I know I said this show was going fast, but my ingrained expectation for Shonen to take hundreds of episodes to get anywhere is still getting the better of me here. Because in episode 7 Tanjiro comes face to face with the demon he’s been looking for, much to my shock.
Before we get there though, the episode begins where six left off, with Tanjiro and Nezuko battling it out against the girl abducting demon. After coming to the realisation that Nezuko can look after herself, Tanjiro tasks her with protecting the the girl who they rescued while he sinks into the ground to chase the demon down.
I continue to be impressed with the animation in the action sequences, as well as the music that goes with it. While sunk into the murky green swamp that is the demon’s realm underground, Tanjiro makes pretty short work of two of the three aspects of the Demon, using his water arts to create a vortex that shreds them to pieces.
Upon emerging from the muck, we learn that Nezuko is actually actually a pretty powerful demon, by this enemy’s standards at least. In previous episodes, it was established that Demons only get more powerful by consuming humans, and yet Nezuko has become powerful despite never consuming a soul.
I wonder if this is a Monsters Inc. type situation in which “laughter is ten times more powerful than screams”. Y’know, love is giving her more strength that murder ever could. I’m still really interested in her situation, but her penchant to fall asleep all the time to heal and conserve energy all the times makes me think the show doesn’t want to spend that much time diving into her unique situation.
Either way, Tanjiro cuts off the demons arms and questions him about Muzan Kibutsuji, the demon has a freak-out and refuses to answer, forcing Tanjiro to finish him off before saying his farewell to the surviving fiance, who realises what a crappy situation Tanjiro has had of things by the state of his hands and his sad eyes.
I really like Tanjiro, he’s a wholesome, good boy whose selfless nature makes him the perfect protagonist for the show such as this going at the pace it’s currently going. There’s a lot to be said about a simple hero sometimes over one with a ton of layers and anxieties.
Speaking of pace, before Tanjro can even turn a corner his raven lands on his shoulder and sends him off to Toyko for his next mission.
And remember before how I said this was a medieval setting, I was very wrong. Once we get into Tokyo and see the electric lights and trams going around, my guess is this is more around the turn of the 20th century. And being as country bumpkin as it gets, Tanjiro is thrown for a huge loop from sensory overload, it’s cute.
As he finally gets outside of down and orders some ramen, before he catches a whiff of something. To which he drops his food, which is tragic because it looks delicious. The scent he catches is the same one that he smelt when his family were killed, and he forges through the streets of Tokyo to realise that the scent is leading him to none other than than Muzan Kibutsuji himself.
Before a battle can ensue, Tanjiro realises Muzan is holding a little girl, and has a wife, and is apparently posing as a normal human in Tokyo. A normal human with razor sharp talons, pointed teeth and blood red eyes. But hey, he makes it work for him. He’s a dashing fella.
Tanjiro is taken aback and hesitates, but before he can make a choice one way or another, Muzan forces his hand by slashing the neck of a passerby and instantly turning him into a demon who starts indiscriminately attacking the crowd. Tanjiro has a choice to make, but being the good buy that he is, we know how this is going to play out.
Man this show is really doing it for me. The characters are great, the music is great, the art and animation is great. It’s probably my standout show this season. Although that isn’t saying much. I wonder where things are going next, considering we still haven’t met the yellow guy and the dude in the boar mask from the opening, I imagine things aren’t going to be ending during this visit to Electric Town.
A Richard Wood Text Adventure 