By Courtney
A week ago, I saw a sign at our local Cinemark that promoted the new Demon Slayer movie. My fiancé and I have made a tradition of going to the anime-themed ramen shop across the parking lot from the theater before we see any new film. I was so excited to set up another date, as our last one was to see the Boy and the Heron a few months ago. My only problem was that I had never watched the Demon Slayer series. I have an issue with jumping on the bandwagon too late and had prioritized other anime before this one. I asked myself, can I binge-watch all three seasons and two movies before the showing? Will I like it enough to be worth all of the effort? With only one way to find out, I turned on Crunchyroll, and the opening started rolling.
My initial reaction to this show years ago was that a brother walking around with his sister in a ball gag was a weird concept. The sickly-sweet relationship between Tanjiro and Nezuko also did not appeal to me immediately. I have a brother a year and a half older than me. While he would protect me to the extent that Tanjiro protects Nezuko, he would never make so many “we will never be separated, we will always be together” declarations of love. He definitely wouldn’t be offended if a side character called me ugly – in fact, he would agree resoundingly and offer that a twice-baked potato had more symmetry than my face. This is all to say that I had to put my initial bias aside to give the show a fair chance.
Now, I have returned to the series with purpose, I am one entire season and one movie in, and I have more nuanced thoughts. Nezuko is Tanjiro’s only surviving relation, and as a family from the snowy mountains, it would be essential to stick together for survival. This can justify the extreme closeness and commitment to each other that the main characters share. Unlike with some other icky anime tropes, the relationship is never creepy or incestuous, and the gag she wears to prevent her demon teeth from hurting anyone also lost its pervy feel as the episodes went on.
The art style of this anime, produced by Ufotable, is very different from other studios. The fashion is unique and attention-grabbing. The colors and patterns are a visual treat compared to other shows where school uniforms or street clothes are the norm. The emotions and expressions of the characters are shown through different styles, and the little chibi (caricatures) they turn into to show their infatuation, anxiety, or fear are adorable. My favorite details are how they draw Nezuko when she gets big and scary and when she turns into a tiny little child to run away or hide in her box. The animation is still full of blood and horrific demons. Still, ample fun moments and the quirky animation style strike a lovely balance for the viewer. The cute factor is through the roof in this show, and it doesn’t take away from the unfortunate and exhilarating plot.
Today, I woke up with only twenty-six episodes left (mostly all of seasons 2 and 3) and a major crush on Daddy Tengen. I had a plan, a mission for the movie, and the will to execute it flawlessly. I would get my nails done like Nezuko and do a casual cosplay of her hair and a cute little pink outfit tomorrow, the day of the showing. I even planned my content for the first posts on the DBBC social media and planned this blog as the first one to be published! We would get Boboa tea and ramen beforehand and buy the collectible popcorn tin. I was finally well aboard the bandwagon and ready to speed on forward! I thought everything would go off without a hitch.
You can imagine my disappointment when I went to purchase the ticket, and there was no showing time on the app. I called the manager and learned Sony pulled the movie from our theater. This was a letdown, but being from a smaller area in Montana, I wasn’t shocked that the interest wasn’t huge. We are officially 28 hours out from premiering in theaters. I am left with only one option: skip out on the theater experience or make a day trip to a larger city and put in the five hours of roundtrip driving. If any of you have experience with hyperfixation taking over, then you know the option was obvious. It’s time to convince my fiancé to sneak away from work tomorrow and go on a road trip to see an anime movie with me! I may have lost out on this kind of fun as a kid who wanted to act “too cool” for cartoons – but I’ll be damned if I miss out any longer.
Am I the only one who thinks something like this is always better in theaters? Can I finish 26 episodes and one movie in 28 hours? Will we find an acceptable Japanese restaurant? Let me know if you think I will run out of time or if you have faith in me. I’ll post a follow-up about how it all turned out!
What are the furthest lengths you’ve gone to for a fandom, and was it worth it? Do you think Demon Slayer is good enough to justify all this effort? What series did you binge the hardest on and why? Where does Demon Slayer rank in your favorites? Now, I had better quit wasting time writing and get back to watching Season 2, Episode 3.
Yours in Deep Delusion,
Courtney