Zenitsu | Animated Observations

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One of the reasons I stopped watching seasonal anime, aside from an increasingly busy schedule, is because following all of what is popular all of the time is kind of a chore. This is not some hipster statement meant solely to ridicule what is popular, but it is to say that only following something because other people are can shift a person’s perspective on that anime. Demon Slayer is a show that, had I been watching it week by week, I probably would have enjoyed a lot more than I did. This is not to say that the show is bad, but rather that some parts of it could have been executed differently. Here are my Final Thoughts.

UFOTABLE: Busted!

It is hard to argue that Studio Ufotable has a bad track record when it comes to animation. After all, they have the Fate/ series, along with other projects like Garden of Sinners, under their belt. Now, most recently, they have Demon Slayer, the animation of which is indeed a cut above most of the other shows that aired this year. Not only do the more static moments of the shows still look good, but the action scenes show a level of care and quality found rarely outside of studios like Ufotable.

One of the best examples of this comes near the end of the series, in the fight between Tanjiro and Rui, where Tanjiro almost manages to beat Rui by himself. Not only does the this scene in particular have an incredibly unique color pallet, the movement of the animation is on par with the rest of Ufotable’s best.

A Fun Supporting Cast

Anime like Demon Slayer rarely ever work without a fun supporting cast backing up the main character, and even then sometimes they still do not. Luckily though, Demon Slayer’s supporting cast is pretty great. Zenitsu, while occasionally being pretty annoying and distracting, brings a lot to the table as a comedic relief. Zenitsu also has a lot of potential as a character, in that his backstory is one of most interesting out of all of the characters in the show so far. Inosuke, too, is a great character. While not as interesting as Zenitsu, he still shines through as unique, in that he does not think to much but still responds to Tanjiro with a level of respect that almost crosses him over into Tsundere territory.

Tamayo, the demon doctor who appears near the beginning of the series, is also pretty compelling. She serves as Tanjiro’s first bit of new evidence that not all demons are bad, and that there are those who are even willing to help those in the human world, as she was once a demon herself.

Tanjiro and Nezuko

My biggest gripe with the series as a whole really comes down to Tanjiro as a main character. While certainly a lot better than other protagonists, his development over the series leaves a lot to be desired.

At the beginning of the series, the show gives us Tanjiro’s origin story. He leaves home for a day only to return to his family slaughtered and his sister turned into a demon. However, Tanjiro’s single-minded focus on revenge for his sister becomes a bit boring after a while, as it feels like that is one of his only character traits. It is not until Zenitsu and Inosuke are introduced a little later on that it feels like their is a significant change of pace in the story.

Nezuko falls into a similar boat. While admittedly cute, she does not do a whole lot outside of acting as the catalyst for Tanjiro’s journey to become a Demon Slayer. It is not often she contributes to the story outside of being Tanjiro’s sister who was turned into a demon.

Conclusion

I do not think it can be said that Demon Slayer is bad, because it is not. It has a lot of great moments, a ton of stellar animation, and enough in main story that makes it worth sticking around. However, part of me still feels like there is a lot more to learn about both Tanjiro and Nezuko and I hope more of that comes out as the series progresses.

How do you all feel about Demon Slayer? Let me know in the comments below.

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