REVIEW | "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - The Movie: Infinity Castle" [PART 1]
One cannot deny the popularity of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. Whether you’re walking around the streets of Tokyo or New York City, the images of Tanjiro (Zach Aguilar), Zenitsu (Aleks Le), Inosuke (Bryce Papenbrook), and the rest of the cast can be found almost at every corner. Perhaps it’s this level of popularity — on top of the success of its Mugen Train film — that made Aniplex and ufotable decide to finish its story on the big screen. And after watching the first part of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - The Movie: Infinity Castle, it shows that they made the right bet.
The first part of Infinity Castle is split into three acts, each focusing on a Demon Slayer Corp member going head-to-head with an Upper Rank demon. Shinobu (Erika Harlacher) faces off against Rank Two Doma (Stephen Fu), who was responsible for her sister’s death. Zenitsu’s fight is against Rank Six Kaigaku (Alejandro Saab), a former senior of his. Lastly, there’s Tanjiro and Giyu’s (Johnny Yong Bosch) battle against Rank Three Akaza (Lucien Dodge), the one responsible for killing Rengoku in Mugen Train.
Clocking in well over two and a half hours, Part 1 of Infinity Castle uses its time wisely. Each fight is filled with an electric level of excitement, showing just how well ufotable has been able to mesh 2D character movements flawlessly in 3D environments. (Take note, GoHands.) The emotion that comes from these characters during these fights is also impressive, as one can easily feel the rage, the anger, and the sadness that’s welled up within the hearts and guts of the Demon Slayer Corps members.
In contrast, the level of joy and happiness that spews from the demons adds a level of terror to the villains of the story. It makes for a solid reminder that there’s a good horror element to Demon Slayer, and when it’s used properly, can make viewers’ blood run cold. I’ll admit that Doma’s reactions to Shinobu during their battle gave me chills, to the point where the climax of their fight left me silent and unable to blink. (Props to Fu’s performance, whose beaming positivity made for a terrific contrast to the carnage Doma delivers.)
Just as the main TV series shows, there’s a lot more to these demons than just being evil. While Doma’s past is still up in the air, Kaigaku’s ties to Zenitsu show how his jealousy for the latter turned him into a demon in the first place. Although it doesn’t exactly make him a sympathetic character, it goes to great lengths to give Zenitsu the oomph he needs to pull out one hell of an attack on Kaigaku. (And thank the gods we barely had to hear Zenitsu’s whiny side throughout this film!)
Akaza lays claim to the strongest back story, one that comes after a visually impressive fight against Tanjiro. Viewers will see the kind of life Akaza lived, breaking the law in order to care for his ailing father. It’s when a dojo master, Keizo (Channing Tatum, in a surprisingly solid voice performance), enters his life that he finds a bigger purpose. However, as fans of Demon Slayer have come to figure out, there’s bound to be some big tragedy around the corner, and this is no different.
Perhaps my main complaint with Infinity Castle’s first part is its pacing. The film feels like six episodes of an anime Frankenstein’d together, with very few moments to either breathe or deal with tonal changes. Where back stories begin feels like when the story should stop for the time being, in order to give fans a moment’s rest in order to prepare. Instead, due to the narrative going full speed ahead, these changes in tone may wind up giving some mental whiplash.
Having said that, it is for the best that the finale of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is given the film treatment. Even with some of its pacing issues, the beauty of the animation and the excitement that comes from the fights make it worth viewing this climax on a much larger screen. Part 1 of Infinity Castle has plenty of what fans love about Demon Slayer, be it for its complex characters or its eye-popping battles. And now the hard part: waiting for the other two parts to come out.
PART 1 RATING:
Promotional consideration provided by Sarah Jarvis of Crunchyroll. English dub version observed for review. In theaters now!
