This anime is both amazing and incredibly overrated. At the moment, it's ranked #7. I have read all of the manga (no spoilers will be given for the manga or anime past episode 1) and watched this regularly as it was coming out, and I got to see all the hype around it both online, while I was in Japan, and from people around me who don't even watch that much anime.
Demon Slayer is a spectacular case of an anime where most of the credit should be given to Ufotable here. This is a prime example of a story that has such a unique
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setting and artstyle be complimented absolutely perfectly by one of if not the best studios for animation there is.
Art: 10/10
So let's start from the best to worst, and as I said before, this is really why Demon Slayer is worth watching. The artwork and animation in Demon Slayer is without a doubt the best I have seen in years, if not the best I have ever seen. It is incredible how well the unique art style from the manga becomes so crisp in its anime counterpart. Everything is so incredibly fluid, with amazing use of colors that really pop without being too crazy. In many shonen, usually the smaller squad of main characters have a unique style to them, but in Demon Slayer, so many characters and backdrops are given so much detail and care, that look so much better when animated. I can't gush enough about how beautiful this anime is, and it doesn't stop with the visuals.
Sound: 10/10
The beauty of Demon Slayer continues with how well mixed and developed the soundtrack of Demon Slayer is. The opening is an absolute banger, the ending is great, the insert songs are emotional, the original soundtrack is unique and beautiful...I mean, I don't really know what else to say here. It's just really really well done, and compliments every fight in particular very well. As for sounds that are not as beautiful...
Characters: 7/10
The crying can be really obnoxious at times. If you've heard of this show, you may have heard of a character that cries a lot, which is grating but not really my biggest gripe with the characters in the show. Let's set this straight first - the characters in this show are good. They are very distinct from each other, and have their own tropes and traits that are very shonen. My gripe with the characters is how incredibly flat they are. Look, I don't expect crazy character development over 26 episodes. However, what I do expect is some growth, some change, something new from these characters besides learning new moves and techniques. These characters are so static that it becomes hard to really care about them if you don't like them at first, because chances are your opinion of them from the beginning won't change at all as the story goes. I can name a number of other shonen where by episode 26, there is some significant character changes and growth, and I'm sure you can think of some too. The characters in Demon Slayer are essentially really hard to get behind if you don't like them at first, and even if you do like them, it's hard to really love them.
Story: 8/10
What isn't hard to get behind is the main motive for Tanjiro's journey. I won't write up a synopsis since you can scroll up and see that yourself, but basically it is very easy to enjoy the story of Tanjiro. It isn't anything groundbreaking, and the way the story develops is incredibly generic. As many others have said, this is a generic shonen trimmed of fat (fillers, fanservice, etc.). It does a generic shonen story very well, but the main thing is that it still is generic at the end of the day. Within the scope of the first season, it will hook you with its basic premise and that hook should last for the whole season.
Overall: 8/10
As someone who is more interested in character development and story, I am especially critical of how generic Demon Slayer can be, as well as how weak the characters are the longer the story progresses. However, absolutely nothing can take away from how amazing Ufotable has made this anime out to be. I sincerely believe if OPM Season 2 and this show swapped studios, my score for this anime would be 5/10, 6/10 at best. It's just that amazing as an animation. I would not recommend the manga if the only reason you like this so much is because of the art and animation, as I myself was incredibly bored and disappointed by the manga. This however, I like this.
Oct 1, 2019
Kimetsu no Yaiba
(Anime)
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This anime is both amazing and incredibly overrated. At the moment, it's ranked #7. I have read all of the manga (no spoilers will be given for the manga or anime past episode 1) and watched this regularly as it was coming out, and I got to see all the hype around it both online, while I was in Japan, and from people around me who don't even watch that much anime.
Demon Slayer is a spectacular case of an anime where most of the credit should be given to Ufotable here. This is a prime example of a story that has such a unique ... Jul 23, 2019
Tenki no Ko
(Anime)
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This movie clearly had "my last film was super successful, if I make my next film just like it, it'll do just as good" written all over it.
[SPOILER FREE] Throughout this review, I will be comparing this film to Shinkai's works often. Although I am a very strong proponent of seeing stories objectively, in this case I believe it is important to address this review relative to Shinkai's other works because of the groundbreaking success of Kimi no Na Wa. Tenki no Ko has the burden of coming out after Kimi no Na Wa, so expectations of course will be high. This film clearly tried to ... Jul 29, 2012
Sword Art Online
(Anime)
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As good as this show is, I don't see why it's so popular and highly rated. It IS an okay show, but not a GREAT show. If you've ever read "Heir Apparent", you'll know what this show is like (though there are obvious differences).
Well, let's get on with the review. The story get's a 6/10 from me. It's filled with cliches and goes way too fast (Yes, I know of the time constraint they have and such, though the show doesn't pay the LN justice). It's an interesting concept with the idea of a Death MMO kind of thing, but I never liked how everyone ... |