DEMON SLAYER: A SHOW THAT PERFECTLY BLENDS THE ANCIENT JAPANESE CULTURE WITH MYTHOLOGY

 

Demon Slayer©Ufotable studio

During this lockdown period, I had watched approximately 10-15 anime shows of different genres with the sole purpose of exploring one of the famous mediums of entertainment and to find the reason behind its popularity. To be frank, Anime shows are highly addictive because of two prime reasons:

1)     The storyline

2)     The theme on which the story is based.

Both these aspects are well preserved in most of the Japanese animated shows due to which its worldwide popularity is increasing at a steady pace.

Recently, I finished watching a shonen anime which is based on demons that terrorizes the Japanese society of the Taisho era (1912-1926). Its name is Kimetsu no Yaibo (japan) most popularly known as Demon slayer in foreign countries.

To be honest, this show was highly overwhelming in terms of its unique narrative that blends ancient Japanese culture with mythology, visuals that gave a colourful experience and proper character development.

The show was released last year and it had 26 episodes. The first season of demon slayer is followed by a movie named “Demon Slayer: Mugen train” which will be released on the 16^th of October 2020. Demon slayer is available on Netflix for the Indian viewers.

BASIC PLOT:

Demon Slayer©Ufotable studio

Demon slayer is adapted from the manga of the same name that tells about the story of a responsible teenage boy named Tanjiro who lost his family members (except his sister) in an unanticipated demon attack. His sister Nezuko survived that attack but turned into a demon.

With the constant goal of turning his sister back into a human being and to avenge the death of his deceased family members Tanjiro starts his journey as a member of the Demon slayer corps, an organization that protects humans from the tyranny of demons.

My views:

Demon Slayer©Ufotable studio

1)    A fascinating amalgamation of ancient Japanese lifestyle and folklore: one of the best facets of this show was the proper merging of Japanese folklore creatures (demons) with the primitive Japanese lifestyle which serves to be the backdrop of the entire show. The entire show was set in the Taisho period (1912-1926) due to which the foreign audiences witnessed the actual culture of Japan which sharply contrasts with the present-day lifestyle of the “small island country”. This very quality had encouraged me to study more about Japanese civilization and its history.

2)     The subplots made the show intriguing: Demon Slayer has an oversimplified plot that was transformed into a tantalizing series due to the inclusion of multiple Subplots. The subplots divulge a lot of information related to the characters present in the show. It builds a strong association between the viewers and the various personas present in the series. The same thing is present in Demon Slayer. Every episode of the series encircles itself with a new subplot that reveals a lot related to characters present in that particular arc. This positive aspect fortuitously converts the simplistic plot into an intriguing narrative that successfully developed its fanbase.

3)     Character development: Character development plays a pivotal role in determining the pre-eminence of the show. The better the character development of various personas the superior the show will be. Demon Slayer methodically showed this feature due to which the viewers were able to associate with the characters efficiently.

One of the dramatic aspects of this show is the character evolution of Tanjiro which had played a crucial role in preserving the substance of the entire series. The systematic manner in which the creators had transformed a responsible, kind-hearted, and a pacifist persona like Tanjiro into a diligent, benevolent person that can turn into a brutal weapon against the demons was worth of applause.

 

Demon Slayer© Ufotable studio

After the prodigious success of Demon Slayer season 1, the filmmaker and animators had announced a sequel film named as ‘Demon Slayer: Mugen Train” that will cover up the events associated with demonic activity in an express train named “infinity express”.

 

Will Tanjiro and his team be able to beat down this new demonic threat?

Or will he lose one of his valuable teammates?

We can find this out after the 16^th of October when this new demon slayer film will hit the theatres.

Till then, you can enjoy the series which is available on Netflix.