English Dub Review: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba “Master of the Mansion”

 

Overview (Spoilers Below):

After getting reprimanded by the Demon Slayer Corps, Tanjiro is forced to face the Hashira—the strongest Demon Slayers of the group—as he defends his actions and his demon sister’s right to live. Tanjiro is isolated from his friends and his usual support systems as he faces the intimidating ire of the judgmental Hashira. The opposing sides go back and forth over Nezuko’s fate, with the resistant Hashira’s major point of contention being that there’s no guarantee that Nezuko won’t go berserk and kill people. Tanjiro is so confident in his sister’s pacifism that he even puts his own life on the line over the matter. Tanjiro begins to receive minimal support from a member of the Hashira who’s gotten a better chance to get to know him and Nezuko, but the determined acts of another Hashira member threaten to expose Nezuko’s baser natures and destroy everything that Tanjiro has worked to build.

 

Our Take:

There’s an episode of The West Wing that is simply the two Presidential candidates engaging in a debate for the entire episode. It’s a bold, simple episode, but one that also feels natural and justified within the show’s setting where politics and policy are often being discussed at length. “The Master of the Mansion” is an episode of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba that is surprisingly similar to that episode of The West Wing. Tanjiro must finally pay for the price for aiding and abetting his demon sister and the entire episode revolves around Tanjiro’s argument for why Nezuko deserves to live and the Hashira’s cases for why this demon must be executed.

At its core, this is inherently thrilling subject matter. Tanjiro getting caught is something that’s been brewing under the surface of the series since the very first episode. Furthermore, Tanjiro’s many encounters with the demons that have been taken down involve him performing mental gymnastics of sorts as he tries to empathize with these creatures and determine if death is always the answer. Demon Slayer hasn’t been explicit regarding if Tanjiro’s softness towards his enemies is subconsciously because he knows that his sister is also a demon and that he’ll inevitability have to defend her rights before the Hashira. If Tanjiro can prove that other demons have been savable then it’d make a cleaner case for Nezuko. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case and nearly every demon that Tanjiro has faced has needed to be put down (Tamayo being a rare exception). So while there are very high stakes surrounding the events of the episode, the stripped down approach for “The Master of the Mansion” is a little too much for the show to handle.

It’s probably fair to say that most people tune into Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba for its thrilling action sequences. This is a series where characters often settle their disagreements through battle, so it may disappoint some that this episode is entirely expressed through conversation and exposition as these opposing sides go back and forth over Nezuko’s fate. 20 minutes is just long enough before the arguments that Tanjiro gets into with the Hashira over Nezuko begin to feel repetitive. Additionally, in spite of the weight of this meeting before the Hashira and how serious these consequences are there’s also a level of tension that’s removed from everything because it seems pretty obvious that the show isn’t going to kill off Nezuko. That being said, had this been the exact same episode and it ended in Nezuko’s execution, I’d likely be praising it for how it’s a meditation on futility. As it stands it’s just an extended argument that builds to an inevitable conclusion.

The most exciting thing about this episode is that the complete roster of the Demon Slayer Corps’ Hashira are assembled to weigh in on Tanjiro’s case. Demon Slayer has done a lot of work to establish how these Demon Slayers are the strongest of the lot, so their reputations definitely precede themselves. “The Master of the Mansion” may be lacking in action, but the animation department attempts to make up for it with the bright, vibrant character designs and outfits for the Hashira. It looks like they’ve all raided the closet of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure or RuPaul’s Drag Race, and that’s meant in the best way possible. Tanjiro even gets called out for how his outfit isn’t nearly as fabulous as theirs. If any Demon Slayer ever wants to masquerade as a Hashira he really just needs to invest in some tie-dye.

Hashira members Giyu and Shinobu have already been met in previous encounters, but there are eight other Hashira that come in here, each with their own specialties, that range from more practical abilities like flame, stone, and sound, to more obtuse powers like love and serpents. Each of these Hashira make a strong impression as they grill Tanjiro, even if they do come off as broader caricatures for the most part. With the addition of all of these new Demon Slayers, there is also a wealth of new voice talent joining the series and Aniplex has done a good job with its Hashira casting here. Kira Buckland, Crispin Freeman, Mark Whitten, and Ray Chase are among the talent assembled here and Kaiji Tang has a gleeful time bringing the vindictive Sanemi to life. We’re just given a taste of most of these characters, but hopefully they’ll all get opportunities to receive adequate development in the future.

None of the Hashira are willing to bend when it comes to showing understanding towards Nezuko, but frankly this makes a good deal of sense when you consider that these Demon Slayers have built their lives on eradicating these creatures without remorse, usually with good reason. Shinobu is the one member to step in for Tanjiro and try to support him during his cause. It’s a touching moment that instantly turns Shinobu into a better character (and hopefully will stick around with Tanjiro and company). However, as strong as Shinobu’s support is, it’s fought against even harder by Sanemi, the wind Hashira, who’s practically frothing at the mouth over the idea of sparing Nezuko’s life.

Sanemi comes at Tanjiro strong and while Tanjiro keeps his cool for the majority of this episode, his one act of aggression is when he headbutts Sanemi in a well-justified act of retaliation. Sanemi’s goading of Nezuko is the note that “The Master of the Mansion” goes out on. He takes his routine so far that he forces Nezuko out of her protective box and then cuts himself, dripping blood in front of the demon, in a transparent attempt to bring out Nezuko’s animalistic tendencies. Nezuko is lost in a trance and how she responds in the following episode will very much not only determine her fate, but those of Tanjiro and the others that have gone out on a limb for her. Even the supreme leader of the Hashira offers some kind words in Nezuko and Tanjiro’s favor to make sure that the full picture is seen here. The Master’s words don’t sway Sanemi’s rage, but it’s still validating to see such prestigious figures appreciate what Tanjiro has accomplished so far.

“The Master of the Mansion” is a necessary episode of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba and even though I respect what it does, it still doesn’t handle it as effectively as previous episodes. Its greatest strengths are the worldbuilding that it achieves with the new members of the Hashira that are introduced, but there are so many of them that even that verges on being a little exhausting. Zenitsu and Inosuke are completely absent in the episode due to its focus on Tanjiro and Nezuko’s plight and their omission is felt.

It feels like Tanjiro could have been engaging in light combat with the various Hashira as he pleads his case, even if that level of action would feel gratuitous. It would at least give this episode a little more to get excited over. I’m not opposed to Demon Slayer telling more restrained, thoughtful stories like this one, but if another similar experiment is explored in the second season (maybe Nezuko even gets to plead her case to the Hashira) hopefully some lessons will have been learned. The cliffhanger that the episode goes out on teases a lot of action for the next installment, so it definitely seems like the time for careful conversation is about to be over.