*Contains spoilers

Alternative Titles: Kimetsu no Yaiba: Yuukaku-hen, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc, 鬼滅の刃 遊郭編
Released: 2021
Genres: Action, Fantasy, Supernatural
Studios: Ufotable
Episodes: 11

It’s been a while since I’d read the Demon Slayer manga, but I still remember the Entertainment District Arc and how much I enjoyed that part. I just wanted to see that arc animated and let me say that every minute of the wait was worth it to finally watch it!

Here I bring a brief review of Demon Slayer season 2!

Demon Slayer Season 2 Plot

After the tragic events of the Mugen Train, Tanjiro, Inosuke and Zenitsu were given time to recover. Yet, they can’t afford to stay still and must continue fulfilling their duties as demons won’t give them time to relax.

Now Tanjiro, Inosuke and Zenitsu must help the Sound Hashira, Tengen Uzui, investigate a demon who’s terrorising the Entertainment District in Yoshiwara.

Story

This Demon Slayer season continues right after Rengoku’s death in Mugen Train Arc, showing us that our main characters will accompany the Sound Pillar Uzui Tengen on a mission now.

First of all, in my opinion, it wasn’t necessary to put Rengoku’s death scene AGAIN at the beginning of the episode… Excuse me Ufotable, but haven’t we suffered a lot already?

Let’s leave that behind. Uzui wanted to recruit the girls of the Butterfly Estate, but I’m still wondering why he didn’t just ask other demon slayers to help… Well, anyways, our three main characters, Tanjiro, Inosuke and Zenitsu, got involved right away after seeing how the girls were being taken by force. Now, they must investigate the demons hidden in the Entertainment District.

Watching Tanjiro, Inosuke and Zenitsu disguised as girls was hilarious. But still, we could feel the tension in the atmosphere as they couldn’t find clues about the demons quickly.

The story began to take a more frenetic rhythm when Tanjiro finally discovered their enemy’s identity. What’s worse is that the demon was the Upper Moon Rank Six, Daki , but she wasn’t alone because her brother Gyutaro was hiding within her.

This situation allowed us to see the splendid teamwork of the demon slayer’s group as they started a deadly fight against the demonic siblings. Yet, no one was sure if they would make it out alive because every injury they received lowered their hopes of winning.

When I first read the story of Daki and Gyutaro, many things came to my mind and after watching the anime, those thoughts were revived. I mean, if we think about it, the Kamado siblings and Daki and Gyutaro are two sides of the same coin. Both siblings also suffered, but we can picture the demon siblings as the parallel version of the Kamado siblings.

Tanjiro and Nezuko grew up in a loving family, while Gyutaro and Daki’s mother mistreated them. Gyutaro and Daki didn’t have happy memories nor did they experience a time when their mother spoke words of love to them. So whenever they were drowning in despair, the only things they remembered were the insults and indifferences they suffered in the past.

Tanjiro and Nezuko’s lives changed forever after a malicious demon killed their family. On the other hand, Gyutaro and Daki’s life was ruined from the beginning by humans who condemned and mistreated them.

Both older brothers, Tanjiro and Gyutaro, shared a similar yet opposite experience when they met their benefactors. In Tanjiro’s case, he met a Hashira who made him turn into a demon slayer, while Gyutaro’s salvation was an Upper Moon demon. While Tanjiro saved his sister from being killed when she turned into a demon, Gyutaro saved Daki by agreeing to turn into demons.

The different circumstances that these siblings went through decided the direction their lives would take and what they would become.

There are a lot of comparisons I can make, but I’ll stop here… But I think we can portray Gyutaro and Daki’s life as an alternate version of the Kamado siblings.

In Gyutaro and Daki’s past memories, the demon who used to be the Upper Moon Six and now is the second one appeared. And no one knows how much I waited to finally see Doma animated (he’s one of my favourite antagonists here). The best thing is that his VA is Mamoru Miyano, so I’m satisfied!

I know many people will say that “the animation is all that Demon Slayer has to offer to us” or “the anime is carried by its animation”. Well, I admit the anime’s story is nothing of the extraordinary, but we must also admit that it has its way of reaching our hearts.

Every character is splendidly developed, so it’s almost impossible not to get captivated by them. The monologues have their unique way of putting emotions or actions into words (even if sometimes they overuse them). So how am I not supposed to praise Demon Slayer so much?

Of course, what we consider great and what we don’t is totally subjective, but people can’t change my mind here. I DO think the Demon Slayer anime deserves all the praise it’s getting (at least for now).

The long wait for the animated adaptation of this arc was absolutely worth it, although I’m very impatient… But the anime series really brought this gripping part of the story to life and I’m so happy with the results!

Now, let’s sit and wait with a cup of coffee for the third season to come out because the story just gets better.

Characters

Aside from the iconic group formed by Tanjiro, Inosuke, Zenitsu and Nezuko, we get to know more about the Sound Hashira as well as the Upper Moons, Gyutaro and Daki. So for this review on Demon Slayer Season 2, I wanted to focus on these characters.

Tengen Uzui

Uzui not only won over his three wives’ hearts but also the hearts of many fans who watched him in action (myself included, of course).

This flamboyant Hashira is a solid character worthy of admiration. He went through a lot in the past, but that’s what made him the person he is today. His flashy personality is no joke, as well as his strength, he stole the show in a sparkling way many times.

Related: All the Hashira from Demon Slayer: The mighty elite warriors!

Gyutaro and Daki

I know Gyutaro and Daki did a lot of horrific things. Still, I couldn’t help but remember how usually Tanjiro reacts whenever a demon is about to die.

Tanjiro usually has compassion for his enemies because he knows there’s always a tragic story behind their atrocities. So I felt the same while watching Gyutaro and Daki’s past. They were just kids that didn’t deserve the mistreatment they suffered. They didn’t ask to be born in that poor situation, so it’s a bit understandable why they hated humans, even though that doesn’t justify their actions…

Their deep bond as siblings was something noteworthy, despite Daki’s immature behaviour… But she was forced to grow up and witnessed how unfair this world can be. Yet, she still had someone to rely on, her dear brother, Gyutaro.

Gyutaro, who was surrounded by misery and never had someone to rely on, for the first time in his life, saw a ray of hope when he met his little sister. He promised to always protect her and be by her side, claiming that if they were together, they were invincible. Ah… no, it’s not me crying again now..

Related: Kimetsu no Yaiba: All Upper Moon demons

Art and animation

The animation department shined in this side of the anime. I’d even dare say that Demon Slayer is slowly becoming the synonym of high-quality animation in the anime world. Let’s be honest, we don’t always get to watch an anime with splendid animation, fluid movements and well-executed scenes.

I thought I wouldn’t be impressed by Demon Slayer’s fighting scenes after watching Akaza vs Rengoku fight in the cinema. Jokes on me because I couldn’t have been more wrong…

What happens in this season is pure madness and whenever I watch the fight between Uzui and Gyutaro, I get the chills. Once again, we get to watch scenes with excellent visual quality full of action, suspense and adrenaline. So I guess Uzui can be proud because his arc was as flashy as him.

It’s been a while since I’ve held my breath while watching an exciting scene in an anime. It may sound exaggerated, but I can’t help but say that the animation is admirable.

Soundtrack

Is there something that Ufotable didn’t do great while producing this series? I mean, the art and animation were staggering, but the soundtrack can’t be left behind here.

Another splendid job is done by Yuki Kajiura! Each track complemented the different moments. Some of these tracks even helped create an atmosphere of tension or emotion whenever it was required. But still, I’d never replace the iconic tracks Tanjiro no Uta nor the theme used during the fight between Akaza and Rengoku…

The OP “Zankyou Sanka” by Aimer was a masterpiece. It turned into my favourite opening song from Demon Slayer so far. I couldn’t skip any opening because I knew I would listen to that splendid track each time I started a new episode.

Meanwhile, the ED “Asa ga Kuru” by Aimer as well, hmm… I don’t really think it fits perfectly with this season. It was a good song, but that’s all for me.

Final Score

Before finishing this review, I must say that Demon Slayer Season 2 deserves 9/10. It proved that the results can be something out of this world when we give things the necessary time and they are done well.

Once again, we see how meaningful the ties between the characters are and how much they can affect one’s behaviour, taking out the best or even the worst side of someone.

Related: Is Demon Slayer manga better than the anime?

What do you think of this Demon Slayer Season 2 review?

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