Regular blog readers are probably aware that I have mixed feelings about Demon Slayer despite its nearly universal popularity. However, it’s undeniably entertaining on some level to watch this anime – especially with friends. My opinion of Demon Slayer improved after I watched the Entertainment District Arc with a good friend. So, I decided to keep enjoying this show and check out the Swordsmith Village Arc from 2023. Today’s post covers some of my notes from episodes 1 through 6. When I’ve finished all 11 episodes, I’ll write more.
I have organized my thoughts into several sections below. But before beginning, let me restate something I wasn’t able to fit into those categories. I’m still highly impressed with Tanjiro as a protagonist. I never tire of his empathy, patience, and curiosity. In particular, his humble nature is relatively rare for a shounen hero. I appreciate that as well as how his face expressions can be so cute and funny. And of course, Tanjiro’s dedication to his sister and the way he gets along with other kids (like Kotetsu) is heartwarming.
1) Astounding Audio-Visual Quality
The visuals throughout this season of Demon Slayer were, as usual, absolutely amazing. To start with, there’s the introduction scene in the first episode showing Akaza moving through the Infinity Castle to meet the other demons. That whole sequence of flying and using moving platforms was cinematic and impressive. I also loved the bizarrely realistic 3D rendering of Muzan’s crazy-looking chemistry set. Everything looked detailed and classy.
Swordsmith Village Arc, like its predecessors, features excellent fighting animations and smooth incorporation of CGI elements. For example, those 3D fish monsters actually looked good – and by good, I mostly mean terrifying. Many elements in this season were implausibly beautiful, such as the pinkish-red fire on the Exploding Blood Sword. As usual, there were also creative and cool character designs – including the demon with wings and talons. I loved his hawk-like design.
It’s not just the visuals that are so excellent. The audio quality is also top-notch in Swordsmith Village. The opening song is alright, but it’s the instrumental OST scores that I enjoy most. One good example is the Mitsuri (Love Hashira) theme, composed by Go Shiina and Yuki Kajiura. Now that’s some epic BGM if you ask me.
Voice-acting is also included in audio elements, and in this season of Demon Slayer, it’s A-tier voice-acting. In addition to the undying talent of Natsuki Hanae (voice of Tanjiro), we have the beloved VA veteran Mamoru Miyano playing Doma the Demon. One of my top three favorite voice actresses in existence, Kana Hanazawa, did an amazing job as Mitsuri Kanroji. For another example, Nobuhiko Okamoto really killed it in his acting for the role of Genya Shinazugawa. I love seeing so many cool seiyuus work together.
2) Vicious New Enemies
Several demons with unfamiliar faces were introduced to us in this season, including Upper Rank Number One, Kokushibo. The white-haired demon, Doma, has so far only appeared in the first episode of this arc, but he made a lasting impression on me. I absolutely loved him. He seems to be a completely insufferable brat, but because he’s voiced by Mamoru Miyano, he’s still charming and attractive. I thought it was amusing how he kept trying to be friendly with Akaza, only to get his head blown away.
The main new demons for Swordsmith Village Arc were Gyokko (Upper Rank Number Five) and Hantengu (Upper Rank Number Four). Both are so far proving to be tough opponents with relatively interesting characters. Gyokko’s fight with Muichiro proved he was even more sadistic and insane than I expected. His “artwork” using human corpses was unsettling (and it reminded me of a certain arc from Psycho Pass). In other words, I’m both creeped out and impressed by the writing for this villain.
As for Hantengu, I wondered how such a frail, cowardly demon could be number four of the Upper Ranks. I suspected there would be some trick to it, but I couldn’t make any specific predictions. Apparently, there are at least four other demons living inside Hantengu, and they are all named after intense emotions. They come out after Hantengu is sliced. So far we’ve seen Anger, Joy, Pleasure, and Sorrow. (I haven’t learned their actual Japanese names.) This was a cool way to make a single demon highly powerful.
3) Promising New Friends
There are several bright new characters from Swordsmith Village Arc. We’ll begin with Mitsuri Kanroji, AKA the Love Hashira. I wasn’t expecting much from Demon Slayer in terms of good female characters – I think the creators have already proved they can’t handle the task. But surprisingly, my initial impression of Mitsuri is mostly positive. She’s a fun character with a cute, enthusiastic personality. I don’t think she’s going to be overtly problematic, though I do have complaints about how she’s so stereotypically girly and perhaps a bit of a Mary Sue.
Next up is Muichiro Tokito, the Mist Hashira. He starts off as quiet, curt, and inconsiderate. As of episode 6, there’s much that remains unknown about this character. I’m looking forward to learning more about him, especially since he’s missing his memories from before joining the Demon Slayer Corps. For now, my impression of him is that he seems dead inside. However, I’m sure that if he keeps interacting with Tanjiro and thinking about his own actions, he will “wake up” once again and remember his true self.
Genya Shinazugawa has proved to be a fairly interesting character. I love his tenacity. I still don’t get how he regenerated that tooth, but I know he ate demon flesh during the battle and gained some weird demonic powers as a result. The backstory we saw for Genya in episode 6 was frankly horrifying. The show did a great job making it appropriately disturbing for a young boy to see his family slaughtered in front of him. I hope Genya survives and gets to make up with his brother some day. That’s the only family he has left.
4) Closing Thoughts: Mysteries Remain
Before concluding, let’s speculate and ask some questions. I normally don’t try to predict things about an anime as I’m watching it. However, it can’t hurt to analyze what we know and form theories. The only issue for Demon Slayer is that I’ve probably forgotten important information from previous seasons. I doubt I can formulate any good guesses about the plot, but I can describe what I’m most curious about and what I’d like to see revealed.
The main things I’m still figuring out are demon nature and the history of demons. We know that demons are created by Muzan’s blood and that the Upper Rank demons can also make people into demons. How long have demons existed in this world? How old is Muzan? Are demons only a problem in Japan, and why? I also want to know how to “cure” someone from being a demon. It seems almost like a disease. And why are some demons able to resist the violent urges that apparently come with the “disease”? There’s still so much we don’t know.
I want to know about a number of other topics, including the mysterious swordsman with reddish hair and eyes like Tanjiro. Who was he and what kind of relationship did he have with Tanjiro’s father? Did that swordsmen at some point turn into Kokushibo, or are the two unrelated? They look very similar. Something is definitely up with Nezuko’s blood and its ability to hurt demons, so I’m eager to learn about that, too. On a final note, I suspect that Tanjiro’s forehead mark will spread like a curse – like the one Kagaya seems to have.
That wraps up most of my thoughts and notes so far. Demon Slayer: Swordsmith Village Arc is turning out very good. I’m actually excited to watch episodes 7 through 11 now. Anyway, thank you for stopping by today and reading my anime rant. Sayonara until next time!
~Thank you for reading~
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