Rather late to the party but here’s my Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba review. It’s now available on various platforms including Netflix. The series was directed by Directed by Haruo Sotozaki and produced by Hikaru Kondo, Akifumi Fujio, Masanori Miyake, Yūma Takahashi. Music by Yuki Kajiura, Go Shiina. The series was done by Studio Ufotable!

The anime series is based on the work of Koyoharu Gotoge. It’s a 25 episode run too so its not that long a watch.

Visuals

Everything looks rich and vibrant in this world. Even the Tokyo that they inhabit looks great onscreen. It’s like you want to visit even if you know that there are terrible demons roaming around. The whole anime is gorgeous; you never hear that with other anime titles right.

There were also some scenes like around Episode 24 or 25 where the lower Kizuki are taken out by Muzan himself, where you get absorbed with the visual effects of this whole spinning world created for the meeting. And let’s not forget that arc with the Kyogai and the moving room. That was awesome. The same arc where we see a beautifully rendered attack by scaredy-cat Zenitsu.

Or that arc where Tanjiro uses his fire breathing technique for the first time. That was amazing in terms of animation with the reds and oranges blending seamlessly into the character plus the movements in that particular moment was FANTASTIC.

Music

The other strong point for this series is the music. It’s thematic and strong and moving. And the production team made extra care to appeal to the viewer’s senses. Not to mention the main OP is an awesome track.

Here’s the live version for you LiSa fans

Character Designs

I have to admit I wasn’t fond of the look for Tanjiro and Zenitsu initially. I kinda thought they would have looked good wearing the standard Demon Slayer Corps look but as I continued to watch the series, it made me realize that them looking different was what gave them an extra boost of character.

Besides, the Hashira all look weird and cute at the same time to, so I guess that’s what manga creator Koyoharu Gotouge wanted to convey anyway.

Nezuko’s design was particularly memorable and striking. We’ve got this little almost-loli girl biting on bamboo with a kimono and  some shin guards. That’s a weird combination but it’s something memorable. This was also the reason why people easily remembered the series. And what about Muzan and Inosuke?

Plot

The plot for Kimetsu no Yaiba’s pretty straightforward. Tanjiro gets recruited into the Demon Slayer Corps after a demon brutally murders his family and leaves his sister Nezuko half dead and about to turn into a demon. Along the way he trains, gets stronger, meets other Demon Slayers who eventually become his friends, gets an episode introducing more powerful characters, gets stronger and then ends the season as a prologue to the movie.

It’s the journey along the way that makes you love Tanjiro and friends. How he touches the lives of the people he encounters, how he shows compassion even to the demons he just mowed down minutes ago. How those deaths affect the people around him and more. I teared up a bit in that segment where the guy who just lost his fiancee and nearly goes crazy touches Tanjiro’s hands and sees how much he’s gone through.

You also get hooked with the dangling thread of Michael Jackson Muzan Kibutsuji. Like what’s his end goal, what’s his plan and what is he willing to do to get that done. While he’s not despicable enough to warrant  so much hate, the first season definitely shows that he’s slowly scaling that level. Like how he almost got caught in public by Tanjiro but barely escapes by turning a passerby into a demon to throw him off.

Ultimately the biggest problem for me to write down in the Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba Review is how they decided to end the season. It’s great that they are going to promote the movie and all but I would rather they went with something more promising for season 2 like a bigger threat, a real member of the 12 Kizuki. That finale could have been reworked a little bit for me.

Demon Slayer Kimetsu No Yaiba Review – Verdict

Overall, the first season of Demon Slayer Kimetsu No Yaiba was a fun ride. It’s more heavy with exposition than action but that’s pretty good; could be disappointing to fans who are looking for solid action every episode.

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