Review of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc

What makes a good show? The pacing, the plot, the characters, the themes, the execution, the direction, the music, the voice actors, the animation. These are all common things people point to when defining what is and isn’t a good show, and for good reasons. They are criterias that allow individuals, each with their own unique perspective, to gain a better judgement at differentiating the good from the bad. However with so many factors contributing to the success of a show, it comes as no surprise for people to cherish these factors differently. ‘Demon Slayer is only good for its animation’ ‘Without ufotable, Demon Slayer would just beanother mid anime’

But does a show need to perfect every factor to be good? No it doesn’t, because what is crucial to the success of a story, to a show, is that there is the essence of life in it. All the factors I mentioned above serve a greater purpose in the big picture, to ultimately bring life to a show, and in my eyes, KnY as a whole has done a splendid job at creating a beautiful, immersive work of fiction despite its undeniable shortcomings.

KnY embodies the definition of a Shounen Battle Anime. Be it the loud battle cries, the tragic backstories, the vulnerable and triumphant moments of the main characters, the series engages the audience emotionally. And like most other Battle Shounens, KnY is founded on a very simple premise and based itself on well established tropes. Its simplistic, straight forward approach at writing a story has garnered the series a lot of criticisms which is completely understandable, but at the same time, its simplicity is also its greatest strength.

KnY never required a grandiose plot to engage the audience, its very simplicity allows the audience to instantaneously grasp and understand what is going on behind the screens. Its refusal to diverge from the usual Shounen tropes welcomed those already familiar with them to the fandom. Its straightforward narratives allow the audience to easily root and empathise with the characters and their actions. KnY’s simplicity makes it easy for anyone to pick up the show and be invested. While other series sought to make themselves more complex to be more interesting, KnY took an entirely different approach. Its decision to play by simplicity, and polished said simplicity ultimately paid off as it brought the series into the mainstream spotlight, a feat that few anime have accomplished. But enough about KnY as a whole, let's talk about S2 shall we.

xxxxxxx Slight Spoilers Ahead! xxxxxxx

Kimetsu no Yaiba: Yuukaku-hen built upon the foundations laid by the original season and the Mugen Train movie. With what transpired in the films before, there is now greater weight, threat and overall sense of ominosity throughout the whole arc. There is also an overall improvement in the direction of which the series is headed. Unlike Season 1 which felt episodic in the beginning , Kimetsu no Yaiba: Yuukaku-hen knew where it was headed by setting up an end goal - To resolve the mysterious disappearances in the Yoshiwara Entertainment District. Though the pacing was a bit off at the beginning, the show soon found its footing and was relatively consistent throughout.

In Kimetsu no Yaiba: Yuukaku-hen, ufotable once again proves why they are one of the best animation studios in Japan (If we were to ignore their questionable work practises). After the heart warming display of familial love in Season 1 episode 19, and the tear jerking events that transpired in Mugen Train, expectations were high in terms of sheer quality of production for Season 2. Somehow, even with such high expectations, ufotable transcended and produced something way beyond my imagination. Animation quality is no doubt a huge determining factor for the audience’s enjoyment of the show, and with consistently better animation with each episode release, it is no wonder why there was so much discussion and hype surrounding the show during its air time. The fluidity, the dynamic camera angles, the consistent character model, the colour palette, the bland of CGI and hand drawn animations worked harmoniously together, climaxing in a spectacle of battles in Episode 9 and Episode 10, with what I regard as one of ufotable’s best works, right next to the Heaven’s Feels trilogy. But the quality doesn’t stop there. Hats off to the sound composers of the show, because the OSTs are absolutely epic. Whether it’s the character themes or just ambient music in the background, it brings so much life to the world of KnY, that you can’t help but be engrossed with whatever that is happening on your screen. They further captured the feeling of an ‘Epic’ through the amazing voice works done by each of the respective voice actors. The battle cries are so raw that it reaches to your soul, that you have no choice but to suspend your disbelief and appreciate the art form before you. The staff working at ufotable really out did themselves with the execution of the show.

Now about the characters in the show, Kimetsu no Yaiba: Yuukaku-hen introduced a new flamboyant mentor for the trio and a fantastic villain to match, which brought greater life to the show than anticipated. Uzui Tengen was a great addition to the show, bringing a much needed contrast to the personalities already present in the show. He screams pride, radiates arrogance but ultimately possesses a good character. On the surface, he seems to be the total opposite of the humble and diligent Tanjiro, the quirky and cowardly Zenitsu, the rash and confident Inosuke. Yet, their chemistry together makes so much sense. Why? Because they all share an underlying desire to protect, an underlying anger against those that do others wrong.
And it is with this commonality that they found solitude with the Demon Slayer Corps in the first place. The villain of this season was also surprisingly well written, with great parallels being drawn between the villain and the protagonist, which makes the conflict ever so personal and meaningful to the main characters and to the audience.

Though I admit that the characters in KnY are more towards the flat side, showcasing only 1 distinct character trait and hardly ever deviating away from it, the characters are somehow brought to life with the combination of well written character histories and amazing voice works. One must also understand that these characters are simplistically written to suit the simplistic theme of the show - the importance of bonds, the importance of life. Because in the world of KnY, becoming a demon is to reject the essential fragility of human life, to lose oneself despite not being born evil. It is a reminder that the easiest route is not necessarily the correct path to walk, a reminder to all of us to appreciate and cherish the things we already have in life - our friends, our family. It is cliche but KnY is unapologetically shounen and preaches virtues through the eyes and words of the main character Tanjiro. It can be campy, and to some even annoying, but to me these characters are endearing, because these virtues undoubtedly hold true in the real world.

KnY does indeed have all the negatives that critiques point out. The ass-pulling, the exposition dumping, the long internal monologue. But whether you like it or not, KnY is currently a pillar in the anime world and will continue to be one as time progresses. It’s decision to stay simple, to stay true to itself is the reason for its overall success in becoming a great show even if it didn’t perfect all the factors.

9/10
Thanks for reading :)