English Dub Review: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc: “Someone’s Dream”

Overview: Tanjiro (Zach Aguilar) sets off with Nezuko (Abby Trott) to the Swordsmith Village in hopes of receiving a new sword from his crazy swordmaker, Hotaru (Robbie Daymond). 

Our Take: Within its first few moments, “Someone’s Dream” justifies its beefier premiere. The longer runtime clears up the odds and ends of Tanjiro and the group’s recovery, while setting up another adventure. While it’s light on hard-hitting narrative advancements, there are excellent introductions and plotlines set up for the season to come.

The Infinity Castle has a mind-bending sense of scope in the three-dimensional labyrinthine buildings that break the law of physics. It sets the stage well for the volatile chemistry amongst the Upper Ranks with Muzan, the powerful, ruthless ring leader. Their mission for the blue spider lily and to kill the Ubuyashiki family is intriguing in how it’ll relate to Muzan’s mission for immortality.

There’s a fun bit of levity to Tanjiro’s healing in his banter with the corp. members as well as reuniting with Inosuke’s lovable bravado. Most importantly, its’ refreshing in his opportunity to get to know characters one-on-one in the Swordsmith Village. One of those being Mitsuri, who’s a delight in being emphatically girly, even charming Tanjiro. Her chemistry with Nezuko is sweet too in her playfulness. Although, how she proves to be more than a pretty face is where her greatest attributes lie. Recognizing the impact of Tanjiro’s strength and experiences fighting Upper Ranks versus training shows how intelligent and encouraging she is.

Other supporting cast are also well established in the scowling Genya, and the chip on his shoulder about his Wind Hashira brother. There’s also the Mist Hashira’s search for the secret weapon Mitsuri told Tanjiro about, seemingly. Muichiro’s adamance for the weapon and Mitsuri’s recommendation to Tanjiro sets up quite the coveted weapon. The unknown swordsman’s presence is also interesting in the full extent of how he impacted Tanjiro’s life. The same goes for his role in the Upper Rank, as he is undoubtedly Kokushibo with his striking resemblance.