This is a battle manga serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump from issue 11 of 2016 to issue 24 of 2020, and the author is Koyoharu Gotouge. At first glance, his name makes him seem like a man, but Gotouge is actually a woman.
The TV anime aired from April to September 2019, and the sequel, the "Mugen Train Arc", is scheduled to be released as a movie on October 16, 2020.
The protagonist, Tanjiro Kamado, lives peacefully with his family deep in the mountains, but when he returns home from town, he finds a gruesome scene.
His family has been brutally murdered by demons, and Tanjiro descends the mountain with his sister Nezuko, who is barely alive.
However, on the way, Nezuko is transformed into a demon. Tanjiro is saved by Giyu Tomioka, a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, and sets out on a journey to turn Nezuko back into a human.
The first season of the anime covers up to the middle of volume 7 of the manga, and the movie version, "Mugen Train Arc," continues from there up to volume 8.
It will probably be a while before the sequel to "Mugen Train Arc" is made into an anime. For those of you who are dying to know what happens next, this time I would like to touch on the "Entertainment District Arc" that comes next.
This contains major spoilers, so be careful if you want to see it for yourself!
The Great Red Light District Infiltration Mission
Tanjiro and his friends head to the Red Light District with Uzui Tengen, the Sound Pillar, but they are stunned by Uzui's one-sided attitude of telling them to just listen to what he has to say and by Uzui calling himself a god. Tanjiro meets Uzui at the Lord of the Palace, but this is the first time Zenitsu and Inosuke have met. Meanwhile, the earnest Tanjiro asks Uzui what kind of god he is. Apparently Uzui is the god of festivals who is in charge of flashiness. They head to Fuji's house to get ready before heading to the brothel, so the group heads there. At Fuji's house, they learn the reason for going to the brothel. Uzui's three wives had infiltrated the brothel to gather information on the demons, but communication was lost, so their purpose was to find the wives and get more information. Uzui had previously infiltrated as a customer but was unable to get any information on the demons, so he decided that he needed to get deeper inside. Tanjiro and the others disguise themselves as prostitutes and infiltrate the brothel.
Handsome Uzui and Ugly Zenitsu
Uzui, who likes flashy things and calls himself a god, looks pretty dangerous from the outside (lol). Zenitsu thought so more than anyone else. He looks strange with a scroll on his head and lots of jewels.
However, when Uzui infiltrates the red-light district, he is incredibly handsome!! If he is acting normally, he is pretty cool. It is no wonder he has three wives. Tanjiro and the other three were ugly, but Tanjiro was adopted because he seemed obedient, and Inosuke was originally good-looking, so they saw through that. But Zenitsu...
Find a bride
Zenitsu, who was somehow adopted thanks to Uzui, was burning with passion to get back at Uzui. Zenitsu uses his good ears to play the shamisen well. But he's still ugly (lol) And it's even more so because he's too motivated. Meanwhile, Tanjiro was working hard and gathering information. Tanjiro had heard that Uzui's wife, Oiran Suma, had run away, but then Oiran Koinatsu appeared. In order to avoid being suspected of snooping around on Suma, Tanjiro lied and said that Suma was his sister, and got out of the situation. Meanwhile, Inosuke's makeup was washed away, revealing his original handsome appearance. Ogimotoya was delighted to have been able to buy such a good boy at such a low price, and was eager to teach Inosuke tricks. Meanwhile, at Ogimotoya, Uzui's wife, Makio, had been locking herself in her room and not coming out. Hearing this, Inosuke decided to go to Makio's room and see for himself.
Tracking
Inosuke entered Makio's room, but she was not there and the room had been ransacked. The demon, which was not visible because it was daytime, had escaped from the attic. Inosuke hurriedly chased after her, but it was difficult to sense her presence and he lost sight of her. Meanwhile, Zenitsu, who was desperate to get back at Uzui at Kyogokuya, realized that he had forgotten himself and remembered his original purpose. While walking around the mansion to gather information, he heard a girl crying. Zenitsu is not the kind of person to just leave this alone. He enters the room and tries to comfort her, but senses the presence of a demon behind him? ! Zenitsu was worried that it might be an Upper Rank demon, since he hadn't noticed its presence until the last moment. However, when he turned around, he saw Warabihime. Warabihime was thoroughly bullying a girl she didn't like. Zenitsu was frightened, but when he saw Warabihime pulling on her ears and bullying her, he stepped in to stop her.
Even if you say it with a straight face like that...
Zenitsu, who has changed his mind, uses his good ears to listen to the conversations around him and gather information. Zenitsu doesn't miss a small crying voice amid the various conversations flying around. As expected from Zenitsu, he puts girls first.
He says some really cool things, but even if you say it with that face... it's still ugly (lol) Zenitsu is really cool when he uses his "bolt flash", but he's asleep...
When he's awake, Zenitsu is a complete comedian.
Daki
Two days before Tanjiro and his friends infiltrated Kyogokuya, the proprietress Omitsu had died. The Warabihime that Zenitsu confronted was indeed a demon. The high incidence of injuries, missing legs, and suicides at Kyogokuya was due to Warabihime's bullying. As the store's No. 1, no one could complain to Warabihime and everyone turned a blind eye to it. However, this was going too far, so Omitsu warned her. Warabihime became so angry that she killed Omitsu. Warabihime's true identity was Daki, Upper Rank Six, who had killed seven Pillars. Zenitsu tried to stop her, but was blown away by Daki and fainted. At that moment, Daki noticed that Zenitsu had been taking a defensive stance and discovered that he was a member of the Demon Slayer Corps.
Each person's thoughts
Tanjiro and Inosuke meet for their regular contact. Uzui arrives late, but Zenitsu is not there. Zenitsu has not been in contact since last night and is missing. Uzui apologizes for forcing Tanjiro and the others to come because he wants to save his wife. He decides that a low-ranking swordsman cannot handle a high-ranking demon, so he orders the two to go home and goes to search for them alone. However, the two are not going to back down because of that! Tanjiro and Inosuke take action to rescue everyone. Before leaving Tokitoya, Tanjiro goes to say hello to Koinatsu, who has been so kind to him. Koinatsu has decided to become his wife and is leaving town tomorrow. Daki, who knows this, attacks Koinatsu as soon as Tanjiro leaves.
Demon Slayer Corps Ranks
The Demon Slayer Corps ranks are divided into 10 levels, from A to K, and the Hashira are above A. By putting force into their fists while saying "Show your rank", letters indicating their rank appear on the back of their hands; this is the mark of the Demon Slayer Corps, made using a technique known as "Fujibana carving". When Uzui told Tanjiro that his rank was too low, he thought he and his team were still at the lowest rank. However, they had actually risen to the fourth lowest rank, Kou.
Naturally, salary varies depending on rank, so I'm sure many people are concerned about this, but Tanjiro had no idea about "Fujibana carving" or ranks, which is typical of his pure heart.
But what surprised me most was that Inosuke knew about this and was able to explain it to Tanjiro in an easy-to-understand way!!
In Each Place
Inosuke was waiting for Tanjiro at Ogimotoya, but he got impatient with Tanjiro's late arrival and went to defeat the demon alone. Also, Uzui, who was investigating alone, threatened the owner of Kyogokuya and asked about Zenitsu and Hinatsuru's whereabouts and who was suspicious. When he said he would avenge his enemy, the owner thought of his wife, Omitsu, and spoke the name of Warabihime. Meanwhile, Tanjiro, who was late in arriving at Ogimotoya, sensed the presence of a demon and returned to Koika. There was Daki who had captured Koinatsu.
"Ninja Beast" Muscular Mouse
Tengen's Muscular Mouse is wearing the same thing that Tengen wears on his forehead. Muscular Mouse immediately brought his sword when Inosuke called out, but when did he become Inosuke's servant? Did Tengen give him instructions? Inosuke uses the Beast Breathing technique, so it seems like he would be a good match for the "Ninja Beast" Muscular Mouse. By the way, when Zenitsu was released, she immediately handed him the sword.
He was a very helpful character who handled things very well.
Todoroku
After hearing from the owner of Kyogokuya where one of his wives, Hinatsuru, was, Uzui headed to a brothel called Kirimise, the lowest class. It seems that this is where prostitutes who no longer have customers or who become ill are sent. Hinatsuru realized that Warabihime was a demon, but she was unable to move because she was suspicious of the other side. He tried to drink the poison himself and pretend to be sick in order to leave Kyogokuya, but Warabihime gave him a sash as they were leaving, and he was under her constant watch. After rescuing Hinatsuru, Uzui noticed someone fighting underground and tried to make the ground explode and head underground. Tanjiro struggles as Water Breathing is not suitable for his body and he is unable to use it properly. If he uses Hinokami Kagura, the power of each blow increases, but it is too powerful to use multiple blows in succession. However, Tanjiro is not the same now. He has been training hard since Rengoku's death. He believes in himself and challenges Daki to a duel using Hinokami Kagura.
Burn your heart!!!
Tanjiro's Water Breathing technique is no match for Daki. Hinokami Kagura puts a lot of strain on the body, but Tanjiro thinks he can use it now. Or rather, it might be more accurate to say that he can't win without using it, rather than being able to use it.
Tanjiro, who can use Hinokami Kagura well by raising his body temperature through breathing, burns with the feelings entrusted to him by the now deceased Rengoku, and unleashes the Hinokami Kagura "Reppu Kokyo", "Enbu", "Phantom Rainbow", and "Kasha" in succession.
Squiggly
Tanjiro's muscles stiffen and his breathing becomes irregular due to the continuous use of Hinokami Kagura. Even though he can see the thread of the gap, he is unable to keep up with Daki's speed, so the thread of the gap is quickly broken. Tanjiro feels better when his body temperature is high, so he uses his breathing to keep his body temperature up so that he will not be unreasonably taken by the demon again. Meanwhile, Inosuke discovers a hole leading to the demon's nest at Ogimotoya, and using his body's flexibility, he passes through the hole and arrives at the demon's nest. There, the people who had gone missing were captured in the belt, including Uzui's wife and Zenitsu.
Wind Hole
Inosuke encounters the Earthworm Belt in the den and succeeds in freeing the people captured by the belt while avoiding its attacks. The Earthworm Belt is a part of Daki, and Daki orders the Earthworm Belt to capture Inosuke alive. It tries to accumulate power by eating some of the people it has captured. Inosuke is forced to fight while defending. Zenitsu comes to the rescue of Uzui's wife Suma and Maki, who have been freed. Then, from above, the Sound Pillar Uzui Tengen appears in a flashy fashion. This is where the Demon Slayer Corps' flashy counterattack begins.
The Flash of Zenitsu Released
Zenitsu, who has been saved by Inosuke, immediately unleashes his "Bokuretsu Flash" and comes to the rescue. Don't call him a comedian anymore! Zenitsu is so cool, but he is still sleeping (lol)
In the end, Inosuke even tells him that it would be better if he just slept all the time... Good luck, Zenitsu!!
Want to see what happens next? For those of you who are curious about what happens next. Here's a summary of the rest of the movie (spoiler alert!!)
What did you think?
The beginning has a lot of comical scenes, such as the exchange between Uzui and Tanjiro and the infiltration of the story in drag, but as the story progresses, a new Upper Rank demon appears, and there are plenty of exciting developments.
Also, in the Entertainment District Arc, you can see the Sound Pillar Uzui Tengen in action! I thought he was a flashy and ruthless person, but he was a reliable person who cares about his friends. In the second half of the Entertainment District Arc, you can see many more wonderful scenes of Uzui, so keep an eye out!
