Little Suzune was born with a bright red demon eye that she keeps covered with a rag. This eye is a harbinger of doom that brings abuse upon her, and her older brother Jinta is too young and weak to be her protector. He hears the hits and the begging. He hears her call his name. At night, he sneaks in, finds her crying in the rain, and cannot take it anymore. However, this is nineteenth-century Japan, an era of shrines and swords, and the prospects of young runaways are dire. Only the kindness of a travelling swordsman prevents the worst, and he takes them in. He is the guardian of the Itsukihime, the priestess who lives in a shrine above a peaceful village. He is also the father of Shirayuki, the priestess’ daughter, who will be their playmate. As the years go by, Jinta becomes stronger, fit to occupy the role of guardian and protect those he cares about by fighting flesh-eating demons (oni). Shirayuki becomes the priestess and lives in the shrine, hidden from the eyes of mortals. Little Suzune, in contrast, seems not to have aged a day. One day, two demons approach the village, full of dark resolve…

There’s a lot to like here: I have to praise the subtle storytelling, the strong, relatable characters, the fights, the ambience, and the bold twists and turns of the plot. However, I must warn you that the show pulls no punches: Expect to feel numb and incredulous among mutilations and sprayed blood, as well as dark and disturbing innuendo. It’s been a while since I was this horrified at a plot point. Nevertheless, the instances of relatable human emotion and the nobility of the main characters shine through, providing some balance for me. There are echoes of Princess Mononoke in the setting and some plot elements, and the code the protagonists abide by reminds me of that story. Here, it is accompanied by the cursed feeling of bleakness and madness you get from the likes of Oedipus Rex or King Lear. The narrative is tight, with solid world-building and many interesting ideas: Sword of the Demon Hunter is a historical fantasy novel adaptation, and it shows. Beware of brief nudity around the 31-minute mark, and a sexual situation (no nudity) four minutes later. All things considered, I think I’ll continue, as the pieces of the story are left in quite an intriguing position—that is, if I’m able to gather some dark resolve of my own.

Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentōshō is available at HiDive.