Reinventing The Norm?

Admittedly, whilst I’ve had the pleasure in viewing the likes of both The Promised Neverland and Attack On Titan this year which have each respectively presented narrative formats filled with suspense, mystery and awe, it can’t be helped to mention how lacking I’ve pursued myself in viewing many different anime show’s. Indeed, as much as I can crave and indulge myself in a daily dose of binging an anime series that has a captivating premise, it’s fair to say that I’ve not been as attentive in investing my time to new premises. However, despite this, it’s equally fair to perceive how much the Shōnen anime, in recent years, has favoured the thrills and spills; rather than the copious norm. This is certainly perceptible through the much recent Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba), a newcomer to the Shōnen fray that has rather been hidden under the radar, until now. Adapted by the infamous Ufotable (the animated studio who’s responsible for bringing forth the Fate franchise,including Fate/Zero and Fate/Zero Unlimited Blade Works) Demon Slayer boasts not only an art style that is both beautiful and seamless in relation to it’s transfused style of drawn and CG, but also a ‘revenge’ premise that doesn’t necessarily akin to the anime tropes of yesteryear. However, in comparison to the many other highly sort-after series’ of My Hero Academia, Dragon Ball, One Piece and more on-going series of the similar ilk, does Demon Slayer’s purposefully different portrayal of the Shōnen genre make it a definite main-stay?…

Set in the Taisho period of Japan, Demon Slayer depicts its story around Tanjiro Kamado a kindhearted and intelligent boy who lives with his family in the mountains selling charcoal. Upon returning from his latest duties in a nearby village, Tanjiro’s peaceful life is drastically changed upon discovering that his family, including his mother and three other siblings, have been attacked and slaughtered by demons. Only Tanjiro’s sister, Nezuko, is the only sole-survivor of this attack. However, even Nezuko is not unscathed as she has now become a demon; a demonic entity that may at first appears to be a threat to Tanjiro, but soon shows signs of human emotion and thought. In desperately wanting to change Nezuko back into a human, Tanjiro sets his sights in becoming a Demon Slayer where he not only wants to revert his sister’s demonic fate, but also to prevent the same tragedy, that happened to him and his sister, from happening to others. However, in meeting fellow Demon Slayers and other different demon’s of special significance, what will Tanjiro discover on his journey of revival?…

In similar vein to preceding samurai-related anime of the likes of Rurouni Kenshin and Samurai Champloo, the feudal visual aesthetic portrayed within the entirety of Demon Slayer isn’t necessarily an aspect in which fans of this particular sub-genre of Japanese animation will be aghast by, and that includes the manner in which the beginning premise and the subsequent catalyst of the protagonist feels indicative of the Shōnen narrative formula. Despite this however, what’s admirable to perceive of the aforesaid series as the episodes envelop nicely and methodically, is the manner in which Ufotable not only creates a uniquely and visually pleasing display through it’s seamless combination of drawn and CG effects, of which we’ll discuss promptly, but it’s initial emphasis of tweaking the Shōnen structure through the application and traits of the central character is most rewarding and refreshing. Indeed, whilst Demon Slayer’s central narrative struggle may seem simplistic and in touch with Shōnen routes, with Tanjiro wanting to pursue and kill any demons that he comes across whilst finding a way to revert his sister back to normal, contextual clarity isn’t a necessarily bad thing especially in this case of this aforesaid anime where the central protagonist, in the form of Tanjiro, doesn’t necessarily flail about and tackle situations with stubbornness seen in preceding anime hero’s. What’s imperative to see of Tanjiro as a central character is his unique way in facing situations with a kind milieu. As much as his main objective is to become a demon slayer, decapitate any threat that comes his and save Nezuko from her fate in being a demon with human tendencies, what’s strikingly endearing to perceive of Tanjiro’s persona is his amiable way in which he resolves a specific situation; whether he’s giving the deceased demons some form of comforting closure or reassuring a complete stranger that the world isn’t just filled with loss and despair. Often in the Shōnen, you are used to seeing these pure-hearted and naive protagonists that tend to have a singular goal to carry out by the end of the series. However, what sets Tanjiro apart from the rest of the Shōnen protagonist fray, is the manner in which he exudes that same pure-hearted energy without the naivety or childishness that’s predictably personified in so many other characters in different anime’s. His inherent ability to empathise with the demon’s and their own troubles, all while knowing what they’ve done to hurt other people isn’t something that can be forgiven, is alluring and distinctive to say the least. His approach to every sudden moment or instance is gratifyingly mature but is noticeably headstrong when it comes to his own ideology and his optimism, despite the dire-straits that await him, makes you want him to succeed. Despite having nearly his whole family horribly murdered by demon’s, he’s not becoming a demon slayer out of revenge or anger but for a pure love for his family and drive to make the world a better place. Much of the same can’t be said of the other demon slayer’s that Tanjiro fatefully meets on his journey, namely the cowardly Zenitsu; a bleached demon slayer who frequently belittles himself due to his dedication of learning more ‘breathing’ techniques. As intriguing as this specific character arc of Zenitsu overcoming his doubts as a demon slayer was, it can’t be helped to interject how much of his tardiness and cowardly personality can be overdone sometimes. His specific progression doesn’t necessarily make him the go-to comic relief standee, since his arc of letting go of his apprehensiveness does have a resolution. However, it can’t be denied that there are moments when his own frivolous adolescence swiftly becomes a comical aspect into a begrudging annoyance. What’s also fair to state of Demon Slayer’s narrative is its contextual structure and how episodes can feel similar to one another. By no means is Demon Slayer an uninspiring story, but the format in which this narrative was utilised was rather formulaic at times. After in which Tanjiro does become a demon slayer, episodes proceed to use the same structure of Tanjiro being told where to go, then killing said demon then being told where to go again and so on and so on. Rinse and repeat. It’s not until the half-way point of the series where you’re presented a specific and dire event that’s truly explored in detail; whether it’s providing meaningful backstory for the demon’s or character progression for the protagonists.

One defining aspect that makes Demon Slayer a standout anime to watch, despite it’s initial nonrecognition amongst those who crave Shōnen sub-genre, is Ufotable’s effective yet remarkably poignant application of the animation style. Indeed, the visual aesthetic itself was one of the main aspects that kept me coming back for more, in hopes that the story could reach greater heights. Whilst Demon Slayer upholds a solid Shōnen concept that’s made unique from seeing the maturity and overall distinctiveness of the central protagonist, the animation that’s shown in lavish display that elevates the narrative to give absolutely breathtaking and beautifully poetic moments that are displayed as if they’re popping off the screen. As with any battle Shōnen, the star of the series is the fights and how each one that does come after one another, is expressed with such high fidelity and fluidity that you’re almost transfixed by the vibrancy that emanates. Not only do these flashes of vivid sequences freshen the formulaic narrative format presented, by utilising a dynamic variety of colours in tangent with each demon possessing their own unique power resulting in no two fights ever playing out the same, but it’s also simply some of the most visually striking action you can find this year; even excluding the grandiose Attack On Titan and the imaginative Mob Psycho 100 second season. Disregarding the go-to bombastic and sometimes stylised fighting displayed in other Shōnen anime, Demon Slayer opts for a serene beauty that subtly mimics the drawn strokes evoked in the manga. An example that best exemplifies the aforesaid anime’s proficiency of demonstrating beautiful animation with Tanjiro’s sincerity is later in the series, when the said protagonist decapitates a demon in a poetic fashion that mirrors the poignancy of the demon’s remorse of her crimes and the innocence that was once had before. It’s feasibly easy to go and further mention Demon Slayer’s ever so satisfying action set-pieces that char the devoted sockets. However, where the show’s true beauty lies is within it’s subtle amalgamation of Cel animation and CG dynamic effects. As I’ve expressed many times in preceding anime reviews that I’ve proudly written, one constant gripe that I’ve found annoying to the core in viewing recent anime of today are series’ meddling with CG effects, which transpire to be a distraction from the interaction. As efficient as this mode of means is, it’s this very method of creating worlds through the use of CG effects that arguably changes the anime format into something different and weird. The exception to the case is Ufotable itself, who are a studio that have notably pushed the boundaries when it comes to integrating CG in with traditional animation. They’ve always been the gold standard when it comes to digital effects and composition, as seen in the likes Kara no Kyoukai where they use the CG to mimic free-flowing camera motions which would normally be impossible to hand draw and emulate even in live-action. What used to be a one-off effect that many lesser Shōnen’s have tried to follow suit, Demon Slayer proudly flex’s this specific construct in fights and certain points of view that don’t put your perspective off from watching. The best example of this seen is within the infamous rotating-room fight in which Tanjiro has to slay a demon that can easily manipulate a room’s physics. Within this fight, they get to play around with the cameras perspective in relation to our main character and the CG background; resulting in this mind-bending Inception-esque sequence where the camera follows the sudden movements of Tanjiro as he’s jumping on the floor, walls and ceiling with the changing gravity. It’s not only a specific scene that does the original manga justice, but it also establish’s Ufotable’s nous in displaying something that wedlock’s contrasting animation styles. It’s overall stylisation isn’t something where you could look anywhere else. While the elements that exude from each character’s swords are nothing but a visual metaphor, it perfectly exemplifies each person’s own personality and feelings and is very much seen as an expressionate aspect. There’s just something about the explosive and lightning fast thunder effects, the mesmerising sting of an insect, or the hypnotic way the sword almost dances with the water effects on screen…It’s almost like a painting in motion…

What helps this fluid action is the accompanied soundtrack which helps provide every tense instance of Demon Slayer with an emotional potency. While the opening and the concluding song of the said series doesn’t ever change through the show’s 26 episode structure, which may leave viewers to feasibly skip-over the musical pieces, I personally found great attachment to the opening especially thanks to the way in which Demon Slayer’s story does inevitably deliver. LiSA’s titled opening of ‘Gurenge’ left an impression on me that ultimately made me want to be invested in what Tanjiro faced in his journey. Similar accolades can be said of the song named ‘Kamado Tanjirou no Uta’ that perfectly personifies the sibling bond of Tanjiro and Nezuko in an important moment that see’s the central character fighting a formidable foe that wants to claim the said sister for himself. The soundtrack overall rather accentuates the show’s progression from a being a melancholic dark fantasy to a typical Shōnen story that sometimes imbues appropriate buoyancy. This is also evident through the voice-acting which includes a diverse range of voices of characters layered in disparaging personalities and emotions. More specifically, the performances of all the demon’s all contributed to the show’s edgy and eerie atmosphere.

As arguable as it is to state that there are other Shōnen anime premises that will naturally attract the larger gaze of Japanese animated lovers, it’s equally fair to say how much Demon Slayer rather applies it’s own formula to a formulaic norm. As a love letter to dark fantasy adventures, the aforesaid series performs in displaying harrowing imagery in a rather oddly beautiful and poetic fashion that many other shows would poorly try to emulate. You don’t normally associate a grandiose fighting sequence with vivid painting, but Ufotable perfectly execute this swimmingly with every swing of someone’s sword to a climax of a battle which usually showcases a poignancy to the ‘humanity’ of the deceased demons. It’s overall characterisation and storytelling are meaningful to its premise, all the while maintaining an aura of mystique that allures you to watch the next episode. The very fact that the interlinking chain between Demon Slayer’s first and presumably upcoming second season is a greenlit feature film that bridges the central characters journey to the next, is smart to say the least is one animated feature length that has me destined to be seen on the silver-screen…

And on that note, it’s time for me to end this week’s Anime Review. As always everyone, thank you for reading my latest Anime Review of Demon Slayer and if anyone happens to have an opinion on either the show or my review, you’re more than welcome to share your thoughts down below. For next week, I will be reviewing Joker and seeing what this proposed origins story of a famous comic-villain brings differently than to what we already know. With that said, thank you once again for reading my latest Blog entry and I hope you’re all having a nice week so far! Adieu! 😃 👿 ⚔️ 🗻

★★★★☆ – Alex Rabbitte