Recently I finished watching Demon Slayer: Swordsmith Village, the newest series of a Japanese animation. As a loyal fan who has carefully watched previous series, I noted both the merits of this series’s detailed procession and the drawbacks of the series’ narration and character shaping. 

Demon Slayer describes the story of Tanjiro Kamado, a boy who suffered from a demon attack and subsequently lost his family. To get revenge, he joined a team of demon slayers and was determined to turn his sister Nezuko (she was turned into a demon) back into a human. In the latest series, Tanjiro went to the Swordsmith village to find a new sword. He met Kanroji Mitsuri and Tokitou Muichirou, two of the strongest samurais in the demon slayer team. During his trip, the two most deadly demons attacked the village and a vicious battle broke out. 

The overall quality of Swordsmith Village is high, deserving the reputation accumulated through the previous series. Ufotable, the studio that produced the animation, emphasized life-like details and the nuances of character behaviors. For instance, the audience can observe the bruising on Tanjiro’s palm, indicating that he frequently used swords and strictly treated himself. This detail not only reveals Tanjiro’s tenacity and perseverance but also reduces the distance between animation and our real, daily lives. Additionally, the studio paid attention to the consistency of the characters’ appearances. During the battle, one demon scratched Tanjiro’s face, broke his leg, and shattered his eardrum. The studio did not build him as a superman who could instantly recover. Instead, after the injury, Tanjiro had difficulties communicating with his teammates and limped slower because of his injured leg. Many other animations solely focused on plot development, ignoring consistency and realism. 

Another innovative detail is the highlight in Tokitou Muichirou’s eyes. Before the battle, he lost the memory of his childhood and even himself; in other words, he temporarily appeared to be an absolutely rational and ruthless demon-killing machine, maximizing the mission’s goals over everything else and neglecting his teammates’ feelings. (He was definitely a utilitarian.) To illustrate his character, the studio did not add a highlight in his eyes, signaling Muichirou’s indifference to individual suffering and his singly focused mental world. But inspired by Tanjiro’s encouragement, he gradually retrieved his memory and understood why he came to the demon slayer team. At the moment he remembered everything, his eyes lit up. He found his identity and emotions, becoming a complete “man” again. As the proverb goes, “The eyes are the windows of the mind.” By simply depicting the changes in the eyes, the studio successfully conveyed the upheaval in Muichirou’s mind. 

However, the drawbacks of this series are also obvious, undermining its quality. First, the character building is insufficient. For example, the studio condensed Mitsuri’s life story into shorter than one episode’s time. Mitsuri underwent fierce attacks from the demon and faced the danger of death, while she recalled and described her life experience from the first-person perspective. In this way, the studio directly relayed large blocks of information in the form of a reminiscence instead of telling the story slowly through scattered flashbacks. This cursory narration method destroyed the original rhythm of storytelling, causing the information to overwhelm the audience’s mind. Probably because of limited time, the studio explained Mitsuri’s motivations for joining the demon slayer team but neglected to present her struggles and spiritual advancements. Consequently, Mitsuri is portrayed less as a vivid, standalone character and more as a backdrop to Tanjiro’s personal development.

Additionally, there are too many useless and monotonous dialogues in this series. Tanjiro always defended the justice of the demon slayer team and praised the greatness of humanity, listing the reasons that the demons must die. He stressed the difference in values between demons and humans and excitedly proclaimed his determination to kill all demons: “You’ve eaten so many people; stop acting like a victim. Your nature is twisted, and I will never forgive you. I will cut your head off, demon!” Weirdly—and testing the audience’s patience—those same powerful demons, who lived for thousands of years and murdered dozens of demon slayers, were all of a sudden willing to listen and refute a single human being’s didactic speech. At that point, the battle became a listless altercation that lost my interest. Ultimately, the altercation would inevitably turn into a bloody fight. 

Admittedly, some crucial dialogues help to shape characters’ personalities and prompt plot development. For example, the dialogues between Muichirou and the demon are strategically designed—for example, Muichirou provoked the demon with her sharp words and weakened its rational thinking ability. To a demon who considered himself an eminent artist and killed innocent people to complete its masterpieces, Muichirou mocked the imperfection of its work, targeting its fragile pride. In reaction, the demon presented his ultimate form and initiated deathly, chaotic attacks, abandoning any ration or tactics. Finally, Muichirou found the demon’s weakness and successfully killed it. 

Through the unfolding dialogue, the audience witnesses Muichirou’s intelligence and the arrogance and pride of the demon, gaining a deeper understanding of Muichirou’s talents. However, repetition from a character, such as Tanjiro’s speech, undermines the power of animation. The studio should put more effort into depicting the character’s facial expression and body movement, balancing the proportion of visual details with verbal interactions. In this way, the studio can improve the fluency of its storytelling, making the animation more dynamic and interesting. 

In general, this animation is worth watching. If you are a stickler for details and image quality, this animation will definitely satisfy you with an enjoyable visual experience; if you hate excessive, chicken-soup-for-the-soul style dialogues and speeches, you should think twice before watching it.