Forum - View topicDemon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (TV + movie) (w/ index).
|
Goto page Previous Next |
| Author | Message | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Harleyquin
Posts: 2884 |
|
||
|
S3 #9
It's taken a while, but at last one of the main antagonists is finally finished. Pacing wise, if this is 13 episodes then it's about time for one of them to fall so that the focus can shift back to Hantengu. It's quite clear that the author's decision to shift perspectives between concurrent battles has not been successful, as ADHD action junkies don't like it when their mental capacity is overstretched by frequent changes in perspective and pace. Unlike the train and geisha arcs where it's more or less keeping the camera on the same group of combatants as the antagonist gets progressively stronger with each wave iteration, the author's attempt at experimentation has not gone down well with some viewers. I don't mind, since I'm not in it solely for the action and do appreciate having backstories woven in as part of the deal. The ensemble characters aren't just cardboard makeweights, and the author's attempts to flesh them out no matter how derided they are by others is a plus point for me. You have to give it to Gyokko's VA. For a stereotypical pantomine villain, he has to REALLY ham it up in order to get the audience to thoroughly despise him. I think he succeeded in that regard, seeing Muichirou finally finish him off means his banter is done. Not quite as annoying as Zenitsu in full flow, but as the arc's main villain his chatter could be grating (which is probably the whole point of his characterization). His gimmick turned out to be less complicated than even Gyuutarou's, all Muichirou had to do was get him out of his vase and then decapitate the main host. The former was the tough part, and Muichirou probably succeeded where others would have failed because the same personality quirks which drive even Tanjirou up the wall are even more effective against the Upper Demon with the thin skin and bloated pride. As is the case for all major battles in this franchise, victories are paid for heavily in blood and it looks like Muichirou is out of commission for the time being. Whether or not he can recover sufficiently to join the Hantengu fight remains to be seen. Now that the focus has finally returned to Hantengu for the rest of the season, time to see what Kanrouji is really made of. Of all the featured Corps fighters in this season, she's the only one who's had it comparatively easy as she's not faced any of the Upper Demons up to this episode. As a Pillar, dealing with Gyokko's minions would have posed no challenge to her and uninitiated viewers only have the word of the smiths and villagers who rate her combat ability highly. Her timing couldn't be better, as a few seconds later would have permanently finished off Tanjirou who's had to prolong the battle with Hantengu and clones without Pillar support for over a month's worth of airtime. So far so good; her whip sword has no issue dealing with the dragon heads and its unpredictable angles make it difficult for Zouhakuten to respond. If she single-handedly pulls off the win, it would cheapen Tanjirou's efforts though so I'm not expecting it to be a cakewalk. Major battles like these always end up with the victors physically broken in some way and this battle I expect to be no different. |
|||
|
|||
ACｘS
 Posts: 901 |
|
||
|
9:
Wow, the Upper Five Demon has been taken out. ...yet, I don't feel fully satisfied by it. Like I mentioned something similar before, I was expecting a lot more from this show, especially from the battle sequences. The Entertainment Arc and Mugen Train Arc were spectacular with their climactic fight sequences, and I was expecting something in the same vein as those fights in this show too. Yet, I find myself wanting more. My expectations might be a little unfair because thematically, it was perfect. Rengoku was the Flame Hashira so expectedly, the fight was a fiery ("moeru" = burning, to get emotionally fired up) slugfest, and Tengen is the Sound Hashira whose mantra is "flamboyant" so his fight was incredibly flashy (in a great way). Muichiro is the Mist Hashira, so his final move was expectedly subdued and deceptive. If this were a fighting game, you would have predicted his final move pretty easily. Yet, for a battle between an Hashira and a Upper Demon, I was hoping for a much more climactic fight scene. So why did it have a vibe more similar to that between Tanjiro and Rui, the Spider Lower Demon? Now we can fully focus on the other battle: Upper Four Hantengu VS Love Hashira Kanroji Mitsuri. Hantengu is that kind of boss in a game who covers a lot of ground and AOE damage, so his four dragons function more as an obstacle than the vital point. Still want to see how the battle unfolds, and yes, I am expecting a lot from this fight scene too. |
|||
|
|||
|
smurky turkey
Posts: 2040 |
|
||
|
I will second that, this season is not bad at all, but it does not come close my enjoyment of the previous seasons. This is partly due to the sword village not being fleshed out as a proper location, it was action time a bit too fast for me. Then there is the pacing of the fights that feels like ten minutes being stretched out for like 7 episodes.
As for the two fights, the upper 4 fight feels like the only proper fight. Hantengu has a rather interesting list of abilities and the fight with him has been one of a fun back and forth with some surprises. It has not bored me all, though flashbacks and such popping up to switch away from the fight does take away from the excitement. As for upper 5, most of the interactions with him consisted of the Mist Hashira being teased while he is captured in water for a long period of time and him having a fairly lengthy flashback. The actual fight was over pretty fast and upper 5 end up feeling kind of bland abilities wise. |
|||
|
|||
|
ACｘS
Posts: 901 |
|
||
|
Perhaps another reason why I found the Muichiro-Gyokko fight underwhelming: Gyokko apparently has no back story at all. Gyutaro-Daki's back story was one of the highlights of the Entertainment Arc and, more importantly, it added more weight to the motivation behind the fight. Akaza's story wasn't explored in the Mugen Train Arc but I heard that he has a really back story himself.
Gyokko? Apparently none. Given his narcissistic nature and inclination toward (grotesque) art, I know he has a story but I got none. I thought that one of Demon Slayer's strengths is giving stories (and empathy) to their demons since they were once humans but that was lacking in Gyokko's case. I have a feeling that Hantengu has a story to tell; I hope so. |
|||
|
|||
Blood-
 Bargain Hunter Posts: 23856 |
|
||
|
Eh, Demon Slayer is damned if it does and damned if it doesn't. You point out the lack of backstory for Gyokko. I guarantee you that if there was one, we would have seen posters write, "oh here we go, yet another backstory flashback giving us the tragic details of how a human became a demon. So formulaic. Can't we just see a fight without interruptions? Am I supposed to feel anything emotionally? The show has done this so often I just can't care any more." Just to be clear: I don't feel that way, but I can predict the sentiment.
|
|||
|
|||
|
ACｘS
Posts: 901 |
|
||
|
I mean, everyone has their own opinions, and I'm just voicing mine. This show is formulaic no matter what it does imho, and including Gyokko's back story or not wouldn't change the formula. Still, I would have preferred some view into Gyokko's past life personally.
And I don't care what Zenitsu and Inosuke fans have to say, but their absence is a breath of fresh air. Demon Slayer be damned, ammarite. |
|||
|
|||
|
smurky turkey
Posts: 2040 |
|
||
|
I am one of those people who would balk at yet another tragic backstory. Like I have said before, a few of those is fine, but everyone having one just feels extremely contrived and like they are using them to pad things up because they can not think of any other interesting content. There is also the question as to how effective a tragic backstory is when every single person and demon can line up to tell theirs.
|
|||
|
|||
|
Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 23856 |
|
||
Of course. Just so we're clear, all I was doing was pointing out that the criticism of this season is coming from all angles and yours is an example of how some complaints are in direct opposition to other complaints, ergo my observation that, in some cases, this show can't win. Somebody's going to be unhappy. I should also point out that virtually all the criticisms I've read here at ANN (the only anime discussion venue I read/participate in) about this season fall into what I consider the "fair enough" category. In other words, I get where the criticisms are coming from even if I don't personally feel the same way. That's not always the case. Sometimes I read negative comments (or positive comments for that matter) and I think they are just not particularly valid, however sincerely they are held by a poster. |
|||
|
|||
|
Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11415 |
|
||
I'm almost always on board for a good backstory, and I don't even mind flashbacks within flashbacks. 
So I think I would've liked to have seen Gyokko's past. I have a feeling it was not all that tragic. Backstories don't have to be tragic, you know. He probably was a narcissistic clown in his human life too, and perhaps even the sort to seek out being demonized for the immortality angle. If that were the case though, I think his story would've had to come in somewhat before his demise, with him remembering how pathetic he always thought other people were and how happy he is to be able to put them in their place. Or something. It would've made his end even more satisfying. 
|
|||
|
|||
|
smurky turkey
Posts: 2040 |
|
||
|
I agree, but Demon Slayer seems to believe that the only good backstory is a tragic one. You only have a proper backstory if your family gets killed, you get maimed or society at large treats you like a demon before actually turning into one. You can't seem to have one showing off that you actually were a dick all along, even before changing into a bigger one.
|
|||
|
|||
|
Harleyquin
Posts: 2884 |
|
||
This is going to be completely irrelevant to the anime-only viewers, but Gyokko's human past is elaborated on in the series official fanbook volume 2. Watched a video on Gyokko, and the train of thought on why Gyokko has no backstory despite his peers usually having them when at death's door is given as follows: 1. Being human is something which the oni forget once they have been turned by Muzan. So in Gyokko's case he's simply forgotten what he was like when he was still human. 2. There's a wealth of material in this adaptation to easily conclude Gyokko absolutely despises, mocks and looks down on every other living thing bar Muzan. Even his appearance compared to his Upper peers is as far removed from humanoid form as conceptually possible. 3. For someone like Gyokko to dig up his human past when at death's door would be a huge paradox given how much he despises humanity, which he was once a long time ago. In addition, Muichirou's decapitation was so fast that Gyokko didn't even realise it until some time afterwards. Even then he spent his last moments having a tantrum, not exactly a state of mind which would lend itself to recollection and reflection. Viewers might remember that Muzan actually decapitated Gyokko in episode one of this season, and he didn't even flinch. If anything, he was ecstatic about his severed head being held by Muzan. The difference this time is Muichirou having the mark when he succeeded with the decapitation using the newly forged Nichirin blade, which is the second requirement to finish off the Oni because of its special anti-Oni properties (it simulates sunlight bound into an object, which viewers might remember even beings as powerful as Akaza have no choice but to flee from). The above is still speculation from Youtube videos, so it's not gospel. It won't change the minds of entitled ADHD action junkies who will find any cause to complain about the series when it deviates from a very particular formula, but anyone else who might be wondering about the lack of backstory for Gyokko might find the above worth consideration, however miniscule it might be. |
|||
|
|||
|
Harleyquin
Posts: 2884 |
|
||
|
S3 #10
Surprisingly less action than previous weeks, but the animators aren't going to pass up the chance to look into Kanrouji Mitsuri. Unlike her fellow Pillar Muichirou (and just about every other member of the Corps), Mitsuri volunteered for the Corps to help others and realise her natural talents. No tragedy in her background, and it shows as her personality to date has always been the polar opposite of the vast majority of Corps members with emotional baggage. One could say she's the mascot of the Pillars, since her looks, build and personality mean she's not antagonistic with anyone. Of all the Pillars (together with Tanjirou's senior Giyuu) she was arguably the most accepting of Tanjirou and Nezuko from the get go. Despite lacking the depth or complexity of other Corps members like Genya and Muichirou, she has earned her place in the Corps and in many ways is fulfilling what she was really meant for and wanted to do in contravention to the contemporary norms of her time. For all the criticisms of this arc, one which is never mentioned is how convenient the match-ups have been for the featured characters. Previous arcs didn't have matchups this obviously rigged (Tengen being poison-resistant against Gyuutarou the most recent example but it was still in the Demons favour), but this arc is most notable for how bad the matchups are from the Demon perspective. Gyokko could not have picked a worse opponent in Muichirou, while Hantengu would probably have beaten someone like Giyuu or Shinobu easily but is unable to do much against Mitsuri because of her natural talents as well as her choice of weapon. Hantengu unlike Gyokko isn't afflicted by overconfidence, and Zouhakuten has gone all out from the beginning to kill his foes with everything he has. Just like Muichirou, Mitsuri's manifestation of the Mark has also come at the most convenient moment possible to give her the power-up she needs to effectively stall him. The remaining three despite their state should have enough to finish off Hantengu, but they need Tanjirou to deal with the finishing blow because of his enchanted blade or for Muichirou to do what he does in the OP and lend them his newly forged sword or else they can't decapitate Hantengu himself. Next week is the double-header finale, and it looks like we will see into Hantengu's past. Time to see if the earlier assertion about all franchise flashbacks being exclusively tragic is up to the mark, since Mitsuri's has already broken that trend for being shorter and completely devoid of tragedy whatsoever. Even putting aside hers as an exception, if Hantengu's isn't like Gyuutarou and Daki's then it would put paid to the "tragedy fetish" argued in this thread. If the speculation I posted about earlier is applicable, then Hantengu with his weaponised emotions more than qualifies for death's door flashbacks into his background and character. |
|||
|
|||
|
ACｘS
Posts: 901 |
|
||
|
10:
So we have our back story for Mitsuri. Tbf it's anything but surprising; from afar, it's pretty easy to piece together her back story. And unlike other Hashiras, hers isn't as tragic since well, nobody died. But you know? I'm not too bothered; based on her bubbly personality, a tragic back story would feel very out-of-place. Hantengu's back story, now that's promising. I said before that Hantengu can't possibly be an upgraded version of Gyutaro/Daki, and slowly the show is proving that Hantengu is more than that. It gets interesting to see how Fear seems to be Hantengu's vital point, yet Hatred is the most powerful form, fed by the other more minor emotions. But why is it constructed that way? The back story should shed some light on that. Next is the final episode? Already? I have some comments for that, but I will save it for the next post. How the hell did Genya become the way he is? |
|||
|
|||
|
smurky turkey
Posts: 2040 |
|
||
|
I really like that her backstory is not all that tragic. It made it feel fresh and it is truly surprising to see a backstory where the whole family does not get minced into bits while an evil demon is cackling. I complain about the use of flashbacks to show backstories, but I think my main issue is that all those backstories kind of tell the same story every time. Next episode promises plenty of action....and probably a lengthy tragic flashback for Hantengu.
|
|||
|
|||
|
Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 23856 |
|
||
|
70-minute finale coming up... looking forward to it. Technically, this is an 11-episode cours, but given that the first episode was an hour long (almost the length of 3 episodes and the finale will be slightly more than the length of 3 episodes, this can be seen as a 15-episode cours, imo.
|
|||
|
|||
 |
All times are GMT - 5 Hours |
|
|
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group