Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc

Episode 9

Last week, I saw some folks take umbrage with my comparison of Demon Slayer to The Fast and the Furious, as if it were some sort of insult. This couldn't be further from the truth, since I really do like almost all of the F&F films that I've seen, even if I occasionally have to strain every last bit of credulity that I have to keep up with their typhoons of absurd vehicular super-heroics. It's just that, as is the case with Demon Slayer, the Fast and the Furious movies know that their one job is to leave its audience entertained once the credits roll. Pure, unadulterated spectacle is the top priority, and everything else—the plot, the characters, the tone, the pacing—is merely a means to that flashy end. For the F&F movies, that means that you'll get a whole bunch of bizarre soap opera theatrics that exist purely to make it just a little more satisfying when Vin Diesel Hulk-smashes a parking garage with his foot after getting into a tire-iron sword fight with Jason Statham. For Demon Slayer, well, it means you get episodes like “Defeating an Upper Rank Demon.”

I've already talked about how I think that Uzui is, at his core, a more interesting character than the likes of Rengoku, but a lot of that simply comes down to which kind of barely characterized manga archetype that I just so happen to prefer. On paper, there really isn't that wide of a gulf that separates “over-the-top weirdo with daddy issues and a little brother that he loves” and “over-the-top weirdo with daddy issues and a harem of ninja wives that he loves.” I like that Uzui gets more to do than yell “Delicious!” over and over, and that he doesn't look like the bastard son of a Hot Wheels car and Guy Fieri's scalp. Some folks probably find Uzui's “Wife Guy Turned Up to 11” shtick overbearing in the same way that I disliked Rengoku.

Some people also think that Tyrese is a better character in the Fast and the Furious movies compared to Ludacris. It's all good. At the end of the day, the fans are still getting their money's worth, and neither actor is actually being asked to do all that much anyways, so everyone gets to walk away happy. All of that said, I hope this extended riff on The Fast and the Furious movies helps explain why I am willing to go along with the essentially pointless Uzui flashback that opens this episode, when I have been less inclined to give a damn about anything Demon Slayer has had to say about Rengoku. I don't think any of these story digressions matter that much at all; it's all about what better fills in all of the space between the cool fights.

And the fights this week are cool (as if you needed me to tell you that ufotable has once again made an anime that looks really good). Watching this episode almost reminded me of back when I saw the Wachowski Sisters' Speed Racer for the first time, where I was constantly asking myself, “Holy crap, are you even allowed to use this many awesome colors all at once?” Zenitsu and Inosuke may not bring much to the table so far as drama or rich characterization is concerned, but I have always loved the way that Demon Slayer uses them as very literal splashes of color to add to its already vivid palette. It's a thrill to see Zenitsu's shock of bright orange streak across the screen in tandem with Inosuke's cool blue hues, with Tanjiro acting as the blending of the colors.

The fight manages to maintain the fun energy of the season pretty well too, which is vital considering that we've spent half a dozen weeks on this battle already. My favorite moment of the episode, and one of the best gags of the entire Entertainment District Arc as a whole, comes from Inosuke maniacally sawing Daki's head off with his serrated blades and carrying her skull across the rooftops like some sort of demented football.

Still, I have to admit that the pacing of the Daki fight is starting to wear on me, and I feel the weight of it more here in this episode, because “Defeating an Upper Rank Demon” is trying to present itself as the prerequisite “All is Lost!” moment of the story. Inosuke has been stabbed by Gyutaro, Uzui seems down for the count, and Tanjiro just won't stop whining about how he feels so helpless and weak compared to everyone around him. I know this isn't a very popular opinion around these parts, but I'm sorry, Demon Slayer still has not convinced me to give enough of a damn about its cast or its story to be invested in the drama that it is trying to sell. It isn't even that I think the characters are safe from any permanent harm—Uzui could be dead by the end of the arc, for all I know. The problem is that I don't predict that I would be moved or shocked at all if any of our heroes died, either next week or by the time the story ends.

I love Inosuke, but my appreciation for him extends purely to his function as comic relief. If he really did get axed by Gyutaro this week, I wouldn't mourn his loss as a person that I had come to love and respect within the world if Demon Slayer; I'd instead be thinking, “Shit, I guess that means that the show is going to be a lot less funny now.” When Inosuke demonstrates shocking levels of competence in this battle, I'm not feeling proud or excited to see a once-awkward dweeb become a real hero; I'm just wondering how much, if any, of this development will stick beyond future fight scenes, or if it will even result in Awake!Zenitsu being more tolerable in general. Hell, I don't even think I'd have much to say if Tanjiro himself bit the bullet. He's a nice kid and all, but he still doesn't feel real to me in the way that other stories have convinced me of the reality of their characters.

If the Entertainment District Arc has solidified anything for me, it's that what I like about Demon Slayer lies mostly on it's incredibly glossy surface. It's gorgeous and often thrilling, and the amount of mind-boggling talent that goes into producing any given episode is worth applause in and of itself. It is produced by undeniably skilled artists, and almost every frame of the show is a stunning example of artistry on a technical level. Does that make it great art? I don't think so, but that's okay. If I want to watch something that'll make me feel things, I have plenty of great shows to choose from. If I want to treat my eyeballs to an ocular spa-day, I'm glad to know that Demon Slayer is around to get the job done.

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Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

James is a writer with many thoughts and feelings about anime and other pop-culture, which can also be found on Twitter, his blog, and his podcast.