I am gonna be totally honest here. I never thought I would be writing a review for Demon Slayer. You can imagine why I say that. It's an obvious answer. It's undeniable the truth I turned a blind eye to most of the issues the first time I watched Demon Slayer. Still, this anime strongest point is the animation, fights. How it executes and explore the simple power-system. Let's not forget about the backstory on the different demon we'll be facing through the journey. Ufotable took the ok manga and made it ten times better. Added some more flavor to the story through extending scenes, like demon backstory or flexing madly on us with that top-notch sakuga and sound effects and what more. But If you look at it with open eyes, it's the usual shounen we either love or hate with a simple premise and story. That said, it's more to a good show, then some flashy actions and tons of money thrown at it. This is no doubt different from people to people, but I have the biggest weight put onto the cast themself. I would never watch any form of media unless the characters first and foremost resonate with me in any way. Now don't get me wrong. Demon Slayer is a decent shounen, but it's far from the best thing out there.

In the first few episodes, I can already tell this would never have the potential to become a masterpiece at all. It's so simple in anything it does, and it shows Koyoharu has no intention to get out of his comfort zone to explore the dangerous territory. Bless Ufotable for adapting, or it might not be this popular. Think about it, would Black Clover or Fairy Tail not get this amount of fame if Ufotable adapted it? That's nothing but fact since when I first began my anime journey, I too was baited by the art and animation. It's not that it's a bad thing since you can have a good story and fantastic production or even the opposite of the spectrum. Tho, it amounts to nothing if the rest of the content is not all there. I will most likely compare Demon Slayer to many stories to hopefully get my point across with much credibility as possible. If you don't wanna read-on, then let me just tell you that Demon Slayer is the equivalent to Fairy Tail but far worse. Fairy Tail at least had heart. Take it as however you want, but it should be clear what I am implying here. I guess I should start with the characters.

Tanjiro seems to be many fan favorite since he is so easy to like, but gosh is he one of the most boring protagonists I had the pleasure of following. He is viewed as this picture-perfect person everyone would wanna be, the guy got no flaws from a normal person standpoint. Or the author does not do a good job of conveying them if they exist. Tho, no lie how he is so kind, and it pisses off Inousuke to no end is a good comedy to me. I will give the author that, Koyoharu Gotouge knows how to make simple but effective comedic relief moments. That's not true all the time tho. Also, sadly, I can't say the same about the protagonist lacking proper substance and depth. Tanjiro has no real glaring flaws, and that makes him dull and tiresome in the long run. Additionally, there is little no growth to him as a character and the biggest change is how stronger he becomes. I mean, Asta in Black Clover comes off as loud, curious, reckless, and even stubborn. I could still keep on going. Let's throw my favorite male mad lad of all time here too. Luffy, who is overflowing ball of curiosity, charisma, romance for adventure, an unpredictable fellow, and reckless goofball of a lovable dork. I guess I can throw my scientific lovable nerd Senku in here too, who has many of the traits of those mentioned above.

Then you have Tanjiro, who is simply kind, had one or two burst out to make him seem more. Still, it feels out of character since he is already established as a gentle, kind-hearted soul. Not that's it wrong either since all those mentioned have that as part of their traits but so much more too. Even the side characters in Demon Slayer are not all that great. Zenitsu is loud and annoying without a balance, and the comedic relief is so absurd it's cringe-inducing. Please tell me I am not the only one who wanted to shoot myself every time this Mineta wannabe opened his mouth? Zenitsu does, in fact, get growth in the manga, but to be frank, it just happened. There was no underlying context to show you the process in a way you could comprehend the character properly. Among the trio, Inousuke is simply the best. He seems to have some layer to him, outside of being a funny, quirky, and a battle-hungry maniac. He is one of the few ones, I would say Koyoharu does a good job with. Every time Inousuke comes by an unprecedented situation, he feels fear, anger, depression, and so forth. We see it clearly in detail and how it affects him. A lot of work could be used, but he is a better example of a properly written character if you ask me.

The Hashiras, who are a significant part of the story, is also not poorly written but far from the best. They all have their own set of unique selves and are not cut out from the same cloth. Shinobu is the most complex I have seen. She has that arara onee-san vibe and one heck of an enticing smile that draws you in with an energetic persona. Did I forget to mention, all of that is merely a facade, and there is more to her than meets the eye? Not gonna sugarcoat it, but since she is a waifu material, I do have a level of bias with my opinion of her. Anyway, Koyoharu clearly has some nicely written characters. Still, since the main trio, or should I say the quartet is the focus, their potential is not fully tapped into. I wanna lightly touch on Nezuko, tell me what is her purpose, besides being an adorable and pleasing sight for your aching eyes who can throw around some punches? She adds nothing to the story before way in and is only a way to lure watchers and readers into this terribly mediocre shounen. And the title of best girl goes to either Shinobu or Kanao, who has more to tell than a cute "hmmph" all the damn time. Hey, I am not complaining, just trying to prove a point. Nezuko's purpose also comes out from the left field, even if it was an apparent outcome anyone could see coming.

As if that not enough, the big bad villain, Muzan, who started out with a strong introduction. It is just a scary Micheal Jackson with anger issues, and thirst for blood and is simply a manipulative douchebag. Koyoharu do use shock factor to make him seem intimidating and while some moments do give you an impact of emotions. It's not that he is a well-written villain. In a way, he is also a waste of potential since he could be so much more than this sad excuse of a way to give something at least resembling a closure. You know, going out with a bang so that all you went through was well worth it. But it's not. Why do I say that? I am not a manga reader anymore, I'll wait out untill the story concludes and then we'll see what happens. So take my coming opinion with a grain of salt. Ignorance can be such a bliss when you don't realize the bigger picture, it's factual that the pacing in the manga is terrible. No room to breathe to see character interactions and let you bond with them before we are yet again thrown into more actions. We barely know a thing about the world of Demon Slayer, and there is no realism to give it that authentic feel. So you can feel more significant emotions, which actually amounts to something. The world is flimsily established and is merely just a means to an end.

Now, look at some other work that is simple in the core but has more to offer and has better established it's setting, world, and characters. Before that, I wanna say I am looking at the source material and not just the anime. Black Clover is one such which stars Asta and Noelle. Let's focus on those two for this example. Asta comes off as simple and is generic, just like any shounen protagonist. Still, he is humane and not as easy to describe. At one point, he gains appetizing growth, which makes you appreciate his character all the more. Let's not forget about best girl Noelle, who starts out as a typical tsundere and thinks everything is above here. But slowly mellows out and becomes a truly complex, deep, and very charming of a character you grow to love so immensely. In fact, the whole cast of Black Clover feels more than merely simple. Another shounen worthy of praise is Dr. Stone. Great cast of characters you can easily differentiate. Not to mention, both execute their story efficiently with a level of balance when it comes to pacing to establish the world, setting, and the cast themself. There is a reasonable level of growth, and someone you hated at first might become your fav the next moment and so forth.

Tell me, what does Demon Slayer do differently besides being backed up by the monster of a studio with an unlimited budget to work with? I can tho give some sincere praise to the backstory of each respective demon who feels like such a more interesting character. I mean, in my eyes, both Kyogai, the spider lady, Rui even is more fascinating than the quartet of Demon Slayer. And that's only an example since many demons feel like someone you want to learn about than the actual main cast. It's evidently clear Demon Slayer is only popular since it's animated by Ufotable. Easily accessible to newcomers to anime and get into in terms of manga since it has less than 200 chapters available. There is not much dialogue, so you can burn through the content pretty damn fast actually, and it's easy to digest to boot. However, not everything is average about Demon Slayer. I want to give some praise to one of the greatest episode animated which ironically come out from Demon Slayer. It's not my favorite moment, but it's no doubt worthy of attention and recognition. Episode 19 is Ufotable at best, sure it has some ass-pulls here and there, but the execution and direction are stunning and do the trick.

The build-up is gradual, as one beautiful soundtrack ramps up in the background before the climax hits and delivers a fantastic finish. This episode displays the bond of brother and sister with the utmost respect, touching on the connection, and subtlety exploring it in-depth. It's generic in its core, but it would be stupid to not appreciate the work that put into it and the meaning behind it Ufotable is trying to get across. Outside of that, Demon Slayer is top-notch when it comes to visual and artwork. There is not a second. It looks terrible or just low quality in any way. Of course, nothing beats the highly engrossing and famous Fate franchise. Especially Heavens Feel, which is in another league when it comes to production value or likewise the Kara no Kyoukai movie franchise. It's not fair to compare TV shows to movies, but I am just trying to give a different point of view many seem to miss now that they are highly influenced by Demon Slayer. On that note, the OP and ED for Demon Slayer are great. I mean with Lisa on both, did you expect anything else but quality, beautiful and catchy tune? Same, me neither. That goes for the soundtrack too which has one of the legends Yuki Kaujira and the equally amazing Go Shiina composition so you better bet your ears will thank you for experiencing bliss.

One more thing the anime provides tremendous justice for is the fighting scenes. And elevate the power-system of Demon Slayer, which otherwise feels simple and is not appropriately shown in the manga. It's not easy to tell what happens every time someone uses one of the many breath styles, not for sure anyway. This has more to do with colors and accurate display of what the author is trying to show, which is not easy to draw in the manga. Often when you don't have colors or can visually show the process of an attack. Ufotable, however, gives justice to this display and shows the attack clearly. They all are flashy, colorful, and packed with sound effects and beautiful spectacle to behold and be astounded by. In which case, I can safely say. At the same time, the power system of the Demon Slayer is good enough. Even while many things feel not as solidly built. I guess it does the trick. And Ufotable does a great job of showing the illustrations of water, fire, wind, and any other Breath Style.

It also shows the user's traits. For instance, Tanjiro style is water since he is gentle, has self-discipline, among others. While Inousuke, who wears a boar mask and was raised in the wilderness, puts emphasis on that in his Breath Style. Zenitsu is slightly tricky since no bit of his character tells you he hits strong and fast like lightning. Wait for a second, I could put in the fact his growth just happened since it was fast and hit you out from nowhere. One more example is Kanao, who is the Breath of the flower since she is beautiful, peaceful, quiet, and blooms slowly, just like a flower would. So while I am harsh with my opinion of Demon Slayer, I am trying my best to not gloss over the things Koyoharu was able to do well and Ufotable who rose it into much greater heights. As you continue the journey of Demon Slayer, you see more power-system developments, and many of the things are, in fact, foreshadowed every so subtlety by Koyoharu. Without giving way heavily spoilers to anime only, I am referring to the crimson red Nichirin Blade and the mark on Tanjiro's forehead, which was foreshadowed before the battle at Natagumo Mountain arc. Honestly, speaking as I wrote this review. My opinion on Demon Slayer changed ever so slightly again since I looked at both sides and not just controlled by the negative emotions. It's not at all a bad shounen, and I really hope I didn't give that impression. That's not my intention.

There's it's no question about it; it's highly overrated. Demon Slayer has only Ufotable to thank for to gain a massive boost in sales for the otherwise a-okay manga. Besides, any other shounen with a simple basis would've blown out of proportion if a studio with an enormous amount of budget worked on it. At the time of writing this article, Demon Slayer is in its last stage of the story and seems to be suffering a lot. That's the result of glossing over many things that would otherwise result in a much bigger pay-off in the long run. It's the reason One Piece's popularity is more or less consistent and can easily explode if Oda-sensei ever wishes. It's the reason Black Clover gets way-way better later on when introduction and all the things are properly established. It's the reason, Dr. Stone is also just that good after the slow beginning. If you don't want to listen to my side, then take at least one thing out from this review. At the very least, animation and art-style. Will only truly shine if the author's work already has some well-developed parts as we have looked from Demon Slayer, which has some. But it's not a great shounen, groundbreaking or any of that. It's simple and has a huge studio backing them up with unlimited budget works.