English Dub Review: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba “New Mission”

 

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba’s first season comes to a close with a relatively reserved finale that gets our heroes back in motion and shows the villains changing strategies. Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Zenitsu emerge out of their recovery phase at the Butterfly Mansion stronger than ever and begin for the next phase of their journey. Meanwhile, as the Demon Slayers move forward, Muzan Kibutsuji expresses his dissatisfaction with the members of the Twelve Demon Moon who aren’t pulling their weight and a major shakeup occurs as a result. Adventure pushes Tanjiro and company out of their comfort zone and into the heart of society as the group gets ready for what’s next.

 

Our Take:

Smash some gourds, everyone! It’s time for the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba finale!

Season finales can usually be a tricky balancing act. There’s a necessity to provide satisfying closure to the episode at hand and the season as a whole, but also to be looking forward to the future. I was hoping that “New Mission” would be more of the former and feature a relatively contained episode that showcases some big action before setting up what’s to come. However, “New Mission” is much more concerned about what’s next and while that’s a good sign for the future of Demon Slayer, it short changes this finale in some ways that rob it of the weight that an epic season finale can have. “New Mission” doesn’t entirely tread water, but as its title indicates, its goal is to move onto the next chapter for all of these characters.

As far as Demon Slayer’s heroes are concerned, they spend a lot of this finale in farewell mode as they say their goodbyes to Shinobu, Kanao, Giyu, and the rest of the Butterfly Mansion. It’s impressive to see just how much the trio of Demon Slayers have matured since they first started to recover. Not only have they all mastered their total concentration breathing, but mentally they feel more prepared, too. It’s particularly tragic to have to say goodbye to Kanao after she’s made such a strong impression over the past few episodes, but Kanao leaves a lasting mark on her before they part ways. The way that Tanjiro is able to help Kanao build her confidence and her independence by curing her of her coin flip tic is not just helpful, but really sweet. Hopefully they’ll be able to reunite in season two and she can impress him with how much she’s grown.

“New Mission” is often a slower paced installment, but there’s a major showcase of brutality where many demons meet a highly violent and painful end. However, the most surprising thing about this is that it’s not our resident Demon Slayers who administer the carnage, but rather Muzan Kibutsuji who aggressively acts out against his fellow demons. Demon Slayer’s first season has done its work to turn Muzan Kibutsuji into a proper villain. Even if the demon has been recently referenced, it’s been some time since he’s really been unleashed and his display in “New Mission” more than makes up for lost time.

The oblique, shape-shifting demon has never been more intense. Frustrated over how ineffective the Lower Six Demon Moon have been in their mission to exterminate Tanjiro and the Hashira, Kibutsuji proves that if you want a job done right, then you need to do it yourself. If there was ever any doubt beforehand, Muzan Kibutsuji is not the type of demon who’s open to debate or democratic decision making. What he says go, even if it’s wrong.

This is just a fantastic sequence that’s not just the finale’s highlight, but one of the clear high marks of the season. Ufotable brings such life and flair to the fear that’s on all of these demons faces as they attempt to escape, plus Kibutsuji’s sheer bliss as he takes out the garbage. This feels like a solution that’s almost a little too clean and convenient, but it still works because it only further underscores how powerful and unstable Muzan Kibutsuji is. The other big twist here is that Kibutsuji keeps one of the Lower Demon Moon members alive, only to share his blood with them to activate a bonkers power upgrade. The boost is almost too much to handle for the Demon Moon member, but it leaves Kibutsuji with not only a very strong ally, but someone who’s developed a bloodlust for Tanjiro. It’s a scene that’s terrifying for a number of different reasons, none of which are encouraging for the determined Demon Slayers.

“New Mission” begins to set up what’s to come as Tanjiro and company approach the train that they need to board. While the transportation marks an exciting move forward for the series, it also brings to light just how much Tanjito and his friends are outsiders. These characters have been able to exist in an unusual bubble of demonic activity up until this point in the series. The fact that Tanjiro and Inosuke don’t even know what a train is speaks to the culture shock that’s about to set in for these individuals.

There’s some really pleasant and effortless comedy that stems from these misunderstandings and add some welcome levity to the finale. When Tanjiro is around a bunch of brightly dressed Hashira, he’s nothing special, but now these characters really stand out as they further indoctrinate modern society. It’s easy to forget that the Demon Slayer Corps are a shadow organization that aren’t fully accepted or understand by the advanced world. Hopefully Demon Slayer will continue to play around with this dynamic in the next season and it may even mean that Zenitsu takes more of a leadership role since he’s the least removed from modernity.

“New Mission” does go out on a bit of a cliffhanger as Tanjiro and company board this train, but it’s already been announced that this material will be picked up in a Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba feature film, rather than the show’s next season. As a result, there may be a bit of whiplash that occurs when Demon Slayer’s second season begins (especially if the film doesn’t make it over to North America), but the series is adept enough with its storytelling to be able to properly handle this scenario and still start the next season on a strong, encouraging note. I wouldn’t worry over season two starting with Tanjiro suddenly missing an arm and Nezuko no longer a demon, or anything that drastically changes the status quo.

The premiere season of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba isn’t without its faults, but it’s an incredibly polished and engaging package that has already made a huge cultural impact on Western audiences. This finale is just enough to build up excitement for the team’s next adventure and while it may be slower than some people want, there’s enough carnage and catharsis to still make this entry feel big. Thankfully, Demon Slayer’s budget doesn’t fall apart at the end of their season and they make sure to conclude the year with some of their best visuals. Ufotable has many of their lead animators on task here to make sure that this finale looks as amazing as possible. Without the work that they put into the changing geography of the kaleidoscope-like demon headquarters or Muzan Kibutsuji’s slaughter, this episode wouldn’t be nearly as memorable.

Demon Slayer’s first season may now be over, but with a second season currently in production, a PlayStation 4 game set for 2021, and a feature film on the way in the interim time that’s set to explore the manga’s acclaimed “Demon Train Arc,” there’s not going to be any shortage of Demon Slayer for those that need some more blade swinging action.

There’s plenty of time to master your concentrated breathing technique before season two begins.