Review of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc
Since Season 2 is divided into its arcs on MAL, I'll post my thoughts on it as a whole under The Entertainment District Arc entry. “Set Your Heart Ablaze.” Amongst the slate of modern animes that I’m watching, Demon Slayer is among my favourites. Set in the Taisho Era, the story follows Tanjiro — a lad with a heart of gold and unwavering perseverance — whose family was killed by a Demon leaving only his sister now turned into a demon herself. He sets out on a journey to join the ranks of those who slay demons and find a way to help the younger sibling. Season2 picks up right where Season 1 left off and is divided into two parts; the Mugen Train arc which was initially released as a theatrical film first and then in a series format consisting of 7 episodes where the anime adds an extra 20 mins (a welcome addition) of screentime to the Fire Hashira; the Entertainment District arc comprising of 11 episodes. Both were superbly entertaining.
The Mugen Train arc introduces us to the fire hashira Kyojuro Renguko who is on a mission to investigate the disappearance and murders occurring on a train. Our beloved trio of Tanjiro, Inosuke and Zenitsu meet up with him and join the mission. This was a fast-paced and thrilling arc with a shocking turn of events that left me speechless and teary-eyed. The plot kept racking up in intensity and exploded towards the end showcasing the power difference between our heroes and veterans on both sides in a stupendous fashion. One couldn’t help but feel the hopelessness that the protagonist faces that despite his development thus far, there is a long and arduous road ahead. The MVP was, of course, Renguko with his optimistic and energetic demeanour and stunning display of skill. The heart was truly set ablaze.
The season continues with its longer chunk, the Entertainment District arc, and introduces the trio to another hashira, the sound one Tengen Uzui. He sets out on the task of investigating the entertainment district where his wives (lucky man) were undercover to search for a potential demon threat and hadn’t reached out to him in a while. He had a love for flashiness and when the time came, he did not disappoint. It took about 2–3 episodes before the plot really kicked in but once it did, there was no stopping the thrills and chills. This arc also had shocking twists and turns and it was wonderful to see the development of our trio as they continue to level up. The highlight was the antagonist, the tragedy, and the skill set they possessed creating a nearly insurmountable task for our heroes.
The anime is produced by Ufotable and it’s a studio I have admired ever since I watched Fate/Zero. They are masters at combining 2D and 3D animation with sublime quality and Demon Slayer is often their best showcase. The fights in this season are some of the best I’ve seen in a long long time, if not ever. And it’s not only just the animation that made them pure edge-of-the-seat gripping/thrilling entertainment. The soundtrack and the sound effects are equally impressive and go hand-in-hand with the animation to create a perfect balance of audiovisual ecstasy. Top that with the narrative, the characters, and the stakes involved, and it’s simply outstanding.
The story of Demon Slayer (thus far) in it itself is nothing special or new if you have seen plenty of animes — it’s still a solid one. What elevates the entire package is the execution and makes it one of the best ongoing animes out there. I loved Season 2 and I can’t wait for the next one. I hope Ufotable and everyone involved in this production maintain this level of quality. Stuff like this, Mob Psycho 100 and Attack on Titan are what remind me why animation is my favourite genre and Japan does it better than anyone else. Anyway, if I were to rate Demon Slayer Season 2, I’d give it a 9/10.