Demon Slayer: Review

Based on a 2019 manga series by the same name, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba was one of last year’s most patronized anime franchises. Being adapted from the manga that quickly rose to the top 10 best-selling manga series of all time, the anime series’ popularity ballooned so feverishly that anticipation for the follow-up movie saw it become the most successful anime flick, ever.

The series, taking a very fresh approach to the old demon slayer genre, sees a pair of siblings forced into the world of demon-slaying after a demon comes calling at the family’s door. With one of their parents dying, and one of the siblings turning into a demon who retains human cognitive, and emotional capacity, they embark on a quest to find a cure. 

The Story of Demon Slayer

Set in the Taisho era of Japan’s history, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (Blade of Demon Destruction) is a tale about two siblings, a brother, and a sister, who must join forces with demon slayers to find a cure for the demon curse that the younger sister finds herself afflicted with after a demon attacks the family. 

Tanjiro becomes his family’s breadwinner, following the death of his father. He returns from selling charcoal in a nearby village, to find his family has been attacked by a demon. His mother is dead, while his sister Nezuko, is left with a curse that gives her the appearance of a demon, though her emotional and cognitive faculties remain unchanged. 

Soon afterward, Tanjiro meets and is recruited by demon slayer, Giyū Tomioka. The demon slayer sends him to Sakonji Urokodaki, who is a former demon slayer who will assume the role of mentor to Tanjiro, imparting all knowledge he has on slaying demons to him. This marks the beginning of a journey to restoring his sister to human form and avenging his slain family. 

Characters of Demon Slayer

Demons, in the context of the Kimetsu no Yaiba narrative, are humans who have surrendered their humanity for great power. They feed on the fear of humans and have superhuman abilities; super strength, regenerative capabilities, as well as magical powers. Demon slayers, who under the banner of the Demon Slayer Corps have been waging a centuries-long war against demons, are simply human. 

Humans whose only special ability is a sword made from Sun Steel and doused with a poison made from wisteria flowers which enables them to kill demons. Other than that, the demon slayers are equipped with a set of breathing techniques that enable them to perform seemingly superhuman feats, like running faster or longer, leaping higher with exaggerated strength

Mugen Train

Demon Slayer: Mugen Train would be the resulting sequel. It is a movie that grossed over 500 million at the box office, making it the single most commercially successful anime film of all time. In part, due to crazed participation, It’s success can also be attributed to the timing of the release. Going public at a time when Japan was just easing up Covid-19 restrictions, fans of the flick found little else to compete with Mugen Train in terms of options at the box office at the time. 

The movie sees Tanjiro, Nezuko, Inosuke, and Zenitsu board a train to help Kyōjurō Rengoku, the Flame Hashira, get a demon that has been making a name for itself, killing quite several demon slayers. They fall into a deep sleep as soon as they are settled onto the train. Emu then instructs four insomniac passengers to invade the dreams of the demon slayers, in exchange for sweet dreams of their own. 

The events that follow are gripping and intense, as there is a clear race against time, to get everyone back into consciousness, and deal with the demon who is out to get them. Tanjiro soon finds that it will take more than beheading this demon to put an end to it. 

In Closing

Demon slayers usually fall into the realm of fantasy, so does Demon slayer. Being set in a time when belief in such phenomena was still a big part of the human way of thinking, the story draws from its setting, but adds a very special-forces element to demon demon-slaying makes the series extra enjoyable for fans who aren’t big on magical themes.