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Reesa Raymundo

Professor Landenburg

English 101

10/10/2021

Demon Slayer Mugen Train Evaluation

Anime has become a worldwide phenomenon in Western culture. It sets the tone

for future successes here in America. The film Demon Slayer Mugen Train is a shounen

movie that is based on the manga chapters of Demon Slayer. This movie topped the

box office in Japan and the West due to Covid-19 restrictions that furthered the hype for

the film. Nevertheless, it was a successful movie because of its plot, characters,

animation, and music.

Veteran anime fans can acknowledge the cliche plot that the shounen genre has.

(Shounen is action and targets the young male demographic) The basic criteria for a

shounen plot are seeking to fulfill a goal by either doing battles or leveling up their skills.

Shounen also features the theme of friendship, humanity, and a strong, reliable main

character. Demon Slayer Mugen Train aligns with this criteria and although it can be a

predictable plot, it still heightens it with emotional attachment to the story. The movie

follows Tanjiro, Nezuko, Zenitsu, and Inosuke on a mission that is set on a train. They

are seeking out clues and the context of the demons residing on the vehicle. This can

sound like a basic plot, however, one of the downfalls that the movie has is context. The

movie targets a specific audience that has seen the series beforehand to understand

the plot. Therefore, the film makes up for that with basic yet impactful imagery to follow

the shounen criteria.

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As Demon Slayer follows the shounen criteria, it also includes good pacing to

build up suspense, foreshadowing, irony, and symbolism. However, this uncertainty was

delayed with the introduction of the Hashira, Rengoku. The way Demon Slayer Mugen

Train builds suspense is by setting up the tone with Rengoku's passion and interest in

the group. It sets up a light-hearted atmosphere, then it proceeds to reach the conflict of

the infestation of demons. How the suspense leading up to the conflict was built up with

foreshadowing and ironic characteristics.

There were many factors within the film that contained foreshadowing elements.

The suspense leading up to the introduction to Enmu, the main antagonist, was

foreshadowed by cutting off certain scenes to show the light bulb flashing. This

indicates that something bad is going to happen on the train. Though the characters

may be aware of that, it still adds suspense for the audience. Another example of

foreshadowing is Inosuke comedically mentioning the train's villainous aspects and

calling it a "lord" since he has never seen a train in his life. These foreshadowing and

ironic elements shape the movie's suspense because the audience anticipated the

outcome for the characters. The criteria mentioned of foreshadowing and suspense are

tied together to create symbolism within the film.

As there is plenty of foreshadowing and ironic elements, symbolism is another

feature of the film that makes the plot a unique shounen. Demon Slayer Mugen Train

touches on the common shounen theme of humanity, family, and expressing human

nature even if it is cruel. At the beginning of the film, Oyakata, the leader of the Demon

Slayer Corps, conveys the overall message of demon-slaying. He starts by saying, " No

matter how many lives the demons take… the one thing they can never crush is a

human's will. No matter how battered we are, we will always rise again to fight"
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(Sotozaki et al. 1:55-2:00). This quote represents the unity of humanity versus

darkness. It creates the imagery that the demons in the movie represent the enticement

of dark human nature such as greed for power, control, ideal dreams, as well as

ultimate destruction. It gives the message that to defeat those demons, humans have to

have the willpower to be aware of their dark nature and fight it with pure intentions.

Another shounen criteria that follow up is the theme of friendship and family.

There are many references to Tanjiro's family and how Tanjiro's drives are for them as

well as Nezuko. To include, the friendship between Rengoku and the group was only

developed in a short amount of time, yet the audience gets very attached to this

relationship due to the build-up and suspense of the plot. It creates an emotional

connection to the challenges the story gives the characters. To understand how the

audience felt about the suspense and emotional buildup, there was an interview

conducted with Elijah Butler who is a film major, who claims "This film also has a very

enthralling and highly emotional final act that had me, Reesa, and some other friends in

tears. It does have you drained and emotionally grabbed, but at the same time, wanting

to see more from the Demon Slayer story!" Butler's statement conveys how much

emotion goes into the build-up of the conflict and resolution. There is a switch between

tones of ease and tension throughout the film which impacts the overall symbolism of

darkness this film portrays. Shounen is meant to be a thrilling adventure that has highs

and lows in the plot overall, but there are also pros and cons to developing the shounen

criteria.

Although the plot moves forward with its foreshadowing and symbolism

elements, the problem with the movie's shounen criteria is that it can seem too

predictable to others. There are certain standards in place for a shounen to follow which
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can draw away their more broad audience members with experienced shounen fans.

This can be a valid point because there is a term called "plot armor" that can hinder the

judgment of the film. The audience can already anticipate the main character's outcome.

Although these are the major cons of the film, what makes Demon Slayer Mugen Train

special was the development of characters and emotional attachment.

Demon Slayer Mugen Train creates these characters that make anyone either

laugh with, cry with, or both simultaneously. That is due to their personality and their

growth as an individual. People may see emotional attachment to characters as

abnormal but it can be the exact opposite. Karen-Dill Shacklefor who has a Ph.D. in

media psychology says that the overall storytelling touches on ideas that are important

to make the audience feel empathy for the characters. They can be a sense of relief or

can be a role model with which a person can observe and empathize; even if the person

does not know what they are going through (Truong). This reflects the relationship

between the characters and the audience of this film because no one has fought

demons or used breathing techniques to be stronger. However, the characters in the

film portray a sense of humanity that others wish to see in the real world. For example,

the main character Tanjiro may be the typically determined shounen character but he

portrays a sense of kindness that is seen as complex. The irony of his kindness is how

he empathizes with the demons yet he defeats them to get stronger. He understands

that a lot of the demons turn to the dark side because of their environment and human

nature that enticed them to be this way. Another example is Rengoku, the flame pillar,

who has a straightforward personality that is deemed likable by many. This film made

Rengoku the main focus because of his unique, genuine care for others. He makes his

ambitions clear because of his demeanor and sense of justice. It makes the audience
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feel more connected to him because the world lives with charlatans and frauds that can

be ingenuine. It is easier to find the demons in the dark than genuine human passion in

the light. That is why both of these characters are so likable. The audience resonates

with their supernatural problems even if they don't relate to them.

Another way the characters' personalities shine is through the character dynamic

and foil with each other. Tanjiro is calm and level-headed, while Inosuke is reckless and

goes with his instinct. Meanwhile, Zenitsu is cowardly yet strong and Nezuko can't

speak but her eyes insinuate care for others. They all rely on each other to fix their flaws

and improve themselves. The highlighted character of the film, however, is Rengoku.

He was meant to be the symbol and drive for the group to be stronger to get through the

journey of demon-slaying. Tanjiro's impression of Rengoku speaks volumes about his

direct personality; "He's strange, but he seems to be very caring, and from his scent, I

can pick up his strong sense of justice" (Sotozaki et al. 9:40-9:47). Characterization

based on personality and impact on each other is very important because it helps the

audience understand the story better. Though personality in a character is important to

figure out who they are, character design and animation played a huge role in the

movie's success as well.

Demon Slayer Mugen Train was not only known for its unique characters and

emotional attachment but it is known to have one of the best animations of the year. It is

important to be informed of that fact because animation and art style is some of the key

factors of the film's success. It captured the manga author, Koyoharu Gotege's vision

but heightened it by ten times. The movie is successful in abiding with the author's

vision and making it even better with the company Ufotable's reputation of creating

memorable animation sequences and unique processes. Ufotable uses 2D and 3D

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animation, hand-drawn techniques, and CGI to accomplish quality animation. According

to the producer of the movie, Tanjiro's water-breathing animation style has many hand-

drawn features; including 3D CGI to match the character movements with the drawings

(Takashi). The process of Ufotable is highly respected among audience members who

know their previous work like the Fate series; with high impactful visuals to please the

eye. They are successful in carrying a well-thought-out animation because of their foil to

other animation companies. Ufotable Digital Chief Youichi Terao emphasizes the lack of

separation between company job roles and communicating with each other. ("Breaking

Down Demon Slayer Animation" 4:06-4:15). Normally there would not be this process

because animation companies usually hire freelancers with a tight schedule, therefore,

leads to inconsistency of art style. This contradicts other animation companies with

some anime being unreliable to the author's view. Demon Slayer Mugen Train is faithful

to the manga and added some new battle sequences that gave the author's work more

emphasis. Another way that they were faithful to the original manga was their drawn art

style.

Animation and drawing techniques correlate to the success of the film. A

youtube video by Canipa Effects breaks down the overall animation of the series and

movie to explain the character design. "One of the key elements in achieving this is in

the occasional thickness of the linework, giving close-up shots that extra bit of impact.

Another is in the eye shape and size ("Breaking Down Demon Slayer's Animation"

(5:14-5:35). Character design gives people an inference of who they are. An example of

good design is the character Nezuko as she remains mute. Her eye expressions are

important to predict what she is feeling. They were successful because many can guess

what she might be thinking or feeling due to the style they put in their art like line
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technique and animation. The process of the animation with its vivid effects was

conveyed through the big screen where it emphasizes the color, movement, and battle

sequences. This contributed to the movie theatre structure with the wide-area,

speakers, and screen quality. That is an indirect way the movie was successful at the

box office. Animation is part of the success but it also relied on the music to tie

everything together.

The previous criteria of plot, characters, and animation relied on the music for

extra impact. The music contributes to the emotion of the scene and makes the

audience feel adrenaline, chills, and sorrow. The composers of the music, Go Shiina

and Yuki Kajiura, combined their styles to make an impactful movie sequence. It mixes

traditional Japanese instrumentals with orchestra features. For example, Rengoku's

theme starts off slow with hints of opera vocals. Violin and drums are playing as they

change the pacing of the song. It helps with the build-up of the song and the scene in

general. It represents his presence as one of the most powerful Demon Slayers in the

film; it creates a sense of heroism and justice. The narrative included with the

background music creates a chilling factor for the audience with a sense of thrill and

being moved by the actions of the character. The narrative and the music work together

to make the audience feel the adrenaline and emotional attachment to the character

because of personal associations. Attachment to the characters and investment in

narrative play a huge part as to why the music works. Without the music in Demon

Slayer Mugen Train, there would be less impact on the viewers when battles and

scenes occur. Many audience members can agree that the uniqueness of Demon

Slayer Mugen Train can never be forgotten with all of the listed criteria.

Demon Slayer Mugen Train has many successful factors that made it break
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records in Japan before it transferred to the West. They made 417 million dollars and

broke records in sales of manga as well as music. This may have been a typical

shounen movie but it still caters to a broad range of people who either want an action-

packed film or to simply enjoy the art of the movie. This is all because of the effort the

plot, characters, animation, and music put into the film. As this film ended, there will be

a continuation in season two with a new story arc. Now the wait for season two begins.

Works Cited Page

“Breaking Down Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train’s Incredible Animation |

Animator Spotlight.” YouTube, uploaded by The Canipa Effect, 21 July 2021,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pD5_UptTd4.

“Original Soundtrack - Kimetsu No Yaiba (Demon Slayer).” Otakumode, Tokyo Otaku

Mode, otakumode.com/otapedia/anime/kimetsu_no_yaiba_demon_slayer/ost.
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Accessed 13 Oct. 2021.

Sotozaki, Haruo, et al. “Demon Slayer Mugen Train.” Crunchyroll, uploaded by Crunchyroll, 23

Apr. 2021, www.crunchyroll.com/demon-slayer-kimetsu-no-yaiba/demon-slayer-kimetsu-no-

yaiba-the-movie-mugen-train-demon-slayer-kimetsu-no-yaiba-the-movie-mugen-train-819635.

Truong, Kimberly. “Why We Get So Attached To Fictional Characters.” Refinery29, 25

June 2018, www.refinery29.com/en-us/fictional-character-bonding-fandom-psychology

Takahashi, Yuma. Interview by Chapman, Jacob. “Interview: Demon Slayer Producer

Yuma Takahashi.” Anime News Network, 28 Aug. 2019,

www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2019-08-28/interview-demon-slayer-producer-

yuma-takahashi/.149177.

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