Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train - Review

Literally picking up right where the first television season ended, Tanjiro and his fellow young demon slayers Zenitsu and Inosuke board a train. Their mission: make contact with the senior swordsman Rengoku and assist in the investigation of the rash of passenger disappearances. Though the majority of its huge worldwide success is largely due to the explosive popularity of the property, which is still lingering in the air despite the manga ending close to a year ago, DEMON SLAYER THE MOVIE: MUGEN TRAIN does deliver both as an action anime thrill ride and an emotional drama. Instead of being a standard one-off shonen flick and contend with potential story issues and limitations in actual stakes, the film follows the actual series continuity and adapts the titular arc. Sure, it is in a way just an appetizer for the upcoming second season but that won't stop it from putting both you and the characters through the ringer. There are several surprises and twists laid within the plot and the shocking conclusion is something that many a studio or franchise refrain from doing and/or exploring. The script also focuses heavily on themes about human fragility and the intoxication of escapism when it isn't allowing the slayers to perform dazzling and deadly strikes. Ufotable pretty much transferred to the big screen the same high caliber animation they brought to the television series though some of the CGI lands right on the middle between good and bad. The English dub cast is once again impeccable with Zach Aguilar's heart-pouring performance as Tanjiro and Mark Whitten's eccentric yet majestic stab at Rengoku being the true highlights. While I had fun with it, in my first trip back to a movie theater no less, non-fans and curious viewers will have some trouble, especially at why Tanjiro may be carrying his sister in a box. The makers could have fixed this at the start with some inner narration but they instead utilized it way too much in the film's second half. It also doesn't help matters that the main villain gets a little tiring and you often can feel the film's long running time. But the real travesty of the picture is the ridiculous R rating it got from the MPA. Seriously, tweens and teenagers have seen and heard worst things. While it may not work as a gateway into the series, DEMON SLAYER THE MOVIE: MUGEN TRAIN still achieves in giving you goosebumps and maybe some tears to shed.

FINAL REVIEW: 3 / 5