A broken record for “Spirited Away,” the status of the highest-grossing film in Japanese box office, the highest-grossing film of 2020, and the highest-grossing anime in the world — let’s try to figure out what captivated the audience about “Demon Sl...

In 2019, Japan launched an anime series in the shonen subgenre titled Kimetsu no Yaiba (also known as “Demon Slayer” or “Blade of Demon Destruction”), based on the manga of the same name. The project almost instantly achieved cult status and a multi-million fan base. After 2 full seasons, the creators decided to release a feature-length film that would serve as a bridge between seasons 2 and 3. The film, titled “Demon Slayer: Mugen Train”, became the highest-grossing theatrical release of 2020, simultaneously wresting the title of the highest-grossing anime in history from “Your Name.” And now this film is making its way to our theaters, where it will be shown in a dub by “Studio Band.”

A New Mission for the Demon Slayers

In the story, Tanjiro, Inosuke, Zenitsu, and Nezuko, who has turned into a demon, having already trained in the Butterfly Mansion in the difficult art of fighting demons, set off on a new dangerous mission. Their task is to help the Flame Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku, investigate the mysterious disappearances of people on the “Mugen” train.

The plot jumps right into action, almost instantly pitting the heroes against demons. But viewers unfamiliar with the original will have time to ask a bunch of questions before the main action begins. Who is that person in the opening scene? Why does Tanjiro carry his sister in a box? And who is who in this setting? No one seems to have invited an explanatory team for the uninitiated here. For this reason, it is strongly recommended to watch the series or read the manga to be up to speed on what’s happening.

For Teens Ages 12 to 18

“Demon Slayer: Mugen Train” is a clear illustration of the shonen subgenre. It is a story that will primarily appeal to boys under 18. There are many spectacular fights using various techniques (both from humans and demons), the main character is a true role model for teenagers (a brave young man fighting for what he believes in), female characters are given purely functional roles, and there is a lot of moralizing and mentoring specifically for growing men. Some of the expressed thoughts will be viewed with tenderness by an adult audience.

What makes the anime “Demon Slayer: Mugen Train” notable is the fact that the authors placed a huge emphasis on the conceptual nature of the confrontation between conventional good and evil. There is no typical dualism here, where exclusively righteous representatives of the light side oppose one hundred percent villains with strange motivations. At certain moments, it might even seem that the demons’ arguments sound more convincing than what the main characters advocate. In this way, the screenwriters managed to create almost an ideological conflict, rather than a mundane struggle between species.

Not Without Obvious Flaws

During viewing, the sometimes frankly shoddy animation stands out. This includes awkward 3D inserts that only spoil the overall impression rather than adding color, and dialogues with closed mouths, which cannot but cause dissonance. There is a feeling that the technical side of the anime “Demon Slayer: Mugen Train” could have been much more elegant and impressive. At least at the level of character design, which turned out colorful and memorable.

Another drawback is, perhaps, the excessive abundance of tears. While for most of the time “Demon Slayer: Mugen Train” is a dashing adventure with plenty of humor (sometimes strange, but humor nonetheless), it keeps veering into philosophy and heart-wrenching melodrama. And the last 20 minutes of the film can be described as nothing less than . Seriously, even birds cry here. It’s surprising there wasn’t rain during the final credits.

Roman Kovalev

10 Romantic Movies That Will Make You Cry

If you cried at least once while watching, that already means a good movie; if tears flowed from your eyes constantly, it’s a great movie!

Open material

Is “Demon Slayer: Mugen Train” Worth Watching?

The anime directed by Haruo Sotozaki turned out to be a worthy representative of the genre, and its fans will surely get a lot of positive emotions from watching it. Additionally, if you also want to jump on the hype train associated with the anime that has gained incredible worldwide popularity, you have a great opportunity to do so starting May 20, when the film is released in Russian theaters. But if you haven’t watched the original, don’t enjoy flashy anime fights, don’t understand the appeal of shonen, and the abundance of on-screen tears annoys you, then “Demon Slayer: Mugen Train” is hardly the film you should go see. It’s a closed party with a fairly high entry threshold.

Trailer: