Demon Slayer exorcise the house down, hunty — Is that Micheal Jackson!?

Walk with me — What happens when you take the lore tied to vampires, insert the plot of Resident Evil Apocalypse and drug up all your animators with cocaine and peyote — You get Demon Slayer! Holy hell, this was an experience — Don’t worry I’ll explain, I know you have no friends, so you are unfamiliar with this type of appraisal — I got you.

Demon Slayer is the anime I have been waiting for since I started this blog — the creativity, storytelling and writing are filled with passion and love for the craft. It is not perfect and fumbles a lot in some departments, but I thoroughly enjoyed every single moment of it.

In Demon “Nezuko is Best Girl” Slayer we are treated to a world inspired by 1900s Taishō Japan, where powerful supernatural beings called vamp-I mean Demons hunt and feast on humans. It is up to the Demon Slayer Corps to put an end to the demons and protect human lives. Our main cast are Nezuko, Zenitsu, Inosuke, Muzan Kibutsuji and our MC, Tanjiro.

In Demon Slayer the odds are stacked against our main characters. Tanjiro’s goal is to cure his sister from vampi — I mean, demonism. He’s placed in the position to fight for what matters most, his family. I know nobody loves you this much, so it might be hard to relate — but, walk with me.

Part 1: They are Vampires, and honestly, I love it.

Demon Slayer is a near-perfect anime. It is a combination of a passionate crew and inspired writing, all blended into one gorey minced meat pie.

Starting with the animation, Demon Slayer is the definition of “Creativity gone wild”. Unlike its counterparts, this anime manages to blend lovingly crafted 3D and 2D hand-drawn animations seamlessly — but with great intent. Every change in art style is deliberate, to express an emotive nature in the production. Not only this, the use of 3D Animation simplifies the development process, which in turn, encourages an air of creativity in the presentation. In the end, we are treated to a creative masterclass in design. Whenever the 3D environments and characters are shown, they add to the experience and are so beautiful, that they become a reward to spot in each episode.

The plot of Demon Slayer is simple. Our main character Tanjiro seeks a cure for their infected sister, Nezuko. Every subsequent event that follows, pushes towards this goal; even the main villain is tied into this plotline. The goals are clearly defined, and the plot is always moving. Even when the show diverts its gaze from the main plotline, there is a consistent motivation — defined and present, that encourages the MC and the audience to never lose track of the plot.

I just wanted to throw this in here — Demons are Vampire-coated. There is no unique joke or expression to add. I just wanted that to be known, and if you disagree that’s expected because you have no brain cells close enough inside your skull to fire connecting synapses. 😊.

Part 2: You call this Support?

This is an excellent time to say, these impressions are my first impressions. They are often based on the first season, and I will always watch more to see if my opinion changes — which can happen.

That being said. This is probably the first anime I have seen, where the Main Characters (Tanji & Nezuko) and the Enemies (Kibutsuji & his demons) are the only interesting characters present. The supporting cast manages to bring almost nothing but hyperbole to the table. This is impressive because they’re duller than you —and here I thought that bar was already dirt low. Everyone has a favourite, and I bet yours is the rock Tanjiro cuts in half because that’s how empty-headed you are.

I found myself begging for some of the supporting cast, to get off the damn screen. They are not poorly written characters — the voiced cast does an excellent job bringing them to life, and if you watch the show on mute, some are downright enjoyable on-screen. Sometimes, the animation fails to do the characters justice, especially when there are a lot of characters on screen. The introduction of the nine (9) Hashira is a prime example. I swore the animation was broken, with all the dead eyes and bland facial expressions. Even in moments when the character intended to express emotions, you see these lifeless creatures talking and you can swear they were all possessed by Muzan himself.

There is a lot to love in Demon Slayer, and even its faults bring some charm to the table — unlike you, I have seen Gential dyes more useful. There are some baffling decisions in the character department and a few glitched animations here and there, but the overall package was near-perfect and deserved to be celebrated.

Verdict

Demon Slayer is the anime I have been waiting for the minute I started this journey. It is a masterclass in creative animation and design. The fight scenes are well-scripted and thought of. Every moment feels bigger and better than the last, and the hype behind the show is very much expected. From the beautiful art style to the passionate team with a love for creativity, Demon Slayer is amongst the list of animes, I will recommend to new fans and old souls alike. And the best part is, it wasn’t designed to feed your male ego — just pure passion and love.