Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba - En route vers l'entraînement des piliers

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!

The "movie" began with kind of a recap from the beginning and then showed the title of the movie, unlike the previous movie which basically started with the opening song of that episode. So even though then it proceeded with the last episode of the last season, it fooled me into thinking this time they have made a minimum effort to edit it as a movie properly. But no, taking almost an hour to finish up showing everything we've already seen, it started with the title and credits for the next season. Why can't they put in even that much effort?

The visuals and the story and characters that I'm already invested in made it a nice watch but it clearly not targeted to be played in theaters did affect my experience. At least the previous movie had a lot of great visual set pieces to present. Here it's more or less an emotional season finale and a lot of setting up for the next season for which there's not much to gain as a movie. It is so not meant to be a movie. But I can't help really like it because of how much I'm invested in it. The emotions do work big time even if they push it to your face a bit too much. Watching it with a houseful crowd is certainly a good experience even if it can't be really called a movie.

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.

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.

I am getting really frustrated from all of the 1 star reviews on what you guys think of the so called 'movie'. It isn't supposed to be a full on movie, yet people are calling it a 'scam' for absolutely no reason. There has been MULTIPLE teasers/trailers for the last 3 months CLEARLY stating that the movie will include the last episode of the Swordsmith Village Arc, along with the first episode of the new Hashira Training Arc. Nowhere did it say that is would be a full movie including 100% new content. This is supposed to be a fan event with special screenings of the new episodes no one has watched yet.

Do your research before going in the movie theaters mindlessly, having no idea of what to expect, then calling the movie a scam. If you had literally watched ANY trailer for this, you would of known.

One other thing I had to add was that these peoples' reviews have absolutely nothing to do with the rating new content, overriding it with a 1 star review because it was a 'scam'.