Kimetsu no Yaiba: Hashira Geiko Hen – Episode 05 & 06 Review

「炭治郎全快‼ 柱稽古大参加」 (Tanjirou Zenkai!! Hashira Geiko Dai Sanka)
Fully Recovered Tanjiro Joins the Hashira Training!!

EPISODE 04 – WHEN YOUR GOAT IS WASHED

Have you ever bought a legacy musician’s latest album? One where you could find one or two good tracks in an album jam packed with sentimental songs about how stressful yet fulfilling it was to work so hard for the reputation they have as a world renowned artist? Ozzy Osbourne’s “Black Rain” was this for me, but I know that other albums like Eminem’s “Revival” and U2’s “Song of Innocence ” have their notoriety. This episode of Kimetsu no Yaiba recaptures the same deflating experience.

Muichiro’s training was almost as short as Uzui’s in the manga, but in the anime, it is extended to build upon the season’s grand thesis of “What if Tanjiro tried killing time with the Hashira”? On paper, this would be a fun idea given that it gives you more time with the Hashira. This episode started out pretty good too because it was nice to see Muichiro as both a strict teacher and as Tanjiro’s newest fan. It was pretty funny to see how Muichiro perked up so much around Tanjiro compared to his mediocre pupils. If there’s one nice thing I have to say about the episode, it’s that I like how adorable Muichiro is when he’s pumped up to see Tanjiro and hang out with him.

But as with the last episode, I don’t believe the writers have a good sense of giving viewers as much valuable time with the Hashira. Most of Muichiro’s developments with Tanjiro felt redundant as they spent their time merely reiterating the development that already happened last season. Because they’re dedicating a season to downtime, they wrote themselves into a corner when you can’t really reinvent someone’s backstory to pad out the time.

Action scenes have been used as time filler for the past few episodes, but when you try to write new material based on information you already learned, the new season winds up looking like a glorified guidebook on all your favorite characters. This episode expounds that issue by dedicating the second half to a paper plane contest.

You spend the remainder of the episode watching the cannon fodder do summer camp activities because it reminds you of how emotionally mature Muichiro became over time. But to me, this only exists because they couldn’t accept that they ran out of anything compelling to say about these characters by the time Tanjiro passes Muichiro’s training.

It didn’t have to be like this. I have a good feeling I’d have liked the past two episodes if they were combined into one. Instead of redundantly retreading the same territory to fill up airtime for two episodes, combine Uzui and Muichiro’s training into one and trim away some of the fat.

「炭治郎全快‼ 柱稽古大参加」 (“Oni o Kutte Made…”)
“I Even Ate Demons…”

EPISODE 05 – I EVEN ATE PANCAKES

On a lighter note, this episode felt like a larger improvement to the format. The last few episodes made you spend too much time with characters you have a better understanding of in past arcs. But this time around, it gives Mitsuri a short, sweet training montage while a bulk of the episode is dedicated to two Hashira we’re not as familiar with; Obanai and Sanemi.

Obanai’s section was a welcome change of pace because it was difficult to gauge what his character was like before Tanjiro had to put up with his training. With how much animosity Obanai has towards Tanjiro for spending too much time with Mitsuri compels him to put the pressure on Tanjiro while taking it out on the grunts. It’s funny and helps humanize him past being the shy dude who likes snakes and Mitsuri, especially since it gives Tanjiro someone who really doesn’t vibe with his cheery personality.

It’s also hilarious how they follow up Tanjiro’s second hater with his very first. Sanemi and Tanjiro honestly hating each other was one of the arc’s funnier moments as Tanjiro, with his same plucky cadence, tells Sanemi to his face that he hates him for stabbing Nezuko. Sanemi’s quick to tell people who get on his nerves that he hates him, and Tanjiro’s like “RIGHT BACK ATCHA >:D”. As much as I dislike this arc and the adaptation, Tanjiro is such a funny dude whether he’s foolishly optimistic or joyfully spiteful.

This episode also adds something a little meatier as you see Sanemi and Genya interacting for the first time since the last season. Genya’s desperate to prove himself as capable of being like his brother, but Sanemi loathes Genya’s weakness and places even higher expectations on him not to make him upset. This isn’t helped when Genya sets Sanemi off and tells him about eating a demon to save others. Although Tanjiro had to be separated from him, Sanemi will have plenty on his mind as he has to contend with knowing that his brother had been so desperate for his approval that he began taking on demonic traits to slay demons.