It’s Mother’s day tomorrow. As soon as I am done writing this I will start cooking. We’re going to eat a very elaborate vegetarien sautée or, if I fail, we’re gonna order Dominos, and watch a sci fi movie marathon. How about you Crow, any big plans? If you like sci fi you are welcomed to join us!
I love sci-fi! I’d love to join you, but I’m still wiped out from a trip I just got back from. I’m getting wimpy in my old age… My plans to cook my dinner tomorrow for my wife sound like yours, but I’m skipping the part where I even try to cook. I’m going straight for Dominos. Also, for the record, I guess I’m bold this week. Talk about responsibility…
For those of you that need a little refresher. Last week’s episode was a real turning point. Tanjiro is now an official Demon slayer with his own uniform and black blade. Nezuko has woken up and is adorable as ever. And together they have their first demon slaying mission in a small town that has had its young women vanishing without a trace.
The first thing I noticed is the uniform. A simple black gakuran style outfit that’s under Tanjiro’s signature kimono. It really shouldn’t have been remarkable and yet it made quite an impact on the character design. Maybe it’s just me. I might have randomly decided to attribute authority to gakuran.
I hadn’t even thought about it, but now that you mention it, it does look like a school uniform! Tanjiro looked so official in it! I liked how proud he looked — just what you’d expect from someone who had just earned the uniform!
The one aspect of the uniform that does stand out was hidden under the kimono. A bold embroidery of the word “destroy”. It strikes me that this organisation is called demon slayers and not demon hunters. A much more aggressive stance which leaves no room for mercy. Much like Buffy who you’ve brought up a few times.
Yeah, she wasn’t Buffy the Vampire Negotiator, was she? And in this episode, we got a glimpse of just what his title means…
They insisted on the significance of Tanjiro’s blade turning black once again. We didn’t actually learn anything aside from the fact that it’s so unusual, it’s seen as a bad omen. Black blade owners don’t live long enough to make a mark. Any guesses on what it really means, Crow?
Well, in a comment on our last episode’s review, Thong Do suggested it had something to do with Tanjiro’s family’s business. Just what that means I can’t guess, but Sakonji Urokodaki’s statement that most people with a black sword didn’t go far was forboding. But did you notice Tanjiro’s nonchalant reaction? I’m really liking his character!
It is finally time for the little birds to leave the nest. Tanjiro and Neuko bid farewell to Urokodaki but there’s a sense we’ll be seeing him again. I wasn’t all that worried about the old master. Rather I felt like something was a little off with Nezuko. She was more furtive than usual and the scene where she got in the box seemed almost sinister.
That uneasy feeling lingered as Nekuzo completely retreated within herself for the entire trip to the village. Did you get the same vibes I did?
I had that feeling from the first time she scuttled to the door to peek at Tanjiro in his new uniform. And when he asked her to get into the box, I’m sure you saw that under the blanket, she started to climb in, backed away, then tried again. All signs that she was uneasy or unsure of herself. That’ll mean something later — this show’s getting good about foreshadowing!
I have often said that Demon Slayer is not a very novel plot. And this episode was no different. Young virginal girls being snatched away without a trace. A lone survivor dealing with shell shock whom everyone refuses to believe. It’s been told a million times. But first, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Stories get retold time and time again when they have something of substance that remains appealing to audiences throughout the ages. Moreover, in this case, it’s all in the execution.
Plus, it save in setup time! With a few short scenes, we’re up to speed, and the show can concentrate on what’s different about Tanjiro and Nezuko.
Hey, did you see how the demon abducted the girl from her room? The shot of her, peaceful and asleep, as the pool of blackness gathered beneath her, was terrifying! And how about that show of her trying to reach up to the real world as the demon dragged her down into its dimensions? Horrifying stuff!
We didn’t get a resolve this week but we got some pretty great looking fight scenes and another convincingly menacing looking demon. I found the teeth grinding tick particularly effective in making him stand out and seem extra creepy. For such a cartoony looking show they are quite effective at creating sinister monsters.
Taking something mundane but annoying like grinding teeth and raising it to such a psychologically disturbing level was excellent story-telling! Take the normal and twist it.
Oh and if the design and teeth thing wasn’t enough, it seems this is yet another morphed demon who can not only split himself into three distinct demons (with different personalities at that) but also sink into the ground and come out of walls. This is a lot like Buffy too. Were they would keep coming up with new powers for the vampires to keep things exciting. Technically speaking it’s not considered great writing but it is fun, so I don’t mind at at all.
The older I get, the more I think “great writing” means to keep an audience entertained. So far, so good!
In the last minutes, Nekuzo seemed to come back to herself a bit as she dominated the battle once again. Protecting both her brother and the innocent bystanders. And then we find out that her gentle, loving, pseudo father figure has brainwashed her to unquestionably fight her own kind, likely to the death.
I’m not sure how I feel about this. It may be why the earlier scenes had such an odd feel to them. Maybe the show is trying to tell me that I’m supposed to be conflicted. Again, I may be seeing something that’s not there but it seems there have been too many little touches. Shifts in the music, dimming of colors and just the way Neuko is being treated by both the plot and the camera is too deliberate to be coincidence.
I think you’re onto something here. I don’t really think that Urokodaki needed to do that; but then I recalled his warning that if she did kill humans, Tanjiro’s only option would be to kill her, then kill himself. The stakes are high for these two, so maybe a little cheating is okay?
On the other hand, what if she starts thinking of herself as primarily a demon? Would she turn on herself? Or was the brainwashing/suggestion explicit in that it targets demons who have harmed or killed humans?
But it was awesome to see Nezuko back in action!
One thing is for sure, I teared up when Nezuko was tenderly patting the survivors. Whatever else they are building up to, it’s clear that Nezuko is the unliving, unbreathing heart of the series.
It was a brief scene — but it was so effective! It was the part where the pair morphed into her memory of herself and Tanjiro that did it for me.
Through cut scenes and flashbacks, we get a glimpse of the bigger story. A tiny sliver of a revelation in the form of a name: Kibutsuji Muzan. I hope I wrote that right. Muzan is a demon that’s either old or powerful enough (or both) to potentially be able to help Nezuko. Why they would do such a thing though, is still not clear to me. However, i seems that for a little while at least, Tanjiro is going to be disposing of local demons while trying to track down this Muzan person.
I like the set up. I’m here for this. I want to see more!
Me, too. And am I the only one who thinks the short of Muzan in the OP looks like Michael Jackson? That puts an interesting twist on the villain! If he start moonwalking, I’m not sure how I’ll react!
Oh and before we sign out. Look what I found and ordered:
Ohhh yeah!
You’ll have to share pictures of the merchandise when you get it! That’ll be awesome!
Reviews of the Other Episodes
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 01: Cruelty
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 02: Trainer Sakonji Urokodaki
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 03: Sabito and Makomo
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 04: Final Selection
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 05: My Own Steel
and of course – here are all the other screencaps I took!
Nezuko didn’t see the two humans as herself and Tanjiro, she saw them as her younger Brother Takeo, and younger Sister Hanako, both of whom died in the first episode. she see’s humans as members of her family.
I was a little put off by Nezuko being brainwashed. I think I would have preferred her fighting in defense of her brother than knowing she’s been told she has to fight. I’m very uneasy about the line there and more importantly, Nezuko’s reaction if she ever breaks free of that suggestion.
he entire episode was framed a little awkwardly, they kept showing Nezuko in a very vulnerable way. I think we are supposed to be uncomfortable with the news
“I think we are supposed to be uncomfortable with the news”
I think you’re right — and I think Karandi brings up an excellent point: what will “Nezuko’s reaction if she ever breaks free of that suggestion?”
No good can come of that, even if the brainwashing’s intention is good!
I think the brain washing plot point is a sight of the author inexperience( this is her first shonen series and her second overall work) since she don’t have confident in her own story telling yet.
You think? I think it’s an interesting plot point but I guess we’ll see where it goes
It’s good conflict. One of the unexpected turns in a generally traditional story
The brain washing aspect kinda weird and creepy at first but when you thing about it, it kinda make sense in some aspect:
– It look more like Urokodaki keep remind Nezuko subconsciously of her family, protect the innocent and the demon is her real enemy( which is not wrong since one of them did kill her family) while she was sleeping.
– Nezuko might restrain from eating her brother but during the heat of battle, if their bystander, she can still snap and kill someone. Better safe than sorry.
– Becoming a demon also like some kind of brain washing since you slowly losing your memories of your love one and your humanity( like the Hand Demon).
Ps: i saw Crunchyroll was advertise a small Nezuko figure the other day.
It makes perfect sense. In fact, the should try turning a few more demons against their own kind, the would make for powerful weapons
I don’t think they can do that with any other demon since not like they would just have a 2 years sleep like Nezuko here.
Rats! I had such a good plan too…
I’m disappointed they haven’t tried energy bars yet. Some of them taste pretty good, too! Though I doubt they have any human-flavored ones…
and how exactly do yo know that humans don’t taste like nuts and cranberries? Let’s face it, I probably do….
“and how exactly do yo know that humans don’t taste like nuts and cranberries?”
You know, I don’t have an answer to that!
that was probably the right way to go there….
“. . .maybe cheating a little is okay?” To protect family, of course it is!
Yeah, protecting family clearly takes precedence, doesn’t it? There are times when I make myself SMH…
It’s a compromise. Killing Nezuko was the way to keep people safe but this is a decent fallback. Unless it backfires.
Thinking about it more, I think from a narrative perspective, it’s important to note that Tanjiro had nothing to do with it. That, at least, will be of some comfort to Nezuko.
And I suppose it’s not outside the realm of possibility that if she finds out, she might be understanding.
If I were a demon and a little brainwashing would decrease the chances of me chowing down on unsuspecting humans, I might be cool with it.
I actually think she will be fine with it. My guess is that this is more for making the audience feel awkward
but if possible avoid turning your little sister into a killing machine against her will? It’s a decent grey zone
Gonna go out on a limb here, having not watched this at all but having read a lot about it: Lil’ Sis is the last surviving member of guy’s family, the others having been killed by demons and Nezuko having been turned into a demon herself. Nezuko still seems to be in there, somewhere, in her body, however much or little of her is left. Something remains. Therefore, guy’s responsibility lies with protecting sister, period.
Don’t know how long he’d last, mind you, but it seems to me that the proper thing to do would be to kill both demons and demon-slayers. It just seems like an “us against the world” situation, so take it for what it is and run with it. I would be against brainwashing her, thinking that she should be free to defend herself against ANY enemy and likewise free to provide herself with sustenance. To wit, if guy finds her snacking on someone and has to ask himself if it’s OK, then he’s not up to protecting her anyway. His loyalty to family is nil.
Let’s approach it from a different angle: vampires seem to be perpetually cool, so what if he came home to a slaughtered family and a Lil’ Vampire Sis? Same tendency to feed off humans and kill them, but cool. Do we still have the brainwashing and the restraints and the arguments about moral obligations versus family loyalty? Highly doubtful. Nezuko is now a demon, but is still Lil’ Sis–protect each other, provide for each other, and bare your fangs at the world. It’s ride or die time.
well that’s the issue. The mind control protects everyone from Nezuko (the little sister) but could turn out devastating for her in many ways. The episode really went out of the way to make her seem vulnerable and fragile to enforce that. So that’s the dilemma.
Up until now they were doing fine, nw Neuko is completely defenceless against slayers, some of which have been shown to be less than honorable.
So remove her from the mind control and help her kill the demon slayers. Pretty simple solution for a big brother. . .
This really is a tough situation. I think back to what Urokodaki said Tanjiro should do if Nezuko kills: First kill her, then himself.
Now, that doesn’t change what you’ve said: Tanjiro and Nezuko could try to stand against the demon slayers and demons. But strategically (and tactically), what chance would they have? About zero, even if they’re the heroes of the story! Baring irrational plot armor, of course.
So the best chance for Tanjiro’s survival, since he loves his sister, is to keep her from killing. Urokodaki is doing what he think is the right thing to help.
If her energy isn’t directed into keeping herself from killing humans, she can direct more of it to killing demons; and Tanjiro is also kept more safe.
I would have preferred Urokodaki ask her for her consent, but I’m not sure hypnotic suggestions work if the subject is aware!
Realistically, Crow, they’d have no chance at all–which changes nothing about his loyalties and duties. Protect your family. She’s the last of his, so take her side and be done with it. I simply don’t see any difficult decision, here. You’re both already screwed; you’ve lost all place; you can already trust nobody but each other. Everybody dies, so why not protect each other until that? Ride or die, hitchhikers be damned!
“Protect your family. ”
Absolutely!
Which is why I’m advocating for Tanjiro to keep an alliance with the demon slayers. Trying to battle on two fronts — demons and demon slayers — means Nezuko and Tanjiro both die very quickly.
Maintaining an alliance with demon slayers? At least you’d have some time to search for a cure, which means she can become human again.
I guess I’m saying that loyalty in this case might best be expressed by forming the alliance and trying to keep her alive as long as possible until they find a cure.
I see that you’re an optimist, Crow. I’m not. While I understand your argument for an alliance with the demon slayers, I see no real hope from such. In my mind, all you’re doing is giving them easy access to Nezuko for when they do decide to kill her–which they no doubt (in my mind) will. Yes, you could argue that you still prolonged her life, but at what cost to her? She’s already been transformed into a demon, then you take what little free will she had left? And place her at the mercy of her sworn enemies? Sorry, I’m against this route.
Now, I’m going to submit one last argument of my own, then leave this be–after all, it must seem pretty silly for me to be arguing so passionately about a show I’ve never spent a moment watching. So, my last point, drawn from my previous post: everybody dies. Now, if you don’t go down fighting the world together, you’ll probably die separately. What will that mean for the Lil’ Sis whom you should be protecting?
Quick field trip into Theology Land! Most gods with whom I’m at least passing familiar are, well, somewhat self-absorbed. Honestly, a great many are just plain vainglorious asshats. Even a certain god who claims to have sacrificed himself to redeem the world from sin throws in a caveat: you have to recognize/worship him to collect. (Say what?!) Anyway, my point is that very few of these beings will likely take the time to concern themselves with the nuanced details of a situation like Nezuko’s. More likely, after death the judgement will be a conveniently quick and easy “well, she might have been made a demon against her will, but she’s still in there, so she shares the demon’s guilt. Shoulda tried harder.”
All that to say, now you’re somewhere else while your little sister–your last family–is facing whatever version of Hell your culture has. And she’s facing it alone. What a pathetic, cowardly gobshite you are! Did you really think that trying to give her a few more years on earth was worth what you were condemning her to in death? Man up, already! She’s your last surviving family, but you’re hers, too. She needs you. And not some pansy version of you who wants to go along to get along for as long as possible. Be straight with her–your lives are forfeit, but somebody will first have to be able to claim them.
Be what she needs. Protect her against demons. Protect her against demon slayers. If she’s hungry but incapacitated, you go grab her a victim so she can eat. Immerse yourself in her situation and her sin, so that when the two of you are slaughtered (as you will be; there is no forgiveness or redemption, here), you can walk into Hell hand-in-hand and protect each other again! Do you think that mere death dissolves family bonds and loyalties? No, she’ll need you in death even more than in life. Now, go protect your little sister! Coat the world with blood until that blood becomes your own. Do it for her.
“Now, go protect your little sister! Coat the world with blood until that blood becomes your own. Do it for her.”
If that’s the last option, maybe.
But I’m no optimist. I’m a realist — actually a cynic, though I hide it after a lot of practice.
I think there are other options, and I’ll pursue those as long as they’re available.
And if I have to make a case before whatever god’s in place?
Well, I’ve read The Silmarillion. I’m no Lúthien, so my song ain’t gonna sway Mandos. But I might be able to pull off a Beren…
“Now, go protect your little sister! Coat the world with blood until that blood becomes your own. Do it for her.”
If that’s my last option, then maybe!
But I’m no optimist. I’m a realist — actually a cynic, though I hide it well. I’ll pursue other options as long as they give me a chance to ultimately turn her human again.
And if I have to eventually face the god of that world? Well… I ain’t no Lúthien, so my song ain’t gonna sway Mandos. But I might be able to pull off a Beren…
I see only two options: defend your little sister (against everyone, gods included) or hand her over. I ain’t handing her over!