Demon Slayer Season 1 (2023)
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Demon Slayer Season 1 Review
Demon Slayer is a dark fantasy anime series that premiered its first season of 26 episodes in 2019 on Netflix. It’s one of the best shonen anime going on right now.
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“No matter how many people you may lose,
you have no choice but to go on living –
no matter how devastating the blows may be“
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It follows teenage Tanjiro, who strives to become a Demon Slayer after his family was slaughtered and his younger sister, Nezuko, turned into a demon. This anime is rather reminiscent of ‘Naruto’ in its shonen elements, but the addition of the horror elements more akin to ‘Parasyte’ in its gore elevated it to a more original mixture.
The first season covers six arcs from the manga and not all are my favorites. The final arc felt particularly anti-climactic and to end the season in such a way was odd, but it only signifies that this first season is very much just a build-up to something greater and more epic with the ‘Mugen Train’ movie easily trumping this season in quality and interest.
But the mansion arc was thrilling and actually superbly executed in its unique fight sequences and Mount Natagumo Arc featured the best villain of this first season. That entire spiderlike family of demons was very well developed, and family was very well explored through their warped, crazy version of such. The beginning episodes were also phenomenal and they easily hook you in the story of these siblings, one human and one demon, trying to survive in this dark, harsh world.
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The demons are fascinating creatures in this anime that actually takes the time to develop every character, including the villains. The main big baddie is still only just a tease, but he is so cool and menacing that I am definitely looking forward to more of him in the future. The demons are humanized through some interesting flashbacks and backstories and the emphasis on their humanity made the show more complex and sophisticated, though it did still have those typical shonen beats, including a huge focus on male friendship. But its positive outlook on life made it a pleasant surprise in this dark time that we are living in.
Tanjiro is a great protagonist, though he is too much of a crybaby. His tragic backstory is very moving and so is his relationship with his sister Nezuko, who got less development, but some kickass fight scenes. The two make for a formidable, inspiring sibling duo. Tanjiro is at his best when interacting with his friends, who are hilarious.
Zenitsu and Inosuke are some of the best and most memorable sidekicks in the history of anime. Some may hate them, but I personally found their over-the-top personalities rarely overbearing and mostly very funny. Zenitsu being obsessed with Nezuko produced some very amusing moments while his fear of everything and everybody also led to many insanely goofy moments. Inosuke is this handsome guy that wears a boar’s head on his head. His personality is just as ridiculous as his look as he is obsessed with being a leader and retaining his tough composure. The three made for such a fun trio.
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Demon Slayer definitely has superbly executed action sequences that don’t drag as much as they do in other shonen anime, which was refreshing. Still, although very fun and exciting, I felt that something was missing here and that was the explanation of how all this magic works. For now, we only get to see water-type attacks and they are cool, but again hardly explained. Couple that with the characters overexplaining their moves while fighting and you’ve got one very clichéd shonen delivery of action. But the music is pretty strong, the animation is dazzling and quite colorful and the gory horror moments were so well done.
Overall, the first season of Demon Slayer was a terrific start for this franchise. The technical aspects are strong, but the highlights are amazing character development and some moving arcs. Though the attacks were underexplained, the action was still fun and exciting. It has its clichéd moments, but the humor and memorable characters along with fantastic demons made for what is one of the better shonen shows out there.
Worst Episodes: Mount Natagumo and Rehabilitation Training.
Best Episodes: Temari Demon and Arrow Demon, Pretend Family and Against Corps Rules.
