Story: Yes, yes we've seen it reiterated to ad nauseam, the story is nothing revolutionary and somewhat cliched. Your tried and true revenge story with a tinge of returning a loved one back to normal. The story is a-la Dororo and Fullmetal Alchemist combined to make a love child of the two. While cliches might turn some viewers off, I will always maintain the ideology that cliche is not inherently bad, it's how the author presents these familiar ideas and molds them into their own is where a series finds its true merit. The story is absolutely serviceable and sets out what it wants to achieve.
Art/Animation: The character design primarily is definitely one of Gotouge's strong suits. Each character with an important role to play is clearly distinguishable from one another and they all seem to have a subtle aura to them that I can't quite decide on how to describe. The backgrounds come to life with the studios touch and makes the experience that much more easier to immerse yourself. The animation is what truly gives Demon Slayer's OMPH where it starts showing where the ones who are bringing the series to life know exactly how to handle the material. For example: when Tanjiro is fighting the demon with the drum, it's really muddied and scattered in the manga which effects the legibility of how the fight is playing out. Within the anime however, we get to see crystal clear with the clever use of the CG for the rotating room, which in turn made the battle easier to digest. The fight with Rui in the manga itself really wasn't anything special, but with cleverly used techniques the animators made it a scene that not only made the anime as hyped as it is today, but made it a completely unforgettable moment that made use as a viewer feel a plethora of emotion.
Sound: The music is fitting of Demon Slayer to a T. From the folk tracks to fit with the historical and rural vibes, to the ending track of episode 19 and not to forget a great OP and ED too. As a music lover, I will always feel a good ost is better to experience than to read up about, go listen to some of the tracks in your free time the composer did a damn good job with the soundtrack. The VA's all fit their roles well and bring the characters to life for a memorable cast. Tanjiro has a very balanced and well thought choice for an actor, Zenitsu's VA portrays his character perfectly (find him annoying all you want), Inosuke has his brash and boneheaded personality shine through and Shinobu has a very calming yet haunting voice.
Characters: The main group is the main focus here and was pretty polarizing for the greater part of the community. Tanjiro has a great sense of justice. He's not overly serious and edgy which too many MC's love falling into with a story about revenge. He cares deeply about his family and friends, he has empathy towards the demons despite the tragedies they have caused, he's understanding of their positions but realizes the crimes they've committed are not to be forgiven easily. He's a very human character with his own faults, but is someone who can be looked up to. There's not too much to describe Nezuko up to this point as except cute and S M O L. She's the lone survivor of Tanjiro's family that was massacred while he was away in town and plays the role for Tanjiro's motivation to not only help her but others afflicted by the wrath of demons. Zenitsu is....something. He can be rather irritating and nerve grating with his behavior, despite him clearly being played up to being comedy relief. He has his moments, but I can get behind why most don't like him. He's essentially a far removed character from tragedy thrown into massive shenaningans which most normal people wouldn't be able to handle either. Inosuke is a very "what you see is what you get" type. He's stuck in his ways, stubborn to a fault and crude as one can be. His dimwitted nature makes him lovable if you ask me.
Enjoyment: Demon Slayer has not only been a treat to read, but an even bigger delight to watch every Saturday and I'm sad to see it be done for the time being. TRAIN HYPE BAYBE. I'm glad to see the hype its garnered since before the premiere to now. The holdovers from non-seasonal watchers and dub watchers eat your heart out on this anime, Ufotable 100% delivered. Keep those memes coming everybody.
Overall: The overall experience will not be one I'll forget anytime soon and I'm patiently waiting for that upcoming movie. If you're a shonen fan, watch this as soon as you can if you haven't. For further recommendations I recommend: Dororo and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.
Thank you again for everybody who takes their time to read my reviews, any support is much appreciated. I hope this review was helpful in any way.
