Kimecu no jaiba

It took me an awfully long time to figure out what others saw in this show. It just came across like it was just a mediocre shonen for the first half or so of the season. There is a very loud main male protagonist and a rather obvious narrative, and on top of that Zenitsu shows up, a character whose voice could wake the dead, and whose cowardly nature I found incredibly irritating more than, say, Usopp in One Piece. It was so bad that I even considered just dropping it. During the first ten or so episodes, I only found two fight scenes interesting (the one in the first episode and then the one in the examination) and I only really found Nezuko likable. She is amazing just because she doesn't speak most of the time (which is refreshing because of the loudness of others) and then from nowhere occasionally pulls some unforgettably funny faces. In addition to that, she is helping her brother fight and also fighting her own demon curse, so I have to admire her. I probably do not even need to start on how incredibly adorable she is... It is simply impossible not to like Nezuko! I also became impressed with how they executed the showdown with the two demons. Then there was a fight with a certain demon in a house that was constantly transforming with the rooms rotating, and I suddenly noticed the incredibly elaborate camera work and the attention to detail - I found myself being really entertained. I not only really enjoyed just what was happening on screen, I was mostly impressed by how well it was portrayed. The main male protagonist was also very likable. I liked the fact his motivation was not as vague as simply being the best of the best, or just killing everything in his path, and that his motivation was simply to help his sister. I also noticed that while he does have a certain amount of compassion for his opponents, he firmly knows what his duty is and that while on the one hand, he feels sorry for the demons (and their stories are often sad), he still realizes that they are monsters who, unlike his sister, killed people, and I approve of that particular point of view. Inosuke was another addition to the team - the boy with the boar's head, and although I did not like him much at first, in the end I have to say that I actually like this anime version of Leeroy Jenkins quite a lot. What is more, Inosuke is probably in the funniest scene of the whole anime series (the part where he runs away from the enemy and suddenly realizes that it is completely against his character...). The battle with the spiders which followed meant I was definitely convinced that this anime series probably has the most spectacular fight scenes I have ever seen! The scene with Tanjiro fighting Rui is pure graphic art with a great sense of tension, atmosphere, aesthetics, and color... In other words, fight scenes produced at this level with dynamic camerawork, following the movements of characters (or even rotating rooms) and absolutely beautiful shots from completely unexpected angles, could only be done by studio Ufotable! They are on the top in quality of animation and only one who is on par with them is probably WIT Studio (as they did in Attack on Titan where, for example, there is the legendary scene where "Levi arrives at the bar", or his attack on the group led by The Beast Titan, and, of course, Vinland Saga). That sequence when Tanjiro makes his final attack with Nezuko is just so beautiful! That is when I increased the rating and started enjoying every shot (for example, watching the last episode today, I had a visual orgasm again). So Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is really perfect concerning its soundtrack and the graphics, in some parts one of the most visually stunning anime series I have ever seen. Narrative-wise, I think it is better than average, though very obvious in places. The characters are largely likable (and then there is Zenitsu...). Well, I guess it was from that fight in the rotating house that I started to really enjoy it. The introduction of all the "Pillars" of the local demon-hunting organization and the whole (perfect) last episode even got me very excited and looking forward to the movie that is coming soon. So yes, I am definitely hooked. I am finding this anime series quite intriguing, and I would happily watch it again sometime soon just for some of the scenes alone. 8/10. (20.09.2021) (vähemmän) (lisää)

The Mugen Train Arc is easier to digest as a TV anime series adaptation than Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train, mainly due to the addition of the first episode and the fact that there is a week’s break between each episode of the anime series. What I mean by the former is that because of the extra first episode in which Kyojuro Rengoku is introduced to us in more depth, this character gains more life and is a bit better fleshed out within the plot. His fate interests me more than it did in the movie. By the latter, I mean that all the whining, which is so annoying in the movie, is not as bad because of the anime TV series format, it is more tolerable. However, to give the first part of the anime series a better rating than I gave the movie, considering that it is an exact retelling from the second episode, strikes me as nonsense, so I am sticking to the same rating. In other words, yes, the anime series adaptation is a bit better, in my opinion, even though the downside is that it is simply a retelling of something I have already seen. Thus I cannot legitimately enjoy it as much as I did when I first saw it because I already know its narrative quite well. The Entertainment District Arc is the best part of the anime series so far. It has momentum, so the pacing is quite brisk. This anime series has some of the most gorgeous and dazzling fight scenes I have ever seen because the cinematography is divine, the editing is unreal, plus the set design and choreography of the fight scenes are also incredible. The Ufotable animation studio knows how to produce a fight scene and shoot it from different angles; they have great camera work, so the movement and the pace are dynamic. This is what slow motion is supposed to look like, and conversely, this is how to speed up a shot using editing so that the viewer's eye can process it. In addition, the anime's creators know how to work with color filters and know that the aesthetic impression is as important for the viewer as the smooth movement. After all, most of the team working on Demon Slayer worked on Fate/Zero and Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works, and anyone who has seen those anime series and experienced their fight scenes is not going to be all that surprised by the quality of this show. I thought that the best episode was probably the thirteenth when, in addition to everything already mentioned, I enjoyed Tanjiro's scene with Daki, especially when he show something like "Where are you going? Get over here!" Of course, the other episodes were also magnificent, full of beautiful and powerful moments, unexpected power shifts between the rival sides, and moments that gave me chills. I was afraid for the main male protagonists during at least one scene. In other words, from the thirteenth episode onwards, everything built up incredibly to a powerful and emotional conclusion that once again did not disappoint. I was happy with how they executed everything and that I once again got that profound feeling where I could sympathize with the main villain and his narrative, which was shocking, powerful, and sad. (I missed this a lot in the Mugen Train Arc with Enmu, for example). Likewise, I was won over again by Tanjiro Kamado and his empathy. Another big positive aspect of the Entertainment District Arc is the greater use of Nezuko. Finally, he is not just there as an ornament for decorative purposes that the main male protagonist carries around in his backpack, or just a symbol of incredible cuteness, or a comic element. Nezuko features some strong scenes in this show, saving others' skins at the right moments, and in her fighting form, she comes across as dazzling and sinister, almost like She-Hulk. Plus, when the hysterical Zenitsu is asleep most of the time and performs in some of the coolest moments of this anime series like it is nothing, there is almost nothing to prevent yourself from really enjoying this. Only almost, of course, because even the Entertainment District Arc has its weaknesses. For one thing, it is great that the first episode of this installment satisfactorily wraps up the previous part, dealing with what happened on the train and things related to it. It was necessary for me as a viewer. However, once again, the anime's creators had not learned their lesson, so Uzui Tengen's arrival on the scene is as strange and abrupt as it was in the previous episode with Rengoku. Again, there is a lack of introduction (this is something that the first episode of this anime series addresses with the Mugen Train Arc, although they missed that with Uzui Tengen). As a result, we only get to know Uzui Tengen from minor flashbacks, hints within the narrative, and some post-credits scenes. I quite liked Tengen, and fortunately, by making Tengen a slightly more interesting character than Rengoku was, in my opinion, it all works a little better. (By that, I do not just mean that he has three wives, but rather how he interacts with others, including his wives). After saying that, I still insist that I feel he deserved a better introduction. Another thing I did not get were some of the things that many praised terribly, although I, being ignorant of the original manga, did not get. Like, what was so freaking cool about the muscle mice? I felt like I was missing something; many viewers loved them, even though I still do not know why. Another minor complaint is that I found episodes eight to twelve a bit rushed and truncated. They were supposed to portray the setting and introduce situations and the characters. While they did all this quite well in the end, I could not shake off the impression that they were in a terrible hurry to get through it as quickly as possible so that the fight would be over. Anyway, all these negative aspects would still not have been so terrible and would have only made the overall impression worse by about half a point, if it were not for something else that really annoyed me. What irritated me so much was the plot armor of some of the characters. SPOILER ALERT. In the penultimate episode, Inosuke was really over the top. I could still buy that the first layer of his armor was immune to poisons because he is a mountain boy, although the organ shifting in his body was total bullshit! That was plot armor of a Fairy Tail level and perhaps even worse! That one line pissed me off, I could have done without it, just like I am sure the conclusion could have done without Inosuke, or the whole thing could have been made less stupid! END OF SPOILERS. I guess that is enough for the negative aspects. Most of the time, Demon Slayer shows how a shonen can be engaging, where the emotional aspects work, the fight scenes are good, and even the characters become increasingly easier to like. So there are weaknesses, although every show has them. So I am looking forward to future episodes to see what else the anime's creators are going to come up with and where they can take it all visually with the graphics because what they showed in this show demonstrated they are without question at the TOP of their game. The TOP narrative is now the only thing that it is missing, but the Entertainment District Arc, was well-paced and emotional. I found it moving, although the plot was lacking. I am awarding the Mugen Train Arc - 7.5/10 and the Entertainment District Arc 9/10, 8.3/10 overall. (13.02.2022) (vähemmän) (lisää)

A 5-star experience and the best season of Demon Slayer is not going to happen this time around. Entertainment District Arc remains the pinnacle of the series for me, unbeatable. Ironically, both the first and last episodes, those wild, almost hour-long segments, merit the highest rating, but I have several reservations about the rest. What tarnished the impression of this season the most for me? The expected answer might be CGI, or more precisely, anything executed with 3DCG animation — specifically, the fish (the wooden dragons were perfectly fine). These fishy minions appeared notably subpar by Ufotable studio standards; their movements felt weird and unnatural, and rather than being terrifying, they came across as somewhat laughable. Complaints could also extend to moments before the plot unfolded, where boredom occasionally set in. My overall impression was saved by the storyline around a mysterious man from the past, adorned with the same earrings as the main character and his sword. However, the tale involving the swordsmiths didn't quite hit the mark, with the standout moments being those unrelated to the swordsmith village (the mysterious samurai from the past, Nezuko and the sun, Muzan's backstory, and motivation). But my primary issue with this season wasn't the swordsmiths or the plot — it was the villains. The first episode introduced the missing members of the upper demon circle, including new, more terrifying demons than the well-known Akaza. Upper Rank Two and Upper Rank One were so well introduced that they genuinely scared me, prompting the thought, 'If Upper Rank One is this formidable, what the hell is Muzan?' Yet, alongside these impressive demons, there were 'Pot Boy' and 'Coward'—the antagonists of the new season. The creators failed to sell them to me. Compared to the other upper demons, they seemed weak and uninteresting to me, and Pot Boy with his vases and fish, and Coward, who seemed like a crazy Matryoshka, simply couldn't convince me that I should be afraid of them. They didn't evoke as much respect from me as Daki and Gyuutarou, which shouldn't be the case given the hierarchy of demons. Even at the very end, they couldn't evoke anything in me. Surprisingly, both Hashiras received better and more detailed treatment than Tengen in the previous season. However, the problem is that Muichirou, who got much more space, is ultimately no more interesting to me than Mitsuri, and in the end, I couldn't like them as much as Tengen and Kyoujurou in the previous series. The animation is stunning in some moments; for me personally, the most impressive moment of the whole series was probably the graceful entrance of Mitsuri (the scene with the backflip under the moonlight) or all those beautiful colors when Tanjirou used one of his techniques, especially in the last episode. Unfortunately, there were hardly any longer uninterrupted passages. These cool animation moments only came for a while and sporadically, nothing like the long fireworks displays of color in the previous season, which would give me an animation orgasm. The same goes for the dynamic camera, which I love about Demon Slayer; it appeared quite often only in the first (Infinity Castle) and the last episode (the chase in the forest), and then during the fight with the dragon heads, which seemed less frequent than what I'm used to. On the bright side, the music stood out, contributing well to certain passages. Despite falling short of a 5-star experience and not being the best season, this season earns a 7.5/10 compared to other anime series. (18.06.2023) (vähemmän) (lisää)