Excitement, despair, fascination, awe, satisfaction are all things that Demon Slayer: Mugen Ressha did not make me feel. Instead, I was overwhelmed with severe boredom for a good majority of the movie.
The biggest 'problem' with the movie - and to an extent, the TV anime as a whole - lies in its biggest strength, that being is animation. No, I am not complaining about good a n i m a t i o n in an anime. My gripes are with how loud the animation itself is, while the rest of the anime remains quiet in its lacking-in-depth characters, story, and themes. Its spectacle overtakes any of the latter elements, leaving them unable to shine for themselves, for most of the time. To remediate that, the anime aims to present you with characters that will balance its mismatch of tones, however, the way the movie goes about it leaves a lot to be desired, as their implementation in the story relies heavily on the tropes that they emanate from.
The movie and the series as a whole – at the very least what has been animated at the time of me writing this – fail to keep me interested in their ideas for long enough so that I could start caring. Their lack-luster approach to the battle shounen formula does not satiate any of the needs that I seek out in anime. The characters do not act as a vehicle for the author to deliver her message about the medium – not that Demon Slayer needs to say anything about it, but this is me detailing my disliking of the movie/series. The story does not take any risks in trying something new, instead, it remains at the same old level of being a revenge story. Visually, Ufotable do not do much in the way of innovating the anime cinematic experience. The movie, visually, feels and looks weaker than the TV series. Digital animation can look absolutely stunning, and the TV series’s episode 19 is proof enough – take this from someone who rated Demon Slayer a 5, but still shed some tears at the mesmerizing spectacle provided by that episode – but this movie feels like a step-down from even Fate/Zero, and, from the clips I’ve seen of, Unlimited Blade Works.
However, I have to give some credit where it’s due. The scenes where Tanjiro has to cut his head off in order to escape his dream world were probably some of the most interesting parts of this movie. It shows you that humans and demons are alike, both bounded by their pasts, without having to flat-out scream it at you. More over, that scene gives some much needed development to Tanjiro's character, who, even if he completed a character journey in the TV anime, he still didn't feel more than just a good guy doing good things for unlucky people. The conviction that he shows during this movie, and the serene visual representation of his inner "spiritual core" - and the scene at the end when lays out his feelings - combine to offer - if not a better character - a more nuanced insight to Tanjiro's mind. Rengoku's corer is an inextinguishable world of flames, which shows his strong passion for life - which even protects him as he's about to have his core destroyed. But these moments are too little, too late for me, since, at this point in the story, I can’t be bothered to care for anyone, or anything. As such, what should have been a profoundly dramatic scene where the student – Tanjiro – loses his master – Rengoku – is instead, for me, a very drawn-out cryfest for the characters, during which I was constantly checking to see when it would end so that I could escape from Zenitsu’s annoyingness (whose character can literally be summarized by this meme)
At the very least, this movie handles its theme quite well, and that is "overcoming yourself". The way the movie goes about it is by throwing as much passion at yourself as possible, so that, by sheer power of will, you become a better person than the one you were a day ago. It's a powerful message, and another instance where I have actually enjoyed the movie. Its' main propagator is Rengoku, who, as we learn through his time in the dream world, became a Hashira in order to gain his father's approval. Sadly, he doesn't appreciate his son's accomplishment, going as far as to consider it meaningless. Yet, in spite of that, Rengoku doesn't falter, and instead lets his his passion be his guide. As such, this goes to show that even if others don't recognize your effort, you should strive to continue your journey if it makes you happy.
You'll be able to do all kinds of things when you master breathing. Not that you'll be able to do everything, but you'll become a stronger version of yourself than yesterday for sure. - Kyoujurou Rengoku
Imagine an iceberg of anime. At the very top, you'd have anime like this movie, those that don't necessarily take any risks in what they offer. Then, as you enter the water, you have anime like Angel's Egg, and so on and so forth. What I’m trying to say is that Demon Slayer: Mugen Ressha is "top-of-the-iceberg" anime, so, in that regard, the movie, in most aspects, fails to offer me the kind of entertainment that I seek from this medium. Though, that’s not to say that I cannot enjoy "above-the-water" anime. Death Note had me question the perspectives of justice, and power systems that govern the world. Fullmetal made me ontologically appreciate the way it handles ‘truth’. Demon Slayer: Mugen Resha gave me a suicide scene that established a connection between the humans and demons of its world (and probably is a foreshadow for future events), but that came 26 episodes and a movie too late.
I wasted my time watching Demon Slayer: Mugen Ressha. And yet… and yet, I am aware that this is not a movie for me to enjoy. It was never meant for me to enjoy it in the first place. It was meant to be enjoyed by the fans of the series. And for that, I can appreciate it. Because, at the end of the day, I’m an outsider’s perspective, trying to understand the insider’s perspective. Because my perspective is that this movie is a terrible step-down from Ufotable, a dragged on non-cinematic experience, and some of the most boring ~2 hours I had to sit through while watching something. But for those who enjoyed it, it’s much, much more than what I have tried to reduce it to. For them, this movie is a masterclass of animation and storytelling, tied together by an emotional flaming passion.
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