Washio Sumi is a Hero: A Refined Yuuki Yuuna

Washio Sumi is a Hero is a six episode prequel to previously reviewed series Yuuki Yuuna is a Hero. It tells the tale of Tougo's first tour of duty as a magical girl under her original identity Washio Sumi. In many ways it's an improved Yuuki Yuuna, one that hits twice as hard for half its length. Suffice to say, I like it!

Adjusting to Expectations

In my review of Yuuki Yuuna, I had originally criticized its slow pacing filled with light hearted slice of life scenes until the final episodes where the "dark twist" is revealed and the tone changes drastically. I didn't like it, partly because I was misguidedly expecting it to be like the renowned dark magical girl series Madoka Magica. The formula does not change in Washio Sumi, but being familiar with the pacing does make it easier to watch. Furthermore, the six episode length in Washio Sumi means that the series takes three episodes to build to its climatic dark twist in episode four, compared to seven episodes in Yuuki Yuuna.

Of Being A Prequel

The fact that this show is a prequel, and that we roughly know what happens at the end makes the show actually better to watch. We know the cost Sonoko and Washio will come to bear, and we can guess that Gin dies because she isn't around in Yuuki Yuuna. It imbues the initial light hearted slice of life episodes with a sense of impermanence- that things aren't going to stay this way forever. Of course, the ominous narration at the start of every episode only adds to that effect. This is something that Yuuki Yuuna lacked, a sense of tension despite its happy tone in the first part.

A Tighter Cast

The cast size has been reduced from five to three, and I think that makes quite a difference. It makes their relationships closer. Much of the relationship focus in Yuuki Yuuna were between best friends Yuuki and Togo, and sisters Fuu and Itsuki. The smaller cast in Washio Sumi has the trio of characters spending virtually every scene together, which makes them seem closer as a whole. Furthermore, I've seemed to liked the characters and their interactions more this time. I like how we get to see the aggresive Gin's caring side towards her family, adding depth to her character. Sonoko is just a fun high-energy-always-happy girl who also happens to be rich. Let's enjoy Kagawa life! Even Washio is more enjoyable in this version- her patriotism has been turned up to ten for comedy, and she's more playful with her friends. In short, they're just more quirky and fun than the cast of Yuuki Yuuna.

Harder Hitting

The "dark twist" in the story, which I identify as Gin's death, was executed very well from the fight itself to the aftermath. Her final fight was all kinds of badass- aided by great animation, her voice actor's powerful battle cries, and a good amount of blood and gore to make it a brutal fight. We then have to witness Washio and Sonoko cry twice, and a funeral held for Gin which nails home the fact that she's gone and adds a sense of realism. You don't see funerals for anime characters often. Furthermore, having the remaining girls fight a vertex mid funeral was genius- you really feel for them as they unleash their emotions on the vertexes. Again, this is sold by great voice acting and music. They will never have Gin back. This might be down to personal opinion, but the fate of the original magical girls in Washio Sumi is so much worse than in Yuuki Yuuna that I'm glad it was changed.

Continued Worldbuilding

Yuuki Yuuna's world was not complete, and Washio Sumi fixes this by going a fair bit into worldbuilding. We get to understand how the current sacrifice-your-bodily-function hero system came about. It's neat, and it partly makes the ending of Yuuki Yuuna a bit more believable because we know the hero system is flexible, so maybe something happened to change it at the end which resulted in the girls' sacrifices being returned. On top of that, it expands into how outsiders view the hero system by having us see classmates and parents react to it. The classmates support the heroes, despite knowing that they could die. The parents, outside of those whose child has died like Gin's, generally have an indifference, choosing to console themselves by saying it's a great honor or how much benefits the families affected get. Showing us outsider reactions definitely make the world feel realer.

In Conclusion

Washio Sumi is a Hero is a fantastic prequel to Yuuki Yuuna, making improvements in many aspects. Its six episode length fits the slow pacing better. Being a prequel grants the show more tension despite light hearted initial episodes. The cast is tighter, and I liked them more. The dark twist is harder hitting. More worldbuilding makes the world feel realer. If you enjoyed Yuuki Yuuna is a Hero, then you'd definitely enjoy Washio Sumi. If you're not sure, I still would highly recommend checking it out. 8/10.