Kakuriyo no Yadomeshi Episode 1 [First Impression]

Eva’s First Impression

I know I shouldn’t but I had to, but as soon as I started watching it, I knew, I KNEW I I HAD TO DO A FIRST IMPRESSION. Oh my goddddddddddddd, THIS WAS THE BEST WAY TO KICK OFF THE SPRING SEASON!!!!!! I probably went overboard with the squealing almost every second of the episode, but honestly, I can’t remember the last time I have been this excited after a premiere- and it is fair to say it has been a while. In my eyes, this story has so much potential and it really makes me excited to see where it will go. Amazingly, romance is not labeled in the genres, so god help us all when they are bound to tease us.

I think what drew me into the story was actually the heroine herself. Sure we have the “pitiful background”, as I like to call it, where because of her ability to see Ayakashi, she was abandoned my her mother and later taken after being in an orphanage for a while, taken in by her grandfather. During the time he was alive, he taught her how to cook delicious food, so she can feed the Ayakashi, as a means to protect herself. However here’s the kicker: Her grandfather was apparently in deep debt in the Hidden Realm, and used her as a collateral by agreeing to make her the Ogre-God’s bride. But the difference here is the Heroine’s mindset: OH HELL NO, SCREW MARRIAGE, there is no way in hell is she going to marry an Ogre-God (that harsh though, I gotta admit), instead she will get a job and pay off the debt herself. The debt of course is one hundred million yen, which is going to be a rough one, but if she can succeed with her opening eatery that Ginji suggested to her, with her knack to cook, there is definitely hope for her to succeed through this method (despite the shop being located in what is considered an “unlucky” area).

Another intriguing part about Aoi’s character, is actually her trauma. It is quite uncommon to find a protagonist whose’ trauma is related to hunger/starvation. When her mother abandoned her, it appears Aoi may have not eaten for a few days, and was starving to the point she thought she was going to die. That is when she saw the Ayakashi, she gave it permission to eat her, but instead it saved her by providing her food. That’s how she came to learn while there are some scary and dangerous Ayakashi, there are also kind and cute ones.

With that in mind, I am super curious which Ayakashi saved her. At first I thought maybe it was the Ogre-God, but when I compare the mask he wears the one she had seen, I have a feeling that it may have been Ginji. His expression when she mentioned the first time she eaten Ayakashi food, can really go either way… Or perhaps it was someone else altogether.

The other thing that makes the situation quite peculiar, is the fact that even though Aoi has been dragged into the Hidden Realm, if she likes it there, she could very well stay there if she wanted to. In her orgin world, Aoi has no one. No family, she apparently has no friends, despite her adorable personality, (but it probably has a lot to do with how she stops by and pets cute little Ayakashi when nobody else can see them). So when you think about it, besides being in a considerably dangerous world where she is perceived as a delicious meal, there is nothing to lose in terms of what is being left behind in the “apparent realm”, except for the lifestyle she had as a student. (Not to mention, as much as she doesn’t want to admit it, she is obviously very lonely.)

Actually, now that I think of it, I wonder if Aoi will be able to figure out if she can seamlessly travel between realms like her grandfather had. It would be pretty cool if she could do that.

And it’s not just Aoi that draws me in, but the Ogre-God and Ginji as well, and even her grandfather, Shiro. Was the promise made between the two really because of debt, or did the grandfather know he was going to die and was worried about her being alone? Honestly I would hope for the later, because otherwise, man that would be a freaking cruel twist to the story– of her grandfather retrieving her only to use her as a collateral for his loan. (Which does make me suspicious considering she had to be sent to an orphanage for a period of time, unless he was in the other world during that period of time). And it is because of that Heroine feels sad that she may have been betrayed by the one she trusted in most, and fears that she may have never been loved/cared for to begin with.

Ginji is ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE. Enough said, I already love him to death and I declare him as amy bias (well because he’s a fox, he’s my bias by default). I adored the way he approached Aoi, taking into consideration she might be hungry and was afraid he would spook her, so he shape-shifted into an adorable form (multiple forms actually, and he slays them all). He is already a precious sweetheart in my books, especially with how he was able to help Aoi out by offering her to open a restaurant.

Amazingly, the Ogre-God actually had a very sparse screen-time in this episode, but his first encounter with Aoi was a memorable one to say the least. She actually hands him over a lunch box when she hears he’s hungry. It makes me wonder if she carries a whole bunch on her or she chose to sacrifice her lunch for the day in order to protect Humanity. I couldn’t help but laugh when he scratched her hand because all I could think of was, “He just cut her hand? Well he had long nails…” It was also quite hilarious how the “Torture in Hell” is actually all about pampering Aoi.

But what is going to make the dynamic between the two the most interesting if definitely going to be how right now, Ogre-God claims she is dear to him because she is a delicious meal he cannot eat– strange way to put it, but apparently that’s how he likes to cherish… things so to speak…

The animation was not perfect, but it was still freaking gorgeous. I am especially fond of the the Opening Theme, it did a great job of making me excited with its catchy tune, and the lyrics are very pretty.

Overall, this episode was a great way to get me invested into the show. I am sucker for fantasy stories like this one, you can’t keep me away from these things. The concept of Aoi offering food she made to the Ayakashi in order to help prevent them from feeding on Humans is a creative approach and solution to the problem. With the mixture of tensions between Aoi and the Ogre-God, the Master of Tenjin-ya Inn, and the friendships that are bound to bloom between her and Ginji and more, I am excited to see how being dragged into the Hidden Realm is going to change Aoi’s lonely life.

Due to time restraints I have limited myself to choosing one show this season, and already have an idea of which show I am interested in covering, but oh my god— if someone doesn’t pick this up, I will. I don’t care how little time I have, I WILL COVER THIS, I WILL MAKE TIME. I will either leave the other one up for someone else to take, or cover both. This show got me all fired up in the best way possible. Better yet, I am pleasantly surprised to learn this show is going to have 26 Episodes!!!! This makes me really excited and optimistic to see where this story will go with the amount of time it has to work with.

Possibility of Blogging: High ***Under the Condition No one picks it up!
Possibility of Watching: Guaranteed 

Shadow’s First Impression
Right off the bat, I got a lot of Kamisama Kiss Vibes. However, the longer I watched it, I came to the conclusion that not only did this have Kamisama Vibes, but it also turned into Ouran High School Host Club with a flare of Spirited Away. Which… makes for a pretty interesting premise honestly.
This first episode started out pretty strong with giving us reasons to sympathize with the heroine. However, the series doesn’t go out of its way to try and manipulate us into feeling bad for her. Yes, she has a terrible past with having her mom abandon her, nearly starving her to death and her grandfather recently passed away. But she’s not letting those things cripple her and her tragic past is not her entire character. I like that she isn’t the stereotypical “overachieving girl who can accomplish anything” as I find her character a lot more interesting. I appreciate that she isn’t letting herself get pushed around instead of being the meek girl who finds herself in a hopeless situation. She’s actually trying to find ways around the situation she’s flung into and doing the best with the deck she’s been handed. However, the only thing that’s throwing me off about her is how okay she seems despite her grandfather just recently passing away. Maybe because of the circumstances she hasn’t been able to fully grieve yet. Hopefully it’ll be addressed later on.
And can we just appreciate the fact that we can SEE that she’s a college student instead of her TELLING us that she is one. In so much anime the protagonist always introduces themselves as being a middle or high school and specifies their age. It’s nice to not see that and we get the feel for how old the character could be by just seeing where she attends classes. I also like how important food is to Aoi as it is what literally keeps her alive. Having been on the brink of starvation and food is what prevents Ayakashi from eating her, food has become such a vital part of her life and it’s such an interesting take that I really can’t wait to see more.
The whole “you are now my bride” plot has been done A LOT, however, I like the take of “let me pay off my debt instead.” It just shows that Aoi isn’t helpless. Considering everything she’s been through, it makes sense that she’d want to fight against being forced to marry an oni. Now, I honestly don’t like the oni-god. I’ve never been a fan of the type of guy character that forces the girl to marry them for some reason or another. Maybe I’m just tired of seeing that type of character since we usually end up finding out that he has a tragic past as well and there is a reason he acts like the way that he does despite his harsh attitude. And if the opening is any indication, it’s pretty much a given that Aoi will fall for him in time. (which I kind of hope doesn’t happen lol) But kudos to this series if it can change my mind.
The character I immediately fell in love with, just like Eva was Ginji. He’s such a sweetheart and the fact of how thoughtful this little fox Ayakashi is… UGH. Hands down best boy. I’m calling it now. From making her food, appearing to her in a form that wouldn’t scare her, to encouraging her to make an eatery to pay off her grandfather’s debt. Now, I would find it really interesting if Aoi ended up with Ginji (I’d be so impressed) but I have a tendency to get attached to the ships that end up sinking, so I won’t hold my breath.
I also REALLY love the soundtrack. At points it almost sounds like the kind of music you’d hear in a Ghibli film or something at least movie quality.
Overall, this seems like a really promising series. Lots of questions have been raised and I really want to see Aoi succeed with the eatery. This series seems like a really interesting one to blog about as there was so much to try and unpack in this first episode. I’m a huge fan of fantasy and I’m already really interested in the Ayakashi city and just the entire premise. There is one series I’m holding out for, but I definitely wouldn’t mind blogging about this series since this first episode guarantees some mystery, emotionally charged feels, humor and much more.
Possibility of Blogging: Moderate
Possibility of Watching: High