Warning: Contains minor spoilers
The past several years have bore witness to an astronomical consumption growth of anime in the western world. Outside of household names like Naruto and Dragon Ball Z that continue to enjoy perennial popularity, there was a time when the entire medium was fairly obscure and many people regarded it with derision. Things changed over time with viral hits like Attack on Titan, Sword Art Online, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, and more recently, One Punch Man and My Hero Academia, respectively. These shows have a large following and very healthy reception (with the exception of SAO) and it helped anime become more mainstream entertainment. Another factor is the increased accessibility of the medium, with many streaming giants like Hulu and Netflix suggesting shows on their start-up pages.
It got to the point where many celebrities openly endorsed their favorite series and talked about their love of anime. And now I'd consider it a pretty commonplace attraction. I don't think I need to explain why in detail (Google can assist you with more info) since we are here to talk about Demon Slayer, an anime that I think displays all the reasons why the medium is becoming more and more welcomed in western cultures. This was one show that initially flew under the radar of the anime community at the beginning of it's release schedule, but recently experienced easily the largest wave of hype I've seen from any anime this year. That is no small feat, considering the enthusiasm that's catapulted series like The Promised Neverland, Mob Psycho 100 , and Dr. Stone into the spotlight this past year. But excitement surrounding Demon Slayer inflated to the point it began trending on Twitter, and had notable internet personalities raving about it. This wasn't without justification, knowing that studio ufotable was behind the wheel. We know full and well what they can do.
And to this day, even after mulling over the concepts and themes of Demon Slayer, as well as it's fleshed-out characterization and plot progression, I honestly can't say I was really blown away upon watching it like many others have said they were. Sure, the series was indeed better than I initially pegged it would be, but I still think the main reason why Demon Slayer is considered as good as it is is because the phenomenal animation from ufotable and the general atmosphere and aesthetic of the show. It's also built a strong fanbase around the likability of it's central and supporting characters. I will readily admit that I tried my hardest not to get swept up in the affection for Nezuko initially, just because of how quickly she became everyone's favorite girl. Alas, this task was truly impossible. I also eventually grew fond of Inosuke and Zenitsu, and Tanjiro in particular is a fairly well-written protagonist. At the end of the day, Demon Slayer takes a typical shōnen set-up with a tired premise and executes it to near-perfection, giving us a new perspective on the themes the show represents, and blessing us with characters we can genuinely fear for, cheer for, grow with, and laugh with.
The basic premise is as follows: The series takes place during the Taisho era of Japan, and follows a young boy named Tanjiro who lives with his large family in the mountains that overlook a small village. One day, Tanjiro goes down into the village to sell coal, leaving behind his mother and five siblings. He sells out by nightfall and begins to make his way back home, but crashes with an elderly man who tells him the dangers of travelling at night due to the ever-growing threat and presence of demons. Tanjiro returns home the next morning to find his entire family has been slaughtered by a demon, with his sister Nezuko being the sole survivor and clinging to her life. Unfortunately, Nezuko ends up being transformed into a demon herself, so Tanjiro joins the Demon Slayer Corps (self-explanatory title) in an effort to stop the tragedies while also searching for a way to transform his sister into a human again.
While the setting is mildly cool, the actual concept of the show itself isn't exactly new or groundbreaking. The whole "takes place in a world where humans are being preyed on by a creature/monster, and the main character's family gets killed by said monster so he joins the effort to stop them" felt pretty tired to me. Attack on Titan has virtually the exact same set-up, with the exception of the MC transforming into the monster rather than his sister. AoT's set-up was also done with way more raw emotion. In contrast to witnessing Eren's mother actually being eaten alive by a Titan, I felt almost nothing when Tanjiro discovered the bloody corpses of his family. Not seeing their deaths in action means not seeing the utter hopelessness and despair on Tanjiro's face like we did with Eren, and on top of that, Tanjiro didn't even have time to soak in the situation because he realized Nezuko was alive - so he immediately jetted off to save her. This in conjunction with the fact their deaths weren't really surprising at all, really dulled the emotional impact of the opening episode, which only becomes a problem when you realize that the events in this episode are meant to serve as the foundation for Tanjirou's ambitions as a Demon Slayer, and are also referenced several times later in the series.
Now, Demon Slayer by no means had a bad first few episodes. But it didn't do anything interesting with the premise it set up, and there was no real reason beyond an overused tragedy to resonate with any of the characters yet. On top of AoT, Tokyo Ghoul, Parasyte, and even Bleach to a degree all have influences easily detectable within Demon Slayer, so in terms of originality, I wasn't seeing what Demon Slayer was bringing to the table at it's exposition. The basic training arc that immediately followed was also pretty tropey. It was easy to tell from the get-go that Urokodaki was a powerful warrior in his prime who would have some kind of relationship with an antagonist Tanjirou would face as well as the organization he joins. The pacing of the show was also incredibly syrupy at the time, and I began to crave more and more for an interesting conflict to happen that would rejuvenate my interest in the series, because it was steadily fading. The series still had great animation and lively voice acting, so I can tell it was well-made. But DS was pretty much universally acclaimed and has higher ratings than series like HxH on Crunchyroll (MAL's rankings are more accurate though) and the word of mouth both in person and over the internet gave me really high expectations for the show going in. So I might have held it to more scrutiny than I normally would a shōnen of it's nature. Luckily, by the time the Final Selection arc rolled around, I began to appreciate the character bonds and interactions a little bit more.
In episode 3, Tanjiro completes his training for Final Selection with the help of two children, Sabito and Makomo. Once he completes the task Urokodaki set for him as a showcase of his readiness for Final Selection (cutting a large boulder in half) he then goes there and thanks Urokodaki for the training while also telling him to give thanks to the two children, who Urokodaki mentioned were already dead. Earlier Urokodaki told Tanjiro that he had no intention of sending him to Final Selection because he didn't want anymore "dead kids" and we realize what this means when it was revealed it was the spirits of those children that helped Tanjiro cut the boulder. Because once Tanjiro actually gets there, he confronts the demon that defeated and consumed Urokodaki's past disciples. Tanjiro's safe return from Final Selection was coincided with Nezuko'a awakening from a 2 year coma-like slumber, which brought genuine tears to his eyes and Urokodaki's eyes for being the first of his protege's that weren't murdered before they could actually become demon slayers. This moment tugged at my heartstrings, and the fight that transpired between Tanjiro and the demon who hated Urokodaki was also a great display of Tanjiro's bottomless empathy. Which leads me directly into some character analysis.
As a shōnen MC, Tanjiro's optimistic, kindhearted, and very determined attitude is nothing new or compelling. What sets Tanjiro apart is his connection with his Nezuko, his sister who also happens to be a demon. The bond Nezuko and Tanjiro share gives Tanjiro a different perspective of demons in comparison to everyone else. He knows that they were once human and views them as tragic creatures, not typical beasts to be eliminated mechanically. The trait that I love about him is, in comparison to many other shōnen MC's, Tanjiro is not naive and doesn't let his compassion get in the way of his decision making or his duty as a demon slayer. He looked upon the demon that killed Urokodaki's disciples with a pained sadness, despite it having murdered droves of innocent people. Tanjiro knows and has acknowledged that the body tolls demons have racked up is unforgivable, so he doesn't hesitate in taking them out. But Tanjiro doesn't do it out of revenge; he's not fueled by a ballistic rage and hatred to annihilate demons from the face of the Earth. He typically tries to understand them and has even grieved for them upon slaying them. His ability to not let his feelings get in the way of his job show his maturity, but the fact he still lets his feelings have empathy for the monsters because he knows they didn't ask to be in their position is genuinely... admirable. Tanjiro doesn't use the Talk-No-Jutsu either; these are hardened mass murderers that would continue to eat people if not stopped. On top of that, Tanjiro's kindness doesn't come off as cringe-worthy or overbearing, nor is he too sentimental, so he doesn't often break down into tears like a fellow green-haired Naruto. His emotions are pretty justifiable, and his strong love and protective feelings towards his sister and people who he's close to make all the sense in the world. His fighting style also revolves around creativity in combat, which is always fun to see.
With all this being said, as far as character development goes Tanjiro is pretty static, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I can think of many ways to make him more complex and dynamic and go through changes that would increase the quality of the series as we embark on the journey in the Yaiba world along with him. Hunter X Hunter serves as the pinnacle example of powerful character development in both their main MC's, Gon and Killua, and the fights are also the most heady out of any mainstream shōnen anime. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood does a perfect job as well, so I think it's safe to say that if Demon Slayer wants to go down in shōnen history as one of the greats, character development is going to be something much needed.
Characters who have developed include the supporting Inosuke and Zenitsu. Inosuke never experiencing a family and growing up alone, he establishes his first familial bonds with his fellow Demon Slayer. Zenitsu who struggles with cowardic and low self-esteem, because more confident in his decision making upon meeting the other two. Nezuko is adorable, but she isn't some damsel in distress. She's saved Tanjiro regularly and isn't afraid to fight in order to protect those around her.
I've graced upon this topic earlier, but Demon Slayer's fights are the best part of the series. There are a lot of them very early on, and like I said, ufotable really deserves a lion's share of the credit, not really the writing. It may not be anywhere near as good as their work on the extended Fate series, but the CGI incorporation in Demon Slayer is as flawless as ever. The camera action and movements are pretty mind-blowing, occasionally on par with Attack on Titan's 3D maneuver gear sequences.
The stylish techniques used by the Slayers are also incredibly cool, and there were moments when I couldn't discern whether Tanjiro's sword style actually created water or not. It was also mentioned by one of the Spider Demons that Zenitsu's sword technique caused the air to crackle, and Tanjiro was able to hear the sound of thunder while with Inosuke at a different location on the mountain. But that's the beauty of it, their abilities are done and animated very well that you got lost in the visual representation of their metaphoric powers. Speaking of powers, despite the plot progression being very episodic and formulaic at the beginning — with each new week finding Tanjiro battling another demon at the crows behest — these Demons have different powers and relatively different personalities, so each fight has a different feel and flow to it. They also served to show the power hierarchy of the series, especially with the introduction of the Twelve Kizuki and the Hashira.
Demon Slayer does a decent job of subverting our expectations of the villains, with Tanjiro having an encounter with Kibutsiji (the big bad) *very* early into the series, and smaller things like the true identity of one of the Twelve Demon Moons as opposed to who we thought it was initially.
It's time to wrap up this review with discussion of the extraordinary episode 19, before finally venturing into the manga (or maybe not). If you haven't seen the series it'd be pretty massive spoiler territory, as far as the details go on the Spider Clan Family of the mountain arc. So to summarize, the battle was real high-emotion moment with breathtaking animation, saturation of contrasting colors, impeccable camera movement, a moving, cinematic musical score, and an abundance of infectious energy from Tanjiro himself. It was a clash of ideals, with Nezuko being captured by Rui, who's ideas of family bonds and relationship were abusive and later revealed to be stemmed from a crushing guilt and depression. Denial of the events was worsened psychological manipulation from Muzan Kibutsuji. Tanjiro's pure-hearted bond with Nezuko contrasted this, and ended with genuinely moving emotional liberation for Rui. Tanjiro and Nezuko working together was also a sight to behold, with flashbacks of their past family memories serving as the basis for revitalized power when they were on the losing end. Complete with loads of memorable shots, and a swirling explosion of brilliant watercolor and technical animation excellence, the entire episode really complemented the story arc well and showed the potential the series had to offer as far as pushing the envelope of what a basic shōnen formula can achieve.
The introduction of the Hashira in the next arc was also done really well, from a standpoint of reading the manga beforehand, the incredible voice acting and color gave new life to the scenes. The voice acting in this show has so far been very lively and engaging. All the technical aspects of this series are pretty top-industry quality.
To conclude, while I feel like show can make improvements on different fronts and still has a long way to go in order to stand with the best of the genre, there's no denying it got better as it went along, and has a lot of potential and room for growth in order to do so.
Rating
What should I review next?