Ufotable's latest adaption is based on Koyoharu Gotouge's manga. The story follows a young boy, Tanjirou, who retains empathy for the monsters that massacred his family. This deconstruction of the self-righteous hero archetype throws questions at the audience about morality like "is it right to seek revenge?" But if you are expecting a Nietzschean treatment of good and evil - or any kind of emotional maturity for that matter - then Demon Slayer is not the show for you. Spoilers ahead.
The story attempts to subvert the typical shonen cliches in its protagonist. Tanjirou displays a conscience, which is a surprisingly rare quality in an anime protagonist. The problem is the story remains driven by physical rather than psychological obstacles. This absence of internal conflict means Tanjirou's way of thinking is never challenged. Getting stronger to fight the bad guy of the week is the only thing that matters which, of course, ironically reverts the show back to the same generic shonen tropes it tries to escape from by making its protagonist different. In the end, Tanjirou becomes another boring, one-dimensional shonen hero, rather than a morally conflicted, realistic character who must balance his desire for revenge and pacifism.
Everyone loves heroes but they still have to be relatable on some level. Their heroism has to feel earned. No one really cared about Superman until DC writers developed Clark Kent, making him fallible and human. We never get that with Tanjirou. After the prologue, a way to empathise with him might have been to examine the psychological effects of tragedy. Demon Slayer could have been about the theme of forgiveness. But Tanjirou is never in danger of becoming like the monsters he fights, so it doesn't feel meaningful when he chooses not to kill them. There's no catharsis or meaningful moment when he is forced to kill either, it just sort of happens.
There is so much wasted potential here. The premise of a reluctant hero pushed to his mental limits, along with the Taisho-era setting are not utilised. As far as I can tell, the only discernible reason for Nezuko's existence is to cheer Tanjirou on like a cute mascot. I kept waiting for the siblings' relationship to be explored in more than just head pats and chibi-Nezuko moments. Early on, we are introduced to a potentially interesting plot point in her condition. For a moment, the stakes were raised. I wondered what would happen if she loses control? What kind of guilt would Tanjirou feel in that situation, if mercy to his sister led to the death of innocents? What kind of difficult choices would he have to make? I was emotionally torn by the idea. But then, like everything else in Demon Slayer, Nezuko's problem magically solved itself, preventing the characters from having to make any decision at all. She just goes to sleep for a bit, and now she's a good demon.
Since my problems mainly lie with the story, I guess I wouldn't recommend the manga either. Conclusion: The most overrated show of 2019.
