The Demon Girl Next Door Commentary: A More Detailed Analysis Through Season 2 Episode 6 Using the Hero's Journey

The Map of the Journey#

Now, the Hero’s Journey as defined by Vogler in The Writer’s Journey is divided into the following 12 stages:

The hero(es) (the protagonist(s) of the story) adventure along these stages.

An overview of each stage is shown in the table below. Details will be covered in the chapters that follow.

A Journey Beginning Within a Journey#

The fun has just begun!

—Shadow Mistress Yuko, Season 2 Episode 1 {: .prompt-quote}

Along the way, the hero may hit an obstacle. Overcoming that obstacle can also be treated as its own miniature Hero’s Journey.

Why set things up this way? Because The Demon Girl Next Door is an ongoing narrative spanning over six volumes in the manga, and what I’m analyzing here are only the events of Volume 3 in the middle.

In other words, I want to analyze Volume 3 as a sub-Hero’s Journey that occurs during the larger overarching Hero’s Journey that runs through to the end of the story.

For example, starting the search for the town’s demons and heading to Café Asura can be thought of as both Act 3 of Volume 2 and Act 1 of Volume 3.

In Volume 3, Shamiko acquires the “Whatchamacallit Wand.” This represents both the tail end of the series of events in Volume 2 and the opening of the events in Volume 3.

In Volume 2, Shamiko reinfiltrated Momo’s dream and learned about her father Joshua. You can view her obtaining the wand as the “Reward” for that “Ordeal.” On the other hand, the Whatchamacallit Wand can also be seen as a magical tool bestowed by the Mentor to carry out the adventure of Volume 3.

Now, let’s actually map out the events of Volume 3 stage by stage and analyze them.

What Is the Theme of Volume 3?#

A lot of major events happen in Volume 3, but if you had to single out one core theme, what would it be?

It’s building a healthy partnership between Shamiko and Momo, just as Shamiko’s homeroom teacher (literally a [Mentor]) remarks around the 4:20 mark of anime Season 2 Episode 1:

• “I wish Chiyoda-san had a few more friends.”
• “For a sole-proprietor demon like Shamiko-san, hiring more employees would suit the name much better.”

The Start of Summer Vacation#

Returning from the events of Volume 2, our heroes ShamiMomo are savoring the “Reward” of having overcome their greatest ordeal. That is, they enjoy a date, and the demonic creatures hold a sukiyaki party at the Yoshida residence.

[Outer Problems] and [Inner Problems]#

Before moving on to the next stage, let’s organize the problems that ShamiMomo currently face and will try to resolve in the adventure ahead.

Regarding inner and outer problems, Vogler states:

Every hero needs both an inner and an outer problem.

(…)

Writers often forget to give their characters compelling inner problems.

Characters without inner challenges seem flat and uninvolving, however heroically they may act. They need an inner problem, a personality flaw or a moral dilemma to work out.

(…)

Audiences want to see characters learn, grow, and cope with both the inner and outer challenges of life.

p. 143 {: .prompt-quote}

He also says regarding the [Elixir] brought back in the final stage:

Like any stage of the Hero’s Journey, Return with the Elixir can be literal or metaphorical. The best elixirs are those that bring a higher level of awareness to the hero or audience.

p. 325 {: .prompt-quote}

Just as Vogler did with Titanic, let’s consider the problems facing ShamiMomo here.

Ancestor Is Amazing#

To Shamiko, who is overwhelmed and confused by everything she wants to do, Ancestor points the way, saying “It would be best to look for Sakura Chiyoda first.” Here, Ancestor fulfills the archetype of the Mentor / Wise Old Woman pointing the way for the hero.

I Want to See Momo Smile#

By inviting Mikan to the sukiyaki party, it is revealed that the Father Box in which Joshua is sealed is the exact same type of cardboard box used at Mikan’s family factory.

The three head to the abandoned factory. When left alone together, Mikan tells Shamiko that Momo “used to be much more cheerful.” That night, Shamiko suddenly remembers this and thinks, “I want to see Momo smile.”

Mikan is a Mentor providing clues for the adventure, while at the same time acting as a Herald presenting the hero with the impetus for the quest. She urges Shamiko: “If you just stay in the ordinary world like this, Momo will never smile again. You must embark on a journey to bring back Momo’s smile.”

Cavity Bacteria#

Regarding Threshold Guardians, Campbell asserts that:

If one makes a reckless challenge beyond one’s own capacity, it invites embarrassing failure.

Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces {: .prompt-quote}

Here, Shamiko finds herself in precisely that state. Presently, Shamiko lacks the power to make Momo smile. Nor is that path something that can be opened with a lame party trick.

Tsubuyaitaa#

With Wi-Fi installed and access to Tsubuyaitaa (the in-universe Twitter clone) unlocked, Shamiko and Momo feel an even stronger desire to know each other better. For them to learn about each other’s past, their only choice is to venture into the Special World.

Momo bribes Ancestor in an attempt to extract information about Sakura Chiyoda. But Ancestor has already lost her power as a Mentor and cannot provide that information.

Momo and Ancestor Draw Closer#

Shamiko lends her body to Ancestor, and Momo together with Ancestor-in-Shamiko head to Tama Kenko Land.

This sequence might seem loosely connected to the events of Volume 3. Perhaps it is best understood as the “Approach to the Inmost Cave” stage within the smaller circle of their quest to “infiltrate Café Asura.”

Right before “The Ordeal,” the hero(es) need to get their bearings. This is the “Approach to the Inmost Cave” stage, where heroes often use a brief lull before the final battle to make preparations and reorganize their group.

Obtaining the Whatchamacallit Wand#

Shamiko explores the Hinatsuki family’s abandoned factory. Just as Shamiko is about to say, “May everyone get along…”, she hears a mysterious voice. Digging where the voice points, she finds the “Whatchamacallit Wand.”

The Whatchamacallit Wand originally belonged to her father Joshua, making it a gift from him. Furthermore, because it was Sakura Chiyoda who guided Shamiko to find it, it is also a gift from Sakura.

The Whatchamacallit Wand is the “Sword in the Stone.” No one other than Shamiko could have pulled this specific weapon from this place. And to hear the voice, she needed to tune her wavelength to Sakura Chiyoda’s through the words, “May everyone get along.”

According to Campbell, regarding the call:

One has only to know and trust, and the ageless guardians will appear. {: .prompt-quote}

And indeed, that is exactly what happened.

The Whatchamacallit Wand is also a treasure gained as a reward from the adventures up through Volume 2. Shamiko returns with the elixir and completes her preparations for the next adventure.

Heading to Café Asura#

Armed with information from Anri Sata, Shamiko heads for Café Asura. Outside of this scene as well, Anri Sata frequently takes on the Mentor archetype as a well-connected informant who aids Shamiko and her friends.

Visiting Café Asura#

Shamiko was supposed to visit Café Asura to search for demons, but through a series of events she ends up starting a part-time job there, and the magical cuisine causes amnesia, making her forget her original purpose. At this rate, Shamiko will remain trapped at Café Asura. Momo and the others decide to storm Café Asura.

This can be viewed as the hero’s progress being stalled at the threshold by Lico, who wears the archetype of the Threshold Guardian. Of course, Manager Shirosawa and Lico are only temporary Threshold Guardians. As long as they are properly bypassed, those who appeared to be enemies instantly turn into valuable allies.

While visiting Café Asura looks like “Crossing the First Threshold” in the overarching flow of Volume 3, viewed through other circular arcs it can take on a different meaning.

Manager Shirosawa points out to Momo that Shamiko might feel pressured by Momo’s requests. Shamiko had not yet fully resolved to embark on the quest to search for Sakura Chiyoda. One could view Shamiko as being in the Refusal of the Call stage of this adventure.

For Momo as well, this stage can be seen as Refusal of the Call. Manager Shirosawa’s observation simultaneously forces Momo to recognize once again the danger of this quest.

Operation: Stop Shamiko From Getting a Job at All Costs#

Shamiko approaches a dangerous realm on her own, becomes unable to return from it, and Momo executes a “Rescue from Without” (in Campbell’s terms). This structure is completely identical to the unfolding of the subsequent adventure where Shamiko infiltrates her own deep subconscious.

Reconciliation with Manager Shirosawa and Lico#

The duo from Café Asura visit to apologize for causing trouble for Shamiko. They immediately reconcile with Momo, and just as expected, the Threshold Guardians become new allies.

Furthermore, for them, Shamiko’s visit to Café Asura was also a Herald summoning them to the Special World of Banda-so. They have their own adventure waiting for them, and this series of events marks its starting point.

Café Asura as a “Watering Hole”#

Many protagonists visit a bar or saloon at this stage of the story.

A watering hole is a natural gathering place, an ideal venue for observing conditions and gathering intelligence. In modern times, the saloon serves the function of the watering hole in a hunt.

Café Asura’s true value as a watering hole will be fully displayed in Volume 5.

New Information#

Manager Shirosawa and Lico provide new information regarding Sakura Chiyoda. Ryoko Yoshida processes the information properly and deduces that the cat Shamiko interacted with ten years ago was in fact Sakura Chiyoda.

Making Preparations#

However, Shamiko cannot recall what happened ten years ago through normal means. Ancestor gives a more detailed explanation of Shamiko’s abilities, suggesting she apply her “power to infiltrate the subconscious of all sentient and non-sentient beings” to herself, dredging up past memories from her own subconscious.

Infiltrating Her Own Deep Subconscious#

Shamiko infiltrates her own deep subconscious. Inside an endlessly stretching hospital corridor, unpleasant childhood memories materialize in the form of syringes and IV drips. Here, Shamiko puts a citrus box over her head, attempting to slip past these Threshold Guardians.

According to Vogler:

Another aspect of the Approach is learning to get inside the defenses of someone who seems to be an opponent. {: .prompt-quote}

Raising the Stakes#

Ancestor loses track of Shamiko. At this rate, Shamiko will end up bedridden at the bottom of her own unconscious for days, racked by nightmares.

Another function of the Approach stage is to raise the stakes, unite the team, and emphasize that this is a life-or-death emergency.

Learning How to Use the Whatchamacallit Wand#

Following the advice of the mysterious voice, Shamiko learns yet another rule of this world. The “Whatchamacallit Wand” can be used exclusively inside dreams as a cheat weapon capable of defeating anything.

With this cheat weapon, Shamiko succeeds in repelling the unpleasant memories. The treasure gained from her adventures up through Volume 2 has functioned as a passport to defeat new guardians and open the door.

Shifting Archetypes#

After concluding her conversation with Sakura Chiyoda, Shamiko is once again assaulted by unpleasant memories. Despite holding a cheat weapon, Shamiko is worn down by her lack of stamina and eventually cornered at a dead end. Shamiko must trade her hero’s mask for that of a helpless victim.

Death of the Ego#

Meanwhile, back in the real world, Momo was frantically thinking of a way to save Shamiko. Momo Chiyoda even offers to donate gallons of fresh blood.

According to Vogler:

A hero risks individual life for the sake of the larger collective life and wins the right to be called “hero.” {: .prompt-quote}

Ultimately, Momo comes up with a better solution for infiltrating Shamiko’s subconscious. In any case, from Ancestor’s remark that “you won’t die even if you fail to escape from your own dream,” one can deduce that “failing to escape from someone else’s dream could result in death.”

To save Shamiko, Momo cast aside rationality and approached the dangerous place herself—an act that was literally heroic.

Sacred Marriage#

Cornered by unpleasant memories, just when it seemed all options were exhausted, a fallen Momo appears and rescues Shamiko from her crisis. Momo had entered into a partial vassal contract, allowing only her spirit to fall into darkness so she could infiltrate Shamiko’s subconscious.

As learned from their adventures up through Volume 2, “a vassal is something like a magical blood relative bound by contract.” According to Seiko Yoshida, Joshua and Seiko also entered into a vassal contract.

In other words, Momo Chiyoda has become Shamiko’s kin.

Encounter with Sakura Chiyoda#

The true identity of the mysterious voice was Sakura Chiyoda. From Momo Chiyoda’s own lips, it is revealed that her core had been embedded inside Shamiko. What they had been searching for had been inside Shamiko all along.

1. To search for Sakura-san

2. I want to look for the town’s demons

3. And I want to get stronger and undo the family seal

4. Father turned into a box, which just brought up mystery after mystery

5. And make Momo my vassal of darkness…

—Shadow Mistress Yuko, Season 2 Episode 1 {: .prompt-quote}

At this point, Shamiko has successfully achieved both 1 and 5 simultaneously, albeit partially.

Initiation#

As an aside, Sakura Chiyoda asks Shamiko to protect the town.

Shamiko has proven her worth and been accepted as an ally by Sakura Chiyoda.

Motives#

Fallen Momo brings with her plenty of puzzling points—like the name Darkness Peach and the scar on her abdomen. Shamiko can’t help but fixate on them, but Momo grabs her tail cord and forcibly drags Shamiko back to the Ordinary World.

The escape route conjured by Ancestor has “Ordinary Exit” written across the top. One could chalk it up to a simple pun—swapping “emergency” for “ordinary” as the antonym of “Emergency Exit”—but it feels like more than coincidence that this scene falls squarely into the stage of returning to the Ordinary World.

Incidentally, the outer edge of the escape route reportedly reads “היציאה היא כאן” = “The exit is here.”

Cleansing#

Momo is in a state where only her spirit has fallen into darkness. To fully return to the Ordinary World, she must undergo purification. By taking an arrow from Mikan, Momo recovers, for the time being, from her temporary fallen state.

As Vogler puts it:

One function of Resurrection is to cleanse heroes of the smell of death, yet help them retain the lesson of the ordeal. {: .prompt-quote}

Transformation#

Momo has recovered from her fallen state, but she has not lost everything gained on this journey. Changes in her appearance continue to show in her hair ornaments and clothing, and she has acquired a constitution where emotional distress causes her to fall into darkness.

Shamiko’s Return#

Armed with the knowledge of Sakura Chiyoda’s whereabouts, Shamiko passes the information on to Momo Chiyoda. Shamiko feels awkward that she cannot return it immediately because the core is embedded inside her, but Momo tells her that just knowing where it is is enough.

In truth, these were likely sincere words, not just an effort to comfort Shamiko. For Momo, searching for Sakura Chiyoda is no longer such a high priority. As Sakura Chiyoda and Ancestor pointed out (or tried to), Momo’s greatest purpose now is to protect Shamiko.

Beginning of a New Journey#

Shamiko sets a new goal: to become a super-strong demon, extract the core, and protect the town. Momo sets a new goal: to protect this town not to search for Sakura Chiyoda, but to protect Shamiko’s smile.

Momo’s Smile#

Shamiko succeeds in making Momo smile. This is unequivocally the elixir Shamiko won in this adventure.

Were the [Outer Problems] and [Inner Problems] Solved?#

Were ShamiMomo able to resolve their respective [Outer Problems] and [Inner Problems]?

Takeaways#

Looking at it this way, Volume 3 brilliantly resolves the inner problems both characters carried.

Furthermore, as a result of the adventure, ShamiMomo officially formed a united front to “protect the town.” This is symbolically depicted through the “oath of the freezer pop.” Through this, the theme of “building a healthy partnership between Shamiko and Momo” is successfully resolved.

This may well be why Volume 3 delivers such tremendous catharsis.