While over 4 million people have seen it, I missed the Demon Slayer season two trailer, and I made up for that by watching it three times.
Demon Slayer Kimetsu No Yaiba has taken over the anime industry.
The first season was critically acclaimed and praised, especially for the fantastic voice acting, animation, and that absolute banger of an opening and ending theme. Following that success, the followup film, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train, grossed over US$477 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing film of all time in Japan, the highest-grossing R-rated animated film of all time, the highest-grossing anime film, and the highest-grossing Japanese film of all time.
Oh yeah, and the manga series itself may have outsold the entire American comic book industry. No big deal.
Demon Slayer takes place during the Taishō-era of Japan, where a sweet baby boy named Tanjiro Kamado comes home to discover that this family has been attacked and slaughtered by a demon. The only other surviving member of his family is his sister, Nezuko, who has been transformed into a demon. Despite that, she seems to have some remnants of human emotion and thought.
With the help of Giyū Tomioka, a young demon slayer, Tanjiro is recruited by him to become another member of the Demon Slayer Corps. Spoiler alert, he does and begins his quest to help his sister turn human again and avenge the deaths of the rest of his family.
The series has been praised for its amazing fight scenes, compelling characters, and dark tone that is still filled with a centerpiece of hope within it. As someone who tends to be skeptical of shonen series for their treatment of female characters, I found myself really appreciating the character of Nezuko Kamado and how dynamic she is to the plot, despite not being able to speak.
I especially found the character of Tanjiro to be a delightful deviation from the traditional male lead in a shonen series. He has no problem showing emotion and is very outwardly affectionate and kind without portraying him as unintelligent. Tanjiro has genuine empathy for everyone, including demons, and through him, we get a hero that really wants to protect everyone as best he can—even putting his own life on the line.
The series is filled with fantastic supporting characters, and I can truly say that the series flew by as I was watching it. I’m really excited for season two, especially since this trailer gives us hints of a conflict between our heroes and the series’s big bad, Muzan Kibutsuji, the first and strongest demon in existence.
Who also looks amazing in drag. Why do bad guys always get the best serves?
The series returns October, 2021.
(image: Aniplex)
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