Culture news Demon Slayer season 4: a strong and discreet first episode! I saw it and I explain to you why you should impatiently wait for the sequel
Almost every year the animation world has to rely on Demon Slayer. The animated adaptation of Koyoharu Gotoge’s manga has been present since 2019 (except in 2022). A tradition continued in 2024 since it is the fourth season which is expected on screens around the world. This year, the Pillar Training story arc is covered. A chapter that serves as an introduction to the final saga of Demon Slayer. It premiered in cinemas around the world. I was able to see it and I’ll explain to you why I liked it.
Demon Slayer On the Road to Pillar Training: what is this film?
Since 2020, the Japanese production house Aniplex has brought the animated adaptation Demon Slayer to the big screen. A recipe that proved more than effective: the film Demon Slayer and the Infinity Train was so popular that it is today the most lucrative film at the Japanese box office. He exceeded the Chiro’s Journey by Hayao Miyazaki and Your Name by Makoto Shinkai. A success which rubs off on other adaptations which want to appropriate such a big cake. The rest of season 1 of Chainsaw Man (Reze’s arc) will be treated in the form of a film; the finale of Haikyuu (volleyball) is also divided into two feature films.
Regarding Demon Slayer, why change a winning team? If we do not return here to the criticism of the film itself (another article has already appeared on this subject), it must be emphasized that the formula is not completely identical to the 2020 film either.
This big episode of an hour and a half especially takes the time to return to the conclusion of the previous season. The spectators present were therefore entitled, in addition to the presence of the artist Milet and the voice actor Hanae Natuski, to the fifty minutes which concluded season 3 and the arc of the village of blacksmiths. Two episodes which contain high intensity scenes (action but also emotional sequences). It is therefore always with a certain apprehension that we sit down to discover the only real new episode embodied by the first episode of season 4.
Demon Slayer season 04 episode 01: why he remains strong without shining
As expected, this introduction to the narrative arc Pillar Training does not reach the tension of the episodes which precede it. Like what was done in previous seasons, this pilot serves as transitions between two very distinct narrative arcs: Tanjiro returns to the Butterfly Domain, where he can rest after a fierce fight against the fourth upper moon Hantengu. We find with a certain pleasure his comrades put aside for the duration of eleven episodes. It is above all Zenitsu which shines, notably by the work of his voice actor Hiro Shimono (Julian Loki in Blue LockConnie Springer in the attack of the Titans or even Dabi in My Hero Academia). It is he who brings humor and lightness, more than welcome and relevant, to this first episode. It is in particular his reunion with Nezuko which will more than bring a smile to the spectators’ faces.
In addition to these pleasant slice-of-life sequences, On the Road to Pillar Training Don’t forget to thrill the spectator. At the start of the episode, these are two protagonists who have been in the shadows for a long time who shone in the spotlight by showing off their slaying talents. A few moments later, suspense sets in following the differences between certain pillars. The ending allows us to wait with enthusiasm for the rest of the events.
Generally speaking, this first episode is strong while remaining discreet. It does not take advantage of the full power of ufotable for the limited combat presence. It is essentially for its original content, mostly independent of the adaptation, that it is worth a look. Content that stands out by offering some action scenes and suspense. It was also the desire to see the sequel that I retained after leaving the cinema, something that had not struck me last year with the village of Blacksmiths. See you next spring for the broadcast of season 4 of Demon Slayer and his bow Pillar Training.