shadow Realm is set in a world similar to modern times, but with the existence of Daemons, spiritual beings that come in pairs and can make contracts. Daemon largely takes on the role that Alchemy did in Fullmetal Alchemist; it is a complex but understandable power that always operates in predictable ways. Yuru contracts with the village's two guardian spirits, known only as Left and Right, who turn out to be immensely powerful. However, Daemons have personalities and sometimes even willpower, making them much harder to work with.

Another thing the new series does well is take back the uncertainty about who is good and who is bad. Every time it seems like there is a clear villain side, new information is revealed to justify their behavior, making the conflict very morally gray. Just as Ed works as the State Alchemist and “Army Dog,” Yuru and Asa must form alliances with which they are not entirely comfortable.

With the constant subversion of who's good and who's bad, it's hard to talk about Daemons of the Shadow Realm without delving into spoiler territory. The unexpected twists and turns of a story are only half the fun, so readers should learn as little upfront as possible. Nearly 30 chapters in now, Daemons of the Shadow Realm is starting to pick up steam, but it's still early enough that diving into the story isn't a huge time commitment. Fan Fullmetal alchemist You should absolutely try Daemons of the Shadow Realm.

Daemon of the dark kingdom can be read on Square Enix's Manga Up! Application.