First Impressions / Kimetsu no Yaiba

「継ぐ子 栗花落カナヲ」 (Tsuguko Tsuyuri Kanao)
“Tsuguko, Kanao Tsuyuri”

I think I wiped off a few tears of laughter while watching this episode.

It was funny, entertaining, and all-around a pretty good comedy episode. But that’s just it. Do I want to be laughing when we only have 24 minutes left to conclude what I think can be a great series? Don’t get me wrong. Kimetsu no Yaiba is still one of my favourites this year but I have my qualms with how the series balances out comedy vs action, story arcs, and overall pacing. This episode would have been much more appreciated if the finale weren’t so close.

One thing we can probably all agree on is that the comedic tone of the series has been somewhat consistent after the third episode aired. But remembering the very first episode, I can tell you now that the show hasn’t unravelled how I thought it would. It’s much more lighthearted, there’s much less of heft when it comes to story-heavy episodes, and many characters aren’t evolving as much as I’d imagined, except for Tanjirou. Even Nezuko is at a standstill, which, in all honesty, is a large source of frustration.

But let’s take a look at the episode itself. I adored watching Tanjirou struggle in this episode as well as the previous. He’s definitely had his share of horrible and traumatic events, but aside from his fight with Rui, he completed the majority of his missions with ease. True, his morals and values were challenged as he came to understand demons but he always met them with as much strength as they did (at least physically). At Shinobu’s though, his training becomes as vigorous and challenging as when he first entered Urokodaki’s tutelage. As a pupil, Tanjirou is extremely disciplined and rarely needs supervision, something I really admire in his character. He doesn’t need prodding as much as Zenitsu and Inosuke do and because of it, he’s able to surpass not only his friends but Kanao as well.

Tsuruyi Kanao is such a peculiar character. Her abusive past resulted in her becoming mute but her strength as a Demon Slayer comes from the Kocho sisters (Shinobu and Kanae). They rescued her from slavery at a young age and taught her how to fend for herself. At least the question of “who trained her” has been answered. But even with the backstory, we still don’t know much her. If anything, through her storytelling (narrated by Ueda Reina), we learn more about Shinobu.

Shinobu used to have a wide range of expression and it seems she really did ‘lose it’ when her sister passed. Her temperament wasn’t as level headed as her sister’s. And although she tries to carry on her sister’s legacy and ‘smile’ for her, her cool air is really a facade she uses to keep her temperament under control. Unfortunately, even with all that self-control, her true self emerges whenever she encounters a demon sending shivers down my spine.

Alas, the flashback into Kanao’s past was a quick one but what urged her to look back was the coin she held in her hand as she gazed over to Tanjirou. Was she impressed by his performance during his rehabilitation training or does she see through his actions and right into his heart where all that kindness lives? Also, did the series just throw in a love interest 24 minutes before the end of the season?! Talk about being unfair.

Let’s hope we’ll get sent off with a bang next Saturday. I mean, the boys have to put all this training to the test, right? Either way, I’ll definitely have more to say about the series when I check in after next week’s season finale! So keep an eye out.

15 Comments

  1. anyone know how long this run is..? is 26 the last or are we going to keep going… I mean… the trailer shows the start of a new arc… at least more than one episodes worth anyway

    defunkt_bots
    Reply

  2. I read the manga and i can tell you that Tanjirou and by extend Nezuko are pretty static characters. They still got development throughout the series but not much change about their personality. However, it their present that change other characters around them. The siblings is like 2 drops of water sending ripple across the still lake, breaking the status quote and the stalemate of destiny.

    Archaon
    Reply

  4. I like Shinobu’s expression while she’s casually boiling Zenitsu’s blood. And when including Inosuke, she obviously understands that she’s dealing with simple folk here. It looks like she borrowed some techniques from Kanae. By this time however, the two really only needed a gentle push to begin training seriously.

    https://randomc.net/image/Kimetsu%20no%20Yaiba/Kimetsu%20no%20Yaiba%20-%2025%20-%20Large%2012.jpg

    As a complete aside, I was wondering about the coin that Kanao uses to make her decisions, i.e. heads or tails, and whether the image might offer up a clue to us. I wasn’t paying close attention to the coin faces so I began by wondering if it wasn’t perhaps a two-headed coin (which given Kanae’s apparent playfulness… you never know), but each side has its own character: 表 and 裏. Is there anything deeply significant in those characters? Apparently they mean ‘surface’ or ‘obverse’ and ‘back’ respectively, so relevant but not enlightening. Together though, they do form a word, ‘hyōri’, which suggests inside-outside or double-dealing.

    Finally, it looks like Kayano Ai voices Kanae, so it’s no wonder that she’s a charming character.

    Mockman
    Reply

    2. Finally, it looks like Kayano Ai voices Kanae, so it’s no wonder that she’s a charming character.

      Episode 25 ending credits confirm it. Hearing “Ara ara” feels like watching her main show this season (Okaa-san Online). 😛

      Magnus Tancred
      Reply

      1. Her voicing Mamako was one of the reasons I was willing to watch that show. It turned out to be a fun show but I probably wouldn’t have checked it out depending upon who performed that role.

        Mockman
        Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *