Forum - View topicDemon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (TV + movie) (w/ index).
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2865 |
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#4
From the boulder test, straight to the Final Selection for the Demonslayer Corps. Last week's training episode wasn't so pointless after all. Turns out Tanjirou has been trained by ghosts; two of Urokodaki's most capable students who fell at the hands of this week's enormous Oni. Urokodaki has lost 13 of his pupils since he captured the Oni taking on Tanjirou this week, so his record as a trainer isn't great. Only student who graduated so far to the audience's knowledge is Tomioka Giyuu. Another weakness for Oni, they don't like Wisteria flowers. Much like the Vampires of Bram Stoker mythology repelled by Garlic and the Christian Cross. Regardless, even without feeding they are effectively immortal as they cannot die from hunger or old age. The OP featured a few youths, some of them show up prominently before the unsettling twins announce the beginning of the Final Selection. The huge Oni has a voice which really doesn't suit the form he has. I thought it would be deeper and more coarse; the VA makes this Oni sound like a deceiving fraudster rather than a bloodthirsty cannibalistic demon. Nifty trick using supernatural smell to detect enemies and find openings during combat. Despite his humble coal-selling background, Tanjirou might have what it takes to go far in his new profession. He has a bit of luck (the mask, his dead siblings egging him on) but all protagonists need that in order to see their stories through to the end. Next week should finish the Selection and it also marks the point at which the feature movie finished. After that, viewers all over start from the same footing. Shonen Jump property or not, the visuals and music are something I'll look forward to for the rest of the adaptation. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2865 |
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#5
Tanjirou is already an anomaly amongst Demon Slayers, but his penchant for showing pity for those departing by his hand surely marks him out as close to heretical amongst other Slayers if his habits were made public. To be fair to him, last week's demon appears to have found some manner of redemption just before his complete disappearance so maybe it's not all bad. The candidates with the close-up shots in episode 3 apparently survived to the end of the test. The one with a scar has a foul temper, but Tanjirou like a stereotypical protagonist is always willing to stand up for those being bullied. The interesting thing is later on when the mysterious man speaks of his "children", FIVE of which are his most recent batch of graduates. I assume the fifth graduate is the one with the head of a wild boar, but where has he/she disappeared to? No selection of the special demon-slaying ore for weapons? A convenient miracle that Nezuko has woken up just as Tanjirou reaches Urokodaki's house. If Urokodaki is right, Nezuko has foregone the ability to regenerate through consumption of human flesh in place of deep sleep/coma to recover from wounds. Considering how badly her shoulder and other parts of her body were smashed in at the start of the series, two years out cold seems a small price to pay for a full recovery. That blacksmith is a strange one. Perhaps viewers will see more of him next time? Either way, his habit of going into a monologue regardless of how others react to him is a trifle annoying. With this episode, all of the content from the feature-length movie has aired so viewers start on an even keel from next week onwards. Tanjirou's first assignment, how well will he handle it with his sister presumably following him? |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2865 |
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#6
Tanjirou's first mission as a professional demon slayer. Viewers find out more about the progenitor of the Oni, Kibutsuji Muzan. Like Vlad Dracula from the Stoker novels, but Oni in this adaptation cannot multiply by enslaving others, it seems only Muzan has that ability. Tanjirou's ultimate goal is now in sight, even if the journey is a long, long way away. This week's Oni is the first example of a spell-caster explained in previous weeks by Urokodaki. The animators put a lot of effort into expressing the abduction scene midway through, which is good since it makes the show more than just a flashy swordplay exhibition. Tanjirou's mimicry of a human bloodhound is so convincing I'm sure anyone could put dog ears and a tail on him and he'd bark. Just as well his nose is so sensitive, since it's pulled him out of tight situations multiple times in one episode. Looks like Nezuko isn't literally a piece of luggage for Tanjirou to carry. So long as it's night time, she can support her older brother in combat. Still relies on immensely powerful kicks to defeat Oni, so her brother's blade is still required to deal the final blow. Next week's episode has the primary villain's name as its title, so what will viewers get to learn about the enigmatic 1000-year old progenitor of the cannibalistic Oni? |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2865 |
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#8
I'm reminded more and more of Bram Stoker's Dracula after seeing more of Kibutsuji Muzan this week. Besides his callous conversion of a random passerby into an Oni, he's capable of killing humans in many creative and brutal ways when he's crossed. Like Stoker's Dracula, the blood he bears is the key to increasing the numbers of his species. If the two hunter Oni he's dispatched are any indication, higher concentration of blood from the progenitor (in a non-lethal concentration to start with) increases the powers of the thrall Oni. The other big reveal is the Oni doctor Tamayo (her slavishly devoted thrall Yushiro has stalker tendencies, but means well). She's one of the spellcaster Oni, but has spent centuries finding a way to cure herself and has even won independence from Kibutsuji's control. With her help, Tanjirou has finally found a clue towards curing his sister but the path ahead of him is still long and arduous. The episode is comparatively light on action, which will be rectified next episode now that the hunter Oni have found their prey. No fixed names for the pair, they're identified by their Oni powers. The ball thrower and arrow Oni should give the greenhorn Tanjirou more practice hunting down his prey, provided he survives the encounter. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2865 |
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#9
After last week's comparative lack of action, the animators ensure viewers get as much as they can for 24 minutes of airtime. The two new Oni are spellcasters and are incredibly formidable working in tandem. The leading pair are fortunate Tamayo and Yushiro are fighting together with them, or they'd stand no chance. Yushiro had his head blasted off by the ball, yet he still managed to regenerate. Tamayo wasn't lying when she said she'd experimented on herself; her kin is hardy enough to survive multiple wounds and still remain capable of attacking. Tanjirou had his back to the wall more or less the entire episode, but clever thinking and adaptability to the battlefield allows him to seize the one chance to take the arrow Oni out of commission. Without his arrows, the balls lose the ability to change their attack trajectory, but they retain their power to decapitate or dismember limbs so all four of them need to work together against six-arms. I don't think next week will take long to reach the duel's denouement, but what happens after that? |
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yuna49
 Posts: 3804 |
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Collect the blood from this pair of demons, then off on the road to collect some more. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2865 |
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#10
So Kibutsuji Muzan doesn't like his creations getting carried away and places a curse which kills Oni who say his name aloud. It's convenient for Tamayo, since she was looking for blood to collect and the curse makes it possible (arrow demon disintegrates like everyone slain by the Demon Slayer Sword, so even if Tanjirou wanted that blood he wouldn't have had the chance). If Nezuko continues to get stronger through surviving combat engagements with other Oni, she'll be more than helpful to her older brother when he's cornered by multiple opponents. She's still heavily reliant on kicking though, a wider variety of attacks wouldn't hurt. Looks like Tamayo and Yushiro are gone for now, but with the end of this mini-arc sees another start. The blond swordsman who survived the trial shows up again at the end, and he's clearly engaging in sexual harassment. About time the show moved on to introducing some of Tanjirou's fellow graduates, they feature prominently enough in the OP after all. |
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SomeHero
Posts: 53 |
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you forgot to Mention that the big Bad A** Demon is Michael Jackson
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2865 |
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#11
This episode has the most slapstick humour and cringe-inducing scenes in the series to date, and it's all down to Agematsu Zenitsu. He's not endearing himself to the audience with his antics, so it's a mystery how he managed to survive the week in the Final Selection. To be fair to him, his hearing is as sharp as Tanjirou's sense of smell. He was picking up the drumbeats long before anyone else was. Since he's featured in the OP and ED, he's probably going to be a recurring cast character. Hopefully he'll mellow out and be less annoying if he survives this encounter. Tanjirou won't like him much if he starts hitting on Nezuko as well. The other character from the OP and ED is introduced right at the end. Boar hide, no shirt and a boar mask. Wields two Katanas which have edges more like serrated saws than blades. Keeps yelling 猪突猛進 as well, which makes sense if he's emulated a wild boar and their tendency to charge headlong against threats. Unlike Zenitsu, it looks like he'll be more of a help to Tanjirou who's still injured from the previous story arc. The drum demon looks like he's going to be tougher opposition than anything faced to date. The ability to manipulate space with a tap of the hand drums makes it difficult to close the gap, so the swordsmen will need to take him by surprise and/or somehow get past the teleportation ability to get a clean hit in. First episode ever with Nezuko not in the next episode trailer. Will she be able to help her brother in the mansion? |
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yuna49
Posts: 3804 |
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I'll say right now that if Zenitsu is kept in the show in his current annoying form, I'll be leaving.
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2865 |
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#12
The annoying part of this episode is postponing the showdown between Tanjirou and the Drum Demon to the end and dragging it to next week. The swordsman with the boar head acts just like one, switching his target from the Demon to Tanjirou and the girl. Fortunately the demon's attack stops the fight and everyone is split up again shortly afterwards. In the interval, viewers are treated to what the new swordsmen are capable of. For all his whining and crying, Zenitsu earned his right to survive in the Final Selection by literally staying asleep through it. I don't know what medical condition it's called, but so long as he's asleep he's capable of the Thunder Breath and cutting apart demons who are in shock at his change in demeanour. He has no memory of what happens when he wakes up, but the companion saw it and couldn't believe his eyes either. Good for him he didn't pursue the issue, since there wouldn't have been much point. The boar-head has a self-taught Breath of the Beast which he uses to great effect against the huge oni which took out a drum from the drum demon. The drum which was dislodged appears to be the one that teleports the inhabitants to different rooms,which is why it was so random compared to the Drum demon's set. Now that two of the siblings are reunited and have a means of protection, Tanjirou has to battle the demon and his own injuries to survive and move onwards. If he does it alone, it will be impressive but it's better for him if he has help from the boar-head to lessen the burden on his body. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2865 |
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#13
Finally, the conclusion between the drum demon (Kyogai) and Tanjirou. The latter gets buffeted around by the rotating room but eventually adapts and gets the all-important beheading swing in. Fortunately for Tanjirou the drum which switched rooms was ripped out of Kyogai in the earlier battle, in addition the siblings weren't threatened anymore after Boar Head killed the remaining Oni in the mansion. Otherwise the duel would have been postponed again with the change in location. Again, this episode features a demon with a past eliciting empathy from viewers. Why do so many of the Oni have some kind of psychological issue which weighs heavily on them even after they've been transformed? To fill out the rest of the episode, it's Boar Head vs. Zenitsu. For all of his annoying antics and churlish wimpiness, Zenitsu redeems himself somewhat by taking plenty of hits in exchange for keeping Nezuko safe. There's a bit of dramatic overstatement as Tanjirou takes it all in before losing it, but the episode was close to a finish so animators had to stop somewhere. Next week's episode has an interesting title: The flower is the bane of Oni so a family using it as a crest must have some connection with the Demon Slayers. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2865 |
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#14
No Oni, so this week's action set-piece is a well-choreographed hand-to-hand brawl between Tanjirou and boar-head (Inosuke). He can't write his own name, but according to the credits it's 嘴平 伊之助. I half expected his name to have 猪 for the I, but he's got a fairly normal given name and an unusual surname. Inosuke fights like a boar, so if he claims he has no parents or siblings then he was probably raised by wild boars. He's got the temperament and the brains of one, but unlike the animals he's incredibly flexible (he could easily join Cirque du Soleil with those poses of his). Good thing for Tanjirou is when it comes to a clash of heads, the stubborn protagonist with the hard head outguns the pig-headed one. The rest of the episode after the fight seems more like the series equivalent of the Three Stooges. The swordsmen descend the mountain, find a friendly household and get medical leave from their duties. Zenitsu reverts to his annoying antics now that he's away from danger, while Inosuke tries and fails to provoke a fight between himself and Tanjirou. At least Nezuko returns to the scene (her growth scene is a little disconcerting). Now that all of the characters featured in the ED are properly introduced, perhaps the next story arc will feature all three of them against a common Oni enemy. The story so far has been entertaining, but it's flagging a bit because of the pacing (and Zenitsu). Something drastic required to reset the series from its current doldrums. |
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yuna49
Posts: 3804 |
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Nope, that's it for me. Twenty minutes of screaming doofuses is enough. This show fell off the cliff once Zenitsu arrived, and boar guy only made it worse.
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2865 |
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#15
Now that the trio have physically recovered, the show can move on from its gag antics to the serious business of oni-slaying. In some ways, more oni action helps since it keeps Zenitsu from hogging the spotlight. More action scenes are always welcome as an alternative to the simpleton chasing skirt or shuddering in fear. This week is a taster, since the Oni on webstrands announced he has a family consisting of five members if it includes himself. So far, that would be him, the hulking giant shown briefly in the episode and the well-endowed manipulator of humans (alive or dead) using spiders and spider threads. The music introducing the entry to the mountain is first-rate as always at setting the atmosphere. I wonder how long it will be before the series OST is released. Inosuke is not a reliable ally because of his pig-headed lust for combat, but he's not rejecting Tanjirou's suggestions at every turn. His special move this episode should mark him out for potential utility in the future since he's effectively a living radar post. Now that the manipulator has been located, next episode should feature some proper human vs. Oni duels. Hashira = Pillar? The series did mention very briefly the hierarchy of the demon slayers, but if a matter is so grave that a Pillar warrior has to be dispatched then it must be serious indeed. The Oni have their twelve elite, those who are closest in strength and power to the progenitor Kibutsuji Muzan. How strong then are the Pillar Warriors of the Demon Slayer Corps? Tomioka Giyuu (from way back at the start of the series) is one of them, while the female Shinobu (what is it with the female characters and the unsettling eyes with no pupils?!) is the other. The latter even says something very unbecoming of an elite Demon Slayer, but I suppose that's something for the adaptation to explore later. |
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