From the art style, the story, the simplicity, the charming and wholesome aspect of this anime, it's one that just hits the heart in all the right ways. Many times things are painted in a "us vs them" and that applies to issues in real life and in stories, but this anime handles it a little differently, and in a way that I believe shows emotional maturity.
There's spoilers in here, so if anyone happens to be reading this, you've been warned.
I wasn't hooked on Demon Slayer in the beginning. In fact, I've heard people say how good it is and I've held off on watching it for over a year. Now that the Demon Slayer movie is out, and I've been watching much more anime recently, I figured I'd finally watch it. I still think the first few episodes start off a little slow. And a little simple. Demon slayer slays demons. Cute sister is cute. Main hero believes in good wholeheartedly. People arrive to deter him. He stays strong.
But after a while, it starts to change. And seeing this genuine bond between brother and sister, and not this weird sexualized version of this bond like you see in No Game No Life, I began to get hooked. Seeing the wholesome aspect of it, without Tanjiro feeling like a naive child, really made me take interest. And the fight with the shadow demon, the dodgeball demon, and demon in the house, is when I really start to appreciate and really LOVE the art style. I remember seeing the characters before like Shinobu and Nezuko but I was always put off bye the style of the eyes, the ragged lines that made up the face, and what felt at the time like really strong colors that just felt off. But then I watched the show. And it all made sense.
I was naive to put off a show on it's look and what it seemed to be, instead of giving it a chance, and I'm so glad I did.
The story is simple, but fucking beautiful. I've touched on the genuine bond but I also love how each demon is viewed with empathy from Tanjiro. When related back to real life, the people that do bad things are because they've had bad done to them. And I think many people forget that or don't realize it. Tanjiro is still mad at the injustice and how the demons have killed so many humans, but at the very least he kills them with kindness. He sees the human in them, and that's truly what I love about this show.
At the same time, the art style during the fight scenes is incredibly. The colors, the way the fight can feel realistic (if a demon turning the room in all directions was real, ofc), to the sense of calmness in Tomiaka when he fights Rui, to Shinobu and the purple and white colors, I became in awe. It's easily one of the best art I've seen in anime. Actually, it IS the best I've seen in anime.
One thing that is slept on is the sound design. During the fight with the dodgeball monster (i'm so sorry i keep calling her that) I really took note. The way the ball would feel as it flew towards Tanjiro, the way Tanjiro's sword would slice, the way Nezuko kicks the ball back and forth, was when I realize wow, not only is it all pretty to look at, but the sound is beautiful too. And not just the sound effects, but the music as well. It's beautiful, and perhaps I'm mistaken in this but it feels like it has this sense of ancient chinese culture. As well as the art style, It's just all so beautiful and I couldn't get enough of it.
When it comes to characters, I ended up loving all of them... with the exception of Zenitsu. However, even Zenitsu has his redeeming moments. The person I immediately thought of when I met Zenitsu is that this is another grapeseed from My Hero Academia. Just a pervert they added for no reason, and I was ready to drop Demon Slayer. Because I absolutely hate Minota. But I'm glad I didn't. And I'm glad I saw Zenitsu in action. He's like Sonic and The Flash, but in such a great, humurous, phenomonal way. The way he falls asleep, and then suddenly becomes a bad ass with great power. It made me excited to see when the next time we would be able to see his skill would be. So even Zenitsu, as annoying as he was at first and still tends to be sometimes, really grew on me. And towards the end, it seems like he's being taught to be more respectful and not be a pervert, so I'm glad that he's likely to go through his own amazing character art.
Lastly, I'll talk about enjoyment, which I already touched upon. At first, I just wasn't hooked. I hated the CGI personally (even though I've heard that many others find it to be great CGI) as it really took me out of the moment. A beautiful moment was ruined because it suddenly becomes "oh...they used CGI there. Huh. It was like 2 seconds, could it not have been animated?" but as the show goes on it uses CGI less and less and leaves it to moments in battle, which isn't nearly as bothersome. And as the show progressed, I really began to enjoy all aspects of it. And by the end, I just couldn't get enough.
I'm watching Demon Slayer this week and although I want to wait to watch the movie, another part of me is ITCHING to read the manga. I want more of the characters. The art style, The plot. The wholesomeness. I'm here for the ride. And if it continues getting better and better, this is easily going to become one of my favorite anime of all time.
I'm going to give Demon Slayer a 10/10. Personally, I give 10/10 to anime that make an impact on me. FMAB made an impact on me. Steins;Gate as well. I recognize that there may be some aspects of it that bother some people, and even I have some tiny qualms with both those shows, but I don't think a 10/10 is about a show being perfect, as there's so many variables that can easily mess it up. But if as a whole, it does everything amazingly, and leaves you wanting more, and makes you want to read the manga, and leaves you wanting to rewatch the show, and leaves you thinking about the moments in the show that left you in awe....I think it deserves a 10/10.
I'm super excited to see where Demon Slayer goes, to watch the movie, to read the manga. So far it's a great start. And I'm glad that I finally got on this amazing journey.
