English Dub Review: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba “Cruelty”

 

Overview (Spoilers Below)
Tanjiro, our main protagonist, is introduced as a young man who strives to be helpful not only to his family but to others as well. Tanjiro visits the local village at the bottom of the mountain in order to sell coal so that his family is able to have a good New Year’s celebration. While walking back home after a successful day, a man at the edge of town named Saburo insists that Tanjiro stay the night. Saburo makes mention of demons that come out at night and attack humans. He also mentions the demon slayers who protect them from the wrath of these beasts.

Upon the rise of the sun, Tanjiro heads back home. To his utter horror, however, his entire family (excluding Nezuko, who still has a faint body heat) has been slaughtered by the demons overnight. Tanjiro rushes his injured sister to the hospital, only for Nezuko to cause the two of them to fall onto the snow below.

As it turns out, Nezuko has turned into a full-on demon and ultimately attempts to attack her brother. Tanjiro struggles to hold off her sister from devouring him whole. After much struggling and convincing, Tanjiro seems to finally get through to Nezuko, as she begins to weep.

Suddenly, a demon slayer shows up and plans to deal the final blow to Nezuko. Tanjiro swiftly attempts to protect Nezuko, only for the demon slayer to capture her. Tanjiro pleads with the slayer to spare his sister’s life, though ultimately to no avail. The slayer simply states that nothing can save Nezuko now. Out of options, Tanjiro runs full force with rock and hatchet in hand to attack the slayer. Unfortunately, the slayer manages to knock out Tanjiro.

However, the hatchet from earlier nearly cuts the slayer’s face into two. Shortly after, Nezuko escapes the slayer’s grip and seemingly goes after Tanjiro’s unconscious body. Nezuko ultimately protects her brother from the slayer, proving to the slayer that the two before him may be different than previous instances. The slayer knocks out Nezuko soon after.

Upon waking up, the slayer tells Tanjiro to go meet Old Man Urukodaki, and tell him that Giyu sent them. Giyu also warns Tanjiro to keep his sister out of the sun’s light. Tanjiro buries his fallen family members, and he and Nezuko set off to meet Urukodaki.

Our Take
When I first heard that Demon Slayer was joining Toonami, I was pretty excited for its premiere. I had known about the series for a while at this point. The story sounded interesting enough to me that I couldn’t wait to see what was in store for me. After viewing the first episode, I’m honestly not entirely sure what to think about it.

The animation by animation studio Ufotable is definitely fantastic, bringing life to the characters and settings it presents on screen. The array of colors presented is simply beautiful to take in. The blowing of snow dust through scenes gives the show a realistic flavor, allowing myself to feel as though I’m actually on a snow-covered mountain right alongside the cast.

The vocal talent is something I’m a little undecided about. At times, I felt as though Tanjiro’s voice didn’t fit quite well with the character. Yet during other pivotal moments (particularly during Tanjiro’s confrontation with the slayer), I could hear the emotions pouring out from Tanjiro’s lips. With this being the first episode, it’s quite possible that the cast was still trying to get adjusted into their roles. Considering the rest of the cast this episode sounded great to me, I have a feeling that Tanjiro’s voice will grow on me over time.

In terms of story, it didn’t really feel like all that much happened. The episode just felt like it rushed through the introductory story quickly. Granted, the episode’s purpose is to introduce viewers to the main cast and set up the protagonist’s motivation throughout the series, so perhaps this was a fair move.

I did genuinely feel bad for the tragedy that was inflicted upon Tanjiro. However, I felt as though the story could have spent more time on Tanjiro’s family. I would have liked to see more of his family so that I could better connect with them and have a stronger emotional impact upon their unfortunate demise. One part I did have a strong emotional impact to was Tanjiro’s wish to protect his sister. I genuinely sympathized with this part of Tanjiro’s character. You bet I’d try all I could to prevent someone from committing the final blow upon my sister if I were in Tanjiro’s place! Ultimately, even if the story left me feeling a bit unsatisfied, I’m still willing to see how the story will go from here.

I absolutely adore the dynamic Tanjiro has with Nezuko. Tanjiro clearly cares for his sister and wishes to protect her through any means possible. It’s both a realistic and touching emotion that sets the character apart from the typical shonen protagonist tropes. Nezuko fighting through her demonic tendencies to protect her brother was also a really touching moment. Overall, the dynamic between these two just makes my emotions flutter. I genuinely hope these two stick together as well as they did here.

Giyu is certainly a mysterious character thus far. He’s certainly seen his fair share of tragedies throughout his profession. He is a character with a lot of responsibility on his shoulders, one that must protect for the greater good rather than spare a potential hazard. Yet, he’s not all one solid mass of non-emotion. He clearly feels for Tanjiro’s plight and wishes he could help in some way. Giyu clearly is someone who is able to judge a particular situation, not taking rash action against anyone, even a demon like Nezuko. I’m pretty enticed to see how this character will develop throughout the series.

Overall, while some elements left me feeling unsatisfied, the majority left me feeling optimistic about the show’s future. The story is quite an intriguing one, with a wide array of excellent characters who show off realistic emotions. With beautiful animation and powerful heartfelt moments throughout, Demon Slayer is a series I’m looking forward to continuing.