Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie:
Mugen Train, also known as simply Demon
Slayer: Infinity Train (“mugen” is Japanese for “infinite” or “infinity”;
learned this one from High & Low), is
the sequel to the first season of Demon
Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. The film
immediately picks up the story where episode 26 left it off, so it’s very
important to have seen season one first before watching this film.
The
plot follows Tanjiro, Nezuko, Zenitsu, and Inosuke as they board the eponymous
Mugen Train to assist the Flame Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku in vanquishing a demon
that has been causing passenger disappearances during its trips. This mission pits them against Enmu, the
Lower Rank 1 of the Twelve Kizuki (the top 12 most powerful demons who serve
the demon king, Muzan Kibutsuji), a demon who can make people sleep and
manipulate their dreams; and Akaza, the Upper Rank 3 of the Twelve Kizuki.
Again,
this movie operates under the presumption that its viewers have already seen
the first season of the anime series. It
doesn’t take time anymore to explain any details that should already be implied
or should already be common knowledge for the fan. Moreover, by itself, the narrative has a
structure that isn’t what’s cinematically typical. It’s meant to be taken in with the anime’s overarching
storyline as a whole in order for it to feel coherent.
In
other words, we can say that if you are already a fan of Demon Slayer going into this movie, you won’t have any problem
immersing into it and making sense out of what’s going on. Otherwise, Mugen Train will come off as confusing and uneven.
As a
particular arc, it isn’t the best of Demon
Slayer. So far, the “Natagumo
Mountain Arc” (episodes 15 to 21) is still peak Demon Slayer, in my opinion.
Nevertheless, the “Mugen Train Arc” is still splendid. It has a solid emotional core, and the action
is adequately imaginative.
Tanjiro,
Nezuko, Zenitsu, and Inosuke all got their moments to shine. I really like how the main trio
subconsciously protected themselves against Enmu’s dream-penetrating minions in
different ways, which were very fitting to their respective personalities (Tanjiro’s
was once again heartwarming, while Zenitsu’s and Inosuke’s were hilarious). I also really like how their unique styles of
badassery manifested during their fight scenes.
But
the most badass character is definitely Kyojuro Rengoku. Through him, we got to see how far the
Hashira are above other Demon Slayers in terms of power. And while his main highlight only came at
the third arc, it felt like his character went through a complete and thorough
emotional journey throughout this movie.
Of
course, since this is Demon Slayer,
gorgeous sakuga is to be expected. And,
indeed, save for some uncharacteristically bad CGI here and there (seriously,
at one point, it almost ruined the movie for me. Thankfully, I eventually stopped noticing it
when it got overwhelmed by subsequent luscious action sequences), its animation
is pure candy. The fight scenes in
particular result to some pretty hyped, eye-popping, aesthetic visuals.
Still,
in the end, I find it weird that Demon
Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train became the highest grossing
film of all time in Japan (meanwhile, the manga also enjoyed record-smashing
sales in 2020). Its box office success
is just so ludicrously disproportional to its caliber as an anime film. Yeah, it’s good, but an “all-time cinema” great? Not really.
Regardless,
I had a blast with Demon Slayer: Infinity
Train. It’s spectacular, poignant,
thrilling, and funny in perfect amounts.
And since it’s actually canon and a specific chapter in the anime’s
ongoing saga, watching it feels more worthwhile and meaningful than your
typical film-of-a-battle-shonen-anime-series (e.g. every My Hero Academia and One
Piece movie ever).
(Now,
only Violet Evergarden: The Movie is left
among the 2020 anime films that I want to watch but haven’t watched yet.)
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