The Demon Slayer movie has been in the limelight for quite some time now, and for a damn good reason.
The Demon Slayer franchise in itself had made quite a buzz in 2019 when ufotable adapted the manga series, particularly the episode 19 which even trended on twitter in many countries. But no one precedented the gigantic success of the movie which takes the story forward, and when I say gigantic you better believe it considering how it set an all time record at the Japanese box office beating Spirited Away, the only anime movie to ever get an oscar.
Although the movie was released in 2020 in Japan, the rest of the world had to wait for it which was not really fun considering the records it was breaking. It was finally released in the US on the 23rd of April which has nothing to do with me because I saw it here and you can too for free!
The premise of Demon Slayer is not something especially fresh. It is an unapologetic shounen anime, however the way it is presented to the viewers is remarkable. The highs of the series are elevated to such extent that you can't help but be fully engrossed in the moment, which in many ways is similar to Jujutsu Kaisen, another exceptional new gen shounen.
Another thing about Demon Slayer is that it gives its characters these tropes which they are based around heavily. Tanjiro is the goody best boy of the series. He is pure and bright while Zenitsu keeps on whining and remains frightened of almost anything and everything. Inouske is the wild, reckless character who will go to extreme lengths to assert his dominance. While all these characters are given somewhat of a vague backstory (which I am assuming would be explored more in the future seasons) their personalities are written heavily around these traits. And these are just the characters who take most of the screentime, in this aspect the hashiras seem even more shallow (however they are just introduced in the series right now so it would be too soon to criticize on the basis of that point right now)
As dominant these tropes may be, they never get annoying as to ruin the watcher's experience.
The movie in itself is full of beautiful sceneries which is not surprising considering ufotable's standards but you still can't help but be in awe of the frames that are presented in front of you. From the get go you are sucked into these beautifully animated backgrounds and the story moves on from where it had left off in season 1. No wasting your time by giving you a 30 min recap of the story which is quite admirable if you ask me. On the other hand you are required to watch season 1 of the series or the movie wouldn't make much of a sense. But who are we kidding? Its demon slayer of course you have watched the first season (and if you haven't what are you doing? Go on this review is not going anywhere)
The first half of the movie may seem incredibly generic, and in many ways it is. After all it covers the train arc from the manga which would seem like just another couple of episodes from season 1 however it is the presence of the flame hashira that makes this arc different from the previous episodes. There is a clear power difference between the hashira Rengoku and our protagonist Tanjiro which made him realize the road ahead and what he has to achieve. Inouske remains in awe of the hashira, as he always is whenever he encounters someone much more stronger than him and Zenitsu....well he's just being Zenitsu.
However it is the last hour of the movie that no one could prepare you for. It is just so full of life, conflict, threat and all and all an emotional rollercoaster that will take your breath away and leave a void in your heart after the ride is finally over. It is the second half of the movie which is when its at its strongest point. Believe me, this movie was hyped the hell out of for me, by both the internet and the people around me. In the first half it all seems as if the hype is the reason that is gonna make the movie underwhelming for you, but as soon as you get to the second half point of the movie, you are hit with a force you did not see coming. It is in those final moments that the movie makes you fall in love with itself.
It is very admirable how the character of the flame hashira Kyojuro Rengoku, someone we are properly introduced to only in this movie without much prior introduction was built in the span of this movie. The movie manages to make us care for the character by telling his backstory, ideologies and sources of motivation to keep on moving as one of the nine hashiras, without ever it being feeling rushed or unnecessary. The way Rengoku is portrayed in this movie is one of the most beautiful things the movie has to offer, and I assume is one of the most dominant factors of the success it has achieved. It wouldn't be wrong to say that Rengoku made this movie work, hence it is admirable that the adaptation handled his character with utmost care and respect.
So is this movie as good as/better than all the other anime movies it has beaten in terms of box office collection? Well no, It has beaten all of those in terms of hype and buzz thanks to the prior success of the series. But that isn't to say that the movie doesn't deserve it. Sure it has its weak points and can be very generic in the first half, but that is something to be expected if you have any experience with the genre. Overall a solid 9/10, this is a movie you should not miss even if that means you have to catch up with the series, which in itself is pretty good!
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