--NON-SPOILERS--
Demon Slayer had a lot of hype coming into its official 2nd season (considering Mugen Train was just a movie after all), and it did not disappoint in the slightest. The Demon Slayer Corps were in dire need to get a victory over Muzan and his subordinates. After an arguably slow first episode, Tanjiro and crew join Tengen Uzui, the Sound Hashira on a mission to go find and rescue his 3 wives (yes you read that right) in the Entertainment District. However, when they arrive, the team knows that something is off. UFO Table knocked this arc out of the park with one of the best openings in the Winter 2022 season, insanely good OST's, and some of the best SFX that anime has to offer. UFO Table is always known for incredible artwork and crisp animation, but somehow it seems like they got even better in this season. The characters all take a giant leap forward with some great power-ups, great character development, and more realizations. I've always knocked on Demon Slayer not having the greatest of stories when compared to some of the top dogs of shonen story telling like One Piece and Naruto, but they actually stepped it up this season with some great backstory, great twists, and amazing cliff hangers from episode-to-episode! So many things wen't right in this season, that I can call it a definite worth your watch. If you watched Season 1 and Mugen Train, there is no reason why you shouldn't watch this. If you haven't watched any of Demon Slayer yet, and were waiting to see if Season 2 could live up to the hype that Season 1 and Mugen Train left it with, then I would highly recommend you start watching. Season 3 is already confirmed, so you might as well hop on the hype train now rather than later!
-SPOILERS-
Mugen Train left me sad, yet excited for where the show was headed. The show wasn't afraid to kill people off, and that makes every moment tense within this season. I'm gonna be real, I thought Uzui was gonna die, I thought Zenitsu was gonna die, I thought little Piggy-boi was for sure dead after he got stabbed in the chest...hell I actually had a thought for a second that they might actually kill off Tanjiro and we get a mid-series main character shift. Because of the risk that was taken in Mugen Train, it sets up the rest of the show to be dangerous at every encounter. No one is safe, your emotions aren't safe. Let's hop into the breakdown.
Story (8/10)
I still think that the story is the weakest part of Demon Slayer, but that is not a knock on Demon Slayer at all, it's just that everything else is so insanely good. The story really took off in this season, giving us great backstories into Uzui and his wives, and even backstory into Daki and Gyuutarou. I'm not gonna lie, I wasn't expecting the backstory on the Upper 6, but they really did it well. I also think they did a really good job of not making the show feel super slow except for that first episode, but let's be honest, it was necessary for them to go through all of that detail in the first episode. I was fearful that we weren't gonna get to any fighting until episode 7 or 8, but they get into the fighting fairy early, and they make the fights intense. Tanjiro's first fight with Daki, and then Zenitsu and Inosuke fighting with the wives down below. I think they also did some major respect to Uzui in how he fought to his last breath against Gyuutarou and how he protected Tanjiro even if it was going to kill him. I'm so thankful that they didn't kill him off, although how much will we really see him in the show from this point forward since he is out of commission? They also handled Nezuko's transformation well, but man I wish we got to see her fight a little longer. Story wise it makes sense, but that can't stop me from wishing that Nezuko would get a chance to curb stomp Gyuutarou. Also, I just have to say that the plot twist that Daki wasn't the 'real' upper 6 was so well done and so amazing. One of the best reveals I can think of off the top of my head in anime. When I think about what they changed from Season 1 to now, the one thing I can think of is how dark the story got. People dying all around them, a whole town getting demolished, hashira dying, main characters being on the verge of death. It got dark, and it's benefited from it.
Art (10/10)
UFO Table...enough said. No in reality though, the animation is incredible. The fire during some of the final fights threw me off because of just how realistic it looked compared to normal animation. The fact that you can actually see the swings clearly from Uzui and Gyuutarou in their final fight, the movement across buildings, The crisp colors and effects on each breathing technique. It is just incredible to see what paying animators their worth can really do to your show (*cough* *cough* 7 Deadly Sins).
Sound (10/10)
The opening is up on the ranks for one of the best openings the Winter 2022 season offered up. It fits the environment of the entertainment district, and just gets you hyped for the episode. The OST's are just as good as season 1 and Mugen Train's. And the Sound Effects, holy crap the sound effects are just amazing. Each sword clash sounds natural and impactful. The sound design team on this season really did a great job to encapsulate powerful and fitting sounds for each thing.
Character (9/10)
I love the way that each character had some development from Mugen Train to now. Zenitsu is no longer only a scardy cat. He still fights at his best when he is asleep, but man he has stepped it up! Inosuke has learned how to trust and work with teammates, he no longer just charges into battle on his own, he can strategize a bit. Nezuko has learned how to refine her demon abilities even more, although she did reach her limit where if she had not been stopped, she would have fully turned into a demon, so she still has some work to do. And Tanjiro, holy shit Tanjiro!!! Sun-fucking breathing. He's gotta learn how to endure the power a bit longer, because he is going to need it to face an upper rank on his own, but this was one of the largest power-ups I have seen in an instant since Naruto and his Baryon Mode power-up. This crew also just seems so much closer than they did even in Mugen Train. The way they joke around together, celebrate victory together, and even their chemistry fighting together has gone way up. I'm excited to see how far this squad can rise together.
Enjoyment (9/10)
I'll keep this section short, because it's a lot of reiteration. Fights...incredibly fun and intense. Comedy...well timed and hilarious. Pacing...other than the first episode, well done! This season was a lot of fun to watch.
-CONCLUDING THOUGHTS- (9/10)
I enjoyed this show so much, and I cannot wait for Season 3. Spoilers for the future, but apparently we only have 2 more arcs remaining in the show. I don't know how Tanjiro is going to get the that point to take on Muzan, but I'm along for the ride!
