Review: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

(Non-Spoilery)

Season Aired: Spring and Summer 2019 - 24 episodes

MAL Link: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

I watched it at: Funimation

Review:

This was easily one of the best Anime of 2019. It is also sitting with a very high score on MAL, so you might say it enjoys universal acclaim.  All this for good reason: it is a superb anime.

The English Blu-Ray of the first 13 episodes just shipped from Funimation.   I received my copy and dove in with some relish. 

Yet again, I was captivated by this series, just as I had been during the 2019 season when watching it subtitled on Crunchyroll.  I will definitely be getting the Blu-Ray set of the next 13 episodes.

I have a spread sheet of over 140 Anime series I've watched and scored, so far.  This is one of the few I've rated so highly.

The Plot in a Nutshell:

The protagonist of the series is an honest and able lad who becomes aware of powerful. man-eating entities called "demons" due to a personal tragedy which befalls him and his sister. 

An attack by one of these "Demons" leaves the protagonist's sister in a bad state.  And so, the protagonist seeks training in the ways of the "Demon Slayers" to combat these monsters and find a way to help his sister.

That is all set-up in the first episode, so this is no great reveal.

The series concerns itself with the travels of the two siblings, their search for answers and their encounters with ever more bizarre "Demons".

Along the way they are joined by a cast of both other Demon Slayers and characters which support the activities of Demon Slayers.

My Verdict:

This anime has very high production values. The art and animation are excellent with great attention to detail in both the historical Japanese settings and the fight scenes. 

The story is fully realized.  The world building starts slow, then begins to pull back the curtain and show us the two shadowy tribes of Demons and Demon Slayers - ever at odds with each other.

The characterization is very good - especially with the main characters who carry the show with great confidence.  As usual in Anime series, I find that there is at least one character I have to roll my eyes at for their over the top behavior.  Thankfully, it is a supporting character in this series, and not the Main Character.  Even that character had a character arc that had me rooting for him in the final episodes.

This is just a very solid piece of entertainment in general, and as an anime it exemplifies what the medium is capable of when it is hitting on all cylinders.

Score: 5 out of 5

Review Rating Scale:

5     Brain wildly entertained. Neurons saturated with entertainment.

4.5  Brain extremely entertained. Neurons firing regularly. Outside world forgotten.

4     Brain entertained. Neurons well stimulated. Brain wants to look for the blu-ray.

3.5  Brain in Neutral. Neurons a little stimulated. Brain generally pleased.

3     Brain in neutral. Neurons flat lined. Meh, brain pleased just enough.

2.5  Brain in neutral but occasionally displeased.

2     Brain displeased and not entertained. Brain thinking about doing something else.

1.5 or less - Brain suffered through the show so it could tell you not to.