Let us start with everyone's favourite thing about demon slayer, how the show looks like. While the show still looks great, there were undoubtedly points with jarring 3d animation that killed immersion. However, that is not the main issue here. My biggest problem with this season is its lack of colour. Other than the last two episodes, the show has been using a dull, grey background, and when there were even less fights in this season, many parts of the show just felt like watching paint dry. For comparison, the last season was full of colour, not only because of the vibrant colours of the entertainment district, but also because of there being more fights, which made many of the cool breathing effects appear more. Thankfully, ufotable was still able to make the finale look beautiful, which was the saving grace for this season.
Animation aside, the elephant in the room is the story, dialogue and pacing of this season. These parts were never the strong points of demon slayer, but this season is where we can see the flaws becoming more apparent. This season has been moving at a snail's pace, with very little fighting and utterly pointless dialogue in every episode until the last two to three episodes. With so many moments where nothing happens, the show kind of becomes a snorefest. The story has never been strong in previous seasons, with many formulae that they keep repeating, such as the flashbacks or 'baiting' viewers into thinking someone has died. However, most of the excitement from the fights are also gone in this season. Compared to season two's fights, this season's fights felt.. disconnected. In the previous season, there was something, a common goal, that connects all the main characters together to overcome the challenge of defeating the demon. In this season, all the fights were separate, and honestly I don't even understand the point of having some of the hashiras or upper ranks being there. It felt like the author wanted to show the character, but at the same time they served zero purpose in the arc. Throughout the season, you can feel that ufotable is trying their best to stretch the season to a full cour, causing this awkward and messy pacing. They shouldn't be afraid to change the number of episodes for their seasons, similar to attack on titan or other shows.
In the end, demon slayer is still a show that many will enjoy due to its fancy surface, but very few are willing to acknowledge its hollow inside. Despite that, knowing that this is known as the weakest arc of the series, I have confidence that ufotable will do their best to make the last few seasons the best they can be. Here's to a better next season 🥂
