Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba - To the Hashira Training

Now it's probably my fault, but I should have remembered after watching "Swordsmith Village" last March that this isn't a film at all, but the tail episode of a series (I hadn't seen) used to introduce the first episode of a new season (which I won't watch either) and so it didn't really make much sense. The ongoing training of "Tanjiro" as he seeks to become Hashira is mixed in with the continuing search for "Nezuko" and "Ubuyashiki" by the increasingly frustrated "Muzan". As with any serialisation, each episode is just a conduit to the next, so this film delivers very little by way of plot development. A tiny bit of closure is soon subsumed into an whole new set of challenges that will beset them as the next slew of episodes follow. Sadly, that means there's precious little story for us to get our teeth into and so we are really just left with some stylish and accomplished animation that we have all seen many, many, times before. As with last time, they didn't even bother to sew the episodes together properly, we get a credit roller amidst the thing. There are loads of interesting characters here but this film relies way too heavily on your having followed the strand elsewhere. As a stand alone piece of cinema, it's watchable, but pretty meaningless.

The Mugen Train used to be one of my most anticipated movies of 2020, and the Demon Slayer manga has been a great part of my quarantine life. However, I have to say that this film is quite perfunctorily made. Most of the dialogues spend 15 minutes conveying emotions and information that could've been condensed into 3 minutes. Such pacing certainly works for a season-long anime so that you get the most out of each character, but is excessive to the point of tedious for an adapted screenplay. Additionally, the movie focuses on the transition period from season 3 to the Hashira Training Arc, which seems like unnecessary work since it's not an independent story like the Mugen Train. Instead of spending so much time explaining the context, why not make a film about the actual Hashira Training? Aside from the complaints, all the action sequences are spot-on as expected. The segment where the Wind and Serpent Hashira explored the mansion is perfect in length and smoothly animated, and seeing their breathing styles in motion is all I could ask for as a manga reader. Though I'm all for the Infinity Castle Arc to come as soon as possible, I'd ask that Ufotable take as much time as needed to perfect the animation. As a former global phenomenon, Demon Slayer deserves a proper end.

If you came to this movie thinking that you wanted to see an uninterrupted sequence, no breaks, of the Swordsmith Vllg Arc, but on the Big Screen for all of that Grandiose Big Screen pleasure, you Win!! If you loved the Swordsmith Arc, and wanted to see it this way Or... if you failed to watch the Swordsmith Arc the right way, and need to re-watch it as a single movie and NOT separate episodes, again, you win!!

If, like me, you thought that they would pick up this great narrative storyline they have been crafting so perfectly and so sweetly for us and plunge us deeper into anime bliss, they don't. They move the narrative about 6 inches forward.

You might feel like the bus picked you up at your house, drove you in a circle, and deposited you 2 inches further ahead of the exact spot it picked you up. Almost nothing is advanced by way of narrative and storyline.

Let's say it like this; you feel hustled and cheated when it's over. Imagine if the new Star Wars movie was actually episodes 5-8 of last Summers's Mandalorian series on Disney!!

Not really a new movie is it if they attach some tiny little unremarkable filler stuff at the very end, and the movie then ends just like that!

I felt like it strayed from the main plot quite a few times, it also felt like I had spent an eternity watching the movie, I would have preferred it to have been a season/arc than a movie.

I'm not that much of an anime fan, but I watch it for my sister.

I had hopes that it would be a really good movie compared to the other one (which are wonderful) But the only thing I saw was filler and more filler and then it went back to the main plot and it deviated again, it came back and the movie was over, Personally, I felt it was a waste of time and money.

But hey, it's my opinion about this movie, if you have another opinion that's fine, but this is my opinion.

My daughter and I recently watched Demon Slayer: To the Hashira Train (2024) in theaters. The storyline follows brother and sister demon slayers Tanjiro and Nezuko, who encounter a demon that helps unveil new powers for Nezuko. A super demon, envious of Nezuko's abilities, hunts them down to steal these powers. We also get introduced to the Hashira Demon Slayers core, witness their powers, and they're sure to play a role in current events.

Directed by Haruo Sotozaki (Demon Slayer series), the animation and action scenes are absolutely elite. The first-person perspective in the run scenes felt three-dimensional, and many action scenes are captivating and impressive. The depiction of melting skin, display of powers, and cut scenes are brilliantly done. The demons and gore add to the overall experience, and the character interactions are magical, blending some nice comedy into the circumstances. While I'm still uncertain about loving the villain, I'm eager to see where the story goes. I do wish these movies weren't open-ended and essentially previews for upcoming series.

In conclusion, Demon Slayer: To the Hashira Train is a fun kick-off to the upcoming Demon Slayer series, featuring elite animation and character evolution. I would score this a 7/10 and recommend waiting for the entire series to be released.