I'd disagree that Tanjiro "has no flaws whatsoever." He's rather indecisive at the start of the series, resulting in him ineffectually begging Giyu to spare Nezuko and failing to finish off his first demon opponent. This earns him three The Reason You Suck Speeches from Giyu, Urokodaki and Sabito
Out of curiosity, did you read the rest of the manga? If not, I doubt it'll change your opinion of the series, but it does flesh out some of the Hashira and other supporting characters and addresses some of your other complaints.
Ironically, I actually much prefer the refreshing simplicity of the earliest parts, and while the later training montage following the battle on the mountain wasn’t bad, I did resent the sudden introduction of a bunch of colorful Bleach characters into one had previously been a bit more grounded than that.
But overall, I think I just have dramatically different tastes from the reviewer and that’s OK.
While there is a focus on Tanjiro's virtues he doesn't act self-righteous in the sense that he thinks that he is better than others due to being more moral. You can actually see Tanjiro berating or blaming himself, so it really feels like the opposite if you think about it. I'm not sure where the impression of him being self-righteous comes from if the closest thing we have to that is him acting kind and compassionate and other characters commenting on that. Calling Zenitsu that would be understandable but I don't think that it works with Tanjiro.
Being nice is hardly the same as being self-righteous and he does get pushed into some things that he finds difficult due to circumstances he can't control. He gets told that he has to kill his sister and himself to atone if she ever eats a human and in the manga it gets dangerously close to that happening, he has to overcome his initial hesitation with killing a demon and he ends up having to restrain a newly turned demon while Muzan is leisurely walking away from him. This isn't even going into the difficulties of leaving the dream he was trapped in because of Enmu.
Nezuko being "treated like a pet" would be the result of a changed mental state and her not being able to speak anymore. While this isn't outright said it is an easy conclusion to make based on what we see. It gives more of a reason for Tanjiro to turn her back and we clearly get to see that they care for each other and understand what the bond between siblings should be like. Her state as a demon does make it more difficult for her to be characterized and for her to express her personality though Tanjiro is clearly still respecting her as a person who has the right to make her own choices which he expresses against Rui.
Leave a Comment:
Made Me Want To Play Nioh 2
For me, both S1 and Mugen Train were merely fine, mainly due to the characterization and plot being too formulaic.
Starting with Tanjiro, he’s unique to the shonen genre, but him being an Ideal Hero is handled poorly. His biggest issue is his lack of any charisma which makes that archetype enjoyable. With all the zany characters around him it seems like a prime opportunity for him to be the Only Sane Man and The Snark Knight. Instead, he comes across as a Vanilla Protagonist, not awful but just plain.
As for Nezuko, she’s hardly even a character. She's badass and Moe. That’s it. She doesn't even talk. How can I care about her if all I know is that she’s Tanjiro’s sister? We barely get any interaction between them to establish their bond. Worst of all, she's treated more like a pet than a human being.
Next is Zenitsu, who’s acts cowardly and selfish, but loyal and compassionate. Unfortunately, most of his flaws are used for comedy, rather than setting him up for any meaningful growth. And his antics get annoying after a while.
And finally, Inosuke, a Stock Shōnen Hero. Ironically, he ends up being the most compelling character in the series due to his crazy and violent tendencies setting him apart from the other heroes. He also develops in a believable manner. I was hoping he would represent what Tanjiro would be if he went off the deep end, or something along those lines. Instead, like Zenitsu, he gets pigeonholed as comic relief and his development is downplayed.
The supporting cast is mainly defined by a dark past and quirk. These backstories are overused to the point that it begins to feel less special. Eventually, I stopped caring.
As for the villains, they try to add depth through their past, but it fails due to the overuse of dark pasts and how out of place it feels in the middle of fight. And Tanjiro repeatedly showing Sympathy for the Devil got tiresome. Rui and Enmu are entertaining, but The other villains are unremarkable. I would’ve preferred if they’d fleshed out Muzan instead.
The English voice acting is superb, although there are times where the voices don't match the character designs because of how pretty everyone looks, but the voice actors are talented enough to pull it off. On the other hand, the music didn't elevate some of the big action scenes like I felt it should. Animation for S1 is spectacular, of course. However, Mugen Train was disappointing for a Ufotable film, especially compared to some of their other films.
The plot itself is way too straightforward for me. What's more upsetting is that there's multiple instances where the story could take a more compelling route, but it never comes to fruition.
My biggest complaint though is how the fights are undermined when it stops to focus on unnecessary narration or a Flashback.