Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle – Movie Reviews by Ry!

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle – Blood & Vengeance: The Heart of the Blade

In the times of our dreams, we look upon a journey for a better tomorrow.  From our imagination to the surreal, looking onward is a matter of our own escape.  These journeys can be breathless, especially in anime.  From action to romance, this medium builds from creative bliss to mold stories that feel real because of their heart. In this review, I look at the latest anime film to hit the big screen.  For all that may seem typical, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle is an action pack confrontation of strength, wit and heart.

When the final battle arrives, the Hashira, Tanjiro and his allies face off against Muzan’s upper rank demons in hopes of ending their reign of terror.  When it comes to storytelling, one medium that goes beyond the typical is Anime.  In Anime, creativity becomes a wholesome display of imagination and heart.  This connection pushes these tales into a unique gravitas that showcases a relative grip of human values, including the IP of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.  With this latest adaptation, we dive into the first part from the manga’s ‘Infinity Castle Arc’.  With this first film (of a planned trilogy), we start from a basic setup: Tanjiro and the Demon Slayer Corps have been drawn into Muzan’s home base: the Infinity Castle.  With both sides now trapped in the same space, it becomes Tanjiro and the Corps’ mission to kill Muzan before he is able to achieve his dream of living in the sun.  On the surface, the filmmakers build the foundation on the ‘good vs. evil’ motif.  This generalization is stooped in predictability, but this is where the journey turns into something more.  Going beyond the typical action tales, there are two things that elevate the experience:

The Growth of Characters

At this point, we have witnessed the journey of Tanjiro, Nezuko and a few others (you can view the voice actor/character list on the film’s IMdb Page – link), as they have battled against the demons in previous chapters told through TV series and a film.  Through it all, we have watched them defy each obstacle with heart.  This emotion comes from a human connection that was built over years of exposition infused with action, suspense and world-building (explained later).  These experiences elevate this latest chapter that provides a great blend of individuality, creative action and colorful animation.  Each scene has an emotional weight, giving context to the overall mission through a fallout of past choices.   

A Layered but Vibrant World

Beyond the character aspect, it is the layering of intuitive styles and unique powersets that bring more gravitas to the action.  As the conflict spreads throughout the castle, the world-building comes to life through true grit of each specific confrontation.  These particular fights stand out as being characters themselves, lifting in the vibrancy of the 3-D/2-D animation.  This leads to a place where the characters become ironically linked to fate and circumstance.  To see this unfold through a fragility of unique world building, it breaks the generalization of good vs. evil to elevate an experience in the continued fallout of choice. 

Through these two points, each confrontation slowly moves away from typical clichés to define the purpose of mission and conflict.  This narrative turn provides a degree of reason against the ideal notion of stakes and purpose.  As Tanjiro (and his mentor) finally come into conflict with a particular upper ranked demon, it brings all these points into an elevated ‘full circle’ climax, leaving you with an outcome of what may be next for our demon slayers in this castle.  Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle shows why anime is a unique medium.  If you are fan of the property or anime, this will be a great experience.  For those not familiar with the property, I still think it’s worth seeing on the big screen.

Full Score – 4 out of 5 (Full Price)