Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train Review

A visually stunning theatrical continuation of one of anime's biggest recent hits, Demon slayer the movie mugen train, only slightly misses the mark the film aims to show us how the characters have grown from training after their last life and death battle and how to have them learn the hard way. Just how far they still have to go, picking up moments after the end of the tv series, the film follows our team of heroes as they board a train where both normal people and demon hunters have gone missing in mass, likely due to demons of course. This means that whatever's going on a bit too much for mid-level hunter like Tanjiro and his friends so they are assigned to work with Rengoku, one of the nine strongest hunters in their organization yet as they begin to explore the mystery of the train, it quickly becomes clear that raw power alone will not be enough to save all those on board. While the film does have some good character development with each side character getting their own time in the spotlight to do something meaningful, its villain inmugets almost none at all up to this point the villains have often had layers to them something deep inside that both tangiro and the viewer can empathize with even as he cuts them down in mood though spectacularly one note he is a sadist plain and simple he shows no remorse for his actions and only regrets not killing more people if it weren't for his excellent character design. He'd probably be the most forgettable villain of the franchise and yet enmu still isn't the weakest aspect of the film. 

The climax says while the majority of the film is spent following tangiro. He is not the emotional core of the film when one connects with ringoku and it's hard to connect with him because we don't know Rengoku. Moreover none of our heroes know him either while he did appear briefly in the series. Before the film Rengoku and tangiro never even had a single conversation in this film beyond talking in battle they have only two brief conversations and neither are particularly deep no matter how much the score swells or the voice actors give their all the climax of the film just falls flat on the upside. There are few anime out there that look better than this film that expertly combines 3D and traditional animation in a way that makes both look amazingly vivid. colors, dynamic camera movements, it's got all the things we've come to expect from youthful table animation in recent years but where the film stands apart from other youthful table works isn't its effects while the tv series focuses mainly on the water effects the film aims to do something comparable with fire. it feels powerful, otherworldly and perfect for something that's supposed to be able to destroy even the most powerful of demons. youthful table's jaw-dropping visuals alone make demon slayer the movie mugen train well worth a watch. Even if the film stumbles a bit at the climax those who enjoy the tv series will no doubt enjoy the film as it is a solid continuation of the show's main story and will no doubt be a major moment that shapes the next steps in our heroes lives however it's probably best to temper your expectations going in while it's a good film it isn't the next timeless anime classic no matter how popular it may be at the moment.