It’s been a while since I read the Demon Slayer manga, but I still remember the Entertainment District arc and how much I enjoyed that part. I absolutely wanted to see this animated arc and let me tell you, it was worth every minute of waiting to finally watch it!
Demon Slayer Season 2 Plot
Tanjiro , Inosuke , and Zenitsu had time to heal after the horrific events of the Mugen Train. However, they cannot afford to pause and must continue to carry out their responsibilities, as the demons do not allow them to rest.
Tanjiro , Inosuke , and Zenitsu are now tasked with assisting Tengen Uzui, the Sound Hashira, in his investigation of a demon harassing Yoshiwara’s entertainment sector.
Story
This season of Demon Slayer continues right after Rengoku’s death in Mugen Train Arc, showing us that our main characters are going to accompany the Sound Pillar Uzui Tengen on a mission now.
First of all, in my opinion, there was no need to put Rengoku’s death scene AGAIN at the beginning of the episode… Excuse me Ufotable, but haven’t we suffered a lot already?
Let’s leave that aside. Uzui wanted to recruit the girls from the Butterfly Domain, but I still wonder why he didn’t just enlist the help of other demon slayers… Anyway, our three main characters, Tanjiro, Inosuke and Zenitsu , got involved right away after seeing how the girls were being taken by force. They must now investigate the demons lurking in the entertainment district.
Seeing Tanjiro, Inosuke , and Zenitsu dressed up as girls was hilarious. But you could still feel the tension in the atmosphere because they couldn’t quickly find clues about the demons.
The story began to pick up a more frantic pace when Tanjiro finally discovered the identity of their enemy. What’s worse is that the demon was Upper Moon’s rank six, Daki, but she wasn’t alone as her brother Gyutaro was hiding inside her.
This situation allowed us to see the splendid teamwork of the group of demon slayers as they entered into a deadly fight against the demonic siblings. Still, no one was sure they would make it out alive as each injury they received diminished their hopes of victory.
When I first read Daki and Gyutaro’s story, a lot of things came to my mind and after watching the anime, those thoughts were rekindled. If you think about it, the Kamado and Daki and Gyutaro siblings are two sides of the same coin. Both siblings also suffered, but we can imagine the demon siblings as the parallel version of the Kamado siblings.
Tanjiro and Nezuko grew up in a loving family, while Gyutaro and Daki’s mother abused them. Gyutaro and Daki had no happy memories and had never experienced a time when their mother said words of love to them. So when they were drowning in despair, the only things they remembered were the insults and indifferences they had suffered in the past.
Tanjiro and Nezuko’s life changed forever after a malevolent demon killed their family. On the other hand, Gyutaro and Daki’s life was ruined from the start by humans who condemned and mistreated them.
The two older brothers, Tanjiro and Gyutaro, shared a similar but opposite experience when they met their benefactors. In Tanjiro ‘s case , he encountered a Hashira who turned him into a Demon Slayer, while Gyutaro’s salvation was an Upper Moon Demon. While Tanjiro saved his sister from death by turning into a demon, Gyutaro saved Daki by agreeing to turn into a demon.
The different circumstances these brothers and sisters went through decided the direction their lives would take and what they would become.
There are a lot of comparisons I could make, but I’ll stop there… But I think we can portray Gyutaro and Daki’s life as an alternate version of the Kamado siblings.
In Gyutaro and Daki’s past memories, the demon who used to be the Upper Moon Six and is now the second appeared. And no one knows how long I’ve waited to finally see Doma animated (he’s one of my favorite antagonists here). The best thing is that his VA is Mamoru Miyano, so I’m satisfied!
I know a lot of people will say “animation is all Demon Slayer has to offer us” or “anime is carried by its animation”. Well, I admit that the anime’s story is nothing out of the ordinary, but you also have to admit that it has its way of reaching our hearts.
Each character is beautifully developed, so it’s almost impossible not to be captivated by them. Monologues have their unique way of putting emotions or actions into words (although sometimes they overdo it). So how not to praise Demon Slayer?
Of course, what we consider great and what we don’t consider great is totally subjective, but people can’t change my mind here. I really think the Demon Slayer anime deserves all the praise it gets (at least for now).
The long wait for the anime adaptation of this arc was definitely worth it, although I’m very impatient… But the anime series really brought this captivating part of the story to life and I’m very happy with the result!
Now let’s sit back and wait with a cup of coffee for the release of the third season because the story only gets better.
Characters
We learn more about the Hashira of sound as well as the upper moons, Gyutaro and Daki, in addition to the legendary ensemble created by Tanjiro, Inosuke, Zenitsu, and Nezuko. As a result, I wanted to concentrate on these characters in this review of Demon Slayer Season 2.
Tengen Uzui
Uzui not only won the hearts of his three wives but also the hearts of many fans who watched him in action (myself included, of course).
This flamboyant Hashira is a solid character worthy of admiration. He’s been through a lot of hardships in the past, but that’s what made him the person he is today. His flashy personality is no joke, as well as his strength, he’s sparklingly stolen the show many times.
Gyutaro and Daki
I know Gyutaro and Daki did a lot of horrible things. Still, I couldn’t help but remember how Tanjiro usually reacts when a demon is about to die.
Tanjiro generally has compassion for his enemies as he knows there is always a tragic story behind their atrocities. I felt the same when looking at Gyutaro and Daki’s past. They were just children who didn’t deserve the abuse they suffered. They didn’t ask to be born into such a situation, so it’s kind of understandable that they hate humans, even if that doesn’t justify their actions…
Their deep bond as siblings was something remarkable, despite Daki’s immature behavior… But she was forced to grow up and saw how unfair this world can be. Yet she always had someone to rely on, her dear brother, Gyutaro.
Gyutaro, who was surrounded by misery and never had someone to rely on, for the first time in his life saw a ray of hope when he met his little sister. He promised to always protect her and be by her side, saying that if they were together they were invincible. Ah… no, it’s not me who’s crying yet…
arts and entertainment
The animation department shined in this side of anime. I would even dare to say that Demon Slayer is slowly becoming synonymous with high quality animation in the anime world. Let’s be honest, we don’t always get to watch an anime with splendid animation, smooth movements, and well-executed scenes.
I thought I was unimpressed with the Demon Slayer fight scenes after seeing the Akaza vs Rengoku fight in the movies. I laughed at myself because I couldn’t be more wrong…
What is happening in this season is sheer madness and every time I watch the fight between Uzui and Gyutaro I get chills. Once again, we are treated to scenes of excellent visual quality, full of action, suspense and adrenaline. Guess Uzui can be proud because his arc was just as flashy as him.
It’s been a long time since I’ve held my breath watching an exciting scene in an anime. This may sound over the top, but I can’t help but say the animation is admirable.
Soundtrack
Is there something that Ufotable did not do well while producing this series? I mean, the art and animation were stunning, but the soundtrack can’t be left out here.
Another splendid work is done by Yuki Kajiura! Each track complements the different moments. Some of these tracks even helped create an atmosphere of tension or emotion when needed. But still, I will never replace the iconic Tanjiro no Uta tracks or the theme used during the fight between Akaza and Rengoku…
Aimer’s OP “Zankyou Sanka” was a masterpiece. This has become my favorite Demon Slayer opening song so far. I couldn’t skip any openings because I knew I would listen to this splendid track every time I started a new episode.
Meanwhile Aimer’s ‘Asa ga Kuru’ ED also, hmm…I don’t really think it fits this season perfectly. It was a good song, but that’s it for me.
Final score
Before I end this review, I have to say Demon Slayer Season 2 deserves 9/10. She has proven that results can be something out of this world when things are given the time they need and done right.
Once again, we see how meaningful the connections between characters are and how much they can affect someone’s behavior, bringing out the best or even the worst side of someone.