Demon Slayer
As reported by Dollyforme
Onward to actually watching a movie in the theatre. I couldn’t wait to see movies in the theatres so out I went.
This movie is a famous Japanese anime, the current box office champ for this year. You don’t have to be a fan of anime or the television show to enjoy this movie based on a hit television and manga series.
I had not an inkling of what the prior stories have involved, so I was pleased and surprised to be as engaged as I was early on by “Demon Slayer – Kimetsu No Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train.”
The story, set aboard the Mugen Train, involves a highly ranked demon slayer Rengoku who promises to train other demon slayers Inosuke, Zenitsu and Tanjiro Kamado. they want to protect the passengers, at risk because of a demon lurking about.
The trio of slayers and Rengoku know a demon – at least one – is on board the train.
It turns that the threat is a powerful demon that can manipulate dreams – and easily can make the passengers and the slayers sleep. Because each has extremely personal dreams, it’s fairly easy for the unitiated to understand the characters’ motivations, fears, grief and regrets.
I was surprised at how philsophical and deep the movie is, with themes about death, and even suicide, which – along with its gore – most likely contributed to its U. S. “R” rating. Like “Mortal Kombat,” this certainly isn’t appropriate fare for little kids.
The hand-drawn animation is a sight to see, because its style changes, sometimes humorously, with so many scenes and environments. I like the manga look of the fight scenes, and the gorgeous environments in many of the dream sequences. The colors range from glorious to subtle, and are especially striking in the fight sequences.
t’s become a common tradition for the most popular anime series to get theatrical adaptations. It’s not surprising then that Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is the latest to make this leap considering the tremendous success of the anime and manga. These cinematic endeavors can sometimes be a mixed bag due to a tendency to function as recap compilations or entertaining sagas that ultimately become unnecessary filler in the context of the anime.
Demon Slayer chooses the best route possible here with a narrative that’s a direct sequel to the events of season one and an important action-filled bridge to the events ahead in season two. This approach has paid off in a very big way since Demon Slayer the Movie has gone on to become the most successful animated movie to ever be released in Japan, surpassing Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away. This creates extremely high expectations and while Demon Slayer is unlikely to get nominated for an Academy Award, it’s still an entertaining movie that marks a high point for the medium.
Demon Slayer’s anime leans into traditional archetypes of the genre with a budding hero’s journey to become stronger, realize his potential, and conquer the monsters that have afflicted his family. Demon Slayer is absolutely meant to be experienced by fans of the series, but it’s not so inside baseball that it’s imperceptible to an outside fan. The movie does a reasonably good job covering the basics of the series in a way that doesn’t feel like shoehorned exposition or a clumsy introductory sequence.
It’s an action-packed tale with a sensitive side that both aficionados and newcomers will welcome. A big thumbs up from me.
