Sengoku Youko is a newly released shonen anime set in a warring state period in Japan. That time, the world has two creatures; the one who lives in the light, human, and the one who lies in the dark, Katawara. Yet, the story follows a human who despises humans and a Katawara who loves humans. These character dynamic combos make the whole premise more interesting.
Unfortunately, the series falls into the underrated category. Maybe because there are already better youkai-action anime such as Inuyasha. Moreover, the first impression after watching, it feels like 2000s anime. Maybe that’s why it doesn’t get much attention.
However, this anime series isn’t that bad. Many fans gave critical acclaim after bear to watch at least three episodes. So, what happens in the third episode of Sengoku Youko? Well, let’s review it!
About Sengoku Youko
Sengoku Youko is a Japanese manga series created by Satoshi Mizukami. The series was serialized in Mag Garden’s Monthly Comic Blade magazine from 2007 to 2014. Later, it continued on the Comic Blade web service from late 2014 to 2016.
The manga ended its serialization with 17 volumes released from 2008 to 2016. Currently, Tokyopop holds the license for the English version and published five volumes of the manga as of January 2024. The sixth volume is set to be released on March 19, 2024.
The official announced an anime television series for Sengoku Youko in August 2023. White Fox Studio is animating the series with Masahiro Aizawa as the director. Meanwhile, Jukki Hanada is in charge of the series composition and Yosuke Okuda is working on the character design. Furthermore, Evan Call is composing the music.
As the story goes deeper, more characters will be on the way. But, in a nutshell, there are six main characters in the series. The cast for those include:
- Soma Saito as Jinka Yamato
- Yuuki Takada as Tama Youko
- Ryohei Kimura as Shinsuke Hyodou
- Tomoyo Kurosawa as Shakugan
- Hiroki Nanami as Senya
- Maaya Uchida as Tsukiko
Sengoku Youko premiered on January 11, 2024, on TV Tokyo and other networks. Crunchyroll licensed the series outside of Japan except in South and Southeast Asia. Instead, Medialink holds the license for that region and streams it on its YouTube channel, Ani-One Asia.
Sengoku Youko Ep 3 Review
The third episode highlights the continuation of Jinka’s attack upon Dangaisyuu’s headquarters. For the record, Dangaisyuu is a monk organization that attempts to experiment with Human-Katawara transformation resulting in Shakugan going rampage and annihilating her entire village.
Sure, Youko agreed to Jinka’s attack to scare them hoping that they would stop their experiment. Yet, Jinka has an ulterior motive. Derived by his hatred toward humanity, he wants to steal their experiment data and use it to transform himself into Katawara. In other words, he wants to throw away his humanity.
Unfortunately, he fails to steal it because the place for the experiment is a living castle. With a giant fist, he gets blown away and transforms back into a human. Thus, Dangaisyuu flees the scene.
On the other hand, one monk pursues Youko, Shinsuke, and Shakugan. With three of them seeming powerless without the presence of Jinka, this fight is supposed to be a breeze. However, Shakugan uses her Katawara power and saves the day.
But, she has to pay the price for that. All of her memories of when she rampaged are coming back. Now, she laments her wrongdoing and runs away. Fortunately, Shinsuke convinces herself that she is an actual human.
In conclusion, the first three episodes of Sengoku Youko feel like a prologue to a bigger adventure. Now, we have a band of mavericks journeying together with no definitive purpose except for one big organization after their heads.
The official already confirmed three cours for completing two main arcs of the manga. It means we are looking for other 30-ish episodes in the future. With the foundation for the story has been planted, let’s look forward to the adventure of Youko and her group.
Conclusion
Sengoku Youko is a good fantasy action anime that falls into an underrated category just because the manga hasn’t garnered enough attention. The reason may vary, but, looking at the trends, the shonen nowadays tends to glorify gory violence like the popular Chainsaw Man and Jujutsu Kaisen. Meanwhile, the Youkai action series with the purpose of world peace going around seems to be dead in the 2000s.
The taste may change, but this anime is undoubtedly the hidden gem of the season. Three episodes already cemented where the anime will head toward. With the depth of the story leaking, we can expect more character development for our four main characters in the future.
Though the future of this series looks dim, there is a chance that the quality of adaptation suddenly skyrocket. Maybe, that will boost their popularity altogether. Mind you, White Fox Studio is the one who animated the famed Re: Zero and Steins;Gate. With three cours ahead, will this series go beyond two arcs? Well, if you are interested, just stay tuned in Animefleek for more future anime updates!
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the author of Sengoku Youko?
Satoshi Mizukami is the manga artist of Sengoku Youko.
How many episodes will Sengoku Youko have?
Currently, the total number of episodes is still unknown. But, the official already confirmed three cours for the series.
Where can I watch Sengoku Youko?
Crunchyroll holds the license for worldwide streaming. However, Medialink holds the license for the South and Southeast Asia region. It streams the anime series through its YouTube channel, Ani-One Asia.
