Does a good animation make up for a flawed plot? Does it improve mediocre writing? Or does the plot and everything else make up for the lack of it? For one, animation is a core part of what makes Anime... AnImE. Not only is it in the name (Anim-e-ation) but it's what separates it from its source material, be it Manga, Light Novels, Games ...etc.
“Kimetsu no Yaiba” (Demon Slayer) was on the better-good side in all of this. I'm by every respect new to Ufotable, “Gyo” was the only production of them that I had ever seen, and oh boy was it a disappointment. Probably at the time, I had labeled it together with Toei Animation and Studio Pierrot, but after watching this newborn Shounen marvel, the disappointment was in myself for not doing enough homework, of course, they are the folks behind the Fate series, so why would this be any more of a surprise? This installment has for sure secured their name next to the mainstream highly praised Mad House, Kyoto Animation, Studio Bones and the likes...
Story (8/10):
Just another tiring snowy day, Tanjirou comes back home to find his family slaughtered in his front door, it must have been the world of a wild animal, a hungry bear passing by, it has to, the house is isolated in the middle of what seems like an empty forest, and his family's corpses have all gotten cold in bruises already, except for his Sister Nezuko who he happens to carry and run to see a doctor for her immediately. To his surprise, what has always been a tale of old, with savage claws and wild look, Nezuko stands up as nothing happened to her, and straight went for the kill. Realizing that his sister has become what is known as a Demon, a flesh-eating mysterious race that lives off human blood, set off to look for a cure, hoping that one day he would lift this curse from his beloved sister.
Bit by bit, he finds himself rolling for an anti-demon organization called the Demon Slayers, climbing up the ranks to hopefully one day have a shot at lifting this eternal curse off of his young Nezuko.
The series spans 26 episodes, which tells serializing story through bursts of short and related arcs, significantly fast pace that doesn't sleep on any sneaked up filler if there was any.
At a cellular core, it is still a Shounen story and a mediocre one at that. I did not feel any complicated plot threads of any trace of a plot twist that keeps you thinking, but Ufotable's magnificent work almost made up for everything accountable.
Art (9.5/10):
Without a doubt, the best “consistent” animation of the year, no contest, and note how I'm highlighting the consistency of it, because of phenomenal shows like Mob Psycho 100 II, Kaguya-sama love is war, Attack on Titan to name a few have blessed 2019 with some of the best visuals in the industry. I'm not going to say that Kimetsu no Yaiba surpasses all of them in every department, however, the consistency part stays faithful to the same degree of perfection through its serialization.
I don't have a huge experience with CGI heavy show, the thought of it has always scared me that I couldn't give a majority of shows a chance, however starting to watch this show, it took me a long time to even notice that all this time, CGI was always prominent, but how couldn't I notice it sooner? Because it was done well. It might be the best example I've seen of such implementation as it kept me begging for more for the first time in my life.
The special effects department was the selling point for me, and probably for most people, so unique and fresh that I started to associate with the show as a primary flench, if that wasn't enough, the use of high frame rate animation boost the visual capabilities and enhances the experience miles above your average 24 fps show, it's almost as not wanting to go back. It makes the slow-motion (Which looks incredible in this show) scenes look tons of times better and more intense, the sense of scale and impact is perfectly emulated through the use of impact frame and 3D cinematography trickery that puts the show in a visual level on its league.
The character designs were vivid, full of life, despite their dead-inside eyes. They reflect their personalities in a great manner and help them indicate their importance by blending each one of them differently with their surrounding backgrounds.
Sound (9/10):
It is shocking to hear that a 26 episodes long show nowadays would only feature a single pair opening and ending theme songs, but Kimetsu no Yaiba did one each, and did them so well that you no longer start asked for another one, because once you hear those two, you get a special kind of vocal fulfillment that reflect perfectly on the mood of the series. I would even be fine if they end up reusing them for the upcoming sequels too. The soundtrack records were phenomenal, one of the best, they have a presence, they have emotion, they have intensity, they are almost a physical 3rd party that's present during every necessary moment of hype, sadness, or happiness.
I don't think there were any complaints about the voice actors and actresses from the fandom at all, which only praises the skilled cast members selected to perform this spectacle.
Characters (8/10):
Let's get the skeletal character design out of the picture first, unique and fresh, it gave me some strong vibes of a mixture between Boku no Hero Academia and Yakusoku no Neverland. Characters appear short but bulky. The clothing varies from place to place, almost telling a separate story of time and struggle. Extremely colorful just like the world they inhabit, with distinct hairstyles, creative eye color palette, and radiating charisma that matches its skeleton.
While nothing groundbreaking, it takes the norm and levels it up, cleans up the mesh and exposes the cliché troop, almost ridiculing it. Tanjitou is your casual Shounen protagonist that's filled with energy, determination, and a dream to fulfill, yet, he remains to be a chill and calm (for a protagonist) dude that doesn't get on the nerve.
People would nominate Nezuko to be the best female of the year, but I wouldn't stand behind that seeing how 90% of the time, she's sleeping inside of a wooden box, not much proper screen time to begin with. The duo Inosuke and Zenitsu are complementary to each other, the same way a savage beast and a cowardly cat would interact with each other, but don't let that cliché facade scare you away, as they do have personal interests into making plot-level decisions.
Muzen, that makes up for the villain is also an interesting figure that spreads sinister deeds throughout the series, raising a culprit question in the first episode and remaining there to stay till the very last with a common but interesting ideology that remains to be explored.
Enjoyment (9/10):
I remember when the community was on heels for this show when it was first starting, I don't jump on the seasonal bandwagon very early on, so I gave the shows serializing ta the time some accumulation time for me to start binging whatever content I catch up on, and Kimetsu no Yaiba was there for me, but a bit earlier. The hype and the loud praise I hear had me start watching when it was still 5 episodes in, and for a show of +25 it's quite unusual for me to rush in whilst the first chunk of 12 episodes isn't there yet. The hype was real, it was honest and welcoming from the get-go. I had my fair share of waiting weekly for new episodes and even a greater blast presenting it to my siblings. The lack of shameless fan service makes it easy to recommend to the public too.
2019 was packed for great shows already, and this gem made a name of itself even with all the clutter.
Overall (8.7/10):
In short, Kimetsu no Yaiba is an experience that one shall not pass on, it is sure to become a classic among the new horde of this decade's Anime, and watching it while serializing was definitely something to tell the people of tomorrow, for it is only a sparkling growing series that shall one day be praised and paired together with the titans of this medium, the same way the big three were.
It is a show that can be rewatched several times, a show that can be binged without getting bored easily, a show that shall and will be remembered and brought up into conversations in the coming years, for how a masterful visual production value it had going for it, and almost lustful vocal complements as well, a piece hard to come up with criticism for but also very easy to hate.
