For a show to be good, is it always necessary to have a complex plot and a deep cast of characters?
Can masterful visual and sound-production elevate an average story to a great one?
I believe Kimetsu no Yaiba proves it can.
I feel like there are only two types of opinions about Kimetsu no Yaiba:
Either you love it as one of the best anime of the decade or you hate it as an over-hyped story with
little to back it up. So now after the movie, that broke absolutely broke the box-offices in Japan,
and with the widely-anticipated release of the second season,
I finally want to share my honest thoughts on this highly controversial Anime - spoiler free.
Hi my name is Manu, I'm getting really tired of all the Demon Slayer Merch here in Japan,
seriously, every convenient store has some chocolate or beverage with
something from this series, but nonetheless, I want to convince you today that it's
absolutely worth watching Kimitsu no Yaiba, with a heavy emphasis on the watching part.
Before we can get into the part of this show that I absolutely love and that
ultimately made me recommend this show, I want to address some criticism I have.
This anime set new standards in some aspects,
but is quite underwhelming in others, which I feel leads to the polarised opinions around it.
The biggest criticism you hear around the story is its writing. But that's such a general criticism
that it physically pains me, whenever someone says it. Writing consists of many parts. The world,
the premise, the plot, the characters, the dialog and much much more. That being said,
I promised I would start with the negative. One of my favourite things in storytelling
are great characters. People that are relatable, detestable or inspiring,
but generally feel like real people who go on some sort of journey throughout the story.
And I honestly gotta say that demon slayer does not have great character writing. Tanjiro is an
interesting take on the Shonen Hero Trope, one of the better characters in the story and definitely
not as terrible as some claim. But he also doesn't impact me as much on a personal level
as a Luffy or Itadori would and in a way is almost a little bit 'too good', where there are very few
morally questionable actions from his side, that make him feel more like a real person.
Almost all of the characters have a distinctive quirk that makes them unique, but at the same time
lack proper characterisation. Zenitsu is probably the most annoying aspect of the show for me,
because even with his backstory we don't really get a good explanation as for why he
behaves this way, and honestly the joke with his character as an over-the-top coward drags on way
to long. And there is literally no redeeming aspect to his character.
Similarly Inosuke's quirk is also a bit too much,
however compared to Zenitsu he has a lot more character development in that regard.
Another thing that bothered me was that many of the antagonists get flash backs to make
them relatable, however with very poor timing, only after they already have been defeated,
which sort of misses the point of making us sympathise with them.
Nezuko, who is the star of the show in a way, is extremely lovable,
yes, but doesn't have a single line of dialogue throughout the series, even though demons can talk
and we have other examples of good demons, not eating humans. So why does Nezuko wear a muzzle?
In general there a number of inconsistencies like these throughout the story. And at some points,
I find the pacing of the plot very poorly chosen, where some fights drag on too long,
while important character moments are cut short or overshadowed by badly-timed comedy.
Demon slayer is not perfect and I think criticising certain aspects of the show
is absolutely justified, and it's a shame because the story
could be so much more with better character writing. However, now with all that being said,
why do I still love and strongly recommend that you watch this anime?
Well first of all, next to character and pace, there is a lot of
really decent writing in this as well. The premise of the story is pretty good,
as we follow Tanjiro's quest to find a cure for his sister, where we follow him growing
up and learning about the world around him. It's a classic Shounen arc, but very well executed.
There is a great balance of characters, with a very refreshing take on female character,
not following the big-boobed damsel in distress pattern,
but actually introducing a very unique and impressive cast of male
and female characters alike. And the anime doesn't shy away form graphic imagery and
a darker sub-tone. Two things that also made Jujutsu Kaisen stand out. Tanjiro's motivation
is clear from the start and we can fully understand
why he does what he does. This allows us to explore the world of this anime with him,
which is the first thing about Kimetsu no Yaiba where it outshines many other stories.
The setting and story world of this anime is absolutely fantastic. I am a huge fan
of world building and chasing Edo-period Japan was the perfect choice for this in my opinion.
This way we get the best of both worlds, rural med-eval Japan as well as bright,
vivid cities. Times are changing and we see tradition and katana
meeting electricity and progress. We see the demons integrating into this new world
way better than the demon slayer organisation and the challenges that come with a changing country.
But for me most importantly, we get the beautiful aesthetic of Edo period Japan,
that offers most of the romanticised image of Japan, many of us love.
The landscapes are beautiful, the towns and cities are beautiful, and despite the constant
threat of the demons, there is a certain sense of piece and stability to this world.
Do you know that warm feeling you associate with wonderfully drawn anime landscapes? Well
demon slayer is that for every single episode. It's a fantastic, if admittedly romanticised,
glimpse into a version of Japan that you don't see all too often in Anime, that Japanese people
are very proud of, which partly explains the crazy success it had domestically.
However, this already gets to the core of this video. For me, this world only truly comes to
live like this in the Anime. The main reason this story become such a hit and was able to
distinguish itself form its competition, was in large parts thanks to studio Ufotable,
who brought this world to life. I really can’t praise the studio enough because that’s
how big their contribution has been. You can pause the anime at almost any point,
and it looks like a wallpaper. The world feels vibrant and alive. The
character designs are colourful and unique and combined with fantastic voice acting as well
as detail-rich facial expressions make up for a lot of the characterisation missing in the manga.
The production team managed to find a near flawless balance between 2D and 3D,
seamlessly blending the two to allow for new and exciting camera moments and action sequences as
well as stunning ambient lighting, perfecting what many other anime struggle with. Visually, Demon
Slayer easily outperforms most competition of the last few years. It's truly a visual masterpiece.
The score, created by Yuki Kajiura and Go Shiina, is pretty much perfect,
with a rich variety of tracks that by themselves lift the plot and storyline to a higher level.
The openings by the artist Lisa are so popular here in Japan,
that you basically hear them every day SOMEWHERE playing on some radio station.
All of it accentuated by great sound design, that complements the score perfectly.
Interestingly enough, Demon Slayer not only won Anime of the year at the Chrunchyroll Awards,
but also 'Best Fight Scene'. And I think that this is the real reason this Anime is
as successful as it is. The outstanding work of the visual and sound-department
came to full fruition with the many action and fighting scenes this anime has. Every-time Tanjiro
swings unleashes his water-breathing, it is followed by a visual firework of these beautiful
lush blue ink-like waves juxtaposed against a photorealistic background.
That is just breath-taking every time I see it. Even slow-motion,
which is often used a bit awkwardly in Japanese media, is perfect. Just look at this scene. []
This is some real eye-candy. So in the end, while the writing in the Manga is
far from impeccable and in some parts is a little disappointing, the concept of the story overall,
is solid. And taken to the screen with breathtaking work from the production team,
Kimetsu no Yaiba in my opinion is a must-see, though you can skip the scenes with Zenitsu in
my opinion. It is easily bingable, and now that season two is out with the pleasure district arc,
I can't wait to dive back into this Edo-period wonder-world and hunt some demons.
If you made it until here, that's the universe telling you to subscribe.