Yatagarasu: The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master is an unusual 2024 anime based on the Yatagarasu novel series by Chisato Abe. The anime takes place in Yamauchi, a world inhabited by the Yatagarasu: enormous, intelligent three-legged ravens who can also shapeshift into humans. Their culture is much like that of the ancient Asian world, and the story is largely about the events in their complex noble court. Please join me for a review of this underappreciated and intense tale, Yatagarasu.
Story
Score: 9/10
Throughout the twenty episodes in this series, but especially in the first thirteen installments, the storytelling was immaculate. An example would be the well-crafted plot twists. (Sorry, but I want to avoid spoilers, so I must be vague about this.) In addition, the way various smaller storylines slowly and neatly converge shows the series’ narrative prowess. There is an air of mystery in Yatagarasu, with various possible answers and red herrings to keep you on your toes until the truth is finally revealed with excellent execution.
This series boasts high-quality, in-depth world-building as well. We learn that the world of Yamauichi is complicated and full of political intrigue. Particularly in the last seven episodes, there are also some fascinating fantasy elements in this story. Various themes were explored in Yatagarasu, including growing up, learning to perform socially, the advantages of keeping an open mind, and the challenges and ethical horrors of a rigidly classist society. Themes like these were seamlessly woven into the story.
Yatagarasu is similar to semi-historical anime like The Apothecary Diaries in that hardships and social evils are frequently shown but seldom corrected. This isn’t the kind of story where a revolution overthrows an evil regime of corrupt nobles. It’s far more complicated and less romantic than that. The Prince (Wakamiya) never tries to stop slavery in Yamauchi, which was difficult for me to stomach. However, I still appreciated the realism in this series and how the characters each grapple with the frustration of feeling helpless in their roles.
In a nutshell, Yatagarasu equals court intrigue plus well-written drama plus a touch of beautiful fantasy. And it’s all set in a semi-historical world that feels believable. Honestly, there’s no way I’ve done justice to this show’s story and how intriguing it can be. I may add more eloquent and detailed notes when I re-watch the series in full. Either way, the storytelling is definitely the shining crown of Yatagarasu’s features.
Visuals
Score: 8/10
Yatagarasu is a finely smoothed and polished gem in terms of visuals. The animation studio behind this series was Pierrot, which is a large and famous studio known for producing shounen classics like Naruto Shippuden, Bleach, and Yuu Yuu Hakusho. Beyond just shounen, Pierrot has also animated many other gorgeous anime, including a personal favorite of mine, Yona of the Dawn. With a studio like Pierrot working on it, it’s no wonder Yatagarasu looks so amazing.
The visuals in this anime are highly stylized. Not everyone will like the distinct art-style, and it took me some time to adjust. Characters are very tall and slender, with unusually shaped heads, large eyes, long noses, and tiny mouths. Yatagarasu’s characters are easy to tell apart and remember. I loved all the character designs, but especially Sumio, Hamayu, and Wakamiya. In addition to solid character designs and an unusual art style, Yatagarasu features a bold but not overbearing color pallet. It’s quite refreshing.
Though action scenes are not super common in this series, they are well-animated when they do appear. The ravens look so damn cool when they appear as well. Lighting and shading are also excellent in this anime. Moreover, the backgrounds and nature settings are beautiful to behold. The world of Yamauichi truly looks stunning. On a final note, the kimonos, costumes, and décor in Yatagarasu were gorgeous.
Audio
Score: 9/10
The audio category was highly impressive. The opening (“Poi” by Saucy Dog) is a catchy rock song with male vocals. I haven’t analyzed the lyrics yet, so I don’t know what the song is about, but I love it. As for the ending song, it’s “Tokoshie” by Akiko Shikata. It’s a beautiful, soulful song in a certain style of traditional Japanese music. (I don’t know the name of the genre.) The song is soothing and inspiring with rich female vocals. Though I haven’t gone back to listen to any particular tracks, I remember that the instrumental music was always on point. Eishi Segawa was the composer.
Now let’s talk about the voice-acting. The cast of Yatagarasu are all talented and I enjoyed almost every performance. Miyu Irino played the Crown Prince, Wakamiya. He is most known for his roles in Spirited Away, A Silent Voice, and The Garden of Words. Yukiya was voiced by Mutsumi Tamura, who also played Kobayashi in Miss Koboyashi’s Dragon Maid and Alice Swayne in The Ancient Magus’ Bride. She is able to pull off a young boy’s voice very well in my humble opinion.
There are numerous other seiyuu I want to gush about, but I have limited time and energy, so I’ll only mention three more. Rina Honizumi did a great job as Asebi. She’s had a career in voice-acting for ten years now and recently played Joo-Hee in Solo Leveling. Rie Kugimiya, a prolific veteran seiyuu, performed amazingly as Lady Shiratama. Finally, Satoshi Hino played Natsuka, the Prince’s older brother. He is a beloved VA best known for his roles as Momoga in Overlord and Rengoku in Demon Slayer. It was a treat to hear all these voices and more in Yatagarasu.
Characters
Score: 8/10
The characters in Yatagarasu were engaging and well-written. The two main characters especially – Wakamiya and Yukiya – were highly interesting and saw much development over the series. Yukiya begins sharp but stubborn and prideful. He never stops being a very particular and somewhat cynical boy, but he learns many life lessons while working for the Crown Prince. As for Wakamiya, he is an enigma who often seems cold and aloof. Over time, we learn more about him and all he goes through to protect the realm.
The four women who competed for the hand of the Crown Prince were all fairly interesting as well, though they don’t always seem so right off the bat. For example, I didn’t think I would ever like Shiratama, but the way she was developed in the story eventually made me start empathizing with her. Possibly my favorite character in the series, Hamayu was also one of the four women. Her character was complex and she spoke words of wisdom to the other women at a key point in the story.
Several other characters were appealing to me, including Sumio and Koume. There is more I want to say about characters, but it would involve spoilers. Suffice it to say that characters may be more than what they seem at first. With great writing for protagonists and supporting cast alike, the character category truly shines.
Personal Enjoyment
Score: 8/10
My enjoyment level for Yatagarasu was quite high. I greatly appreciated the soundtrack, voice-acting, characters, plot twists, fantasy creatures, and so much more. Yukiya’s reactions were always entertaining, especially since he’s the pragmatic “straight man” when paired with the unconventional, adventurous Prince. The fantasy elements explained in the later episodes were fascinating to me and the visuals were often beautiful. The political intrigue and court drama elements were also stimulating. I could go on, but hopefully you get the idea by this point.
Overall Score
Score: 8.4 out of 10 Raven Feathers
As always with my reviews, the overall score is the average of the scores for the five categories. Yatagarasu is a solid 8/10 anime with a lot to offer for those who are looking for something more interesting and unusual than shounen battles or tired isekai fantasies. As of July 2025, Yatagarasu has a score of 8.06 on MyAnimeList.net. I think it deserves a bit higher but still in the 8s range. Anyway, be sure to check out Yatagarasu if you like well-written drama, unique fantasy, and intriguing characters.
~Thanks for reading~
Written by 7Mononoke at Anime Rants
Anime Rants 
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