3 Reasons Why Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 1 Blew Me Away

Hello everyone and welcome to our shelter!

So, I wasn’t expecting this at all. It’s true that Kimetsu No Yaiba (Demon Slayer) was one of the Anime shows that I was most excited to watch this season. However, after watching some Anime shows from the 2019 Spring Season and see that this season is not really that strong, I actually thought Kimetsu No Yaiba would just end to be average.

But, that was not what happened! Actually, it was quite the contrary. Maybe it’s because I started watching this with my hopes low, or maybe because the Anime is pretty damn good! So, without further ado, let me give you the

3 Reasons Why Kimetsu No Yaiba Episode 1 Blew Me Away

Number 1 – Animation

Right in the first minute, I knew that I was in for a treat! The 2D and 3D combination is so freaking well done! The same goes for the passages from 2D to 3D. One example of that is the zoom out we get to watch right in the beginning. It just blew my mind how cinematic they were able to start, something that we don’t usually get with Anime.

Another point in the animation I loved was how the snowfall blended with the overall environment. Ok, maybe that one is not something new. However, most of the episode was snowing and it always blended really well. The main reason for that is how they were able to create depth in the snowflakes, where, contrary to other Anime I’ve watched, it has layer upon layer, upon layer of snow.

Something that amazed me, since Anime shows normally just have 2 levels of depth when it comes to rain, snow, etc. One in front of the character, other below the character. That already is interesting visually, but being able to perceive that it’s snowing in various layers just creates a more accurate 3D dimension. In other words, it gives you a better perspective of space and actually seems that the world is not just a 2D canvas.

Last, but not least, I have to talk about how polish everything looks like. In this case, I’m going to compare it with Dororo. Although the stories follow different paths both happen in older age and it’s about fighting Demons. Well, it’s amazing how both Anime shows have such great animation even with completely different art styles. While Dororo goes for a more classic (and beautiful) approach, Demon Slayer was able to bring the modern animation and still give a great representation of an older age.

Number 2 – Pace

Should I call it pace, though? I’m not sure if that’s the correct term… But, we will go with that!

Kimetsu No Yaiba starts with a scene from the end of the episode. Something that is not new, but it creates the interest to know what happened which led to having Tanjirou walking in the snow with his almost deceased sister.

Right afterwards, the tension ends and we are brought to the past and the episode actually starts. What we get is somewhat of a calm and relaxing day… Just a regular day for our main character. This antithesis just makes you wonder, again what happened. Everything just seems to be so calm that it seems crazy that it went from that to having a girl full of blood.

Well, Tanjirou just goes on and about with his daily tasks in the village. But, when he is coming back to his house, he is intercepted by an old guy who makes him sleep over. It seems that it’s way too dangerous to go up on the mountain at night, because… Demons. Well, this is where the episode starts to turn. The thing about this scene is how simple it was and actually made me uneasy. It’s nothing that over the top, but with just a faint creepy soundtrack on the background and some good shots and they were able to put me uneasy! This is something that I think very hard to do. Jumpscares? Everyone can do that! Now, put someone uneasy with just the right touch? It amazes me every time.

And then, the rest of the episode we have a faster pace which makes you watch 10 minutes of the episode without even realizing.

In conclusion, for a first episode, it was a great way to start and it completely hooked me in! If it continues like this, is a strong contender for my favourite Anime debuting this season!

Number 3 – Soundtrack

I’ve already talked about the faint soundtrack that was so simple, yet so effective in putting me uneasy. However, the soundtrack of Kimetsu No Yaiba has way more than that to give! Oh, yeah! There are many Anime shows which amaze me with their beautiful soundtrack. But, this one has it’s own twist that I can’t even explain very well… But, let me try, ok? Xd

I believe that the main difference from what we normally get is that the soundtrack has pieces of music with vocals. Contrary to what we normally get which is only instrumental. More than that, we still have various different types of soundtrack throughout the episode.

Here are some examples. When we are at the beginning where we are just watching Tanjirou and his family being a happy family, we get a Disney movie like song. Something that you would listen at the beginning of an adventure. However, right by the end of it, it gets a dark turn which basically is an omen for what is going to happen.

Then, as I already said, you have that faint, simple soundtrack under the village. Again, completely different from what we have heard so far.

Last, but not least, we have the soundtrack when we get to the point of the episode (which will lead to the first scene. And, again, it just seems I’m watching an epic movie. The music is, yet again, completely different from what we have listened so far. And, then… we get to my main favourite piece of music of the episode – the battle music.

I will just say this, it just makes me remember Nier:Automata soundtrack! Now, if you don’t know what that sounds like, I highly recommend you to listen to it on Youtube! It’s one of the best game soundtracks I ever heard! This way, this music is also one of the best soundtracks I’ve ever listened to in an Anime battle fight!

Conclusion

In conclusion, Kimetsu No Yaiba episode 1 was extremely good! The story itself, well… I will need some more episodes to actually have a full opinion on it. However, all the rest is just so well executed that, even if you don’t really like this type of genre, you should try it out!

What about you? Have you watched Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba episode 1 yet? What did you think about it? Tell me all in the comments 😉