Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (2019-ongoing)

about 1 year ago

Lately, I have been watching anime when I can, although I barely get any time. But I try my best to squeeze in some time to get my regular shot of movies or series or anything. It isn't much but I'm trying. I haven't made a list or an order to watch - I'm just picking one and going along with it. But I'm not watching series haphazardly; I watch them from start to finish otherwise I'd not understand a thing. One of the ongoing series I watched up to the latest season is Kimetsu no Yaiba aka Demon Slayer. Let's be real, it is a good one and to wait for the next season is so excruciating.

Kimetsu no Yaiba

I have only started watching anime recently and among the shows and films on my list, anime took a few big steps back. As many as I watch, I feel there's no end to the bottomless pit that I created and I don't have much time left on my hands. But I don't regret watching Demon Slayer - well maybe slightly because I have to wait till next year for another season. I don't like it - I loved it, too much; so much so that I probably have watched all seasons 4 to 5 times, along with the little fun pieces at the end of the episodes.

There's no specific character that I love the most. Even the main protagonist, Tanjirou, isn't a favorite. He has some great qualities, for example, he's hard-working, very quick on his feet, and the amount of kindness that he has is both insurmountable and foolish - let's be real, that much kindness is too foolish in the real world. If I had to pick a favorite character, I'd say Giyu Tomioka, followed by Nezuko. I'm fond of Tomioka among all the others. At first, Tomioka seemed very aloof and stern but I couldn't let go of that first encounter of him with Nezuko and Tanjirou - he seemed to have had a little hope from the very first meeting that the Kamado sibling might be different. He probably was the first one to hope that Nezuko might be different and the siblings' strong bond may just endure it. He was the first one to be kind towards them to the point that he sent them to a path where they could get help. He gave them their first chance to change their fate. Perhaps his standoffish behavior is a mask that hides his true personality.

Nezuko shares many qualities with his brother, but what sets them apart is the decisiveness that the former possesses. Due to his kindness in abundance, every once in a while, Tanjirou finds himself in a situation where he can't choose what to do, and in those moments either Nezuko or someone else decides for him. I have only seen her in her demon form and just had glimpses of her human self and even then she acted virtuously and unapologetic to what she believed was right. Not to mention her admirable mental strength that may rival even the strongest - the prime example, I guess, is her Blood Art that hurts demons.

Another distinctive character is I'd say Kibutsuji. Not saying that I like him, but his presence, even though brief, is very exceptional. To me, he's a great example of a demon - so pretty outside and absolutely rotten inside. He's intelligent, ruthless, cruel, and extremely narcissistic. Also, he displays a great need of constantly praised and treated like a god. His humanity is so far gone that it makes him such a demon.

That's enough for the characters - there are many good ones and bad ones as well, I'll give it a rest here.

My overall reaction to this series is something that even surprised me - I got emotional so many times during so many scenes. At times I have found myself teary-eyed - the series does leave me overwhelmed. But those are just a few moments - what fascinated me the most were the fighting scenes. Each fight scene is more exciting than the previous one. My favorite fight scene would be after Uzui lost his hand and he fought with more enthusiasm and vigor. But what is a good fight without an even better background score? The series has some killer background scores and also the soundtracks during credits. I think it makes the overall experience better.

There is so much I want to say about this series but it won't be enough. And since there are quite a few more seasons to come, I might just sit with a box of tissues for the upcoming ones.