Intro:
It’s been a long while since I sat down and properly watched an anime series. I know there are many I will probably love but for me personally I have to be in a certain mindset/mood to watch them.
However, it seems that mood hit me recently because after seeing hype on Twitter about the new Demon Slayer movie, I decided to sit down, load up Netflix and watch the series, and I fell in love with it!
Plot:
Tanjiro Kamado is a young teenage boy who shows nothing but kindness to anyone and everyone he meets. For years he has lived a happy life with his widowed mother, three young brothers and two younger sisters, but all of that changed when Tanjiro returns home one morning to find his family murdered by a demon. Everyone, except for his sister Nezuko is slaughtered, but Nezuko alone is instead transformed from a human into a demon.
After a run in with a warrior called Giyū Tomioka, who at first tries to kill Nezuko, Tanjiro and Nezuko find themselves entangled in the affairs of a secret order known as Demon Slayers, whose soul purpose is to find and slay demons that threaten humanity. Tomioka is the first to witness the miracle of a demon protecting a human, instead of devouring them. Nezuko protects her big brother with her own life, which sets off a chain of events that reveals new discoveries of power, determination and the bond between family. Tanjiro swears to one day become a Demon Slayer in order to find a cure to turn Nezuko back into a human again.
Trained for two years by the tutor known as Sakonji Urokodaki, Tanjiro learns that he is stronger than he could have ever imagined, and he is now ready for his final test, to become an official member of the Demon Slayer corps. His final trial is not an easy one though, and Tanjiro will have to keep himself focused and composed in order to overcome the trials that a Demon Slayer must face on a daily basis.
Along the way, Tanjiro learns more about Demons, discovering that despite their first appearances, not all demons are inherently evil, with many of them having tragic past lives. Tanjiro respects his foes, making him very unlike the other Demon Slayers, who see their foes as nothing but monsters to be eradicated without mercy.
As his journey takes him across the land of Taishõ-era Japan, he faces all kinds of demons with different power levels, whilst also meeting more humans and other members of the Demon Slayer corps, some of which become close friends and allies, such as Inosuke Hashibira and Zenitsu Agatsuma, who become Tanjiro’s closest allies throughout his journey, as they discover more about themselves through Tanjiro’s kindness and motivational attitude.
Learning that Demons are all controlled by one alpha Demon by the name of Muzan Kibutsuji, Tanjiro is determined to grow stronger in order to bring down this Demon King who is responsible for turning other humans into Demons, especially since his scent was the one that lingered in the air the night Tanjiro found his family slaughtered.
Art:
Demon Slayer looks amazing, filled with beautiful artwork and animation throughout the entire series, with crisp clean drawings, deep colours and great lighting effects, especially when it comes to looking at the effects of a characters elemental fighting form, such as Tanjiro’s Water strikes. Character designs are unique and every image has its own personality that seeps through the screen, catching your eye whilst leaving your mind in awe.
Typical of most anime, it’s hard to even begin to tell the age of characters but in many ways, the age doesn’t really matter. The characters are excellently designed, with each one featuring certain aesthetic aspects that portray parts of their personality. For example, one of my favourite looking characters is Inosuke Hashibira.
Inosuke wears a boar’s hide, and wields two lethal edged swords that are designed to tear away at flesh, making his whole aesthetic threatening to those who oppose him. However, beneath the mask is a youthful face which portrays the aspects of his character that he rarely shows, as he is not always wild and deadly, because as time goes on, his bond with Tanjiro and Zenitsu grows, with Inosuke showing kindness towards them despite trying his best to remain the hyperactive badass he portrays on the outside.
Action:
When this series gets into the action, it’s so much more than just a sequence of swords clashing and demons dying. There is a lot of thought and emotion with each sequence, as Tanjiro must evolve with each fight, we get to see him learning which really gives the audience a sense of being on this journey with the protagonist. Not every swing of his blade is good enough, and we have to watch Tanjiro struggle with his skills as well as his own emotions towards hurting others. We know he is determined to fight demons to cure his sister, but not every demon deserves their punishment, or the disrespect shown to them by other Demon Slayers, who treat them as less than beings.
The rollercoaster of emotions that this series takes you on is truly something unique that I haven’t witnessed with other anime that I have watched. In times where Tanjiro is struggling, you root for him to get up and fight on, and in times where a demon’s past is revealed, you find yourself feeling sympathy for the enemy, because you discover there’s more of a grey area within this world than you find in other stories. Even some of the most irritating and diabolical demons have a past they wish they could forget, which leads me to believe that in later seasons, even the big bad will be revealed to have more emotional trauma behind his facade that will make us sympathize with him, even if it’s just a little bit.
Overall:
As someone who is fairly new to anime, I must say that this would be a good starting point for anyone looking to get into an anime series that has a unique story, great action and fun characters, whilst still also containing some of the stereotypical anime tropes such as character types, sword techniques that transform a characters powers, and of course the excellent intro and credits songs that hit you right in the feels.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is available to watch on Netflix in the UK and the new Demon Slayer movie ‘Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Mugen Train’ is out now in cinemas across the UK. The movie takes place directly after the events of the first season, so I would recommend giving the show a watch before the film to give you a better idea of characters and events.
Media Mallrat 
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