Demon Slayer is an incredibly popular anime series that was released in 2019 that has many people hyped around the world. The series’ beautiful scenery, action, and simple narrative is just what anybody can ask for.
Season one is important to get a foundation of what is happening in the story. It shows the development of how the protagonist went from being an average person having a normal life to becoming a demon slayer.
The main character, Tanjiro, was greeted with his family being slaughtered, except for his sister, Nezuko, who has become a demon. Tanjiro promised to himself that he wanted to revert her sister back into a human and join a part of the Demon Slayers Corps. Nezuko has retained her “human emotions” and doesn’t attack civilians.
Tanjiro gets trained by Sakonji Urokodaki, who taught him to properly use a sword and learn how to do “Water Breathing” techniques to help Tanjiro behead demons.
The story is simple with its wonderful animation and action shots, but still keeps the viewers engaged. Demons only appear at night and disintegrate from sunlight, the characters have distinct personalities, scenes give off vibrant colors and realistic looks, and the CGI (computer-generated images responsible for 3D models) look consistently good.
The episodes are crystal clear in regards to the central theme of each episode. The first five episodes are dedicated towards Tanjiro training and then defeating some demons, contributing to a slow paced story; however, the pacing of the story does become better as it progresses, more information gets unfolded such as who the antagonist is, why demons are an issue, and knowing about the Demon Slayer Corps.
Speaking of how demons are a problem, Muzan Kibutsuji, the antagonist, controls the Twelve Kizuki group where the twelve strongest demons reside. Upper Rank One is the strongest demon compared to Lower Rank Six which is the weakest in the group.
I love the concept of “Upper Ranks” for demons because when I hear something like that automatically it sounds like a powerful demon.
On top of, some demons having ranks, demon slayers have their own positions. Mizunoto is the lowest rank anybody can get with basic sword skills compared to Hashira who belongs to people who have the most experience dealing with strong demons and have amazing skills with their swords.
The Hashira rank is so rare, only nine people possess it. The nine Hashiras are Tengen Uzui, Kyojuro Rengoku, Shinobu Kocho, Giyu Tomioka, Obanai Iguro, Muichiro Tokito, Gyomei Himejima, Mitsuri Kanroji, and Sanemi Shinazugawa.
The season does a good job showing off what things are important. The Hashiras are portrayed as strong people because there are nine of them ranked this high: they stand out the most with their outfits, and they have different swords that complement their breathing techniques.
The amount of action unraveled in episode nineteen is quite astonishing. As we see Tanjiro fight a tough demon, Lower Rank Five, Rui, runs straight towards him in a forest. While that doesn’t sound crazy or anything, camera angles were changing and shifting, Tanjiro had to cut off threads that easily sliced the human body in whatever direction they came from, and Rui had to maintain his distance from Tanjiro to avoid decapitation. All while the surroundings looked life like. Giyu encountered Rui and beheaded him with ease.
Muzan dismantled the Lower Ranks for being too weak except Lower Rank One. This is a great choice because Hashiras are known to kill off many, having them fight off would add more filler, make the story slower since Lower Ranks have been proven to be too weak, and it would be unnecessary to have fight sequences dedicated to them. Lower Rank One is a foreshadow into Tanjiro’s next mission.
Season one is exceptional because it shows off the progression of what the protagonist has to go through. I love how the protagonist doesn’t have anything particular that can easily beat the antagonist, the audience can see Tanjiro work hard in order to have a chance at defeating Muzan Kibutsuji.
The ending is notable as Tanjiro brings his friends Zenitsu and Inosuke to the Mugen Train Station to investigate along with a Hashira.
The show isn’t meant to be light-hearted. There is profanity, violence, gore, and references of death.
Ultimately, season one is fantastic and keeps you wanting for more. It is slow and sometimes boring at the beginning, but the more you invest time in watching it, the pacing and the story becomes better.
