Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer)

Speaking as someone who’s about to leave the house to watch the movie, the success of Mugen Train is pretty much happenstance, as it came out to theaters when precious little was available to compete with it, coupled with a wave of people getting the vaccine to ensure that they could go to a movie theatre and not die. It would pull down numbers domestically akin to the MHA films in their limited release, instead of competing directly with Mortal Kombat (2021).

In a post pandemic environment, where theaters are running at full schedules, I would argue the only Demon Slayer movie that does that well at the box office is the inevitable LA version.

Edited by Beatman1 on May 2nd 2021 at 1:20:24 PM

Honestly, I think stuff like Dragon Ball and MHA are popular enough in America that it wouldn't hurt for the distributors to at least try a wide release stateside.

Also, I don't think this movie's success is entirely due to the vaccination rollout; again, it's currently beating Mortal Kombat at the box office, which isn't a slouch itself; I think people are legitimately interested in seeing it succeed.

Well Mortal Kombat also has the disadvantage of being available on HBO Max to many who would rather pay the $15/month for that instead of $15 for a ticket to the theatre.

All that said, I just got back from the film and I loved it. I came in expecting a blown up episode of the series, and what I got was a full arc of it which ended with me wanting to see what happened next, even if Kyojuro dying to one of the Upper Three felt like one HELL of a gut punch after the titular train is derailed. Animation was amazing, and the characters are in character. Also Inouske's dream was hilarious.

Yeah, the HBO Max thing is a double-edged sword as MK 21 shows.

Edited by Mizerous on May 2nd 2021 at 5:11:23 AM

I finally found time to watch the Kimetsu movie. I don't quite remember how I felt reading this arc in the manga (I don't think I cried during it at least despite most of the other emotional moments later on getting me) and I had a relatively muted reaction to the anime compared to the general public (it was a nice adaptation but I didn't think there was that much in it that I appreciated more than the manga and there were some stuff it straight up made worse) but damn. This movie. From Rengoku just being an awesome big brother, to Zenitsu being a dummy knight in lightning armor for Nezuko, to how desperately they all fought, to all the tragic dead family reunions (Hanae's crying voice once again makes me cry without fail) and I adored it. It was a perfect adaptation, I can't wait for season 2!!

Side note, should I be worried that Zenitsu's inner subconscious is a pitch black void? Like are you okay there?

I feel like a widescale releease if a dragon ball movie or mha movie would probably make tons. Due to how big each franchise is.

Currently at 42 million in the US Box Office

The video game by CyberConnect2 got its official Asian announcement, Sega was placed in charge of publishing the game out of Japan, at least for the Asian region; the game has an English title now and will have English text and even voice overs.

I wonder if that means the Asian release will have to be used for anyone in the west looking forward to play the game, or SEGA or Aniplex will announce the official American, EU, western version soon.

So, I finished the first season on Netflix and the show is pretty dang solid, I must say.

That said, I am so confused by The Masquerade. Like... why? Does this get addressed in the manga at all because here I am, watching humanity seemingly face an existential threat, seeing the Demon Slayer Corps complain about a lack of recruits (at least quality ones) and they're still... keeping it all a secret. For... reasons?

They would have been incredibly short sighted to not include a dub given the success of the property.

It have to do with the Era the story take place in. Muzan and the demons were never a world ending evil that threaten the existence of humanity, they more like the boogeyman who terrorize the countryside. In the age of modernization, people are less likely to believe in tales of monsters and the people who fight monster. Even Tanjirou doesn't believe in demon at the start of the story and considerate them to be myth. Most of the people who joined are survivors or who have family killed by the demons. Also what the leader mean is that they lack good recruit due to the amount of available people who can train the newbie to be good enough. Demon Slayers who survive to old age and are free enough to train disciples are rare.

I don't think the story does a good job explaining the lack of awareness of demons/why they try to keep them a secret, but it's just something you have to run with.

Honestly, the story's pacing didn't do a whole lot for me. Developing Doomed Characters is a thing, but the fact that we tend to only learn the motivations and backstories for the characters after they died neutered my emotional investment in most of the cast.

The worldbuilding was also barebones. Aside from the train, the story could have honestly be set in the Sengoku era prior to the Taisho era and the story wouldn't have changed much at all. The Demon Slayers rarely ever interact with any non-Demon Slayers/direct subordinates and Japan didn't feel all that terrorized by demons despite their ravenous hunger and tendency to inhabit forests and caves near populated areas.

The lack of awareness of demons bothered me in particular, since their seeming lack of impact on any part of Japanese history meant that things almost felt like an Excuse Plot at times.

Edited by reppuzan on Jun 3rd 2021 at 8:21:30 AM

I think the lack of impact on japan history and the Era it set in connected. Both the Demon and the Demon Slayers are relics of the past that have no place in modern world. In the last chapter, even the descendant of the heroes don't even believe in the story. The Taisou era is a period of transition, where old belief were going out of fashion and become nothing more than the old fairy tale.

But... it's not an old fairy tale. It's an ongoing war and the demons are explicitly getting stronger and causing more carnage. A single demon can easily destroy a village or hell, a city on their own if not stopped by a demon slayer. And they hardly seem to be limited to the countryside; obviously Muzan was first met in a city and the drum house isn't exactly a country estate (with the implication that the drum demon's family was fairly wealthy to boot).

Each major demon, by definition, has killed a pretty substantial chunk of people. Like, probably more than could (or at least should) be ignored.

Most if not all demon keep to themselves and hunt in secret. They don't go out and kill an entire village full of people, they sometimes kidnap one or two people in the countryside (which are still very remote during that time). Even the high ranking one hide themselves and feed in secret (Daki hide in the red light district and have to be careful about her eating habit to not atract attention while Douma is a Guru of a cult). Most normal people just assume the people who got killed either leave their village or killed by wild animals (Japan used to have a bear problem). Even the one happened in a town is contribute to a serial killer. And the demon don't just kill and leave the corpse, they eat the corpse too.

Edited by BattleRaizer on Jun 4th 2021 at 10:03:00 PM

There is no overt war, as the post above mine clarifies the setting does make all demon activity very subdued, they are very meticulous in when to attack and eat, to the point local officials will just think it is the ocasional murder or animal incident; powerful demons like Daki spent two hundred years making herself the biggest shot in the Yawara Red-Light District, organizing her eating habits for a long time until the Demon Slayers caught wind of it; same with Doma and his cult and so on. The Masquerade is as plausible as any Vampire tale that makes use of the same narrative.

Even if you want to say the demons try to stay inconspicuous, that's no reason for the Demon Slayers to let that be a thing. There's also mention of them not being officially recognized at least implying the government knows of their existence and the existence of demons but also isn't doing anything about it.

I have to agree the story feels very barebones; the author was focused on what they wanted to tell without really bothering to address any of the obvious and greater implications of the world they created.

Edited by LSBK on Jun 4th 2021 at 1:53:04 PM

Speaking for myself, the time period the story took place in never clicked until I watched the anime and saw cars in the city Tanjiro find Muzan in. The train didn't ping anything, Ruroni Kenshin had trains, but automobiles are an explicitly 20th century invention so it made me stop and think "Wait..."

Edited by sgamer82 on Jun 4th 2021 at 11:57:24 AM

In what event did you even get they are letting it be a thing? The manga hammers down in specific terms the Corps were desperately fighting an uphill battle, with several generations almost going extinct over being on the losing side against demons, the current generation the Hashira and Tanjiro’s friends are part of is exceedingly gifted, Kokushibo says it word for word.

This implication doesn’t exist officially, you are reading into assumption territory; the Corps aren’t recognized by Japan’s government for it is a private army sustained by a single rich family, detailed in both Databooks; that’s what Zenitsu meant by it.

Well, then, the obvious response is inform the government and the people so that they know. Try to make people informed, try to get recognition from the government so that's both easier and they can provide assistance, things like that.

Going "they're fighting an uphill battle" is not an adequate response because the way the story is written it just makes it seem like they're intentionally handicapping themselves just because. I'm sure that's not the intended effect, but that goes along with what I said about how the writer really didn't think these things through.

I'm not saying Demon Slayer is a bad story; it's a lot of fun. But there are a lot of things about the setting, organization, and power system that just don't follow or aren't adequately explained. Because, to repeat myself, it doesn't seem like the writer was actually interested in anything outside of broad strokes.

Edited by LSBK on Jun 4th 2021 at 2:49:03 PM

A lot of things in Kn Y don't need to be explain either because it not detrimental to the story(the organization rank stuffs literally got throw out since it doesn't fit with the theme and the character) or the author expect the readers to be able to come to their own conclusion (the Era stuffs can be see from the background detail). Sometimes not explaining is better that over-explain (like Star Wars trying to explain the Force). The mystery and vagueness are parts of the story.

Also what are the benefit of telling people about demon? Most won't believe it and/or worse, trying to exploit the demons power. Remember this is Japan in 1930s when Japan still trying to expand it territory.

Edited by BattleRaizer on Jun 4th 2021 at 3:06:00 PM

I don't think writers can or are obliged to answer every potential question, but I do think they are obliged to craft their world in such that even if not directly answered people can figure adequate explanations out for themselves. Demon Slayer does not do that.

I'm sorry, but it's not "mysteriousness" here, it's just inadequate writing. It doesn't make the story terrible but it doesn't make it better either, at least not for me. If these things don't bother you, personally, that's fine too.

Edited by LSBK on Jun 4th 2021 at 3:07:54 AM

Well, in the same scene where the leader of the Demon Slayers says "the Demons are becoming more dangerous and are a threat to humankind" they also say "and we also can't get recruits other than those who come from demon slaying lineages and survivors of demon attacks."

Like... police forces and militaries are pretty solid pools to draw from when trying to recruit soldiers. I rewatched the scene and the complaint about trainers isn't that there aren't enough trainers, but that the trainers aren't training people with enough potential. Their seemingly self-imposed masquerade is actively hurting them.

And hell, just getting people to carry wisteria seems like it would drastically increase the overall survival rate of the country which is objectively a boon.

Edited by Larkmarn on Jun 4th 2021 at 4:52:35 AM

Yes, you tell people because if demons really are a scourge on the entire country that's only getting worse, that information alone could maybe be used to save people. That's not even getting into the whole "give ordinary people wisteria" thing.

And also as said, if they are consistently understaffed with underqualified people, letting people know to get a wider pool of applicants is obvious.

But all of this is assuming it's supposed to be an intentional secret, and the story seems pretty vague about whether it is or not. Most people don't seem to know, but then you have that old man from Tanjiro's and Nezuko's village who both knows about demons and the Demon Slayer Corps, without any hint that he's anyone special or lost his family to demons or anything like that.

These are all very obvious questions but the story doesn't attempt to answer any of them, because the writer doesn't seem concerned about the implications of anything beyond serving whatever purpose they originally had in mind.