Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle Review
When it was announced at the end of the last season of Demon Slayer that the finale would be a movie trilogy, we all knew we were in for a good time. When Mugen Train came out in 2020, it managed to break the global box office despite COVID-19 shutting everything down. The series was so awesome, not even the dreaded Coronavirus could stop it! And with how this young anime franchise has risen to become one of the most popular in the world and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with giants like Naruto, Dragon Ball, and One Piece, the grand finale that is Infinity Caslte and Sunrise Countdown were going to be major events. Come opening weekend in the US, I got my Tanjiro haori on, grabbed a prop sword I had from One Piece, and headed to my nearest AMC to see Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Infinity Castle.
And it was worth every last penny that I spent.
LET THE WAR BEGIN!
After a brief flashback revealing how Kagaya, the head of the Demon Slayer Corps, told the Stone Hashira Gyomei about his plans to sacrifice himself to kill Muzan, the film picks up right where we left off. Muzan teleports the Demon Slayers, save for a few non-combatants, into his base, the Infinity Castle, in the hopes of wiping them out for good. With everyone capable of fighting separated within this pocket dimension and surrounded by hordes of Demons, their mission is clear: find Muzan and kill him. With the stage now set and all the players in place, the final battle between humans and demons begins, and what a battle it is!
Ufotable Fired on All Cylinders
Right from the start, Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle makes it clear it’s not going to wait for the gate to open: it’s just going to break it and come out charging like Inosuke trying to fight a train. By that, I mean that the film knows that this is the start of the grand finale, and that it can’t afford to hold anything back. Ufotable has always been consistent about providing the series with cinema-levels of animation, but for the second time in its history, the franchise gets to play out in actual cinemas. So it holds nothing back in regards to everything. It continues to blur the line between 2D and CGI animation to the point where it doesn’t exist anymore. It knows when to inject some of the series’ irreverent comedy when needed. Above all else, though, it knows how to get the most out of the fights to keep audiences on their toes, cheering one minute…and then crying out the next in anguish.
Say your Goodbyes in Advance
If you have read the manga ahead of time, then you know that not all of the heroes are going to live to see the end of this fight. Even anime-only people will go into this film expecting for some of the Demon Slayers to die. Losing Rengoku in Mugen Train made it abundantly clear that it doesn’t matter how likable someone is; that won’t save them. If anything, the film only makes the anguish of seeing what the heroes get put through feel even worse thanks to its frequent use of flashbacks for both parties. As a result, when something bad does happen to one of the heroes, you are going to feel awful watching it and knowing that nothing can be done. I will not name names, but if you read the manga, you know. We should just be grateful that the body count was light in the film, because the proceeding films will not be so kind.
Speaking of flashbacks, a good chunk of the film’s 2-hour, 35-minute runtime is made up of flashbacks. Like many good Shonen anime, these flashbacks are designed to flesh out the backgrounds of certain characters, revealing their motivations, perspectives on the world, and driving forces. Some people have complained about their prescence in the film as it takes time away from the action people came to see. However, they serve an important purpose that ties back to the series themes of overcoming adversity and facing impossible odds. Many of the demons we meet were people who saw the ugliness in the world and allowed it to corrupt them, turning them into the monsters that they are. Some of them even have downright sympathetic backstories. It doesn’t excuse them for what they do, but it’s meant to help contrast with the Demon Slayers, who refuse to give up despite the odds.
Hence, the flashbacks stay, even if they make Infinity Castle run longer than some would like.
Demon Slayer Deserved to be a Movie. Again!
Having seen the movie for myself, I can honestly understand why some people complain about its length and pacing. Demon Slayer has released compilation films in the past, and at times, Infinity Castle can feel like one. In fact, its sheer size and pacing makes it feel less like a film at times and more like an excuse to get the first six or so episodes on the big screen. At which point you start to ask whether or not making the finale a movie trilogy was even necessary.
To all those who think question this logic, I offer this rebuttal: It is necessary, because it’s Demon Slayer.
One of the most important aspects to any story is its ending. If the ending is good, then people will talk about it for years to come. Maybe even generations, if lucky. Given how much flak Demon Slayer got for the manga’s ending, it’s not inaccurate to say that it’s up to the anime to redeem things. And for something as grand and epic as Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, a simple TV or smartphone isn’t worthy of what’s going to happen. In all fairness, Demon Slayer has earned the right to end on the big screen. And so far, it’s justifying its right to be there, again! It’s the biggest opening for an anime film in the West to date!
So, to summarize, this movie is awesome. I consider it the last big movie of the summer season, and if you’re a fan of Demon Slayer, don’t wait for it to show up on Crunchyroll or another streaming service. Do yourself a favor and get your cosplay, go to the nearest theater, and get your butts in a seat. You will thank yourself later.
Just hope you have better luck getting the collectible popcorn bucket or cups than I did. They sold out where I went days in advance.
