‘Demon Slayer: Mugen Train’ animated movie review. Do the expectations meet reality?
What is ‘Demon Slayer’?
Demon Slayer or Kimetsu no Yaiba is a Japanese anime and manga series. The manga was written by Koyoharu Gotouge, and published by Shueisha Inc. while the animated series was produced by Ufotable Inc. animation studio in Tokyo, Japan.
The story is about a boy named Tanjiro Kamado whose family was murdered by a demon, and his remaining sister, Nezuko, was turned into one. Demons are depicted as creatures who were once humans, but traded their human nature either for power or because they were forced to. Tanjiro, in search of a cure for his sister, meets people that would change his life, and he eventually becomes a member of the Demon Slayer Corps. Now, his job is not only protecting and finding a cure for his sister, but also slaying demons.
Since the story takes place in the Taisho-era of Japan, swords and other melee weapons are the primary tools for killing demons. What’s special about the Corps is the distinct skills and techniques (“forms”) they use while swinging their swords to perform effective attacks on demons for the purpose of severing their head from their body, as this is the only way to kill them.
WARNING: This article contains spoilers.
The plot of Mugen Train
The story of the Demon Slayer: Mugen Train movie takes place on a train named ‘Mugen’. Tanjiro along with his sister and his friends: Zenitsu Agatsuma and Inosuke Hashibira, who are also members of the Demon Slayer Corps, are called to board the train and assist a higher rank Demon Slayer (“Hashira”) named Kyojuro Rengoku, who is the Hashira of Flame. It is believed that at least one powerful demon resides within the train, and is responsible for the multiple disappearances of passengers. Tanjiro, along with the rest of the squad members, is set to investigate and eliminate the demon.
What they don’t know is that the demon responsible for all those missing people is Enmu, who is one of the selected few powerful (“Lower Rank One”) demons, and his specialty is putting his victims to sleep and then killing them. What they would never expect, though, is to meet by the end of the movie the “Upper Rank Three” demon of the “Twelve Kizuki”, and that would prove to be the moment that would change Tanjiro’s take on his training towards the road to becoming a Hashira.
What we liked
1. Animation
The animation is superb. We witnessed how good of a job Ufotable Inc. made on the series, so we expected at least the same or higher quality, and thankfully they delivered. Flawless combat movements, spectacular technique effects, and the finest attention to detail are what you’ll find in this movie. There were some CGI elements on the characters and the train itself was 100% CGI, but everything was carefully done so as to not take the attention away from the main action.
2. Combat
This is where the Demon Slayer series shines. Its signature is those unmistakable sword techniques based on elemental forms or “breathing” techniques. Every sword swing is extremely fluid and feels meaningful by causing great impact when landing on an enemy. You get the unmistakable feeling that you’re indeed watching specially trained corps taking down dangerous demons.
The special effects such as water or fire engulfing the swords when the characters perform their signature moves are what makes this show great and people fall in love with it. It truly immerses the audience into the meaning of the technique.
3. Character development
What’s seen during the first half part of the movie is Tanjiro getting close to Kyojuro and establishing a good “connection” with him. After chatting for a while and sharing some thoughts, Kyojuro starts to like him and decides to train him as his apprentice. Tanjiro doesn’t hide his enthusiasm, and his friends happily tag along.
Another hint for potential development is given when Tanjiro asks the Hashira about clues related to his father’s (Tanjuro Kamado) techniques, as he was the Hashira of Fire. That could mean that Tanjiro was going to learn the secret of his father’s techniques, and become even stronger. Even though Kyojuro says that he doesn’t remember anything related to it, at the end of the movie before his final moments, he instructs Tanjiro to visit his family and ask his father (Shinjuro Rengoku) who is also an ex-Hashira of flame. Maybe then he could learn something valuable to him. He also admits that Tanjiro’s sister fought really hard to protect everyone, and he acknowledges her as one of the Demon Slayer Corps, even though she is a demon.
Last but not least, Tanjiro being a witness of the fierce battle between the Hashira and the Upper Rank Demon (“Upper Three”) makes him realize the gap between his power over the Twelve Kizuki and his goal of meeting and killing their leader (Muzan Kibutsuji) becomes like a far fetched dream.
All these developments in the movie set the ground for the next important mission of Tanjiro, and the possible path the series will follow.
4. Voice acting
Doing glorious animation is one thing, but finding great voice actors is another, and the production studio did that in an exemplary way. All the characters’ voices were in sync with their animated facial expressions. The voice actors did a great job of portraying the variety of feelings in their voices depending on the situation, such as the heavy distress in perilous moments, just like they would in real life. Overall, ‘Demon Slayer’ is a series that pays great attention to its characters’ inner world, therefore the production is quite strict regarding the voice acting quality.
5. Soundtracks
So far, the movie and the series have done a great job in composing and fitting the right soundtrack to the right situation. This is the cherry on the cake, as every intense action, as well as its conclusion, is accompanied by great music that perfectly fits the atmosphere, and could make you shed a tear or two. In combination with the previous points I made, this makes for a wholesome and unforgettable experience. It would be so much better if every anime series paid that much attention to the sound.
6. Sad but realistic ending
Most of the folks here might wonder why the sad ending was a good thing. Well, it wasn’t pleasant, but if you think about it in a more realistic way, it actually made sense. Not every real-life scenario ends happily, and not every person in the group survives. We all liked Kyojuro due to his likable personality, his rapid character development, and his heroic acts. What was even more unbearable was watching Tanjiro crying in agony and desperately trying to stop Akaza from fleeing like a coward after critically injuring Kyojuro. If you’ve watched this particular scene, you’ve definitely wanted to punch Akaza for doing what he did.
However, on the flip side, you should think about how much character development this can bring to our beloved characters, and how much more powerful they’ll become after they’ve been given such a hard “shake.”
What we thought needed some improvement
1. Setting
The main theme of the movie was the Mugen Train, and all the action unfolded in it, except for the last minutes. However, watching a two-hour movie taking place only on a train during nighttime could easily become tedious for most of us. Yes, there were some flashbacks showing other scenery and some other instances of what the characters watched in their dreams, but some flashbacks couldn’t shake off that dull environment.
2. Extensive use of CGI
As previously mentioned, it was a good move from Ufotable to use CGI for portraying the train and some other aspects of the movie, and spend their resources on the animation. However, there were instances where CGI elements would be too obvious and badly animated.
The worst example I can think of, was when Enmu fused with the train and started its “tentacle” action. The fully CGI motions in combination with the low keyframes were in contrast with the fluidity of the rest of the characters in the same scenes, and that caused significant visual conflicts. The movie lost some points here.
3. Weak antagonist
Placing Enmu as the antagonist in the movie didn’t really bring the anticipation and excitement we would have liked. He was one of the lower ranked demons, to begin with, and most of the time he spent, was on top of the 1st car indulging in excessive monologue. The expectations were very high when considering that before the movie, he received a major power boost from his master, Muzan Kibutsuji. Even when he was confronted by the demon slayers, he did nothing but hide in an attempt to defend himself from the relentless attacks on him. At least the arrival of Akaza brought some sense of real danger, and made us wonder whether the squad would make it or not.
Conclusion
The Demon Slayer: Mugen Train was a fantastic movie and one that will be remembered for years to come. All the glorious animation, the great OST, the voice acting, and the promise for more character development in the series made it a 2-hour enjoyable experience that nobody should miss. Yes, there were some elements that needed improvement, as nothing is perfect. However, that shouldn’t be enough to ruin your mood or distract you from the main action. We definitely recommend watching it.
What were your thoughts after watching the movie?
What did you like or dislike?
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