What makes something memorable, what makes something stand out, what makes something special? These are the questions I’d like to answer by using the climactic scene from Season 1: episode 19 of Kimetsu no Yaiba, otherwise know as Demon Slayer. Before I start bombarding you with my opinions I must warn you that this is a spoiler heavy analysis so enter at your own risk. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, if you haven’t seen the scene or don’t remember the scene that I’m talking about then go watch it here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvkpmGWlRcw .
Editor’s Notes: I am currently unable to provide the scene in question. I do apologize for this and hope that my description and images give a clear enough representation of the scene.
There’s a lot to unpack with this scene so to start I will with the out of context analysis. I’m going to break this down into three core components, Animation, Sound Effects/Soundtrack, & Flow of the Scene.
Animation
What makes something beautiful? Isn’t beauty just subjective? This just looks like a mess of bright colors and abstract shapes, but I can guarantee you that it is so much more. In my opinion animation is the best form of media due to the lack of limitations that are presented with live action films and shows. Animation is expressive, the creator can pour their heart and soul into a piece of art to make it really shine. With that being said all of the animators who worked on this anime did a phenomenal job at animating this anime. This scene in particular can go down as being one of the best animated scenes of the year if not the best animated scene of the year. These are big claims I’m making and I’ve got the opinions to back it up.
Time to stop beating around the bush. This scene is gorgeous. Why? Because I mean look at it. The fire effect absolutely illuminates the screen. All of the expressions on Tanjiro (The main character with the scar on his forehead.) showcase his drive to survive and protect his sister as he fights for his life. The excellent use of blurred lines and focus changes to convey fast action and motion. (A point I will delve deeper in when I write about the flow of the scene.) The way all of the sparks light up the the otherwise dark forest they’re currently in. Plus no part in this scene feels wasted. Every single frame was crafted into a beautiful collage of images.
With all of the Sakuga ( https://www.liveabout.com/sakuga-animation-in-anime-144807) present it even draws your eyes away from the fact that most of the forest around them is a low poly CGI render. All in all, this scene more than anything made me feel something I haven’t felt in a while. A sense of pure joy. I’ve fully completed over 100 seasons of different anime over the course of my life, I’ve seen the good and the bad, so for this scene to make feel an emotion I haven’t felt in a long while (in regards to anime) it is truly something special.
Sound Effects/Soundtrack
What can I say other than wow. Everything from the breathing technique making a clear whistling sound, to each footstep being heard, to the extremely clean sword slashes, to the crackling fire, to the threads being pulled taught. Everything is on point and is crisp. All of this is only a prelude to the song that’s playing in the background. For those of you who don’t often watch anime, when lyrics are added to the background music in a Shounen (https://www.quora.com/What-is-Shounen-anime) that generally means that something really important is going on and you need to be paying the upmost attention to what is currently happening on the screen. Not only that but the song itself is a mix of both a triumphant score mixed with a harmonious sweeping score. It’s a wave of beauty that goes perfectly with the action. Finally , when Tanjiro’s blade fully connects with the demon’s neck, you can feel all the weight and power behind his swing thanks to the wonderful sound design.
Flow of the Scene
In a short and sweet explanation, it’s frenetic and chaotic but in the good way. What do I mean by this you may ask. Well for starters as soon as the music kicks in, Tanjiro switches breathing forms and the water dragon (which is a visual metaphor for his sword style) burst into flames. This signifies a sudden burst of strength as he starts plowing through all the crimson threads that he wasn’t able to cut normally before. The scene then transitions into Tanjiro’s mad dash towards the demon that is currently holding his sister captive and heavily intent on killing Tanjiro. The camera starts showcasing many different dynamic angles and the two characters start flying around the forest. After Tanjiro goes in for the final swing the scene goes quiet, as if it needed a break from the chaotic action that had just occurred. We then get a focus shot of Nezuko bound and helpless as her mother appears in frame. After Nezuko receives a plea for help the scene just explodes. Nezuko wakes up and precedes to help her brother in an explosive display of fire and emotion. Tanjiro lands his final swing and with one clean motion the fight is over, the scene can finally catch it’s breath and we’re left with a stunning close up of Tanjiro’s face. Pure bliss for any action anime.
In Context Analysis
This is the part of the blog where I start talking about the plot significance of the scene. Tanjiro our main protagonist is up against the strongest demons he’s had to fight during his entire journey. Tanjiro is up against one of the 12 Moons ( Demons who have been given a ounce of the strongest demon in the world’s power.). Tanjiro is completely out of his league, being constantly pushed to his limit, his sword is broken and his spirit is almost broken too. Then demon he is up against launches an overwhelming attack, one that will surely kill Tanjiro, in his final moments Tanjiro’s life flashes before his eyes and he remembers a time when him and his sister were kids. He remembers a time when his frail and sickly father would muster all of his strength to do his ritualistic dance every year. This lights a fire inside of Tanjiro, he then calls upon his memories to rember the breathing technique that allowed his father to continuously dance regardless of his frail body. The fire ignites and Tanjiro can fight again, now being able to slash through the treads that originally broke his sword. Tanjiro is fiercely fighting against the demon who was once his oppressor driving it into a corner. This demon who hasn’t know defeat for countless years is getting driven back to the point of being scared. That’s when Tanjiro see’s his opening to finish the fight and he goes for the final blow. However the demon was ready with the counter attack and Tanjiro could lose his life in the process. Unknown to the both of them, Nezuko awakens exhibiting a power that a demon of her class shouldn’t have, especially considering she hasn’t consumed any humans to increase her strength. After burning all of the treads away Tanjiro is clear to land the final blow without any fear of a counter attack. Tanjiro’s blade hit’s it’s target and with a little bit of help from Nezuko, Tanjiro’s broken sword cuts clean through the demon’s neck effectively killing him.
All of this is your standard fair for a typical Shounen, so what elevates it to a level where people want to watch it, what elevates it to a level where people claim that it’s the best anime of the decade. For me and many others it’s the animation, action, and sounds that bring this to a whole other level. It is the ultimate payoff for sicking with this character through all of his hardships that he has had to endure throughout his journey. We as the audience are rewarded for giving this anime a chance in the endless sea of infinite anime. That’s what makes this important, that’s what makes people want to watch this from this scene alone. And that’s not all, even after everything Tanjiro doesn’t even kill the demon. The demon severed his own neck to save himself at the last second denying Tanjiro the victory he tried desperately to earn. This to me was one of the biggest factors for this show. It gave us all of the generic Shounen beats only to throw a curve-ball, that to me more than anything really sells this scene as a whole. Even with all of it’s beauty and significance, it was all for naught, and that is even more beautiful to me than the animation.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there is a reason this scene went viral, there’s a reason this scene was trending on Twitter (https://twitter.com/i/events/1160289263964942337?lang=en). This scene is the purist form of art and how it can influence people. Then again this is only how I feel and remember I’m just a guy with opinions.
Animation: Art in Motion 