Welp...I'm late to this party! Time to review the most overrated shonen garbage of the last 5 years! Demon Slayer is an anime that absolutely EVERYONE watched last year. Except for me of course, because I was watching bad hentai to make comedy reviews on the internet! I went in with pretty damn high expectations. As of January 2020, DS is rated one of the best anime of all time on MAL and the #1 anime of all time on Kitsu. I'm dead serious! The kids on Kitsu truly think that this is the GOAT. Galactic Heroes? Ping Pong? Lain? Ashita no Joe? No! Fuck
...
that shit! Demon Slayer baby!
I went in expecting an action series SO epic that it blows your balls off and shoves them up your ass! I expected the love child of Hellsing Ultimate, Fist of the North Star, and Berserk with maybe some Shigurui and Violence Jack thrown in for good measure! The anime with SO much testosterone that Woody Allen could watch it and go into a Norse Berserker rampage, repeatedly bashing his head against a wall just to calm down!
What did I get? A very average shonen that looks pretty but is horribly written. At least RebelPanda tried to warn me about this. I just didn't listen. He's now made me a sad panda too!
So, what is Demon Slayer about? They certainly don't slay any demons. That's just a shitty translation into English. In Japanese the enemies are called Oni, but they're actually vampires. They're undead, fanged humans with vampire powers that can transform other humans by biting them and are immortal unless exposed to sunlight or decapitated with a holy weapon. They're fucking vampires! I'm going to call them that for the rest of this review.
The story starts off as shonen as possible. The main character is named Tanjiro and he's a young coal miner/charcoal merchant from a small, mountain village. At least he's a country bumkin, so he's not in middle school! One day, an old man randomly warns him that vampires exist! Later that night, his family are slaughtered by vampires. The old man wasn't a vampire BTW, that was pure coincidence because this show is horribly written. However, Tanjiro's adorable little sister Nezuko has survived and turned into a vampire! A vampire hunter immediately shows up to kill Nezuko, but Tanjiro fights against him and desperately tries to save her. While all other vampires immediately turn evil, Nezuko is able to avoid killing her brother and retains her goodness because the power of love. The vampire hunter is very impressed by the strong bond between these siblings, so he spares Nezuko and sends Tanjiro off to train under an incredibly generic kung fu master and become a vampire hunter.
As you would expect, Pai Mei is a hard bastard and puts Tanjiro through the wringer. He trains for a year and gains superhuman strength, speed, and techniques because this is a shonen. Now it's time for the vampire hunter test! The final exam involves surviving for days against hordes of high-level vampires. The test is so EXTREME and BADASS, that only 2 people have survived it in the last 50 years! The vampire hunter test has killed over 100 potential vampire hunters and thus has actually produced more vampires than hunters. Now that's what I call efficiency! Tanjiro survives of course because he's the main character and that gives him the power of plot armor!
Let's stop the plot summary and talk about world building. Something that Demon Slayer forgot to do. I mentioned this in my review of Shiki, but vampires are fucking bullshit! In most vampire fiction, they're immortal and it takes 50 villagers with luck on their side to take down a vampire. The vampires can turn other people into vampires and increase their population exponentially, but somehow there aren't that many vampires and normal people don't believe in them. There's an amazing scene in the Witcher novels in which the comic relief bard talks to a vampire about how they reproduce. The vampire replies, "Of course we can't bite other people and turn them into vampires! Do you comprehend basic math? Let's assume a founding population of just 1,000 vampires that came into existence 500 years ago. Each vampire attacks remote villages and kills only 1 peasant per month. Just 20 percent of those bitten turn into vampires. At the end of the first year, there are just under 2400 vampires assuming a couple fucked up and got killed. At the end of year 5 there are 79,000 vampires. After 500 years, do you really think that vampires would be so rare that you've never seen one?!"
The only way for humans to stand a prayer against vampires would be to design a highly effective weapon that's mass produced to the point that everyone has one and can use it. How about a crossbow that shoots blessed silver bolts? In Demon Slayer, the only thing stopping vampires is the guild of vampire hunters, who designed a test so EXTREME that there are 10-15 vampire hunters at any one time and that's being very generous. In order for the vampires to not overrun Japan, Tanjiro must be putting up INSANE kill numbers. We're talking Soviet state executioner Vasily Blokhin numbers. 7,000 vampires a week! His life is eating, shitting, and killing vampires on an assembly line! In season 2, we're going to be introduced to 3 vampire hunters that by themselves have somehow been running Vampire Treblinka in the middle of Tokyo! Jesus, that rant got dark. I apologize for that highly offensive joke, but I just hate this show so much!
Next, we're introduced to some annoying side characters that add nothing and piss me off. We do get some cool fight scenes though and Tanjiro carries Nezuko around in a basket as an homage to the 1982 B-movie Basket Case. I just wish it had referenced the Toxic Avenger instead. I'm more of Toxie guy!
The art and animation is the only reason this show got a 5 and not a 3 or 4. Demon Slayer followed the My Hero Academia formula to make shonen great again. Rule #1 No filler #2 Fuck character development. Just have non-stop action! #3 SAKUGA!!! MOAR SAKUGA!!!!
The music was a huge letdown for me. An action scene for me lives or dies by its music. If you want to have non-stop ass kicking, you better have a pulse pounding, AMAZING OST. Demon Slayer got the composer of Idol Master and 1/10th of the Tekken 5 OST. What's wrong with you Ufotable?! You're based out of Japan! You could have hired Michiru Yamane, the goddess who wrote all the awesome Castlevania music over her 30 year career at Konami! She made a whole career out of orgasmic, badass music about beating the fuck out of vampires! Even I would probably give this series a 7 if Yamane had been given the OST. Instead, I'm left having to deliver the sad report that the climactic battle scene from Season 2 of Netflix Castlevania was better than any single scene in Demon Slayer. Yes, the Netflix Americanime with that obnoxious Indian director who said he comes from the future. That show is better than Demon Slayer! Because Bloody Tears!
So in conclusion, if you enjoyed Vampire Slayer...that's cool with me! It just wasn't my cup of tea, but I'm glad other people had fun with it. Those guys on Kitsu sure are overly generous though! If they loved Demon Slayer so much, I can't wait to read the praise they wrote about my favorite anime!
(Browses Kitsu) Let's see here...series rank 1,983rd. The top rated review by a longshot simply reads: "u might enjoy this if u re a stupid, horny 12 y/o. LOL!"
(channels George Costanza rage) " You know we're living IN A SOCIETY! WE'RE SUPPOSED TO ACT IN A CIVILIZED WAY!"
I think this is the last time I ever browse Kitsu.
Alternative Titles
Synonyms: Blade of Demon Destruction
Japanese: 鬼滅の刃
More titlesInformation
Type:
TV
Episodes:
26
Status:
Finished Airing
Aired:
Apr 6, 2019 to Sep 28, 2019
Premiered:
Spring 2019
Broadcast:
Saturdays at 23:30 (JST)
Licensors:
Aniplex of America
Studios:
ufotable
Source:
Manga
Theme:
Historical
Demographic:
Shounen
Duration:
23 min. per ep.
Rating:
R - 17+ (violence & profanity)
Statistics
Ranked:
#1602
2
based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.
Popularity:
#6
Members:
3,126,014
Favorites:
91,631
Available AtResourcesStreaming Platforms | Reviews
Filtered Results: 147 / 740
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Your Feelings Categories Jan 21, 2020
Welp...I'm late to this party! Time to review the most overrated shonen garbage of the last 5 years! Demon Slayer is an anime that absolutely EVERYONE watched last year. Except for me of course, because I was watching bad hentai to make comedy reviews on the internet! I went in with pretty damn high expectations. As of January 2020, DS is rated one of the best anime of all time on MAL and the #1 anime of all time on Kitsu. I'm dead serious! The kids on Kitsu truly think that this is the GOAT. Galactic Heroes? Ping Pong? Lain? Ashita no Joe? No! Fuck
...
Sep 28, 2019
Maybe it’s just because I’ve gone old and crotchety, but I’ve been really disappointed with ufotable lately. Maybe even that is too harsh. I’ve just felt so out of touch with them for the past three and a half to four years since they seem to have completely abandoned their old selves. Whether it be the astronomical success of the Fate/Grand Order mobile game, or the fair success of their own Tales of Symphonia OVA BD sales, ufotable has apparently honed in on game adaptations. All they’ve made for TV following their 2014 re-adaptation of Studio Deen’s Fate/Stay Night, Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works, has
...
Sep 28, 2019
Ahhh, Demon Slayer. If I were to describe you in very short terms, it would be "a show with decent to mediocre content overshadowed by its own technical achievement."
Firstly, the positives of this show. Without a doubt, the main intrigue and appeal of this show upon first inspection is the art, and for good reason. Ufotable, the studio previously mentioned, is responsible for this shows adaptation into anime, and has overall done a fantastic job at keeping a consistent and unique artstyle incorporated throughout the show's airtime. Not only ranging from the shows beautifully rendered backgrounds, cool ... Jun 3, 2019
(SPOILERS:)
And yes this was taken down but now that i've watched 6 Episodes here is my review: If you want the overall here it is: Demon Slayer doesn't do anything new or ground breaking. The characters feel reused from other Shonens and the plot is like if Full Metal Alchemist and Tokyo Ghoul had a baby but that baby lacked drama, subtleties, or nuisanced characters. If you like Shonens, you'll like this show. It is entertaining but there's not much to it here. If you're tired of the Shonen genre and hoped this show had even a little more depth to it's characters, world building ... Sep 28, 2019 Welcome to my review of Kimetsu no Yaiba!! Minor spoiler warning!! The Kamado family lives happily in peace in their seclude cabin high up in the snowy mountains .After the main protagonist Tanjirous father passing away some time ago, he have taken over he's responsibility and providing for he's family .One day after selling some coal in the village nearby and coming home later than expected, he stubble through the door and are met by a gruesome and horrifying sight! He's family have been brutally slaughtered .Hes ... Sep 28, 2019
Finally we have it, the new anime about loud teenagers with cool swords fighting the ultimate evil. Another shonen jump work which I ultimately like, but have a hard time describing the experience as not frustrating. So let’s get to that.
The animation and presentation are definitely a plus, containing beautiful 3d backgrounds, that are seamlessly implemented (for the most part). The composition and usage of color are great, setting the mood really well, making for a good ominous spooky atmosphere, which in turn, really brings to life the more melancholic tragic aspects of the story. Those only come into play when we finally see the ... Jul 18, 2019
First let me say, Kimetsu no Yaiba has great animation. I honestly don't mind the CG use too much but besides that I thought it was very unique and something I haven't seen before. The fight scenes are enjoyable and I like to see the solutions that Tanjiro comes up with to defeat his enemies. The music and sound design are also pretty good, however, I'm not a huge fan of the music.
Unfortunately, that's about it for the good parts of this show. The storyline is super generic, guy wants revenge and to save his sister, so he joins a group of Demon Slayers to ... Sep 1, 2019
Kimetsu no Yaiba´s strong side is without a doubt the production value of Ufotable. It can shine with good music, fluid animations, decent artwork and nice character design.
The problems seem to lay just under the highly polished surface. Especially the story, worldbuilding and characters are sadly quite lacking. Before i go in deeper in my reasoning i would like to make a comparison to make my problems with the series so far a bit more clear. KnY is basicly Claymore, just with the problems inverted. Instead of a focus on the character and world building, Kimetsu is showing of spectacle. Both anime are about a child ... Sep 2, 2019
While the show is certainly a visual treat, it lacks originality and depth of character.
While the show began slow, it's worldbuilding and atmosphere were two great points going for it. But the atmosphere slowly morphed as we piled on more characters, and the show slid into a more traditional, and uninspired, battle shonen. The interesting characters are few and far between, with standout annoying performances (the two sidekicks especially, are walking tropes taken to extremes) which completely destroyed the earlier feel of the show. Kimetsu no Yaiba is a decent, if unoriginal, battle shonen. If you like these kinds of animes, the visuals alone should keep ... Sep 28, 2019
spoiler warning for the weak minded
Just about anyone who has had any interest in the action and adventure genre may have come across the monomyth aka the hero’s journey. A term popularized by Joseph Campbell about a common narrative template that has been used through many ages and cultures of stories about heroes and adventures. While it has been argued that the monomyth and it’s details are considered too broad and general that it can fit the description of almost every story. It didn’t stop people from accepting the idea of the hero’s journey and integrating them into their own works. In some way the ... Jun 30, 2019
I should literally be giving this show a 9 or 10 rating but I'll explain why not in a bit.
This show at first didn't look very exciting, typical hyped new show...damn was i wrong. Off the bat the shows hits you with deep feels, some great combat and a good sense of what you can expect. The story literally puts you in an emotional ride, seeing both the struggle of the main and those before him. Combat is great, alot of neat and omg moments, and we get one of animes cutest character. Now THE MAIN REASON WHY I GAVE IT A LOW SCORE... We ... Oct 3, 2019
Oh my god in heaven is this show a breath of fresh air!! It’s been a long while since an anime has evoked such a unique set of emotions from me. This is a one in a million series, so let me break down what’s so amazing about it as accurately as I can.
The characters. They are the heart and soul of Demon Slayer, and their complete lack of depth past simple caricatures is what will eventually bring you to tears. You truly feel for their sadness as well as their happiness, and you won’t be able to help rooting for them as this show ... Jul 14, 2019
As of this review, I've just started episode 15.
First of all, I'd like to get this out of the way first. This review is mostly just me venting so if I'm being a little unfair to this show, that's probably the reason why. Also, Ufotable did a great job in the art department. This anime is a feast for the eyes. Visually, I'd easily give this anime an 8 or above rating. Here's what I do have a problem with: The direction of scenes and the characters. So many things go into directing that it's very difficult to pin down what's exactly wrong with it but I'm ... Sep 21, 2019
A typical shounen anime, nothing more nothing less.
First the good parts about the show: Amazing animation, maybe the best I’ve ever seen, the fights are very well executed. Sound track is good but nothing amazing. And that’s it basically. The story starts very typically with a young protagonist whose family gets slaughtered by demons, and his sister turning into one. He now must slay all demons to avenge his family and heal his sister. What drew me into the show initially was the dark tone the show seemed to have, darker than your average shounen that is, I mean his family was killed in episode 1, and literally all the ... Oct 9, 2019
- The story is average like your generall action/monster hunting anime with a theme about family bonding and etc. Nothing outstanding.
- The art style is fine. Except for episode 19's Epic fight scene. -The sound is again fine. -Characters. In my opinion, the main characters are boring. None of them stand out to me. Tanjiro is just another average protagonist that wants to protect everyone, and get his sister to turn back into a human. Inosuke is a hot-headed person that tries to be cool and all but can be genuine to people around him. Zenitsu is one of those annoying protagonists that happens to be ... Sep 29, 2019
This series was especially conflicting for me, it has probably the best animation we'll ever see, but on the other hand, the show is unbearable most of the times.
[Very Mild spoilers, considerably none] I've had to drag myself every single time to finish an episode, and as much as I'd like myself to enjoy this show. It's just God awful in every other factor apart from animation. First, starting with the good elements: The Animation, done by UFOTable, is beyond God-tier. Every frame of this show is wallpaper worthy. The bold art style and the CGI fits in perfectly with my taste and is done by the ... May 5, 2024
Demon Slayer is easily the most overrated anime ever and arguably one of the most overrated pieces of fiction to ever exist. Demon Slayer is the type of anime that is really only enjoyable when you turn your brain off and just look at the pretty colors on screen. There isn't any depth in the story or characters at all and the writing at certain parts is absolutely abhorrent and extremely questionable and yet it's rated higher than objectively better anime like mob psycho and Chainsawman for some reason? Demon Slayer can be an enjoyable anime to watch, but the writing certainly isn't good.
Story: 5 There's ... Jun 23, 2019
Battle shounen, a genre designed to attract a large audience with the least amount of effort, it doesn't require any research or studying, only basic knowledge of what people would like, and this pretty much sums up what Kimetsu no Yaiba is all about, since it's one of the most basic shounen anime I've ever seen.
-The story: it's nothing new, a young boy named Tanjirou has his family massacred by a demon and then trains to become a demon slayer. The story could've been interesting but it suffers from laziness, the writer tries to avoid any complicated conflicts that would require effort to solve. For example, the ... Sep 28, 2019
Shounen is a tried and true genre that has grown through generations of stories building off the predecessors that inspired them. For the most part, audiences and creators alike know what works and what doesn't by now. There are story beats, character archetypes, good-guy power-ups and bad-guy boasts that we've come to expect - and it would be a mistake to think otherwise. Though these tropes are not inherently bad - they are merely another way for us to scratch our unending desire to endlessly categorize and file familiar things in media. It does not matter if the same trope is used a thousand times
...
Sep 28, 2019
A typical but watchable shonen mostly carried by some great animation and music. Nothing particularly new or creative about this world, this story, these characters. Most of the characters are under-established, quite generic and aren't really that interesting beyond their design, Backstories whenever featured feel sluggish and forgettable. I wasn't able to connect with a lot of the emotion in this anime, mainly because of how blunt it can be in it's execution, with extremely theatrical and unnatural dialogue. The humorous scenes are also a hit or miss but it did have it's moments and offered some good laughs along the way. One thing I
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