Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Episode 1 Review: Cruelty

Six months ago I covered a series called Goblin Slayer, and now I’m back in a similar fighting mood with Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba! The series is an adaptation of a manga of the same name which began in 2016 in Weekly Shonen Jump and has over 150 chapters. I had previously picked it up, but stopped reading at the first chapter as I had heard about the adaptation. I’m so glad I waited; this episode took my breath away.

Japanese Original Episode Title: 残酷

Plot

Tanjiro Kamado lives with his mother and five siblings in a secluded house in the mountains. He travels into town where he sells coal he has gathered and does odd jobs to support his family. During one such trip, his family is gruesomely murdered by a pack of demons. The only survivor, his sister Nezuko, has been infected by demon blood. After a face-off with a demon hunter, Tanjiro decides to search for a cure for his sister.

Episode Highlights

I could almost touch the snow: This episode had one of the most detailed scenery of any anime I’ve ever seen. I felt like I could reach into my TV and actually touch the snow. It was incredible!

I wanna steal that look: Our protagonist, Tanjiro, has probably one of the most interesting shounen hero designs I’ve seen in a long time. The checkered coat, earrings, and crimson eyes together create such a unique look. I’m hoping to get some backstory on that scar/mark on his forehead soon.

Music to my ears: Of course, leave it to Kaijura Yuki to put together an absolutely stunning soundtrack. On top of seeing all the snow, the soundtrack sent actual chills up my spine. It was a beautiful accompaniment to each emotionally charged scene.

Verbal lashing: I have to admit, even knowing it was going to happen I was still taken aback by Giyuu’s chastising of Tanjiro. I do get what he’s trying to say, but it seems very inappropriate for the situation. Like come on, the kid just lost his family, cut him some slack for crying! One episode in and you can all see how overprotective of Tanjiro I’m going to be, haha!

Themes & Trivia

Early Screening: Just ahead of the anime’s official release date, select cinemas in Japan, America, and Australia, screened the first five episodes of this series. The screening was under the special title Kimetsu no Yaiba: Kyoudai no Kizuna (Demon Slayer: The Bond between Siblings).

Comments

As I mentioned in the intro, I have previously read the first chapter of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. The first episode pretty much covered the events of this chapter. Usually, I prefer reading the manga to watching the anime. However, this, as well as my latest viewing of The Promised Neverland, has really challenged this trend. There was just something special about the way this episode handled the events of Chapter 1. It was just so emotionally visceral. There was a true rawness in Hanae Natsuki’s voice acting as Tanjiro. I actually had tears in my eyes from pretty much the halfway point onwards. A choked sob definitely came when he was begging Giyuu to spare his sister’s life.

The episode also introduced some very interesting tangents I can’t wait to be explored. Of course, there’s the whole demon hunter stuff, but I just wanna know about Tanjiro’s nose. How does someone get that good at smelling stuff? I’m excited to see how much his good sense of smell will aid him on his journey. I am also interested in learning more about the demons. In the episode it seemed Tanjiro was not super cautious of them previous to the attack, writing them off as an old wives’ tale. And, of course, what I’m most interested in is the boy with the boar head. I spotted him during the OP. Who is he? Why does he have a boar head? So many questions, and hopefully some answers in the next few episodes.

Who’s Cutting Onions Here?

Now, that’s what I call a great first episode! With a beautiful design, fluid animations, and unique characters, this series gave me more than what I could have asked for. The episode has also introduced some very interesting threads I’m expecting to be developed in later episodes. This is definitely one series to look out for this spring anime season!

Don’t forget to check out the rest of our Spring 2019 reviews. The series is part of our weekly anime previews.