English Dub Review: Demon Slayer: The Movie “Mugen Train”

 

Overview:

The popular Demon Slayer franchise makes its big-screen debut. When a train routinely gets attacked by demons, Tanjiro and the gang get tasked with protecting it. On board the train they meet up with Kyojuro Rengoku, their strength and mental fortitude will be put to the ultimate test.

Our Take (Possible Spoilers):

I am going to keep the spoilers to an absolute minimum cause I want everyone to experience this film the right way. I was not a believer, I kept thinking “There is no possible way this movie is THAT good” and I am here to tell you I was wrong. Not only is it that good but honestly it might have been undersold. No self-respecting anime fan should miss out on this movie cause it’s going to be remembered for a long time.

Every once in a while a movie or series will come along and it transforms the medium. I won’t say all the hype for Demon Slayer is warranted, like best anime and best animation of the decade? A lot of really good anime came out this decade so I don’t know about that. It is definitely one of the best and I think the success of this film has definitely pushed anime further into the mainstream. This movie definitely deserved at least a nomination for an Oscar, it is getting frustrating with anime movies getting snubbed. Maybe seeing how well this did will make them take notice.

The movie takes place right where season one left off with Tanjiro, Zenitsu, Inosuke, and of course Nezuko meeting up with their superior Rengoku. We got to meet Rengoku in the last few episodes of the series but this is definitely where he makes his best impression. Everyone is on the titular Mugen Train because of it consistently getting attacked by demons, and as you guessed it gets attacked again.

The movie is paced extremely well, I never felt bored or felt like anything dragged. There was a point I thought it was the end but it kept going. In this case, though that was a very good thing, the climax of this movie is so amazing. I feel like the biggest compliment you can give a movie you see in theaters is when you refuse to go to the bathroom. Which I did… I could not miss a second of this.

No matter who your favorite character is they all got a moment to shine. My personal favorite is Zenitsu and he had a pretty good moment but I did feel he was underutilized. Same with Nezuko, she had a very important role early on but like Zenitsu most of her exploits were offscreen. If your favorite is Tanjiro, Inosuke, or Rengoku you are gonna leave this movie very pleased. These characters shine, Rengoku’s moment is reserved for the finale but what a finale.

Tanjiro and Inosuke spend most of the second half working together. If you know Inosuke at all you know he isn’t the easiest character to get along with. Out of all the characters, Inosuke showed the most growth and change, it wasn’t much but still more than anyone else. He sheds tears, gives an impassioned speech, and even shows that he cares for his new friends even if he still can’t get their names right.

I mentioned this in my review of the recent specials that came out but Tanjiro is an awesome protagonist. He is such a refreshing change of pace from typical shonen heroes. Men stereotypically aren’t supposed to show emotion, your typical hero is stoic and strong. Tanjiro is strong don’t get me wrong but isn’t afraid to get emotional and being an emotional guy myself it’s nice to see that that’s okay. You can wear your heart on your sleeve and still be a hero.

Okay… let’s talk about Rengoku. This is one of the most badass anime characters in the last ten years. Now, THAT hype is warranted and if you watch the movie you will see why. The best moment of the film goes to him and it will probably be talked about as one of the greatest anime moments ever. He doesn’t make the best first impression, he is loud and a bit annoying but he is a great mentor and takes care of the young ones. I will always remember his speech to Tanjiro, I am honestly tearing up right now just thinking about it. It was that good. If you got a problem with Rengoku, you got a problem with me.

I think Ufotable decide to use this movie and the recent Heaven’s Feel trilogy to just flex on every other anime studio out there. No one does animation like them, they were the perfect studio to adapt this series, and since I have a feeling this will get fully adapted I hope the studio never changes.  From the flourishes of the swordplay to the way they animate the water and flame breathing techniques. This studio has set the bar very, very high.

The sounds and soundtrack are exemplary, the music for the final fight gave me goosebumps. I am not one hundred percent sure but I think it was the same track used in the fight with Rui. It is a perfect choice for epic fight moments. I don’t normally talk about sound effects but I had to mention that the sounds for the different sword breathing techniques. The water and flames sounded so crisp and good. I especially loved the sound when Zenitsu used his thunder breathing, that clap of thunder sounded so real it even startled me a bit.

I’m going to spend a bit of time talking about the voice acting here. Abby Trott who voices Nezuko actually got to speak quite a bit. It was a dream sequence but still, I am sure she appreciated getting to do more than grunts and pouts. Bryce Papenbrook did good, especially since he had to tap into a side of Inosuke we haven’t really got to see so far. Aleks Le is very good as Zenitsu, when he’s sleeping and doing badass things it’s almost like a different character. The only VA who did better than Mark Whitten as Rengoku was Zach Aguilar. Whitten gained a huge fan in me after this movie. There was one line he gave that was really impactful to me and immediately started crying.

Tanjiro might just be the role Zach Aguilar becomes known for. His performance of Tanjiro was good in the series but in this movie, he elevates it to great. The way he delivered his lines was nothing short amazing, whether it’s when he is being silly or serious. He has a bit of a monologue/rant near the end of the movie that made my hairs stand up on end. He’s angry, frustrated, sad, almost every emotion is going through him. When he delivers the lines in this part his voice even breaks a few times, it made the scene even more impactful. Great job by all the cast but Zach Aguilar was absolutely the MVP.

No film is perfect and this one isn’t either though it is damn close. Honestly, my only negative is so minor it’s barely worth mentioning but there were a couple of times that a few serious moments were ruined by poor comedic timing in my opinion. That’s it though, which is no problem at all because of everything else this movie does so well. Everyone needs to see this movie, even if you haven’t seen the series. We just witnessed anime history in the making with this amazing film.