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| Original picture credits: http://shanabrian.com/ |
With that being said, I will try my best to write something that does not overlap with the other reviews out there. For me, I just watch an anime as a form of recreation, and I am not a hardcore anime fan, so I do not know much about the technical aspects of anime production. My opinions are as good as any person you find randomly on a street, so do not expect too much of this post.
Rather than focusing on how this anime fared in comparison to other works or whether someone should watch this anime, I will emphasise on what I learnt from it and what I enjoyed while watching this anime.
The Visuals
The animation and the colouring looked way, way more stunning than a fireworks show. The movements were bursting with action, and reflected the characters personality well. I have never realised so much information can be expressed by a single movement or a single frame in the anime. It made me understand "a picture is worth a thousand words" all over again.
The smallest, subtlest details, from the patterns used in the clothing and buildings, to the different shades and tones of colours that were masterfully applied in the anime, had a great impact on the overall visual effect. They could even help to express the feelings of the author or the artist, be it the fierceness of one's anger, or how dazzlingly brightness of a city. I learnt to be able to appreciate that the smallest details of life play a big part in a person's success, because when these details add up, they could elevate the performance of a person entirely. Putting in more effort for the details is definitely not a waste.
Many of the graphics in the anime have a purpose too. They communicate the time, location and the culture of the various story arcs in this anime. It allows the audience to learn more about Japanese culture, folklore and history, giving the story more meaning and making the anime more memorable.
The Music
There are a lot of earworms in this anime. Even though it had been a few weeks since I completed watching the anime, I could still remember how the background music, the opening and closing music sounded like. The amount of effort put into creating these beautiful melodies must have been unimaginable.
One thing I liked about the music was how it incorporated traditional and modern elements. Respecting tradition and bringing it to life via innovative ways such as combining it with modern music to bring a refreshing experience is something that other cultures can seek to emulate. In this way, tradition can preserve its original flavour and still remain relevant enough to be passed down to future generations.
The Morals
The character development in this anime received quite a bit of criticism, but I am not critical of it. I still liked the straightforward and pure personality that the characters in this anime present. To me, what stands out the best in this anime, beyond its highly acclaimed audiovisual effects, is the traditional morals that it promotes through the storylines of every character.
In the beginning, the values of filial piety and industriousness are shown when the main character, Tanjiro Kamado, works hard to sell charcoal for a living to support his family when he was still in his teenage years. The job involves chopping down trees, as well as travelling up and down the mountain he lives in - all of which are extremely physically exhausting. Yet he persists so that his family could get by and be able to live under decent conditions. Later in the anime, industriousness is also demonstrated when Zenitsu only mastered one form of thunder breathing by putting in much effort for his training, but it was powerful enough to beat up demons, proving that anyone can become great by giving their all even at a single thing.
The value that is expressed the most in this anime is the kinship between Tanjiro and his family, especially the acts of kinship displayed with his only surviving family - Nezuko, albeit her being turned into a demon. Tanjiro never gave up on his sister when she turned into a human, and gave everything he had in search of a cure to turn her back into a human, even though most Demon Slayers would not have hesitated to kill her.
Familial bonds and love were also demonstrated through the backstory of various demons. The story of the "Spider Demons" family in this anime proved that familial bonds could not be gained through fear and subjugation, but by unconditional love and trust toward one's family members. Nowadays, many families are fractured, separated and twisted. Such values are sorely needed to improve the dismal state of families in many places around the world.
Other values expressed in this anime would include respect and gratitude for others. Some humans tried to turn into a demon because their work was disrespected by others and fell into despair. On the other hand, Tanjiro exemplified this value well by not looking down at anyone, including demons. Instead of simply killing demons, he was actively trying to understand the motivations behind their heinous acts and help them overcome their troubles, going as far as to offer them a kind act in their final moments in life. As for gratitude, Zenitsu became a demon slayer because an old man helped him pay off his debts caused by falling for a scam by a woman. Zenitsu wanted to work for him to repay the debt, despite whining a lot about the old man's training.
It is not hard to spot references to these traditional values which had been honoured by millennia in much of Asia. Many of these values come from Confucianism, a philosophy that heavily influenced the politics, society, economics and culture of East Asian countries. Unfortunately, Confucianism did not sell off as well as the American Ideals which were widely known through popular media. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba provides a promising future to which these Asian values and beliefs can be more widely known and understood by people around the world.
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