Demon Slayer: Entertainment District Arc
Synopsis: In this part of the demon slayer the trio of Tanjirou, Zenitsu and Inosuke join the sound Hashira (elite slayer) Tengen Uzui on a mission to hunt down a powerful demon downtown.
Trailer:
Thoughts: Seeing as this is the third season it is recommended you watch the previous seasons (or at minimum the movie) as jumping into this might not make a whole lot of sense considering a big chunk of the opening one-hour special focuses on the ramifications of Rengoku’s death. Now personally, I found most of this long episode to be a slog with the first half being particular testing.
While there is a feeling of things dragging the plot does move on in the second half of the show but again much of this segment runs like the end of the original Demon Slayer anime. Yes, we get a training montage so I am not sure how gripping that will be to you. If you like some hot bods then it will deliver on that front. But that is mostly eye candy for the girls. Thankfully this bit does not last and we get introduced to what would seem the new major character that is Tengen Uzui, the latest Hashira. His entrance to the story is quite something and is pretty sure to rile you up although in which direction is the real question.
I feel reactions could be split between the boys and gals.
The ending track is not only good but serves as a preview of what to expect and based on that preview things look more promising. It looks like we will get some great fights, excellent character designs all supported by the now familiar stunning animation. Despite the slow-moving episode, I still have hope this will turn out to be a good season. This is a hunch and I could be dead wrong here (it wouldn’t be the first time) but I already have stronger liking for Tengen than Rengoku. Now Tengen is no gentleman but I felt Rengoku was a little too generic personality wise while Tengen has a swagger and charm that will make a stronger and memorable lead.
In terms of animation this episode continues to maintain the excellent production values of its predecessors. Can’t fault it in any category be it character designs, background shots or animation during the fight scenes. It is all fantastic with the little bits of action we got served. The preview piece at the end looks even better and if we get more fights and actions that follow through here then this will be another great ride. As a note I have no idea how long this arc will last but considering the timing of the first episode I am leaning towards an uncommon episode count of 16 episodes or so for the series to finish at the end of the winter season. At this moment time I rate this as a 6.5/10 but this score will likely pick up as we move into the new arc proper as this special was in essence a transitional episode.
