© 篠原千絵／小学館／アニメ「天は赤い河のほとり」製作委員会There's nothing worse than a lost possibility, and as of this moment, that's what Red River 's anime adaptation feels like. These are plot points that work in the context of the manga, but the anime, particularly episode four, is stripped of a lot of the emotions and nuance that Shinohara brought to the source material. Yuri rides into battle (war) and saves Shala (love), and her position as Kail's concubine brings the fertility aspect into play. Surely the anime can do better than this? But following the book faithfully isn't enough to make a good anime, and I hope that the pace picks up going forward.