Movie Review: Demon Slayer - Kimetsu No Yaiba - The Movie: Mugen Train

Demon Slayer - Kimetsu No Yaiba - The Movie: Mugen Train

Apr 23, 2021 

Director: Haruo Sotozaki

Writer: Koyoharu Gotoge, studio ufotable
Cast: Zach Aguilar (Tanjiro Kamado), Abby Trott (Nezuko Kamado), Aleks Le (Zenitsu Agatsuma), Bryce Papenbrook (Inosuke Hashibira), Mark Whitten (Kyojuro Rengoku)
Runtime: 1h 57m

Rating: R (Violence and Bloody Images)
Genre: Fantasy, Anime, Adventure, shonen
Original Language: Japanese

https://demonslayer-anime.com/
Falling forever into an endless dream... Tanjiro and the group have completed their rehabilitation training at the Butterfly Mansion, and they arrive to their next mission on the Mugen Train, where over 40 people have disappeared in a very short period of time. Tanjiro and Nezuko, along with Zenitsu and Inosuke, join one of the most powerful swordsmen within the Demon Slayer Corps, Flame Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku, to face the demon aboard the Mugen Train on track to despair.

There is a lot to unpack with Demon Slayer - Kimetsu No Yaiba - The Movie: Mugen Train. I'm gonna try to keep it short and to the point. 

I saw it with my 20-year-old daughter (she'd already seen it once) and she's seen the TV series. I hadn't heard much about it before seeing the movie. Some people say you need to see the TV series first, but that's not the case. I still loved the movie...it rocked!

Here is a little background about Demon Slayer:

-Feb 2016-May 2020 the Demon Slayer manga* created by Koyoharu Gotouge appeared in the manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump.

*Set during Taishō-era Japan (1912-1926), it follows a young boy named Tanjiro in his quest to join the secret society known as the Demon Slayer Corps in order to find a cure for his sister, who has been turned into a demon.

-April-Sept 2019 it was a 26-episode anime television series adaptation produced by Ufotable

-Oct 2020 Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train was released in Japan. The events Mugen Train happen between season 1 of the TV series and season 2.

-2021: The TV series second season will air.

Okay, now I can talk about the movie.

The Demon Slayer movie is the highest-grossing film EVER in Japan! What makes it different from other shonen* anime is addition of a horror element. It is rated R.

*Manga marketed to a teen male audience ages of 12-18

If you enjoy animated action movies then this is a must-see. The action scenes are insane! The final battle lasted like 30 minutes (I might be exaggerating but it seemed like it) and it was epic. 

Not only do you get lots of action, you get character development. The "good guys" are so pure of heart and wholesome you can't help but love them. The "bad guys" demons are done in true anime style. I've always loved they way Japanese animators portray demons...mouths everywhere! lol.

The movie centers around two heroes. They young Tanjiro Kamado wants to become a hashira in the Demon Slayer Corps and he wants to be trained by the best Flame Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku. Rengoku only had a small part in the TV series so this is kind of his backstory.

The movie will also touch your heart...I shed a tear at one point. They balance a good amount of humor with the heavier moments.

The artists didn't use normal animation. They combined hand-drawn animation and digital effects to create 3D sequences. It took a few for me to adjust to the style but once you do you will be hooked.

Oh, it's subtitled if that is something you don't like. There is a great use of music with the action too.

Holly and I give it 4 1/2 "Hashira" Sheep

SharonS

Selah's Manga Mania Reviews: The Promised Neverland, Vol.1: Grace Field House by Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu

The Promised Neverland, Vol. 1: Grace Field House

by Kaiu Shirai (Author), Posuka Demizu (Illustrator)

December 5, 2017

192 pages

Volumes 11 

Publisher: VIZ Media: SHONEN JUMP

Genre: mystery, post-apocalyptic, dystopian, dark fantasy, thriller

Shounen Manga

Emma, Norman and Ray are the brightest kids at the Grace Field House orphanage. And under the care of the woman they refer to as “Mom,” all the kids have enjoyed a comfortable life. Good food, clean clothes and the perfect environment to learn—what more could an orphan ask for? One day, though, Emma and Norman uncover the dark truth of the outside 
world they are forbidden from seeing.

I will admit that I sometimes just pick up a title because I need something for a review, and if it looks like something I can tolerate, cool, fine, I’ll check it out and move on with my life. Oftentimes it’s exactly what I think it is, and everything is peachy keen.

And then there are the titles that throw in such a magnificent bait and switch that it makes me jealous to the point of blind fury. The Promised Neverland is one of those titles.

Take a look at the cover art, mind you. Really look at it. It’s cute, pleasant, not really indicative of too modern a setting, great for a fantasy, right? Same with the title. I figure maybe it’s a riff on Peter Pan, maybe it’s some sort of alternate timeline historical fantasy, all solid guesses, right?

Emma, Norman, and Ray live in Grace Field House, an orphanage run under the woman they call Mom. All the kids are cared for, loved even. They get along, are well-fed and nurtured, and have to take certain kinds of tests every day to keep their skills up. The tests, themselves, are done through headphones, so I was thinking well maybe they’re being trained as code breakers or something…

 One day, our three heroes accidentally find out the truth about the outside world they’re not allowed to go into.

The Good: The characters are likable in a kid-like way. Emma’s cheerfulness, Ray’s aloofness, and Norman’s desire to please can get a little cloying, but it really sets things up nicely. Things don’t seem perfect in a creepy way to start, so I was taken by complete surprise by how things play out. The blurb itself is really vague, but it hints at darkness. I would just like to remind you that it hints at it. And because this is a first volume and it’s still kinda recent-ish, I’ll behave and not tell you the twist. Other than this.

OH MY FREAKIN HOLY ORPHANS BATMAN, I NEVER SAW IT COMING. THEY SEE A (REDACTED) AND (REDACTED) AND FIND OUT THAT THEY’RE ALL SUPPOSED TO BE (REDACTED).

Picture me just flailing with windmilling arms at my desk at the moment, because that is exactly what I’m doing.

I will tell you that this becomes a horror title with a lot of gaming out an escape. I’ve read two volumes so far and just…fadjdvjldvjkldvsl’kdsv’kd.

 It’s interesting how a lot of typical kid activities suddenly become vital, and how the three heroes try to outmaneuver Mom and the Sister that comes to help out later on. Art-wise, I think it absolutely helps that things look so charming and expressive. While the more horrific panels don’t go into Junji Ito territory, they are definitely nothing to sneeze at. My only blinky moment is that the antagonists aren’t really the look I was expecting, but it does work for the overall look of the series, and to be fair, we don’t really see much of them right away.

The Bad: The cloying bit doesn’t go on too long, so I give that a pass because it sets things up so well. The only other thing that I could nitpick on is that it is pretty talky. To be fair, a lot of this is setting up plans to escape once they know THE TRUTH (picture me with my hands over my mouth trying not to tell you what it is. I may have texted my best friends who are used to me so I could spoil them on a series they’ll likely never read anyway).

The Ick: some gore, but nothing too over the top. I will warn you that there is a child death on screen, but mostly things are described or hinted at. Once your imagination follows the line given it, yeah (shudders).

Overall, a definite recommend, just because it’s such an unusual blend of styles and ideas for me. I really hope it keeps going on this strongly, because yeah, it’s really hard to startle me, and this series got me, good. AND THAT TWIST, MAN. THAT FREAKIN’ PLOT TWIST. 

5 well-fed orphan sheep

About the Author:

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Selah Janel is a writer who is trying to start doing that again instead of reading manga all the time.

Selah's Magna Mania: The Royal Tutor, Vol. 1 (Ōshitsu Kyōshi Haine) by Higasa Akai

The Royal Tutor, Vol. 1

(Ōshitsu Kyōshi Haine)

by Higasa Akai
August 18, 2015
192 pages
Volumes: 8

Demographic: Shōnen

Genres: Comedy, Historical Fiction

Publisher: Yen Press World
Accepting the post of Royal Tutor at the court of the king of Grannzreich, Heine Wittgenstein is a little professor with a big job ahead! Each of the kingdom's four princes has a rather distinct personality. Does their diminutive new instructor have what it takes to lay down some learning? It's a comedy of educational proportions!

Sometimes all you want is something fun to laugh with, but you also want it to have a decent enough story to hold your interest. My latest find, The Royal Tutor, is a great combination of those. This is a great introductory title because while there is an arc, it’s not very cliff-hangery, and while there are some tropes, it doesn’t have a high stakes romance if that isn’t something you feel like investing in. I’ve found five volumes so far and have made it through four, and while it isn’t in my top five titles, it’s fun and a great title to relax with.

Heine Wittgenstein is summoned to the palace of Glanzreich to tutor the four younger princes and mold them into potential candidates for the crown. So far in my reading, the eldest and presumed heir apparent hasn’t made it into the actual story, but there are hints that he may not automatically get the crown, though he seems to be the favored option. Heine also looks like a kid, so you’ve got a lot of classic comedy set-ups right there. Each of the four princes is a type (because of course) and each has their own difficulties to overcome. Kai at 17 looks scary and his soft-spoken and awkward ways are misinterpreted as aloofness. Bruno at 16 is an aspiring scholar and thinks no one can possibly be smarter than him (and then develops an unhealthy attachment to Heine when he’s proven wrong). Leonhard at 15 hates to study thanks to early bad experiences with teachers and is extremely arrogant. Licht at 14 is the playboy.

There are also hints that Heine is secretly an old friend of the king and is doing him a favor, but nothing’s been fully revealed there yet.

So yeah, it’s a basic set up. Each prince is given a lot of comedy time but also shown to have more depth and growth potential than you’d presume in a series like this. There are still a lot of gags and a lot of silliness, but the character work balances it out. I also kinda like that it’s a little slow-paced so that you get more episodic scenes of their tutoring than a race to be king.

Think of this as a shonen option to Ouran – you have your types that are in competition with each other (though it’s also being set up for the other brothers to either balance out the future king as advisors or all share the crown), but they’re not fighting over or competing for the heroine, which is a nice change of pace.

The good: lots of comedy, decent use of tropes, some great character work, somewhat episodic so if you skip a volume early on I don’t think it’ll work against you too much. There’s a lot of detail in the art, especially in the scenery and historical aspects (think of Granzreich as Not! Germany), and the characters are really nice and expressive. If you’ve read manga long enough you’ll know they’re personalities on sight, which is also kinda fun.

The bad: nothing, really. I think this is one that will either be what people are after or not the genre they prefer.

The ick: nothing, really. There are some boob jokes and bantering about being successful with the ladies, but that’s pretty much all of manga, so nothing out of the ordinary here.

This isn’t as gripping as a lot of things I’ve read, but it’s still a lot of fun and is a great low-key introduction to the genre.

3.75 sheep

About the Author:

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Selah Janel is a writer who is trying to start doing that again instead of reading manga all the time.

Anime Review: Devilman Crybaby (Netflix)

Devilman Crybaby
January 5, 2018
Director: Masaaki Yuasa
Written by: Ichirō Ōkouchi
Music by: Kensuke Ushio
Studio: Science Saru
Netflix
Season 1: 10 episodes
Akira's best friend tells him that ancient demons have returned to take back the world from humans and suggests that he unite with a demon. Akira successfully does that, transforming into Devilman, a being with a demon's powers but who retains the soul of a human. This sends Akira into a brutal, degenerate war against evil. With fear of demons gripping the world, humanity devolves into paranoia and violence and Akira sets out to save other demon-human hybrids like himself.

A little background on the Netflix-exclusive Devilman Crybaby anime. Devilman originated as the manga, Demon Lord Dante by Go Nagai. Toei Animation wanted to turn Dante into a television series (anime). But a toned down version. The 39 episode long anime called Devilman ran from July 1972-April 1973. Around the same time as the anime, Nagai created the Devilman manga that was released through Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen* Magazine. It had a dark tone with graphic violence, casual blasphemy, and theme of using evil itself to fight evil.
* Shōnen manga is aimed at boys between the ages of 12 to 18.
Source - wiki

Akira (becomes Devilman), Miki (Akira's best friend, who he secretly loves) and Miko (best friend to Miki)

I love a good horror story and this one was making a lot of noise online. Most people resonding with "What did I just watch?" So, I HAD to see it.

Ryo (mystery) and Akira (Devilman)

I binged all 10 episode (only takes about 3 1/2 hours to do) a few weeks ago and I still haven't gotten over it. It is definitely a tragedy through and through, but on you can't stop watching. If you find yourself thinking "They won't go there." Don't. They go there!

It is exteamly violent, but we are talking demons that eat people. And there is a lot of sex...boobs everywhere! Not something you want to let young kids see. It would cause nightmares for a long time. At this point you are either afraid to watch Devilman Crybaby or running to watch it.

The animation is strange. With weird drawing perspectives sometimes. But don't let that deter you. The series does sag a bit in the middle but those last three episodes will blow you away emotionally. There is a lot of symbolism and metaphores. Some took me days of thinking about the ending to realize. According to the creator, Nagai, it is an anti-war message.

 "There is no justice in war, any war, nor is there any justification for human beings killing one another. Devilman carries a message of warning, as we step toward a bright future." - Nagai ( "Devilman Revelations". devilworld.org. Archived from the original on 2006-06-20.)

If you are looking for something to make you think and kick you in the feels then check this one out.

There were things I thought about lowering my rating for, but the fact that it delivered such a gut punch that I still think about it...it deserves all 5 Sheep.

5 "Devil" Sheep

SharonS