Ever since the end of reigning titles like Naruto and Bleach, it seems like shonen anime has favored treading new ground and indulging in the wild and exciting, rather than sticking to a standard formula. Amongst new hits are series like The Promised Neverland, a dazzling dystopian thriller, Dr. STONE, a fantasy adventure that’s all about scientific inventions, and We Never Learn, a school life comedy that as sweet as it is romantic.

“ But where Demon Slayer kicks off into intriguing and fresh territory is, ironically, Tanjiro.

Amongst all of these newcomers, though, is the rather quiet and somewhat under the radar series, Kimetsu no Yaiba, or more commonly known as Demon Slayer . Now adapted by the mighty Ufotable (the studio behind the renowned Fate franchise, including Fate/Zero, Fate/Unlimited Blade Works, and the Heavens Feel movie trilogy), the series has kicked off its training wheels and entered some of the more exciting arcs. With about half its promised run left, Demon Slayer has proven itself to be a fantastic ride that lives up to the hype of its sibling Shonen Jump titles with its high production values and equally compelling story about revenge, redemption, and family.Demon Slayer focuses on young Tanjiro Kamado, a boy living in feudal Japan and whose family deals in selling coal. He lives happily with his brothers and sisters until one day, upon returning home after selling coal, he discovers that all but one of his siblings has been slaughtered by demons. Fueled by grief and rage, he runs back into the woods with his wounded younger sister, Nezuko, only for her to turn into a demon on their way to seek help. To make things worse, she’s instantly targeted by a demon slayer. With his kind heart and words, Tanjiro manages to stop the demon slayer from killing Nezuko, and prevent her from fully losing her humanity. What starts off as an incredibly bad day quickly turns into a quest for Tanjiro to become a Demon Slayer and find a way to bring his sister back to being human.This beginning premise may feel like your standard shonen demon-fighting story, and for an arc or two, Demon Slayer does seem to retread that ground. Tanjiro’s quest to turn his sister back into a human seems like a regular setup for a long journey, and Tanjiro does exhibit many of the stereotypical traits of a shonen hero: he’s lacking in skill and experience, but stubborn and determined to win. Amongst him are companions that are also dramatic in comparison, and the demons he faces, while unique in character design and powers, aren’t necessarily the most memorable. They simply serve as progress marks to help Tanjiro become stronger.There’s also Nezuko, who is incredibly refreshing as a side female protagonist. While Nezuko can speak and carries an innocent-like charm to her behavior, the series takes great steps to advocate for her agency as she helps Tanjiro in his fight against demons. It’s worth mentioning that Nezuko’s help isn’t just mere assistance - she carries her own battles and follows her brother in his quest because she wants to, not because he asks her to. Nezuko and Tanjiro’s sibling relationship is one of the most endearing parts of Demon Slayer, if not arguably its beating heart and soul; they rely on each other, look to each other for inspiration and confidence, and remind each other of humanity and what to fight for. Each moment between them is absolutely wonderful.Demon Slayer’s production values make the anime shine even brighter. Ufotable doesn’t exactly lend it the same care we see it do with the Fate series - I’ll often see replacements of 2D animation with CG when possible, which may be a sign of cutting corners - but the studio makes up for this with stunning color composite and direction. The unique character designs look great too; bold lines and expressions make Tanjiro and other characters stand out. The settings are also neatly detailed, and this plus a solid soundtrack from the iconic Yuki Kajiura (Sword Art Online, Erased) ends up creating a haunting and moving atmosphere.It’s also worth noting that the fights are surprisingly inventive. What starts off as a standard training arc quickly ramps up and diversifies into a battle of speed, deduction, and luck. As Tanjiro’s opponents become increasingly powerful, Tanjiro’s ability to discern and understand his opponents and their actions also becomes more thought out. This results in incredibly well-produced and fun battle scenes – they’re tight, intense, and bear a similar tone to that of the battles you would see from something like JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. There’s also an uncommon dash of realism to them. Demon Slayer takes no fault in allowing its protagonists to be bruised, broken, and beat up a little bit, going as far as to mention somewhat realistic healing time.All of these tiny quirks add up to become a big factor: Demon Slayer isn’t as shockingly impressive from the get-go like its Shonen Jump siblings, Dr. STONE, My Hero Academia, or The Promised Neverland. But it also is fully aware that it doesn’t have to be, to keep you hooked: it’s the small things that matter after all, and Demon Slayer has continued to succeed with its brief but powerful moments of action and human (and demon?) drama.

When not writing about Japanese cartoons, Natasha can be found on Twitter as @illegenes, talking avidly about her love for doomed relationships and complicated characters. You can also find more writing by her on Crunchyroll or on the blog, Isn’t it Electrifying