The End of Demon Slayer | Manga Mondays

Hey hi hello friends, and welcome back to my blog!

This week, the final chapter of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba was published in Shonen Jump Weekly. I've talked a bit about Demon Slayer before, but I'll give the run-down to you guys anyway.

Demon Slayer is a historical fantasy shonen manga following Tanjiro Kamado (first name first, instead of the traditional Japanese), a young boy who trains to become a member of an elite military force that slaughters demons, after his family is murdered by a demon. His younger sister, Nezuko, survived the attack but became a demon herself. However, Nezuko is able to resist the urge to kill and eat humans, and therefore goes with Tanjiro on his journey to become a demon slayer and eventual kill the demon responsible for their family's death. 

This manga is 205 chapters long, which is pretty normal for a shonen series--the longest series I know is Naruto, which is over 700 chapters long, but that's an outlier honestly. There are twelve arcs in the series, all of which are fantastic, and overall the series gets a 5 out of 5 stars from me. I thought since it's officially over, I would go through my favorite bits, what I liked vs. what I disliked, etc. etc. 

So first off, let's talk characters: clearly the character with the most growth and strongest arc is Tanjiro, at least in my opinion. You really see every inch of his development, starting out as coal trader and ending as one of the strongest demon slayers alive. I like that throughout everything he is put through, he still remains a kind, sunshiny character. And really, those kinds of characters are my weakness. I mean, Hinata from Haikyuu!!, Midoriya from My Hero Academia, Emma from The Promised Neverland...the list goes on and on really. 

My favorite character in the series, however, is without a doubt Nezuko. She doesn't have a whole ton of personality until the last arc, unfortunately, but she's just so strong, and loyal to a fault. Any scene where she fights is automatically my favorite scene (the battle against Rui is absolute top-tier, grade-A, nothing can compare). 

I think my favorite arc is probably the hashira training arc, mainly because the hashira are all so fascinating. I love all the training arcs in the series, but I think I like this one the most because Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke are all learning so many new things. Plus, we get the backstory of so many of the hashira. Keep in mind if you pick this manga up, you will cry. A lot. And if you're anything like me, the majority of those tears will be shed during this arc. 

Obviously, my least favorite arc is the Natagumo arc, and for one reason only: spiders. Why are spiders so popular in manga? I don't get it! I really can't stand spiders. The fact that Japan has an entire myth and yokai centered about spiders (they're called Jorogumo and they're terrifying and I hate them), like it makes sense that spiders are used a lot in media, but still. It makes me sad that I'm so freaked out by spiders, because this arc is absolutely beautiful, but I legitimately cannot go back and reread/rewatch it because it freaks me out to much. I'm getting the heebies just thinking about it. 

Let's talk about the ending, shall we? No spoilers, of course. The ending arc I really enjoyed, I was crying practically nonstop. But the very last chapter? Not my favorite, which really annoys me because the last arc was doing so much, and the final chapter just...fell so flat for me. Like I get why Koyoharu Gotoge, the author/artist, went the way they did, but I've got to be honest, the final chapter felt a little cheap to me. I would've preferred something like a year-forward epilogue, seeing the same characters we followed for 200 chapters and what they were doing with their lives now that it's all over. I mean I guess we got that in a way, but it wasn't my favorite. I think maybe Gotoge didn't quite know how to end the series solidly without an open ending. Oh well. The end won't take away from my overall enjoyment of the series. 

There are twenty volumes of the manga (I only have the first one and it sucks, but don't worry I'll get them all eventually!), and currently there is one season of an anime adaptation, with twenty-six episodes. However, a movie following the infinity train arc is coming out in October of this year, and then the second (and most likely final) season of the anime will air in 2021. The only reason I can see the anime being three seasons is if they make the final arc a season of its own, but I doubt that will happen. The anime is absolutely incredible, I can't praise it enough. The animation is just so beautiful, and I love the VAs chosen for the characters (if you also watch My Hero Academia, Haikyu!!, Tokyo Ghoul, or Attack on Titan, you might recognize some voices). And the music??? Ugh, chef's kiss. So good.

Okay, I think that's all I have for this update so bottom line: read and watch Demon Slayer. You won't regret it. The anime is available on Hulu, and the manga is available wherever manga is sold, and also the Shonen Jump Weekly app if you want to go chapter by chapter. 

Now it's time for a Taisho secret!

(Inosuke is the prettiest)

Until next time!