An Onigiri Unwrapping Scene for the History Books?! “The quality is insane,” “The way it catches is so realistic” / Daemons of the Shadow Realm Episode 3

Episode 3 of the anime Daemons of the Shadow Realm, based on the latest work by hit manga artist Hiromu Arakawa (best known for Fullmetal Alchemist), has been airing since April 18. The meticulous depiction of unwrapping a plastic-wrapped onigiri has drawn massive praise, with some fans claiming it "might just be the best animation of opening a convenience store rice ball in the history of Japanese anime."

In Episode 3, "Dera and Hana," Yuru (CV: Kenshō Ono), who has escaped his village, begins to learn about modern civilization and social rules with the support of the Guardians Dera (CV: Yūichi Nakamura) and Hana (CV: Miyuri Shimabukuro). For Yuru, who lived in a tiny village deep in the mountains, everything in the "world below" is brand new. When he finds himself puzzled by a plastic-wrapped onigiri, asking, "How does this work?", Hana steps in to open it for him.

From pulling the center tape to peeling off the film on both sides, the camera stayed in a close-up on Hana’s hands as she unwrapped the rice ball. Many viewers were stunned by the level of detail. Online, comments flooded in: "The quality is unexpectedly insane," "Is there any other anime that draws the peeling of an onigiri film this thoroughly??", "The way it gets snagged for a split second is such a fine detail," and "There’s a theory that this is the best convenience store onigiri unwrapping sakuga in anime history."