I hit play and the chat exploded—two songs, one episode, and no clear favorite. You sat there, too, feeling the same tug between opener and closer. By the time the credits rolled, both tracks were already stalking playlists.
I’ve followed anime music long enough to smell when a pairing is doing clever work: this one isn’t accidental. Daemons of the Shadow Realm just premiered its second episode and dropped two full songs that act as twins—Vaundy’s “Tobu Toki” opens, Yama’s “Tobou Yo” closes. Both full versions arrived Saturday night, and both artists doubled down by covering each other’s track on streaming platforms: Vaundy pairs “Tobu Toki” with Yama’s “Tobou Yo,” and Yama pairs “Tobu Taki” with Vaundy’s “Tobou Yo.” The single art echoes the series’ twin leads, Asa and Yoru, so the music is doing story work as much as the visuals.
At the premiere, viewers paused the episode and replayed the opener
That moment—when people rewind because a chord hit—is worth watching. Vaundy’s “Tobu Toki” carries an old-school anime energy; fans hear echoes of Yui’s “Again” from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood in a phrase before the finale. Studio Bones is not new to Hiromu Arakawa’s work, so the callbacks in staging and scale feel intentional: fights in the sky, twins split across frames, rapid flashes of the supernatural.
They are mirrors—the music reflecting the characters’ doubled perspective. The opener leans into sweeping orchestral lifts and guitar lines that could soundtrack a reunion or a falling-out; the closer pulls inward, intimate and defiant.
Who sings the Daemons of the Shadow Realm songs?
Vaundy sings the opening “Tobu Toki,” and Yama performs the closing “Tobou Yo.” Both released full versions the same Saturday the episode ran, which is why the buzz spiked so fast across Twitter, YouTube, and Spotify.
On streaming platforms, the singles were uploaded as paired releases
Look at Spotify and the stores: each artist grouped their original with the other’s cover on the same single. That’s a marketing move and a narrative choice.
Vaundy’s release bundles his “Tobu Toki” with Yama’s version of “Tobou Yo,” while Yama’s single pairs his “Tobou Yo” with Vaundy’s take. The cross-covering drives playlist playthroughs and fan comparison threads—people now queue both tracks back-to-back to hear where the lines meet and split.
The tracks act like a pair of magnets, pulling different listener moods into the same orbit—one track pushes for spectacle, the other pulls toward character.
Are Vaundy and Yama covering each other’s songs?
Yes. Both artists recorded covers of the other’s song, and those covers were released as part of each single. It’s a tidy creative echo that mirrors the show’s twin leads, and it gives fans four distinct listening experiences from two episodes.
In comment threads, listeners keep tracing the Fullmetal comparison
People aren’t inventing the comparison; visual and musical cues line up. The opening’s aerial choreography and quick supernatural flashes echo the openings and outros of both Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood and the 2003 series. Given Studio Bones’ previous adaptation of Arakawa’s work, those echoes feel like deliberate nods rather than coincidence.
If you’re cataloging influences, add Yui’s “Again” to the list and note how the new show borrows tempo and cadence without copying. That balance—familiar but new—is what keeps longtime anime fans intrigued while still inviting new listeners to press play.
New episodes of Daemons of the Shadow Realm premiere Saturdays on Crunchyroll.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
So which track are you queuing first, and which will you swear is the better fit for Asa or Yoru?