Demon Slayer: Mugen Train, the film sequel to the anime show Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, continues the adventures of demon slayer Tanjiro, his demon-turned sister Nezuko, and their compatriots as they board a train that has been the source of several disappearances. This movie is the highest grossing in Japan and the first non-American film to top the annual international box office.
This is one of those movies where it helps to see the original show or look up some basic info. at least. (I went in fairly new myself.) It is a direct continuation of the series happening right after the last episode. Whereas a lot of anime films based on shows are original works that tend not to interfere with canon, Mugen Train directly adapts a story arc from the manga. I kind of appreciated this, since a lot of those aforementioned films' stories never feel as strong as the those originating directly from the manga creators, plus the antagonists often feel subpar. This film has a backbone to it.
As someone who walked in new to this, I warmed up to the main cast real quick. Tanjiro in particular is a relatable character. You really end up rooting for him. I did not realize how emotional this movie was going to get as Tanjiro has a lot he has to struggle against. I think this might actually be as good a character piece as an action film. The main villain Enmue, a verbose, theatrical, and sadistic demon with a penchant for strategy, is the type of baddie you love to hate.
Since the commercials don't really go int detail into what Enmue's main style of attack is, I won't spoil it. It is something that has been done before. However, it's done well enough that it didn't bother me. Heck, I think it's one of the best parts of the film, and it really helps separate this from a lot of other more traditonal shonen anime.
The whole thing looks pretty nice. The movie makes good use of the combination of 2D and 3D animation. The train speeding past the 3D landscape is particularly eye-catching.
The fight scenes look good too, being creative and ferocious.
Going back to this being based on the manga, this situation does have its setbacks. Usually if something is adapted to film, stuff has to be changed or cut in order to make it more accessible to the audience and fit for time. However, because this film has to connect to the first season of the show and the upcoming second season, plot points and characters couldn't be tossed. The ending feels overextended, going on way past where you'd think it would end. The pacing and structure generally feel odd since the story was intended to be told episodically.
Overall, I liked this despite not having seen the show. But, I don't quite see why this is top of the box office. It is definitely up there in the top five or ten anime films based on shows, but it doesn't stand as a great work separated from the show like, say, Castle of Cagliostro. At the end of the day, it's a traditional shonen story arc. Fans of Demon Slayer will probably love it. (Like I said, it does have a grand ending.) General anime fans who haven't seen the show, shouldn't have much trouble getting on board. But if you're not big on anime in general, this SHOULDN'T be your entry point. There's so many characters and stuff thrown at you.
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