Forum - View topicDemon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (TV + movies) (w/ index).
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2984 |
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As an anime-only original scene, it's clear the animators' intent falls flat for viewers not of its home region. Having rewatched it and referenced back to the era this franchise is based on (Taisho), there's a definite symbolism in depicting Muzan's entrance in this specific manner. The Taisho era is the short time frame just after the Meiji, where Japan opens up to the outside world after isolationism and embraces modernity. Modernity in some cases being the different style of clothing worn by the people who not long ago the Japanese were referring to the "Southern Barbarians". At this point, the wave of modernization brought on with no considerable impetus from the Bakumatsu civil war has more or less swept through the country, with traditionalism embodied by the Ubuyashiki (his clothing, the almost ritualistic manner of his meetings with the Pillars etc.) on its last legs by the early 20th century. Considering Muzan is not averse to using contemporary European medical equipment in his studies towards finding the cure to his weakness to sunlight, having extensively rummaged through the knowledge of Japan's traditional medical texts for so long that he's concluded it is no longer of use to him, one could see Muzan's entrance into the Ubuyashiki mansion unopposed as just another metaphor for the country changing irreversibly when faced with the unstoppable tide of modernity. Muzan only has to step on the living corpse that is the current Master for the metamorphosis to be complete. The above could be the intent of the animators, considering how much time was spent into it that it did indeed extend the episode beyond its usual run-time. Or it could be just another rant from a virtual nobody seeing too much into what is effectively a filler scene? Perception is everything in this day and age, as is interpretation. |
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Blood-
 Bargain Hunter Posts: 24221 |
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Well, that dramatic entrance certainly got me pumped for the next episode. The two leaders of the opposing forces are meeting and it is entirely appropriate that said meeting be introduced with the appropriate gravitas and dread. Well done. Poop is about to get real, folks, and I cannot wait!
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smurky turkey
Posts: 2741 |
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That sure was an explosive finale (in many ways). It perfectly set up the final arc and succeeded in showing that taking out Muzan will be anything but easy, plus there is the whole castle filled with demons thing before that to worry about. All that said, the final arc being cut into three movies makes me a lot less hyped since that will make it a pretty damn long time until I will be able to see it all being based in Europe. They might do mini-seasons out of every movie but that is a big if.
The season as a whole I liked, a large part of that is me being a big slice of life guy so I enjoyed learning a bit more about the characters and them having a fun time being tortured/training. If you are not into the slower pace and less battle focus I can see the season being a drag. |
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11625 |
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It was pretty funny that all the while everyone is being transported to the labyrinth castle and slayers are falling like rain, poor demon doctor is stuck with her hand still in Muzan's chest.
They're going to milk this for a couple more years, huh. |
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ACｘS
 Posts: 965 |
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Final:
What's that? You want an encore of his slo-mo walk? You got it! Man, I have to admit: Demon Slayer has one of the best cinematography in modern anime. ufotable is sparing no effort (or budget) to blow you away with the production. We got some clarification on Ubuyashiki, at least: he is distantly related to Muzan, and the Demon Slayer Corps was his family line's response to the latter's threat. His disease was a hereditary curse because of Muzan. I guess that's about it. I do like how Tamayo appeared at the end; it was a clue that Ubuyashiki wanted to have her on his suicidal mission right from episode one. I don't like how his Foresight ability was revealed, however; it's a deus ex machina to explain the buildup in a blatantly convenient manner. "How did Ubuyashiki know exactly at what time Muzan will arrive?" "How did Ubuyashiki know exactly when to detonate his bombs?" "How did Ubuyashiki know exactly at what time should Himejima be on standby?" "How did Ubuyashiki know exactly at what time should Tamayo be on standby?" "How did Ubuyashiki—" "LOOK, HE HAD FORESIGHT, HE JUST KNEW, OKAY!" But other than that, this episode was excellent. The final exchange between Muzan and Ubuyashiki, though a little drawn out (a habit Demon Slayer tends to have), was impactful. The sequence to defeat Muzan the moment the bombs went off was immaculate. The chain reaction that put Ubuyashiki's plan into motion was impeccable. This was the perfect setup for the climactic Infinity Castle Arc which will be 3 movies in total. Of course, I'm hyped up. We're expecting a Wrestlemania of a Demon Slayer fiesta next! As for this season, I will give it a 7.5/10. As tempted as I honestly am, I won't call this a "cooling-off season". All the previous seasons have been high-key, with Tanjiro meeting one demon after another that is stronger than before. This is a "preparatory" season that is warranted, especially when the next one would be particularly climactic, and since the Hashira will be central in the Infinity Castle arc, some background story of selected Hashira would be appropriate. Sans the explosive final episode, the season had been smooth sailing, and it was enjoyable nonetheless. Now, there's no turning back and we're off to the grand stage. Let's go! |
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 24221 |
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Well, that was some pretty impressive table setting. That might have been the most beautiful explosion scene I've ever seen animated. I hope Muzan's assumption is wrong and the Master's wife and two small children weren't part of it but I guess we'll see. It's going to be torture waiting for the three movies but I'll certainly enjoy watching them on the big screen. As for this Arc, I rate it Good. By far the least engrossing of the Arcs to date but as I say it was designed to set the table for the climax and here we are.
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2984 |
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#8 End
And with that extra-long finale, the naysayers get their wish. There will be no more adaptations which are filler-filled and last part of or for an entire season. The final arc will be told in three movies, which if desired can be split into individual episodes the same way the train movie was. No more masochistic watching for the resident reviewer who has wanted time to stand still since several seasons go; he can finally move on with his life since the movies will be reviewed by someone else more receptive to the franchise. A lot of the animation is repeated this episode, what with Muzan again making his entrance with a slight variation from the week before. For me, it was less the entrance and more of what Ubuyashiki had to say before he set off the trap (what a way to sound the gong for the final showdown). Muzan is the distant ancestor of the Ubuyashikis (most likely a cadet branch of a clan) and they have been cursed to die prematurely yet gifted with the tools to ensure their foremost wish can be achieved with enough time and preparation. That time is now: for the first time in over a thousand years Muzan's whereabouts are known and he is forced into committing everything he has to annihilate the Slayer Corps once and for all to survive. As the literal lord of the Infinite Castle, he has every demon in existence in reserve and the Corps can make no headway towards killing him until the Castle is neutralised. At least the Corps don't start from scratch, Tamayo is going to die but it doesn't sound like she's bluffing with what she told Muzan. With Shinobu's help they came up with something to weaken him slowly in the ongoing battle of attrition. Casual viewers will have to wait until the movies are ready to find out what that is. Although his time in the spotlight is brief, Ubuyashiki has proven just how determined his clan's millennia-old wish is. Even Muzan was rendered speechless by the depths to which he would sink to gain even the slightest advantage in the quagmire to come. It's not stated whether his wife and two daughters in the mansion were in the know about what was to come, but it wouldn't surprise me if they went gladly to their deaths regardless. The clan seems conditioned to their ultimate goal to the point where common sense and self-preservation no longer apply (especially the latter if males are doomed to perish before the age of 30). As far-fetched as it is, explaining how the Ubuyashiki clan is so wealthy makes their numerous logistical challenges less impossible to surmount. They've planned for so long to get to this point, it's up to the remaining Slayers to prove Ubuyashiki's earlier assertion that his crop of Slayers is the best since the Warring States and that it's enough to finish the job. I already knew this arc would be panned in many quarters after reading the noise from the blacksmith arc and wasn't surprised to be proven correct. With this out of the way and almost all unanswered questions from previous arcs resolved, it's less exposition and more action moving forward. There will still be picky viewers who will eventually get sick of the orgy of violence to come, but franchises can't please everyone all the time. Fans will get their fill of the final adaptations regardless, Ufotable have the proven track record and I have every confidence all three movies will do the material justice. The naysayers won't remember anything anyway since it'll be some time before the first movie airs and quite a while until the finale is ready. |
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