Demon Slayer: A review

 

(Contains spoilers!)

Demon Slayer: A Book Review

By Ceyda Urcan

    In this book review, I am talking about the popular manga demon slayer written by Koyoharu Gotoge. Demon slayer follows the journey of a kind-hearted boy named Tanjiro whose whole life flipped upside down after discovering that his whole family had been attacked and killed by a man-eating demon. His whole family except for his younger sister, Nezuko who instead became a demon herself. Despite this, Nezuko ended up retaining her human emotions after the transformation. Now, Tanjiro is on a quest to become a demon slayer and turn Nezuko back into a human. For a long time, I had been wanting to read this manga and recently, I finally got to read it. While reading this manga I have discovered so much that makes this manga absolutely amazing. This 23 volume series is jam-packed with thrilling battles, emotional trips, and amazing art. 

(Spoilers start in next paragraph)

    I want to take a deep dive into the characters of this manga, I love the level of character development shown during the span of the series. So many characters improved through their hardships to reach taller heights. The character I want to talk about more here is Tanjiro. The moment I want to talk about specifically is right after the death of Rengoku Kyojuro, a character who for some time acted as a mentor to Tanjiro. After Rengoku's death in chapter 68, Tanjiro visits Rengoku's residence per Rengoku's final wish. Tanjiro meets Senjiro, Rengoku's younger sibling as well as Rengoku's father. Rengoku's father, in a fit of rage, yells about how worthless of a son Kyojuro was and how since he was born with no talent, it's no wonder he died. Tanjiro, angered by these words stands up to his father and asks him to take back his words. Seeing this firm side of Tanjiro was not only a contrast to his normally calm demeanor but also to his somewhat meek personality at the beginning of the series. at the beginning of the series, a demon slayer almost killed Nezuko in her unstable state at the beginning of the demon transformation. Tanjiro at this time bows and begs for the demon slayer to spare his sister. The difference in mental maturity between these two scenarios is staggering and showcases the huge change Tanjiro went through in the series. 

    Something else I want to mention is the lasting impression all the characters left in this series. No sacrifice felt in vain, all of the cast in the manga played an important role and was genuinely recognized at least once during the span of the plot. I would like to again use Rengoku as an example. He played such a large role in the manga. Even though his death was actually much earlier than many of the other characters, he left such an impact that he was still mentioned in the final battle. As I stated earlier, Rengoku had temporarily acted as a mentor to Tanjiro because of the closeness they formed during that time, Tanjiro was given a possession of his after his death, his sword guard. In chapter 69, Senjuro gave Tanjiro the sword guard despite it being so personal because of the understanding and kindness Tanjiro had shown. This sword guard effectively stays on Tanjiro's demon-slaying sword all the way to the last battle. In this way, Rengoku's memory was preserved throughout the whole manga. Rengoku was always present after his death watching over all of Tanjiro's battles through the sword guard. This is only one of so many examples of characters being present throughout the whole series, persisting even after death. 

    I have nothing else to say except, I loved this manga. I felt emotionally attached to everyone involved and genuinely let out a few very rare tears. Demon Slayer is an amazing experience and proceeded to keep me engaged the whole 205 chapters of the series. I recommend Demon Slayer with the whole of my heart, it is one of the most amazing manga I have ever read, if not one of the best series I have read in general. If you like action-packed books that can also tear your heart out and rip it into a million pieces at the same time, I 100% recommend Demon Slayer. It was truly unforgettable and I am glad I got the opportunity to read it.