Makoto's review of Kimetsu no Yaiba

Must Watch

Kimetsu no Yaiba is what happens when a good IP meets a great studio. Ufotable brings the best selling manga to life in the way it is expected from the studio responsible for the famous Fate adaptations. Kimetsu no Yaiba is a phenomenon. It outsold every other work in manga sales in 2020 and 2021 by a huge margin. Although it's hard to prove that the manga's success is heavily attributed to its adaptation to TV, it's hard to deny it helped a good amount. Ufotable became synonymous with "quality animation" after its experiments with Fate Zero, Fate UBW and Heaven's feel. But the visual aspect of Kimetsu no Yaiba is something else. Although the format of the Heaven's Feel movies allowed the studio to go harder, creating probably one of the most sophisticated animations the industry has seen, the TV adaptation of Kimetsu no Yaiba is not that far behind. The tone and setting are without a doubt a great help. The story follows a dark theme of death, loss and destruction, lightened by its characters' positive attitude in face of those themes. This dissonance is reinforced visually. Dark settings (most scenes are during the night) are contrasted with bright details, costumes and the details in most characters' fighting skills. As for the setting, the show is set in the Taishou period, itself being a sort of transitionary period between classical and modern Japanese aesthetics. This allows the visual style to delve into both worlds, and it does this perfectly, showing both colorful haori and more western-style formal black suits, as well as architecture from both "worlds". Sotozaki Haruo, who has previously worked as key animator on other Ufotable works, and directed the Tales of Symphonia and Zestiria anime adaptations, stepped in as the director, to a great work. It is usually a good sign when there is nothing to say about the directing. A Maestro should not make any sounds. It suffices to say that every department works well together and they all facilitate the storytelling as they should. There is nothing particularly amazing in the voice acting area, which is to say something. I guess when working with Ufotable, even names such as Hanae Natsuki and Hayami Saori, who are among the top Seyuus of their generation, still pale in comparison. There is nothing wrong with their work, of course, it just doesn't shine enough to overpower the animation quality. Matsuoka Yoshitsugu (Souma-Shokugeki no Souma, Kirito-Sword Art Online, Sora-No Game No Life) is the one exception. He, as usual, brings his all to one more character in Inosuke. The sound design is also very good. Very easy on the ears. Sound is an important part of this world, being the medium through which several characters express their powers, and hearing being the specialty of one of the main characters. That puts the sound engineering and design at the front in several scenes. Of course, it helps that Kondou-san himself (Ufotable founder) is at the helm in that department. A discussion of Kimetsu no Yaiba that ignores LisA, and to a lesser extent Aimer, would be incomplete. Both singers are truly talented and their addition to the show really adds to the experience. Gurenge is at the time of writing the most played anime opening theme on Spotify. The Gurenge opening is a phenomenon almost as big as the show itself. The writing itself is where the Achilles heel of the show lies. Not a problem with the adaptation, but with the source material. Kimetsu no Yaiba's story is not very complex, nor is it very engaging. Conflict is often resolved by artificial means and treated as an obstacle and not an asset. Praise in this department should be given to the power scaling aspect of the writing. There is care given to how and why the main characters improve at every step. Which is often overlooked in action manga. The Taishou era setting puts the show with a foot in Urban Fantasy, and that aspect is completely overlooked. The world where it takes place feels small and unexplained. The story does set the scope to be smaller on purpose to focus on what it wants to focus on, which is the fighting, but it still takes away from the experience. In conclusion, Kimetsu no Yaiba is an audiovisual treat, with a lot of love put into it. It is a great adaptation of a good story and it does not disappoint.