Review of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc
Kimetsu no Yaiba is truly an outstanding anime. Yes, the story definitely have some flaws. It's repetitive and predictable. The characters keep having power ups like Dragon Ball, and so far most characters don`t have a deep characterization or development. That's why many people see this anime as a hollow story, meaningless, just fights and hyped moments. A simple story doesn't mean that it's bad. Nowadays, if a story is not complex, full of plot twists and mind-blowing worldbuilding, like AoT, then it's considered generic and bad. It all depends on what the purpose the author has for the story. If the story is donewell (without so many plot holes and forced things) and accomplishes the author's message or purpose for the story, it's definitely AT LEAST good. Many complex stories have amazing plot twists and events, but just having a complex writing does not make a story good. A Place Further Than the Universe has a very simple story but manages to make a really big impact on the viewer. And Kimetsu no Yaiba is no exception. Although simple, it's beautiful.
What truly excels in the writing is how well the author portrayed the central theme of this anime. We can clearly see that the theme is about family. Tanjiro and Nezuko's strong bond, Shinobu and her sister, Rengoku and his family, Uzui and his wives, and even the demons (Rui, Gyuutarou and Daki, etc.) show the strong love of family. All these stories and familial relationships accomplished the message the author wants to transmit. The message is "Family is there to be with you" or something along the line. Thus, it really left a big influence on me. There's really no need for a crazy plot, drama, and philosophical things to make a story good. KnY stayed simple and managed to transmit the author's message for the audience.
The story by itself is definitely not enough for me to consider it a masterpiece. It's the combination of excellent writing, perfect animation, awesome OSTs, and brilliant direction that makes this a masterpiece. That's why I don't consider the manga THAT good. Many elitists always judge solely by the story and characters, although I consider these two as the most important aspects about an anime, but anime has more aspects to consider.
*Minor spoilers of S2 episode 10*
For example, the direction in episode 10 is brilliant, specially the end. When Tanjiro was struggling to breathe, I somewhat also felt the same feeling. The blurry vision and the fuzzy sound and scream from Uzui made me feel confused at what's really happening. It's really a way better experience than the manga. And all these factors from sound, animation, and direction really make KnY special.