Sengoku Youko

Episode 7

Well, shit.

It figures that after a whole episode dedicated to building our main group's rapport, Mizukami would see fit to rip all those warm fuzzies right out of our hearts. One minute it's all happy-go-lucky romcom shenanigans with Shinsuke and Shakugan, the next it's a tragic sacrifice necessitating a black-screen credits roll. It is fitting the author has the term "God" in his surname because he is a cruel one.

Before we get to that moment, I want to talk about the central fight of this episode, which is excellent even though it gets overshadowed by the following dramatic twist. Until now, most battles in Sengoku Youko have been fast and efficient to move on to the next story beat. Seeing the show indulge in something more spectacle-driven as Jinka and Douren square off for the first time makes it a little jarring. Douren's tiger form verges on cereal mascot territory, but he works visually thanks to the heavy and aggressive line work used to render him. Jinka's fox-tail attacks have always gotten the most generous animation, and they really shine here with some fantastic effects work. The actual choreography is simple – Douren makes a point of only using his fists, after all – but it works because both the characters and their performers are clearly having a blast. The deranged glee in Sōma Saitō's performance is incredible, and it all comes together for a great battle that I'd regret not mentioning.

That said, the singular thing anyone watching is going to want to talk about is Shakugan's death. Technically, they turn into a rock rather than outright dying, but that might be worse. Rather than a body to lay to rest, their friends are left with an immovable, visually anonymous monument to their loss. Either way, Shakugan's exit from the story is a surprising one. I'm used to anime forecasting characters' deaths months in advance and for their sacrifice to punctuate a long-awaited thematic crescendo, so to have this happen now, for no other reason than an enemy taking a cheap shot in the chaos of battle, is certainly unexpected.

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of killing off characters in shonen action fare. Not because I'm precious about giving everyone a happy ending, but because characters are the lifeblood of stories like this. They are the conduits through which these stories explore ideas, extrapolate themes, and arrest emotion from the audience. Giving them the ax just for shock value wears thin quickly – look no further than the second season of Jujutsu Kaisen to see that in action. I'm mostly okay with it here because the show seems aware of the sudden and powerful loss it's just delivered but doesn't overplay its hand. Shaku's final reflections are happy; she remembers the times spent with her new friends and all that they did to save her, yet tragic as that all comes to an unfair end. The convenient pregnant woman she protects is a bit on the nose. Still, even that plays into Jinka's evolving feelings towards humanity, forcing him to reckon with how his half-Katawara companion's legacy now lives on through the humans she protected with her life. That this all comes just as the crew has established their dynamic adds to the sense of loss, but it happens early enough in the larger story not to feel anticlimactic. Shakugan gets her big moment before she passes, and that takes at least a little sting out of it.

That said, losing Shaku and Kagan here is still disappointing in important ways. The pair represented an interesting cross-section within the broader conflict between humans and katawara. They were likable personalities (two, in fact!) that bounced off the rest of the cast in charming, funny ways. Their building relationship with Shinsuke – and the question of how going steady with somebody housing two personalities would work – was super cute. That's all gone now, and I have concerns about how that will affect the show in the future. If this spurs exciting changes in the remaining cast, it might be worth it, but at this moment, that's a big "if" that the story will have to start answering quickly and confidently.

Rating:

Sengoku Youko is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.