Jet-Black Shaga THE ANIMATION

On his way across Edo-era Japan to become a Buddhist monk, young noble Ushiwaka finds his pilgrimage derailed pretty fast when a pack of hostile Yokai jump him on the road. He survives because Shaga, a powerful Yokai woman with ambitions of becoming a deity, decides to step in. From there, the two end up traveling together through a landscape where humans and supernatural creatures are constantly at each other's throats, and where brokering any kind of peace feels genuinely impossible. The historical Japanese setting is actually well-used here — feudal aesthetics, Yokai lore rooted in real mythology, the tension between Buddhist spiritual order and the chaotic spirit world bleeding into everyday life. Shaga herself is an interesting lead: she's not human, she's operating on her own agenda, and the dynamic between her and Ushiwaka has some actual texture to it rather than just being two characters who happen to share a scene. The animation holds up well, especially during the action sequences. If you've watched Taimanin Asagi or Kuroinu and appreciated when a hentai title puts genuine effort into its world-building and fight choreography, this scratches a similar itch. Fans of Inyouchuu Shoku who want something with a more grounded historical atmosphere will find this a decent detour. Three episodes, produced by Seven in 2017, based on an original story.