Kimetsu no Yaiba is definitely one of the best new manga to come out of Shonen Jump in a while. The plotting is tight and never drags, the core cast is likable, quirky, and easy to root for, and the art is excellent. The fights are surprisingly logical and well-thought out compared to most shonen series due to its relatively grounded combat system, forcing the demon slayers to overcome their marks with tactics, technique, and power to counter the crazy flexibility, durability, and eldritch tricks the demons have up their sleeve.
The Ufotable anime especially has done even more to endear the cast to viewers, between the fluid animation and the incredibly solid voice acting.
But the tight pacing and narrow character focus comes at a cost. In order to maintain the story's pace, the world of Japan is never really fleshed out besides the locales Tanjiro and co. visit. It's clearly set in early 1900s Japan, but beyond making the townsfolk the Victim of the Week, we never learn what it's like for people who have their loved ones snatched away by demons. We never learn if the history of Japan is different with Muzan manipulating things from the shadows. Heck, the idea of introducing ranks among the Demon Slayer Corp becomes pointless when we only see the absolute lowest and the absolute highest with nothing in between.
Outside of the core cast, the characters are given backstories, but rarely are they elaborated on beyond explaining their character traits. While again, this keeps the plotting briskly paced, nearly everyone feels thinner and more forgettable than Tanjiro, Nezuko, Zenitsu, and Inosuke even with their flashy designs and their unique fighting styles.
The story's world at large simply doesn't have time to breathe with the plot barreling towards the next climax after every Training Montage. I find that to be a shame and the only major blemish on an otherwise excellent story.
Economical and fast-paced, but at a cost.
Kimetsu no Yaiba is definitely one of the best new manga to come out of Shonen Jump in a while. The plotting is tight and never drags, the core cast is likable, quirky, and easy to root for, and the art is excellent. The fights are surprisingly logical and well-thought out compared to most shonen series due to its relatively grounded combat system, forcing the demon slayers to overcome their marks with tactics, technique, and power to counter the crazy flexibility, durability, and eldritch tricks the demons have up their sleeve.
The Ufotable anime especially has done even more to endear the cast to viewers, between the fluid animation and the incredibly solid voice acting.
But the tight pacing and narrow character focus comes at a cost. In order to maintain the story's pace, the world of Japan is never really fleshed out besides the locales Tanjiro and co. visit. It's clearly set in early 1900s Japan, but beyond making the townsfolk the Victim of the Week, we never learn what it's like for people who have their loved ones snatched away by demons. We never learn if the history of Japan is different with Muzan manipulating things from the shadows. Heck, the idea of introducing ranks among the Demon Slayer Corp becomes pointless when we only see the absolute lowest and the absolute highest with nothing in between.
Outside of the core cast, the characters are given backstories, but rarely are they elaborated on beyond explaining their character traits. While again, this keeps the plotting briskly paced, nearly everyone feels thinner and more forgettable than Tanjiro, Nezuko, Zenitsu, and Inosuke even with their flashy designs and their unique fighting styles.
The story's world at large simply doesn't have time to breathe with the plot barreling towards the next climax after every Training Montage. I find that to be a shame and the only major blemish on an otherwise excellent story.