I am an avid fan of anything and everything anime. This, however, was not always the case. The year was 2020. Up to this point in my life, I had spent nineteen years not watching anime. If you are still getting familiar with the term, anime is a style of Japanese film and television animation. The reason for my non-viewing of this style of movie and television was not on purpose. I had watched American-made television shows in the style of anime, such as Pokemon, Beyblade, and Avatar: The Last Airbender. I knew it wasn’t the style that was turning me off to the whole world of anime, but I still couldn’t bring myself to dive into it all. I just couldn’t do it. That is, until my brother, Heath, started getting into it over the most recent pandemic, COVID-19. He was 100% invested in the worlds of Naruto, Fullmetal Alchemist, and so many more. That is when I began to question the big deal surrounding all of these shows. I started looking around at some and found that they can be accessed easily through streaming services like Netflix and Hulu. However, that still wasn’t enough to make me watch one. Things changed when October 2020 rolled around when Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train was released. 

Heath and his friends were obsessed with this show, Demon Slayer, and were the first to buy tickets for the movie coming out. I couldn’t understand the insane hype surrounding this show and movie. I thought cartoons were childish (even though, at the time, I was binging Bojack Horseman to an unhealthy degree). Heath had been begging me to watch Demon Slayer. He claimed it was the perfect show to start with in anime, one of the best stories of all time, and touted some of the best animations ever. Still not enough.

I continued this stubborn act until I got home from school over Christmas break. Heath had informed me that Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train had become the highest-grossing movie in the history of Japanese cinema. Wow. That was what tipped the scales. Over the next couple of days of Christmas break, I was glued to the TV on Netflix, watching (and quickly finishing) the first season of Demon Slayer. 

If you are unfamiliar with Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, it is an anime television show (and now two movies) that was adapted from the manga (a style of Japanese comic books and graphic novels) of the same name. The manga consists of twenty-three volumes, and its run lasted four years, from 2016-2020. It has currently sold over 150 million copies. Thus, for obvious reasons, due to its popularity, it was made into a television show by Ufotable, Inc., in April 2019. The show follows Tanjiro Kamado, who must become a demon slayer after his entire family is murdered by demons, except his one surviving sister, Nezuko Kamado, who was turned into a demon herself. The show and first movie are exhilarating. The story is entertaining and heart-wrenching, and the animation is beautiful and exciting. As Heath had been trying to tell me, it is the perfect starter anime.

The anime hook had officially snatched me up. When I finished watching season two in early February of 2022, I was foaming at the mouth and could not wait for new Demon Slayer content. While waiting, I even read through the entire 23 volumes of the manga. Phenomenal! Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait too long (although it felt like forever) as they announced that they would release another movie in March of 2023 before dropping season three in April. This time, I was trying to get people to watch the show and was the first one in line this go-round. The new movie, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba- To the Swordsmith Village, was released on March 1st. I got to the theaters as soon as I could and watched it. It is a masterpiece!

The people over at Ufotable, Inc. have done a spectacular job putting the page to the screen, and they have gotten even better with the second film installment. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba- To the Swordsmith Village consists of the last two episodes of season two, “Never Give Up” and “No Matter How Many Lives,” along with what I believe to be the first episode of season three. The first two-thirds, which I have seen before, were terrific the second time. It features an epic battle with Tanjiro and some of his demon slayer friends, Zenitsu and Inosuke, along with his sister Nezuko and a Hashira (one of the strongest demon slayers that help teach up-and-coming demon slayers) Uzui fighting upper-rank demons, Daki and Gyutaro. The animation of this battle is as beautiful as a symphony (literally), and I am so glad they included those episodes in the film to set up the highly anticipated final third of the movie, which debuted the third season.

In my humble opinion, it opens in quite possibly the best-animated sequence of all time. Akaza, the third highest-ranked demon, dives into the never-ending halls of the Infinity Castle (home of the demons and the highest demon, Muzan). It has to be seen to be believed. I could only compare it to scenes from Paprika (2006) or Inception (2010). The animation stays top-notch as the story progresses. The upper-rank demons meet about the war between them and the demon slayers. Then, it cuts to Tanjiro and his friends healing from their intense battle before he goes to the swordsmith village for a brand-new sword. The movie does a phenomenal job of moving on from a traumatic and tragic battle while introducing new vital characters and maintaining the sense of excitement and dread of what’s to come. I felt that with each Demon Slayer release, it has only improved. Amazing movie!

It is never too late to get into anime. Don’t be like me. In no way am I trying to force this upon anyone. This article is meant to be an advertisement for the style of anime. You don’t need to keep trying to figure out the hype or why you have yet to watch any anime. Just feel free to watch and enjoy an art form that is equally amazing as its story that deserves wildly more recognition worldwide. Let me know how it goes.

Review Courtesy of Wade Davis