The appeal and reviews of the first season of "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" TV: A must-see anime experience

A comprehensive review and recommendation of the first season of "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba"

Overview

"Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" is a popular manga set in the Taisho era by Koyoharu Gotouge, which began serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump in 2016. The first season of the TV anime, which aired from April 6 to September 28, 2019, was a huge hit thanks to the high-quality animation by ufotable and a moving story. In this article, we will provide a detailed review and recommendation of the first season of "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" TV.

■ Story

Set in Taisho era Japan, the story begins with the tragedy of a young charcoal seller, Kamado Tanjiro, whose entire family is killed by demons, and whose only surviving sister, Nezuko, is transformed into a demon. In despair, Tanjiro decides to join the Demon Slayer Corps and become a demon hunter in order to turn his sister back into a human and defeat the demon that killed his family. This is a story of sorrow and hope that unfolds between humans and demons, and is a moving work that depicts brotherly love, friendship, and growth.

■ Animation

The animation by ufotable faithfully reproduced the worldview of the original work, while attracting viewers with beautiful visuals and dynamic battle scenes. In particular, the depiction of the Demon Slayer Corps' sword techniques and the demons' blood demon arts is extremely realistic and visually impactful. The beauty of the backgrounds and colors was also praised, making it an overall high-quality animation work.

■ Characters

The main character, Kamado Tanjiro, is a kind-hearted boy with love for his family and strong will, and his growth and struggles are at the center of the story. His younger sister Nezuko captures the hearts of viewers with her moving attitude of protecting her brother even after she has become a demon. Tanjiro's classmates, Agatsuma Zenitsu and Hashibira Inosuke, also add color to the story with their unique characters. Furthermore, the "pillars" of the Demon Slayer Corps are also portrayed as fascinating characters, and their respective backgrounds and fighting methods are explored in depth.

■Music

The opening theme "Gurenge" is a song that symbolizes the theme of the work, with LiSA's powerful singing voice and impressive melody. The ending theme "from the edge" is a beautiful harmony by FictionJunction feat. LiSA, enhancing the moving story. In addition, the insert song "Kamado Tanjiro no Uta" is composed by Shiina Go and sung by Nakagawa Nami, deeply expressing Tanjiro's feelings. These pieces of music are important elements that enhance the atmosphere of the work.

■Evaluation

The first season of the TV series "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" has been praised for bringing out the best in the original work, and for being a visually and aurally excellent work. All elements, such as the development of the story, the growth of the characters, the intensity of the battle scenes, and the quality of the music, were integrated at a high level, leaving a strong impression on viewers. In addition, the universal themes of family love, friendship, and self-sacrifice were depicted, touching the hearts of many people.

■Recommendation

The first season of "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" TV is highly recommended for those who want to enjoy a moving story, beautiful animation, charming characters, and great music. It is a must-see for those who want to feel the importance of family and friendship, and those who want to enjoy the power and beauty of the battle scenes. It is also enjoyable not only for fans of the original manga, but also for those who are new to anime. Please experience this moving story.

■Detailed information

■ Public Media

TV anime series

■ Original Media

comics

■ Broadcast period

April 6, 2019 - September 28, 2019
From 23:30

■Broadcasting station

TOKYO MX, AT-X

■Frequencies

half an hour

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 26

■Original Story

・Original work: Koyoharu Gotouge ^{, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Shueisha}

■ Director

・Director: Haruo Tonosaki

■ Production

・Animation production: ufotable
Produced by Aniplex, Shueisha, ufotable

■Works

©Koyoharu Gotouge/Shueisha, Aniplex, ufotable

■Cast

・Tanjiro Kamado/Natsuki Hanae・Nezuko Kamado/Akari Kito・Zenitsu Agatsuma/Hiro Shimono・Inosuke Hashibira/Yoshitsugu Matsuoka・Giyu Tomioka/Takahiro Sakurai・Sakonji Urokodaki/Houchu Otsuka・Sabito/Yuki Kaji・Makomo/Ai Kakuma・White hair/Shiori Izawa・Black hair/Aoi Yuki・Kanagarasu/Takumi Yamazaki・Kotetsuzuka/Daisuke Namikawa・Tamayo/Maaya Sakamoto・Yushiro/Daiki Yamashita・Shinobu Kocho/Saori Hayami・Zenitsu's master/Tsune Chiba・Kanao Tsuyuri/Reina Ueda・Kyōjurō Rengoku/Hino Satoshi, Tengen Uzui/Katsuyuki Konishi, Mitsuri Kanroji/Kanazawa Kana, Muichiro Tokito/Kengo Kawanishi, Gyomei Himejima/Tomokazu Sugita, Obanai Iguro/Kenichi Suzumura, Sanemi Shinazugawa/Tomokazu Seki, Muzan Kibutsuji/Toshihiko Seki, The temple demon/Hikari Midorikawa, Hand demon/Takehito Koyasu, Biwaha/Jun Fukuyama, Susamaru/Mikako Komatsu, Gai Hibiki/Junichi Suwabe, Rui/Kouki Uchiyama, Spider demon (mother)/Ami Koshimizu, Spider demon (older brother)/Shoutaro Morikubo, Spider demon (older sister)/Ryoko Shiraishi, Spider demon (father)/Toru Inada

■ Main staff

・Original story/Koyoharu Gotouge・Director/Haruo Tonozaki・Character design/Akira Matsushima・Chief animation director/Akira Matsushima・Sub-character designs/Miyuki Sato, Yoko Kajiyama, Mika Kikuchi・Prop design/Shoji Koyama・Art setting/Masahiro Kimura・Concept art/Koji Eto, Masaru Yanaka, Kasumi Takeuchi, Yuri Kabasawa・Director of photography/Yuichi Terao・3D director/Kazuki Nishiwaki・Color design/Yuko Omae・Editing/Manabu Kamino・Music/Yuki Kajiura, Go Shiina・Music production/Aniplex・Producers/Masanori Miyake, Yuma Takahashi, Akifumi Fujio, Hikaru Kondo・Production producer/Hikaru Kondo・Series composition/ufotable
・Screenplay: ufotable
・Animation production: ufotable
Produced by Aniplex, Shueisha, ufotable

■ Main Characters

A kindhearted boy. He joins the demon-hunting organization, the Demon Slayer Corps, in order to turn his sister, who has become a demon, back into a human and to avenge his family. He has a keen sense of smell and can distinguish the "smell" of demons and the weak spots of his opponents.

Nezuko Kamado Tanjiro's younger sister. Like the rest of her family, she was attacked by a demon, but the demon's blood seeped into her wounds and she transformed into a demon. She acts to protect Tanjiro and other humans from enemies. Before she became a demon, she was a gentle girl who cared about her family.

Zenitsu Agatsuma A Demon Slayer who is in the same class as Tanjiro. He has good hearing and can distinguish between the "sounds" of people and demons. He lacks confidence in himself and often makes self-deprecating remarks. When he is extremely scared, he falls asleep and becomes a completely different person with a sharp mind.

Hashibira: A Demon Slayer who is in the same class as Tanjiro Inosuke. He has a strange appearance, always wearing a boar's head, and a warlike personality. Having grown up in the mountains, he has a keen sense of touch and can detect the location of things even if they are not in his field of vision.

・Giyu Tomioka One of the "pillars" that are the core of the Demon Slayer Corps. The person who led Tanjiro to the Demon Slayer Corps. A silent swordsman.

A man wearing a tengu mask. He lives in a hermitage at the foot of Mount Sagiri and is in charge of training swordsmen who are candidates to become members of the Demon Slayer Corps.

Sabito was an orphan who was raised by Urokodaki. He suddenly appears in front of Tanjiro while he is training.

- She was raised by Makomo Urokodaki together with Sabito. She is a cute and mysterious girl.

-White Hair serves as a guide for the final selection together with Black Hair.

- Black hair: The guide for the final selection. Gender is unknown, but either the black hair or the white hair is likely a boy.

- Crows: Crows are assigned to each member of the Demon Slayer Corps and act as messengers for missions.

・Koutetsuzuka A swordsmith in the Demon Slayer Corps. He often loses his temper.

- Although she is Tamayoki, she is also a doctor and helps bring Nezuko back to life.

A young demon who adores Tamayo Yushiro. He uses the blood demon art "Blindfold."

Shinobu Kocho One of the "pillars" that are the core of the Demon Slayer Corps. She heads to Mount Natagumo with Tomioka.

・Zenitsu's master and Zenitsu's mentor.

- Tsuyuri Kanao A swordsman who survived the final selection along with Tanjiro and the others.

・Rengoku Kyojuro One of the "pillars" that are the core of the Demon Slayer Corps. The Flame Pillar.

・Uzui Tengen One of the core "pillars" of the Demon Slayer Corps. The Sound Pillar.

・Mitsuri Kanroji One of the core "pillars" of the Demon Slayer Corps. The Love Pillar.

・Tokito Muichiro One of the core "pillars" of the Demon Slayer Corps. The Mist Pillar.

・Gyomeijima Gyomei is one of the core "pillars" of the Demon Slayer Corps. The Rock Pillar.

・Iguro Obanai One of the core "pillars" of the Demon Slayer Corps. The Snake Pillar.

One of the core "pillars" of the Demon Slayer Corps. The Wind Pillar.

Muzan Kibutsuji: The one who turned Nezuko into a demon and Tanjiro's nemesis. He usually lives pretending to be a human.

- The temple demon Tanjiro and his friends encounter him on their way to Mount Sagiri.

-A demon imprisoned on Mount Fujikasane, the venue for the final selection of Teki.

・A subordinate of Yahaba Kibutsuji. He controls arrows.

・Shushamaru: A subordinate of Kibutsuji. He controls balls.

Kyogai was once a member of the Twelve Kizuki, a direct subordinate of Kibutsuji. He attacks using a drum.

・A demon that appears before Tanjiro and his friends on Mount Ruinatagumo.

・Spider demon (mother)
A demon encountered on Mount Natagumo. It controls spider webs.

・Spider Demon (older brother)
A demon lurking in Mount Natagumo.

・Spider demon (older sister)
Tanjiro and his friends encounter a demon on the opposite side of the river.

・Spider Demon (Father)
She appears before Inosuke at the call of the spider demon (her older sister).

■ Main robot items

Nichirin Sword: A weapon made from special steel (scarlet iron sand and scarlet ore). It appears as the only weapon other than sunlight that can defeat demons. Also known as the "color-changing sword," the color of the blade changes depending on the wielder, with six basic colors: red, blue, green, gray, yellow, and black. However, the color will not change unless the wielder has a certain level of talent in swordsmanship. Each sword controls one of the five basic breathing techniques: red (fire), blue (water), green (wind), gray (rock), and yellow (lightning). There are few precedents for black, and it is unclear which school it is suited to, so it is said to be a color that cannot be used for promotion.

・"Scarlet Iron Sand" and "Scarlet Ore"
A special steel mined from Mount Yohkou, the mountain closest to the sun, the natural enemy of demons.

■Subtitle

Episode 1 / CrueltyEpisode 2 / The Mentor, Urokodaki SakonjiEpisode 3 / Sabito and MakomoEpisode 4 / The Final SelectionEpisode 5 / My Own SteelEpisode 6 / The Swordsman with the DemonEpisode 7 / Kibutsuji MuzanEpisode 8 / The Bewitching Scent of BloodEpisode 9 / The Ball Demon and the Arrow DemonEpisode 10 / We'll Always Be TogetherEpisode 11 / The House of the DrumEpisode 12 / The Boar Bares His Fangs Zenitsu Sleeps・Episode 13/Something More Important Than Life・Episode 14/The House with the Wisteria Crest・Episode 15/Mt. Natagumo・Episode 16/Putting Someone Else Forward・Episode 17/Perform One Thing Masterfully・Episode 18/Fake Bonds・Episode 19/Hinokami・Episode 20/A Motley Family・Episode 21/Violation of the Corps Rules・Episode 22/The Master・Episode 23/Hashira Meeting・Episode 24/Functional Recovery Training・Episode 25/Stepchild・Kanao Tsuyuri・Episode 26/A New Mission

■ Theme songs and music

・OP1
・Period: 1~26
・Gurenge・Lyrics by LiSA
・Composition: Kayoko Kusano ・Arrangement: Ryo Eguchi ・Singer: LiSA

・ED1
・Period: 1~26
・From the Edge
Lyrics: Yuki Kajiura Composition: Yuki Kajiura Arrangement: Yuki Kajiura Singer: FictionJunction feat. LiSA

・IN1
・Period/19
・Song of Tanjiro Kamado ・Lyrics by ufotable
・Composition/Go Shiina・Arrangement/Go Shiina・Song/Go Shiina featuring Nami Nakagawa