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[Heimdall_Xtreme]

What is the rise in popularity of the series?

Why the film is considered one of the best produced in Japan at the National Level

 

[GymWolf]

Do i need to watch the movie before or after the regular anime?!

 

[SJRB]

For one the animation quality is top notch.

 

[bender]

Do i need to watch the movie before or after the regular anime?!

I asked this last night. After is the way to go.

 

[ManaByte]

Do i need to watch the movie before or after the regular anime?!

After. The first season ends right where the movie begins and the movie assumes you've watched the series first.

For one the animation quality is top notch.

Even more shocking is that it's CGI.

Especially after this shit:

 

[Armorian]

For one the animation quality is top notch.

Aside horrible CGI train mid movie.

Both series and the movie: ok story, ok characters (I don't like protagonist too much, he is way too... good), amazing animation quality and good fight scenes.

 

[OmegaSupreme]

After. The first season ends right where the movie begins and the movie assumes you've watched the series first.


Even more shocking is that it's CGI.

Especially after this shit:

Dont remind of that. Berserk is so fucking good and it was fucked in the ass by that studio. I finished it because the content is so good but I wanted to remove my eyeballs every frame.

 

[ManaByte]

Aside horrible CGI train mid movie.

Both series and the movie: ok story, ok characters (bad I don't like protagonist, he is way too... good), amazing animation quality and good fight scenes.

The soundtrack is great too.

 

[Irobot82]

Is the movie streaming anywhere?

 

[ManaByte]

Is the movie streaming anywhere?

It's exclusive to Funimation, but they're streaming both the dub and sub.

You can also buy it digitally. US Blu-Ray is supposed to be at the end of the month.

 

[Tschumi]

It came from an already popular IP, and wow did they merchandise its ass

 

[Mitsuda Maniac]

Never hooked me after 2 episodes. Guess I don't like the protag or care about his demon sister

 

[lachesis]

To be honest, I'm not sure.

I read the manga to the end, and also watched the TV series (haven't watched the movie yet)... and still don't understand why it's so popular.
It is good and I enjoyed it, for sure... and also quite brutal with nobody spared, like Game of Throne type. IMO, it's too violent and brutal so for kids, but the show is quite popular among kids.

Also there's that gap, with such violence - yet the story itself is almost like a children's fairy tale of good vs evil.
The evil characters do end up be saved by Tanjiro's kindness in the end, but never in the justified sense.
And there's not even those "panty"shots that many of shonen mangas. Nezuko, especially - reminds me of Sailor Moon type of panty protection.

Almost no characters have ulterior motive - that most of them are almost earnestly 2 dimensional to the core - not in a bad sense. Doesn't add necessary burden/twist to the story either.

One thing that I really liked about the Manga though - was that it's very fast paced and doesn't really stall all the way to the end. It felt like the author didn't want to drag it out too much either, knowing when to quit. Good for him/her.

Perhaps it's got to do with Japan's Taisho Roman (大正浪漫) as well?

Other than that... it's wild popularity is something that I don't get like a lot of wild cultural phenom in the past... like Tamagochi, or Sailor Moon, or even Evangelion.
Then again, it's my understanding of such popularity doesn't always align with my own personal preferences, for sure.

 

[ManaByte]

One thing that I really liked about the Manga though - was that it's very fast paced and doesn't really stall all the way to the end. It felt like the author didn't want to drag it out too much either, knowing when to quit. Good for him/her.

It sounds like there is a spin-off coming though, but she won't be doing it, just overseeing it, and someone else doing the manga.

 

[strange headache]

Demon Slayer is all about grand emotions.
The show appeals to our most basic sense of justice, to fight evil despite our own fears in order to protect those we love.

The first episode starts off strong with some major drama setting things in motion. Even if it is a bit cliché, the resulting dynamic between brother and sister is very interesting. The main protagonist may be a bit one-dimensional, but the support cast is great and the Demon Slyer Corps is full of interesting characters, especially Kagaya and Rengoku. The chilling villain is a well-motivated and frightfully force of evil. The action and animation are also top notch, resulting in a good show that doesn't have too many flaws.

Demon Slayer espouses values like courage, friendship, family and acceptance, which is not only demonstrated in Tanjiro's relationship with his sister, but also Nezuko's reluctant acceptance by the Slayer Corps. The show goes to great lengths at humanizing its antagonists by showing that not all demons are evil and that you shouldn't judge a character merely by his external identity. After all, what counts is a person's character and their actions.

Gentle Tamayo for example is a skilled doctor that has saved many human lives, despite being a demon. The head of the spider family, Rui, just wants to have the family that he never had and does everything to keep his group together to the point of harming others. Even if Rui is evil, his zealotry is relatable and very human. So far, most demons seem to have turned evil because they are lacking or missing something that is very human, like Kyogai who just wanted to be recognized for something.

In many ways, Demon Slayer is the polar opposite of what is being shown in today's American entertainment. The protagonist has to work hard for his skills, to the point of almost breaking himself. Family bonds and friendship are valued above all. Most importantly, identity is deconstructed and plays a secondary role to a character's actions and principles.

Demon Slayer is proof that its core message and principles are what the American audience still craves. I love the show as many of its themes remind me of early Dragon Ball, where showing forgiveness and acceptance by turning your enemies into friends are important central aspects.

 

[lachesis]

It sounds like there is a spin-off coming though, but she won't be doing it, just overseeing it, and someone else doing the manga.

I'm sure. As they smell big $$$, they will milk it for some foreseeable future like they did with Attack on Titan.

I read some of gaiden manga episodes that are already out (in this case was about Giyu's story) but didn't really feel like reading it after a few episodes though... as I think simplicity was one of the factor for its original charm.

 

[MachRc]

It took me a few episodes in before really getting into it, the movie was great. Netflix did well to acquire the series, as I swore anime on netflix was for people who dont watch anime. I was wrong.

I personally like the show as its about overcoming odds, perseverance, revenge, never giving up. It aligns with what i am going through in life right now.

The kooky characters, and lore, animations all reminds me of the great Ninja Scroll.

You can tell the creators are proud people and trying to reflect Tanjiro's core beliefs to all of Japan.
Good for them that they have national pride like the main character's earrings and didnt cancel it as it takes place in samurai era(jinto period/era or whatever its called) .

 

[Vaelka]

Production value.


Not saying it isn't good, but ultimately production value carries pretty much everything really hard.
I think the presentation of it too isn't '' Anime '' enough for '' normies '' to be turned off by it, there's a ton of incredible Anime people won't watch because of that.
AoT and Jujutsu Kaisen has the same thing going on, the production value carry them ultra hard.
Again that's not to say that they're bad, and I do see the appeal of both of them Jujutsu Kaisen in particular has a pretty cool style ( altho I think that goes more for the Manga than the Anime ).
But if AoT and Jujutsu Kaisen had average production value I don't believe they'd be put up on a pedestal same with Demon Slayer while there's Anime that is still held up with far lower production value.

 

[ManaByte]

Good for them that they have national pride like the main character's earrings and didnt cancel it as it takes place in samurai era(jinto period/era or whatever its called) .

It's set in the Taisho era (1912-1926).

 

[xellos2099alpha]

Also nothing wrong people in the serie working their ass off to get new skill and be more powerful.

 

[Warnen]

Enjoyed the series can tell they put a lot of effort into it, movie was well done but over all kinda meh. Was expecting more with all the hype but was kinda just a few eps of the show strung together. Might even have worked better as a show then a movie.

 

[isual]

i think its because of a new generation of people (zoomers) who are getting into anime for the first time within the last 10 years of a generational gap.

if you've seen a lot of anime, demon slayer is very average.

 

[Fbh]

I guess it's a mix of it being action anime comfort food + appealing setting + nice production values.
But with anime it's sometimes hard to say. I still don't know what people saw in Sword Art Online

Also I've only seen the anime but from what I've been told the manga managed to stay pretty consistent all the way through the end. Which is better than a lot of other shows that start with a promising first half only to go down the drain towards the end.

 

[zeioIIDX]

My 12 year old got into it and watched the series on Netflix. I didn't watch with her, despite the fact that I've loved anime since like...age 10 (I'm 34 now). She loved it and kept telling me about it constantly. I ended up surprising her by taking her to see Mugen Train on opening night. This was my first time watching anything Demon Slayer. Gotta say, I really enjoyed the animation and the music during the Akaza/Rengoku fight was awesome.

But the rest of the movie was....eh. It just seemed like trope after trope after trope. Even the whole thing where they call out their attack/move names while performing them. Insanely predictable (apart from Enmu having another form and Akaza showing up outta nowhere) and I started to get annoyed by Inosuke's "comedic" antics. Don't even get me started on all the goddamn crying at the end of the movie. I almost started to physically cringe at how long they were drawing out the crying bit. I get that it was emotional but damn.

My daughter is now reading the manga and she's on volume 18. She seems to be enjoying it and she's looking forward to season 2 coming out. I still don't understand why or how this got so popular though. Even a buddy at work was telling me I gotta watch Demon Slayer (back before the film dropped). Maybe I need to watch the show but I've seen the movie and I've read up on the story in general to get caught up. I don't quite understand how it's taken the world by storm but it doesn't bother me or anything, lol.

Side note, I ended up having to deck my daughter out in Tanjiro drip >_> Bought her some rare, expensive-ass used checkered Vans from eBay that are the exact colors of Tanjiro's turquoise/black outfit as well as his hanafuda earrings from Etsy. She loves wearing those earrings and shoes with her various Demon Slayer shirts! Now she's on her Attack on Titan kick, it's been fun seeing her reaction to certain story moments/twists.

 

[Shouta]

It's because UFOtable did fucking amazing work on the anime. The content of the manga is very standard shonen and nothing special overall aside from the designs and maybe the setting. It's done well though and when you add a studio that does an amazing job with something that's done well, that's just a recipe for popularity.

 

[manfestival]

Funny enough, I got into the show when it was about 14 episodes in. Really didn't like the show till about 5-6 episodes in. Ended up loving it. Also to touch on a point earlier. The movie is canon and very important to the storyline. Which is different from most anime movies as they are typically inconsequential to the main story or something like the Broly movie with DBS where it is canon but only serves as the intro of this character later on.

Never hooked me after 2 episodes. Guess I don't like the protag or care about his demon sister

I read your post after submitting my post. This is one of those kinda shows where you need to get in about 5-7 episodes in before you get hooked. Reminds me of my experience with Breaking Bad and The Expanse.

 

[GymWolf]

Production value.


Not saying it isn't good, but ultimately production value carries pretty much everything really hard.
I think the presentation of it too isn't '' Anime '' enough for '' normies '' to be turned off by it, there's a ton of incredible Anime people won't watch because of that.
AoT and Jujutsu Kaisen has the same thing going on, the production value carry them ultra hard.
Again that's not to say that they're bad, and I do see the appeal of both of them Jujutsu Kaisen in particular has a pretty cool style ( altho I think that goes more for the Manga than the Anime ).
But if AoT and Jujutsu Kaisen had average production value I don't believe they'd be put up on a pedestal same with Demon Slayer while there's Anime that is still held up with far lower production value.

Since i loved all the anime you listed, can you advise for some other anime with these high production values?

Possibly in the shonen\spokon genre.

 

[O-N-E]

What is the rise in popularity of the series?

Why the film is considered one of the best produced in Japan at the National Level

It's basically become Japan's Harry Potter.

Most school children are obsessed with it.

 

[Kenpachii]

Dunno, it's a decent show but that's about it.

 

[Werewolf Jones]

Since i loved all the anime you listed, can you advise for some other anime with these high production values?

Possibly in the shonen\spokon genre.

Also watch Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress if you like AoT, literally same team.

 

[Sakura]

It's popular because it is popular.
It has good production values and they marketed the shit out of it. It didn't even get all that popular until after the anime aired. But then once it became popular everyone had to see it because it was "the thing". My 60+ year old boss at work and his wife went to see it in theatres just because it was popular.
But now the boom is starting to die down and we have a ton of Kimetsu no Yaiba merch in our store that doesn't sell.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Do i need to watch the movie before or after the regular anime?!

Definitely after. It's a direct continuation of the last episode of the first season and there's zero setup or contextualization for people who haven't watched it.

Anyway, to answer the OP's question, it's primarily because of the characters. People love 'em.

 

[Batiman]

It has good highs and bad lows. The pacing isn’t the greatest but I did enjoy it overall. The season ends pretty mediocre honestly. I just watched the movie last night and enjoyed it.

 

[Lupingosei]

Good female characters

 

[NahaNago]

I don't really know. I thought it was a decent anime and movie but nothing to rave about. The anime was enjoyable and kept you hooked for the most part. The movie was honestly kind of average. I was expecting a lot more and just some absolute craziness in the film but it simply felt like a couple of episodes with a higher budget. In my opinion the last few one piece movies have been better. Even the first few naruto movies were better.

 

[ManaByte]

Even the first few naruto movies were better.

Except those aren't really canon. The Demon Slayer movie is canon. The first season is volumes 1-6 of the manga and the movie is 7-8.

 

[NahaNago]

Except those aren't really canon. The Demon Slayer movie is canon. The first season is volumes 1-6 of the manga and the movie is 7-8.

That may be the case but I still consider the movie to be average. It was simply a tv movie to me.

 

[Fbh]

Also watch Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress if you like AoT, literally same team.

Man why does every manga I like get a fucking CG anime.
Berserk, Dorohedoro and now this.

 

[Lanrutcon]

I found the anime to be pretty unremarkable.

 

[sol_bad]

I can't stand Zenitsu, so very annoying.
And I said it in the other thread, I hate how Tanjiro randomly gets whatever powers he needs to win each situation.

I'll continue watching it week to week with the next season in the hopes it gets better.


IMO Jujutsu Kaisen is much better. The protag there also easily wins many situations but at least they hint at him being "special". Still need to finish season 1.

 

[Dav-Kripler]

Honestly, because ufotable is amazing. Although frankly would rather see more Fate from them than DS

 

[dusty_cookies]

Likely a lot of its popularity comes from a newer generation of anime fans. My nieces and nephews ranging in age from 12-22 like it. Wasn't for me though, watched a few episodes and dropped it for other shows.

 

[Northeastmonk]

I grew up with characters like Spike Spiegel, Ash the Stampede, Tenchi Muyo, Gene Starwind, and countless other characters. I see something like this and it looks like it could be good. I watched the trailer for The Hinokami Chronicles on PS4 and I don’t get it. To me, I’d much rather see something like Attack on Titan, Terraformers, or even something with Usagi Yojimbo. For me, it takes me back to Naruto and Bleach. I bought the first season of both of those series. I was trying hard to be a fan and it just never clicked. Characters like Heero Yuy from Gundam Wing really did me in on the young light hearted character in anime. For as much DBZ/GT/movies I watched over the years. It takes some strong thought provoking storytelling to get me turned onto another anime. I can barely watch the Castlevania anime because I have such an adoration for the games themselves.

 

[TaylorSwiftFan]

1. The animation
2. The opening song

I feel that those were the big draw to the anime originally because I don’t think the story or characters are special - they’re good but not great. I could be wrong.

The movie is great for one reason - Rengoku.

 

[InterMusketeer]

I thought the way they treat the villains to be very fulfilling. The enemies are horrible monsters that kidnap and eat humans. They're easy to hate, and that's how most characters treat demons. Others dehumanize them to make their job easier, like butchering animals. It's only the main character who acknowledges the villains' humanity and their suffering.

It might just be a fad, but at least it teaches people good lessons and the right values. We shouldn't forget that our opponents are flawed people just like ourselves, and that you should stand up and fight for what's important, even if others don't understand your point of view.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

Honestly, because ufotable is amazing. Although frankly would rather see more Fate from them than DS

There isn't that much left for them to adapt unless they wanted to tackle the first F/SN VN route again or Hollow Ataraxia. I don't think there's that much appetite for another adaptation of the Fate route and HA seems an unlikely candidate for an anime.

After the disaster of Fate/Extra Last Encore I'm not sure I want to see another attempt at anything in the Extra timeline.

With the remake of Tsukihime coming out this year, I would like to see ufotable take on a new anime of that VN instead of Fate.

 

[Dav-Kripler]

There isn't that much left for them to adapt unless they wanted to tackle the first F/SN VN route again or Hollow Ataraxia. I don't think there's that much appetite for another adaptation of the Fate route and HA seems an unlikely candidate for an anime.

After the disaster of Fate/Extra Last Encore I'm not sure I want to see another attempt at anything in the Extra timeline.

With the remake of Tsukihime coming out this year, I would like to see ufotable take on a new anime of that VN instead of Fate.

I have to agree with your point. As much as I loved what they did with heaven's feel... They really wouldn't be able to work with much else in the lore.

But I guess this just adds to the reason why many of us fate fans week watch Demon Slayer or whatever else ufo does

I do love what they do with vns and would like to see more.

Like for instance, would they be able to trim all the cringe fat off of the muv luv trilogy and deliver an adaptation that lives up to the experience of completing "alternative" ?

 

[Dav-Kripler]

My 12 year old got into it and watched the series on Netflix. I didn't watch with her, despite the fact that I've loved anime since like...age 10 (I'm 34 now). She loved it and kept telling me about it constantly. I ended up surprising her by taking her to see Mugen Train on opening night. This was my first time watching anything Demon Slayer. Gotta say, I really enjoyed the animation and the music during the Akaza/Rengoku fight was awesome.

But the rest of the movie was....eh. It just seemed like trope after trope after trope. Even the whole thing where they call out their attack/move names while performing them. Insanely predictable (apart from Enmu having another form and Akaza showing up outta nowhere) and I started to get annoyed by Inosuke's "comedic" antics. Don't even get me started on all the goddamn crying at the end of the movie. I almost started to physically cringe at how long they were drawing out the crying bit. I get that it was emotional but damn.

My daughter is now reading the manga and she's on volume 18. She seems to be enjoying it and she's looking forward to season 2 coming out. I still don't understand why or how this got so popular though. Even a buddy at work was telling me I gotta watch Demon Slayer (back before the film dropped). Maybe I need to watch the show but I've seen the movie and I've read up on the story in general to get caught up. I don't quite understand how it's taken the world by storm but it doesn't bother me or anything, lol.

Side note, I ended up having to deck my daughter out in Tanjiro drip >_> Bought her some rare, expensive-ass used checkered Vans from eBay that are the exact colors of Tanjiro's turquoise/black outfit as well as his hanafuda earrings from Etsy. She loves wearing those earrings and shoes with her various Demon Slayer shirts! Now she's on her Attack on Titan kick, it's been fun seeing her reaction to certain story moments/twists.

I loved that I'm also a dad to a (now 13) teen anime fan who was wild about demon slayer for a hot minute when the first session came out. And yeah I got a major kick it of seeing her reactions to AOT and RE:Zero.

She grew up on fairy tail and still loves the IP but she got a taste for the edgier stuff after seeing Promised Neverland and now she's teaching herself animation and creating a roster of characters she wants to bring to life.

That was a bit of a tangent but it's nice to find other parents enjoying a similar experience for what it's worth and to get back on topic...
I asked her if she wants to see the demon slayer film and she bluntly said yeah but not for the story, she wants to get references for animating hair-movement

So basically as someone else said. Production value goes a long way with demon slayer.

 

[GymWolf]

Also watch Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress if you like AoT, literally same team.

Shit, i was not aware that chainsaw man had an anime already.

Alreasy saw kabaneri.

Thanks.

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

Demon Slayer is a good show but I prefer Fire Force and Dr Stone way more.

It's how I feel about My Hero Academia. Good show but I'm getting tired of superheroes.