Richie Reviews – Demon Slayer

The first thing anyone always asks me when I talk about an anime movie or show, is ‘what’s the animation like?’ Let’s get straight to the point; the animation is stunning! As someone who has recently revisited some of his childhood animes, I got to pondering how far 2D animation can advance, but surely enough, 15 years or so is a lot of time for animated development. The show makes excellent use of combining 2D and 3D animation, particularly environments, and the character designs are crisp and most have strikingly colourful or eccentric aesthetic, which is an effective contrast to the dark world that they inhabit. I naively thought going into this show, that I wouldn’t be surprised by any outlandishness that was presented to me, having seen a fair few animes in my time,  which means that to me, wacky and wonderful is an expectation of the genre. I was pleasantly surprised and the show strangely subverted my preconceptions, specifically around some of the central characters. However, it wasn’t forced or gimmicky, which again is another testament to how finely crafted Demon Slayer is visually.

Another typical anime staple is the heightened music over the opening credits, which I always say is the first thing an anime should be judged on. Demon Slayer has quite a catchy and enjoyable opening theme, which although I wouldn’t say stands out, is perfectly suited to the show and I’m not surprised it’s been stuck in the head of the person who recommended it to me. I just hope that the inevitable replacement song in either the movie or season 2 does the show justice, as per anime tradition. In terms of the music within the show narrative, I felt DS broke the mold a little bit, as it’s sound design didn’t seem repetitive to me. As is the case with many an anime, which may be a system of branding reinforcement, too many shows re-use the same samples of soundtrack for action, sadness, humor etc. Whether or not it was just done subtly, I can’t recall a portion where I thought ‘oh, this score again’. As such it provided a refreshing auditory experience, which I hope they continue going forward. Similarly I watched the English-dub, which is generally considered a taboo among anime fans, but it was pointed out to me that I’d potentially miss much of the action if I read subtitles the whole time. The voice acting was diverse and done very well, and each character was suitably cast and had a voice that very much matched their personality and appearance. That said, I am tempted to watch the sub to see how their original Japanese lines differ.

As for the characters themselves, each of them is as interesting as the next, and indeed even the antagonists aren’t just carbon copies or slight differentiations from the demon that preceded them. Despite my predisposition of generally dismissing the protagonist as a favourite, Tanjiro is a likeable badass with a lot of heart, which admittedly is how he was described to me. With that in mind, I then thought any of the wider cast would be dull and or annoying, and whilst one or two give off that vibe, not once did those qualities provoke that opinion from me. Whilst I appreciate the effort that goes into each and every character design, even the two-episode bad guys, I have to ask myself whether or not this is maintainable as the show progresses, and it will interesting to see if laziness will creep in and the copy and paste monsters arrive. The primary antagonist of the series, the first and creator of the demons, Muzan Kibutsuji, at first glance, seemed to be based on Michael Jackson, which was something I had trouble getting passed. Watching the character walk around looking suspiciously like a Smooth Criminal was distracting to say the least, and before he started displaying some of his demon powers, my immersion in the narrative suffered. That said, he proved to be a mysterious and compelling villain who I’m eager to find out more about. I’d hazard a guess that he will be in it for the long-haul. 

The story is nicely paced and the lore and world-building is solid, introducing interesting concepts, particularly around the demons themselves, which are fresh but leave room for development. The series does away with a typical ‘one villain’ per series approach and has several across its 26 episode run, whilst maintaining a looming over-arching threat from Muzan. One criticism is that the show seems to take place on mountains all the time, and it doesn’t do well to explain whether it’s the same mountain, or a series of them which seemingly are infested with demons that the wider world doesn’t know about. Indeed there s a mention at one point that the government doesn’t officially recognise Demon Slayers.

The show ends nicely after a few final episodes which tie-up the overall narrative and give hints to where it’s going next – an ending that definitely leaves you wanting more. All in all I expected Demon Slayer to be good, based on the high praise of someone who I would not class as an anime fan, but it was definitely better than expected. Upon hearing that the movie is the highest-grossing film of all-time in Japan (Sorry Marvel), I’m itching to watch it, given that it picks up directly where the series ends. Compared to more popular shows which had greater impact when they released in the Western-market, Demon Slayer seems to of quietly slipped under the radar of many, but it’s easy to see how and why it’s become such a big hit in it’s native Japan.