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Mugen Train & Entertainment District Catch-Up
712 Plays4 years ago
Zuhair, J Scotty and returning guest Andrew, revisit the celebrated anime series Demon Slayer to fill in the gaps between the Mugen Train and Entertainment District story arcs! (Apologies for the delay on this episode and for any audio discrepancies - I lost my laptop I normally edit and record from- J Scotty)
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Transcript
Introduction to 2022 and Demon Slayer
00:00:00
Speaker
On another edition of Animation Deliberation, it's our first episode of 2022, and we're starting things off with one of the most celebrated new enemies out there, Demon Slayer. We're calling this our Demon Slayer Arc Bridge as the show kind of transitions from the first season and the Mugen Train story onto the Entertainment District. So we are covering the first episode of the Mugen Train Arc, as well as the first episode, the Entertainment District Arc. We're going to get right back into that. After some ads, we have no say over whatsoever.
00:00:31
Speaker
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00:00:46
Speaker
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Hosts and Anime Enthusiasm
00:01:18
Speaker
Sing along if you know the words. One, two, three, it's time for animation deliberation. A conversation and a celebration of our favorite action animated series. Yeah.
00:01:34
Speaker
Okay, folks, welcome back to Animation Deliberation, the podcast that takes action animation and cartoons seriously, but not too seriously. I'm your host, Jay Scottie St. Clair, and we've got the same team that we had for our final episode of 2021, and it's a great team. It's me, as well as Zuhair Ali and Andrew Rogers.
00:01:54
Speaker
Fellas, what's going on? Zuhar, you go first since I introduced you both at the same time. I'm doing good, excited to finally start off doing some more of the anime stuff. We had a fun time in 2021, so keep the hype train going and excited that we get to do the first episode on your birthday. That's right, that's right. I'm an old man now.
00:02:15
Speaker
No such thing. You're a kid at heart. It's animation. For sure, for sure.
Mugen Train Movie and Episodic Transition
00:02:20
Speaker
But we do know that animation is not for kids. And that person on the other side of the mic is a person I'm excited to have. Back a little more regularly is Mr. Andrew Rogers. Good to have you here again. I feel like I say it every time, but great to be here. And I am so excited because this show is just everything that I could want. So I want to hear what you guys have to say about it too, because we need more anime and more Demon Slayer.
00:02:46
Speaker
Definitely, definitely. Now, Animation Deliberation had done some Demon Slayer coverage in the past, but this is the first episode that I actually get to participate in. So, Zuhar, I'll let you kind of take the reins a little bit more so than other episodes, because you're better at pronouncing a lot of these names, and you're the one that introduced me to the show. But why don't you kind of remind the listeners as well as us what was covered previously. So,
00:03:13
Speaker
When we recorded last time on this, it was specifically on the Mugen Train movie because it was new to theaters and I was giddy and just really needed to talk about it. The movie is actually the reason that I started watching the show because my friend was like, hey, the movie is going to be in theaters, catch up, that's your homework. So I had like a month to just binge it and then go in. And I'm so happy that I did because it's one of those shows that's just like truly incredible. Oh, yeah. There's just so many anime out there and you never know like which ones
00:03:43
Speaker
like really going to dig in and get you hooked. And this is definitely like the latest phenomena.
Storytelling and Emotional Impact of Demon Slayer
00:03:49
Speaker
Like I would put it on my route, Trushmore. Wow. My Mount Rushmore of animes. So we specifically covered the movie. Fantastic movie. I've watched it more times than I can count. I think I saw it like four times in theaters. So what we're doing right now is just
00:04:12
Speaker
For some reason, there's a trend that they take the movie and they turn it into episodes. Dragon Ball did this as well. Uh, but the first episode of the Mugen train arc was not in the movie. And it was really important information, uh, kind of setting up the character of Kyojiro Van Goku. So it was nice being able to see a little more of him, uh, after
00:04:38
Speaker
spoiler, finding out his demise. And then the first episode of the entertainment district kind of wraps up his story and we get to see Tanjiro interact with his family, find out more about him for find out more about his unknown style and how he got his abilities from his family from the dance. So there was a lot of interesting things. It was a lot of stuff that added more to what was already a beautiful movie.
Community Engagement and Listener Feedback
00:05:07
Speaker
Yeah, for sure, for sure. And I'll be excited to get...
00:05:11
Speaker
into that and discuss our favorite parts, most poignant moments, some of the most heartbreaking moments that we experienced, because it is such a beautiful show. But thank you for providing all that context, because that will, you know, I think kind of save the people that are itching to get right into the Demon Slayer coverage. But before we do that, let's do a little bit of housekeeping. Let's tackle some of the leftover Young Justice coverage we have, or excuse me, Young Justice feedback we have, as well as just one of the more heartwarming messages that kind of
00:05:40
Speaker
speaks to the podcast and the network as a whole, especially in these trying times we've been, all of us have been going through lately. Yeah. So we'll do the first Young Justice email feedback that we got from Jack George. Yeah.
00:06:00
Speaker
Hey guys, my name is Jack, love the pod, so happy I found this and the MCU cast. Been listening to both for a few months now. As a black man living in Kansas City, it's hard to find my people when it comes to this type of content and I'm grateful for you all. Love the feedback episodes, love how you all bounce ideas off each other, love that you all allow each other to have crazy theories without judgment. This episode was great bro, I have so much to say and I'm trying to gather my thoughts. First of all, Mary.
00:06:30
Speaker
Super scary when she took everyone's powers during battle. At first I thought she was doing it without noticing, and that wasn't settling. But to learn after that battle, that not only did she know she was taking their magic, but she was unapologetic. Super creepy, dog. And was that granny goodness talking to her in the mid-credit scene? What the fuck does she got to do with this? Ah, it was so good, man. Second, our girl Zatanna.
00:06:59
Speaker
I don't know how to feel. Has this been her plan since she took on students to have them get good enough to impress Nobu so that he would agree to the arrangement? If so, that's kind of wrong, but I would be trying to figure out how to free my dad if I were her too. And I love how she just had to touch the bus. Been seeing this thing for 10 years. What have you, excuse me, been seeing this thing for 10 years. What have you went through?
00:07:28
Speaker
Also, the Connor of it all. Great episode, man. Sorry if this was lengthy. Love you guys. Good stuff. I'm glad that Jack found the show because he sounds like, as Andrew has coined the term for our listeners, which I really like, animation enthusiast. And with that feedback, it sounds like we did exactly what I hope to do. And that's taking it seriously, but not too seriously. Having those conversations and taking
00:07:57
Speaker
stories and the dialogue and the animation and examining it with a real fine comb or lens. I'm struggling with my words here, but bear with me. But then also, you know, he mentions the crazy speculation and the theories and just having fun with it. So it makes me really proud to be a part of the show.
Audience Participation and Podcast Impact
00:08:17
Speaker
And, you know, coming off of 50 episodes, it's kind of the perfect feedback to receive.
00:08:23
Speaker
Yeah, the genuine reactions are beautiful. I just love, you know, we get to read this stuff off, but there's only so much that we get to see how much people feel about it and feel those, you know, inflections of voices and stuff. So these just truly emotional emails are just very exciting to read.
00:08:40
Speaker
I can relate with you 100% and like trying to find your crowd. That's one of the coolest things about the Stranded Panda Network is you never, you never feel lost. You never feel like there's nobody to talk to you about all this nerdy stuff because it really does help us get through our day to day lives and to have something like these podcasts and this network to be able to vent all that stuff out and know that there's more people that are out there like you. Yeah, I'm glad that we were able to do that for you.
00:09:08
Speaker
Yeah, you guys have really created something good. I mean, I still only consider myself a listener as much as I know. I'm kind of a little bit more than that at this point with how much I've been here, but I always call it what you.
00:09:26
Speaker
But I mean yeah, that's what I was before all of this I didn't know you two prior to however many months ago And I was a listener and you guys just brought me into the fold because it was such a comfortable place to talk and meet people So yet you guys have done a great job in this network is really good to help find these people Yeah, it's always nice to know that we're helping someone somewhere Agreed agreed and then Jack mentioned the fact that like some of these characters have been experiencing these
00:09:55
Speaker
these trials and tribulations for the better part of 10 years. But that also makes me think about the audience that have been watching the show, like YouTube specifically. I didn't start watching until later on, but you guys have been watching it from the very beginning, which kind of makes me think of that two calls, two calls to action that we have to make mention of it. The first is that hashtag renew young justice, because it's still not a guaranteed thing. So let's not rest on our laurels. But then it also makes me think of the other call to action that we put out there.
00:10:22
Speaker
And Andrew, I'll kind of let you speak to this, but just that whole coming to the end of 2021, going into 2022, kind of the best of 2021 and expectations for 2022 in terms of the best animated moments. So you put that call to action out there on the Instagram, correct?
00:10:42
Speaker
Yep, that's on our Instagram. If you click on the story highlights, which is a little circle right on the Instagram profile page, I found out you can't actually put text in the box anymore now that it's been more than 24 hours. But there should be a little place where you can DM us right at the bottom of that. So once you see the question, hit the DM button, it'll go through the DMS and then go right over where I
Marvel and Young Justice Discussions
00:11:03
Speaker
can see it.
00:11:03
Speaker
see what has been said we've got a ton of people that have responded and just to you know it's been over a couple weeks i'm just a call out a couple we had john cohen ellen pratt kyron cals christine i just throw your guys names out there we have heard you we have read your stuff and you know we will be talking about it at some point i don't want you to feel like you wrote in and then it
00:11:26
Speaker
You know, isn't going to go anywhere. We will talk about it at some point, but we still want to give you guys a chance to give your feedback of the best of 2021 into 2022. Tell us whatever you want. We want your episode ideas. Someone gave us an awesome idea of talking about the most powerful young justice characters and each coming up with a ranking list.
00:11:43
Speaker
you know, random things like that, that you guys might want us to talk about or shows specifically, whether they're coming out new or old, Zuhar has talked plenty about Earth's Mightiest Heroes. So that might be coming at some time in the future, despite that being like a five or 10 year old show. So anything you guys want to see, let us know, give us that feedback. We'd love to hear it.
00:12:03
Speaker
Yeah, there's gonna be a little bit of a Marvel drought. So I've already let Zuhair know that Earth's Mightiest Heroes is a priority for me. As much as, don't get me wrong, Young Justice is...
00:12:16
Speaker
I'm dicing my words here. Young Justice is like the definitive, I think, comic book adaptation show nowadays, but Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Marvel gets a lot of flack for their failings in the animated realm. But I think between What If and Earth's Mightiest Heroes, if you're a Marvel, quote unquote, Marvel zombie, there's something there for you. So we'll definitely look forward to covering that.
00:12:42
Speaker
And then just kind of off the top of my head, not that we don't have enough prompts out there, but yeah, I love the idea for episode suggestion just kind of off the top of my head, talking about the most powerful members or whatnot. Like if you were to assemble your own team, if you were Nightwing or whichever hero you want, I'd be curious to hear what kind of team you would assemble. Would it be one of those more sabotage or espionage based teams? Or would you go with a bunch of heavy hitters that are loud mouths and just
00:13:07
Speaker
you know, bust down the doors and announce themselves. I'd be curious to hear what people think.
00:13:14
Speaker
Yeah, one more on what people think. I wanted to give a quick shout out to Brian Colinowski. Oh, yes. Yeah, excuse
Acknowledging Healthcare Workers
00:13:23
Speaker
me. I forgot about that other piece of feedback. Sorry. Yeah. Yeah, I wanted to give a shout out to Brian Colinowski. He wrote in to the MCU cast, but kind of, you know, spread this message to all the stranded Panda hosts. He is a, excuse me, just want to make sure I don't butcher this. He is an infection control nurse. So he has been
00:13:44
Speaker
very busy dealing with the pandemic. His wife is a health care worker as well, and was basically extending his thanks to us, you know, just kind of providing content and stuff so that he could kind of have the escape from I guess the hell that he's working in. Sure. You know, it's very tough circumstances. It's one that all of us collectively want to end. So, you know, Brian, thank you for everything that you do.
00:14:13
Speaker
Uh, thank you for that very long and emotional email that you sent us. It really means a lot to us. You know, for us, this is, uh, just a passionate hobby, but just knowing that we could have that effect on people and give somebody something to get away from, uh, all their stuff, you know, it, it means a lot to us. It gives us more. It gives us more drive to do better and be better and provide the content that everybody wants. Cause I know like being in a movie theater is my happy place sitting and binging anime is my happy place. It keeps me away from.
00:14:43
Speaker
you know, all the stuff that's laying me down. So, you know, thank you for just kind of reaffirming that we're providing what is helping out.
00:14:53
Speaker
Yes.
Demon Slayer's Tonal Shifts and Character Development
00:14:55
Speaker
And just a thank you to all of those out there that are the first responders, the frontline workers, the teachers, everyone who's out there that's listening, thank you for, you know, helping us through this. And also thank you all for being our listeners. I'm sure most of you are probably in the car either on your way to work or on your way home. Thank you for doing whatever you do and listening to us, you know, in the process. Couldn't have said it better myself. Better myself.
00:15:22
Speaker
All right. Are we talking about blood sucking demons now? I was going to say, have we kept the people waiting long enough? Well, it was getting emotional at all of this talk that we just did. Now I'm getting it re emotional and everything that just happened to demon slayers. Well, we got to get a few laughs on there too, to match the tone of the show. We were kind of talking off air and just before we get into the nitty gritty of one of my favorite things about the show.
00:15:44
Speaker
is that it toes this line between being so tragic and so poignant and so beautiful and then within seconds you can just be laughing your ass off just because the characters have the goofiest expressions on their face and they're just doing the most ass line things, but it's great. I love the show so much. When it's funny, it is funny. Oh, yes.
00:16:08
Speaker
All right. So we've got two episodes to discuss. We kind of, you know, let the people know it's the first episode of the Mugen train arc, which is the flame Hashira. It's all about. Does your hair say this name for me again? Cause I've got Rin, Rin Goku, but, uh, the first name is a little bit more difficult for me to pronounce Kirojuro. Kiojuro. Yep. Okay. Cool. So this is kind of the first one that we spend any kind of significant time away from.
00:16:38
Speaker
Number one, our lead, Tanjiro, as well as the secondary leads there, Zenitsu and Inosuke. You said that you watched the arcs. Did you watch this before you saw Mugen Train? Or had you seen the movie before you saw this episode? Oh, so I still have not seen the movie. So I was hoping through this conversation we could maybe discuss whatever differences there are.
00:17:05
Speaker
Oh, this one episode was the only difference. Okay. So it's beat for beat as the movie goes. Okay. I wondered if there was more context in the movie or vice versa, what have you. Okay. Yeah. So yeah, I watched the rest of the arc. So I've essentially, okay, good. How does both a little worried there for, I won't lie. I was like, man, I just told you the ending, like at the beginning of this episode. Yeah. So, uh, unfortunately we do know that, uh,
00:17:32
Speaker
Renguku bites the bullet at the end of this arc, but just getting to spend a little bit more time with him, learn a little bit more about his personality, what makes him tick was really nice and makes the sacrifice at the end that
Introduction of Kyojiro and Historical Context
00:17:48
Speaker
much more heartfelt for me. Yeah, the only bit of him that we really got to see before, this is during Tanjiro's trials, and that's when we got to see all the Hashiro for the first time.
00:17:59
Speaker
So we got a little bit of their personalities, but not didn't get really the opportunity to dwell into like who they are and you know what they fight for what kind of people are there and this and that so for them to have that episode that really broke down like who he was like I was reading some
00:18:16
Speaker
recaps because I didn't get an opportunity to watch the episode again right before recording and it was just talking about how like he had the opportunity to just eavesdrop and then go about on his mission but he was a type of person that went out of his way to make sure that people knew that they were taking care of that somebody was watching over that somebody was there to help him so his devotion to his job and everything like being able to reiterate that even more was just a Phenomenal thing even though it was just so small in this little 20-minute episode
00:18:47
Speaker
Yeah, it really helped to flesh out the character to get stuff like that. But I personally really liked having it kind of after the fact, because there was this air of mystery watching the film, you know, not knowing who this character was. He was just on the train in that last episode and you're like, wait, there's a Hashira there? What's going on here? And all the wheels were kind of turning prior to the movie.
00:19:07
Speaker
And then you get extraordinarily endeared to him throughout that film to the point that at the end, again, with his untimely death, you are basically sobbing in the theater, because it was just so heartfelt. But I was, I did want to get your opinion on some things, Jay Scottie, seeing that you got this context of him before and then proceeded to watch the arc that we're all kind of getting it retrospectively. Sure, sure.
00:19:31
Speaker
Did you have a moment, and I thought of this one specifically, when he walked up to the girl and the grandmother at the stand and he just... Fuku and her grandmother. When he was just larger than life and just kind of got right up to him and was like, excuse me, have you seen a demon?
00:19:50
Speaker
Were you a little taken aback at his brashness and how over the top he was? Because I loved that moment, because I knew who he was watching him do everything that he did in the arc. But I wanted to know, did you think, whoa, who is this guy? What is his deal? Well, yeah, I think the I think the two other characters reactions his kind of was it this suku go, or I guess he doesn't actually have his own suku go. So I guess this was just one of the lower
00:20:19
Speaker
lower ranks of the demon core as well as his katsugi crow. They're just like, whoa, you cannot be that forward. What are you doing here? But yeah, it's just, it does. It tells you everything you need to know about him right then and there. And he's larger than life. Even before that, he's just like, the moon is spectacular tonight, isn't it? And just everything about him, he's got so much, I love the word gusto. Someone described him as having gusto for food, but I feel like he just has gusto for life.
00:20:47
Speaker
Yeah, it's just awesome that he has this air of confidence. He's a very, as one of his fellow Hashira described him as very flamboyant, which is fitting being the flame Hashira, but he reminds me a lot of another anime character, especially with his love for food, and that's Goku. But I notice instead of just warfing everything down like Goku does, he eats one bite at a time and actually savors every single bite would do.
00:21:13
Speaker
So I did like learning that the episodes followed the movie for beat because we know when Tanjiro and the rest meet him for the first time. He just keeps saying delicious over and over again. They're like, yeah, you made that clear. And it's even funnier to think that's your first introduction to him in the movie. If you hadn't seen this episode, that's just what is going on.
00:21:35
Speaker
Can I also just say, and this goes for animation across the board, not just anime, what is it with anime food that just looks like the best food you will ever eat? Because those noodles, I wanted I wanted every bite. Oh, yeah. Like, it all looked so good. I mean, there's a couple of places here that have a good bento box specials for lunch. And like, I understand the hype now. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Like, if you go to the right sushi place that has the right options for bento box. Oh, it's so good.
00:22:05
Speaker
What's it like not living in the middle of nowhere? It's like living right by an ocean. Well, while we're on the subject of food, I don't want to take the focus away from Kurojiro too much. I did notice with Fuku and her grandmother, one detail that kind of stuck out to me that I think helped give a little context about, I mean, obviously, things are very fantasy based and not
00:22:33
Speaker
based on the real world per se, but I feel like they do try to ground it where they can. The grandmother had a recipe book that also said how to cook like Western food. So that made me think that this is very much taking place in that time period where Eastern culture and Western civilization really started to meld and that melting pot started to exist. And so while they had thrived on making the bento for so long,
00:22:54
Speaker
It seemed like there was an interest or for the sake of the business, having to learn other types of food to satisfy a changing customer
Breathing Techniques and Power Levels in Demon Slayer
00:23:04
Speaker
base. Did you guys extrapolate anything there? I didn't notice it right off the bat, but you mentioned it.
00:23:11
Speaker
You know, it is a time where people are still dressing very culturally. And this is, you know, our characters have never seen cities before, they've never even seen a train before. So the fact that there is a railway kind of says that it connects to more populated areas, meaning that there are shipyards and people actually coming in and out of the country a lot more. So those people could be coming to the countryside a bit more often.
00:23:41
Speaker
Or there could be people from this countryside who are going out to work and then coming back and wanting something more from the bigger city. So yeah, I could see that cultural transition, very industrial period. Yeah, yeah, definitely. Yeah, I kind of didn't think anything of it. I was wondering why they showed the book. So I'm glad you brought it up and kind of gave me a reason to think a little more about why that would have been there. Yeah.
00:24:06
Speaker
because I think back on like the first season and it's been a little bit since I've seen it, but I think I felt like large portions of it, like it really could have been set like any time during feudal Japan. Obviously Tanjiro and his family were looking for charcoal, but I don't
00:24:22
Speaker
I'm not as too much of a history buff, at least in that part of the world, to know when exactly that started. But just the lack of technology and the fact that our characters were spending so much time in remote locations, it was really kind of hard to get a feel for what time period it was. But now I feel like it's much more established. It's kind of akin to another one of my favorite animes, full metal alchemists that exist in a very similar time period, I feel.
00:24:46
Speaker
I mean, what's that thing where it's like there was a 20-year period where a samurai could have sent a telegram to Abraham Lincoln or something like that? Oh, yeah. Yeah, that is a crazy thing, isn't it? Yeah, you kind of forget how long feudal Japan really was a thing. They didn't have huge changes in culture like we like to think about in the last…
00:25:05
Speaker
hundred or so years, they just had this culture that existed and was grounded in Japan for a very, very long time. So it really could have been anywhere in that window, like you said, but now we have some insight, I suppose. Yeah, makes me think last samurai. Yeah, for sure.
00:25:24
Speaker
Swords and bow and arrows versus machine guns. Yep. Very much a clashing of technology as well as ideals. So yeah, I dig it. Do you think we'll get a demon slayer with a gun at some point? I wouldn't rule it out. Or maybe even a... A demon with a gun? Yeah, that'd be kind of cool to see a demon that's like melded with... We already saw it in Moog and Train with...
00:25:48
Speaker
You're going to have to help me with this character's name again. The dream demon that was part of the- Enmu. Enmu. Yeah, okay. Yeah, we already kind of saw it there, so that would be kind of cool if you saw like a gun-based demon. I'd be down for it. Yeah. But getting back to the Flame Hashira,
00:26:10
Speaker
Outside of the introduction with Fuku and her grandmother there, again, I go back to that restaurant scene where you had the lower ranked member kind of join him. And it just shows kind of his humility as well. He's willing to sit there and share a meal, actually, and pay for this other Demon Slayer's meal. And that Demon Slayer seemed taken aback by it. And he's like, are you sure this is okay for me to be sitting here and just conversing with you? You're like, you're Ashira. But he has just this approachability and
00:26:40
Speaker
just likability that again makes his ultimate sacrifice that much more poignant. So it was a great introduction to the character.
00:26:48
Speaker
Yeah, and it was more like we kind of got a little bit of in the movie that he talked about. He didn't specifically say, yes, Nezuko should stay or no, she shouldn't when they were talking to the Hashira, because he's just a very neutral go with the flow. I want people to enjoy what they can kind of a person. So this was just continuing to hammer that idea in there of I'm going to help who I can.
00:27:10
Speaker
And i'm going to be the best that i can but you know why should i be this higher than everyone else kind of a person no i'm just there to keep people safe.
Emotional Depth and Character Growth
00:27:22
Speaker
Yeah, because the guy who heads the demon slayer core, Kaguya, Ubuyashiki, you know, they run Goku is basically disrespecting what he said. He was like, was my boss told me to do? That's what I roll with. But you're a demon slayer, my responsibility, and you're on a job with me. So let's get to work.
00:27:44
Speaker
Yeah. But we know by the end of Mugen train, he actually, I can't remember if it's in his dying breaths, but I believe so. He tells Tanjiro, like, I saw your sister protect humans and anyone that does that. Yes. Yeah. I believe you and I believe your sister, which was huge. You know, he really is that big bro. Hopefully the crow was listening to all that and conveyed it to the rest of the Hashira who were ready to kill her on site.
00:28:16
Speaker
All the more reason to love him, just all those little moments of just hammering away that he's such a good person. I guess the main purpose as far as his mission goes before he boards the Mugen train is he's doing a little bit of investigation work. We know he saved a woman from the slasher demon the night before.
00:28:38
Speaker
And they kind of, that's what he's catching up with, with that lower ranking member of the Demon Slayer Corps while he's sharing that meal. And he kind of touches base with the restaurant owner, you know, people are scared to go out after night because of this slasher demon. And the Mugen train has been, you know, decommissioned and is being worked on and whatnot. But from there,
00:28:59
Speaker
it basically is him finding out where the Mugen train is being stored. And that provided another great moment where he's pretending to be the bento vendor. And when he learns from the conductor there that the train is being stored elsewhere, and he's like, hey, it's actually at this other facility. It's right there. And he's like, oh, well, that's where I need to go. That's time to get off. And he's like, what do you mean get off? And he just jumps right off the train. Man of action. I love it.
00:29:26
Speaker
Can we just talk about how weirdly smart that was though? Like for him to be this larger than life, you know, boisterous person, you wouldn't expect them to be sneaky. So he's like, Oh, I'm going to do a thing where it's my job to be larger than life and boisterous and pretend I'm a bento salesman and go to all these people and be like, Oh, I'm selling bento or I'm delivering this to you. Like when he actually gets to the facility there, like it worked way too well for someone who should not be sneaky and secretive whatsoever. Right.
00:29:55
Speaker
Yeah, the guy's got very blonde hair with red tips. His eyebrows are pretty funky. And he's just got the, I love his eyes. He's got the yellow and red irises.
00:30:08
Speaker
Just give him a lot of personality and a lot of intensity. Yeah, and I don't know many people that wear a coat that has flames on the bottom. That too. That too. Except for Hokages. Except for Hokages. There you go. There you go. There you go. But with that in mind, he bears a striking resemblance to pretty much every other member of his family. His father, he actually gets mistaken for his father at the end of the episode there.
00:30:33
Speaker
And his younger brother, Syndra, looks just like him as well. I just realized how similar all their names are. Syndra, Kyogiro, and... Syndra. Is that his dad, Syndra? I was trying to pay attention to that. That must have been somewhere in the middle of the arc. And that makes me wonder, you know, we'll get into this a little bit more in the first episode of the Entertainment District arc, as to the connection between all of the stylizations of...
00:31:03
Speaker
breathing, but is Tanjiro somehow related or an ancestor or there was some deviation in family path? Just because Tanjiro, Kirjiro, Senjiro, all are still very similar names as you're talking about that family specifically being similar. Is Tanjiro also part of that lineage in some way we're going to find out more about?
00:31:29
Speaker
I feel like that one may just be a coincidence. That could be a coincidence, but that's what I'm going with. Yeah. I kind of know where you're going with it, Andrew, in terms of a certain type of breathing that we'll get into later on that the rest of the breathing techniques are kind of derivative of that we find out about. But yeah. Well, speaking of breathing techniques.
00:31:49
Speaker
It's fascinating because during the movie itself, we already have total concentration that we've had from the first season. And then we're learning throughout the movie about how your breathing can affect your healing. And then Kyojiro uses his breathing to be stupid fast.
00:32:10
Speaker
Like that one demon thought he could run away is just just flame going down the tracks. That looks so cool. Yeah. Not to get into entertainment district, but there's like a recovery breathing too. So it's like, it's cool that we're not only looking at the elemental part of it, but how like each person and any range of demons layer can learn these breathing techniques to have, um, a better fighting style.
00:32:37
Speaker
Yeah, and that was one thing coming out of season one, I felt like I was very confused on was this whole what's the water breathing? How does it work? What are the forms like you you slowly were picking it up episode by episode. So I'm glad they're not just done with that. And they're continuing to explain and expand upon what the powers are within all of that.
00:32:58
Speaker
It's like, hey, y'all are still noobs. There's a lot to learn. Yeah. And I love the way they kind of set up the final confrontation between Kirojiro and the speed demon there, because he was always catching up to this demon. And the demon was always kind of surprised. But when they have their final showdown there, he says, let's see who's the fastest. He's like, I don't need to do that. I don't already know that you are.
00:33:23
Speaker
beheads him and then says slow and the other thing that stood out to me correct me if I'm wrong but he announced the technique that he used after it was completed and I picked up on the fact that it was called unknowing fire so I wondered if that was part of the surprise element it's like an attack you don't even know until after the fact and this guy's beheaded so he was never gonna hear it but
00:33:44
Speaker
that is interesting because I think almost any other time any of the demon slayers use a technique they say it in the middle of or before so is this an insinuation that he is so fast that he can say it after or is it just part of it that like you said it's a secret from everyone else so you have to say it after the fact I don't know about that because like before I got on I was watching his fight with Akaza because it's just
00:34:11
Speaker
some of the best choreography I've ever seen in my life and like he used unknowing fire when he was it was almost like a jab out so I think they just name it just to sound cool but I'm not sure if it is much I mean I guess it could be like a surprise defense in that context but I think they were just going with fancy names more than like
00:34:32
Speaker
intent of that? I don't know. Yeah. And it's also possibly just that, you know, this is adapted from a manga. It could be you turn the page and it says the, you know, name of the form in this case. So they said, Ooh, let's stylize it so that he says it after the head comes off or something along those lines. It could very well just be a style choice. It could totally be for the cool factor, which is fine for me. It was a pretty cool moment. So I'll take it.
00:34:57
Speaker
Yeah. And honestly, that fight stands out to me in the fact of it showed you the power of Kyoduro, that this is some lower level demon. This is not anything that is a 12 kizuki or upper six. This is just some regular demon that may have killed, you know, three to four people at some point. So he should be able to dispose of it this quickly.
00:35:23
Speaker
And the fact that they didn't give him some slightly drawn out fight, they said, no, he's just gonna go for the head. And that's the end of that was a perfect representation because I know, Zuhair, you'll probably agree on this one, a big anime trope or fall is gaps in power that you'll often go from like one season to the next. And oh, suddenly that enemy we couldn't fight before is now super easy to fight.
00:35:46
Speaker
Then they didn't do that. They said, no, he should be able to fight this demon easily so he will just go for the head. And that's the end of that. We don't have to have a fight scene in this episode because there wouldn't be one.
00:36:04
Speaker
When it comes to story building and stuff like this, you need to set an action standard. So for this one, just for the movie alone, if we take out this first episode, there's two demons that show up.
Muzan's New Form and Blue Spider Lily Goals
00:36:20
Speaker
Kyojiro handles both of them, one of them while saving somebody. So there's the standard, the everyday demon that Tanjiro and Inusuke and Zenitsu were freaking out about, he was able to handle. So it's like, there's the bar.
00:36:32
Speaker
And then that's kind of what sets the standard for Entertainment District is that when he has to fight Akaza and doesn't make it, that set the standard of where the upper three are like, where we've seen people who were like just below the 12 and like how
00:36:53
Speaker
Tanjiro struggled with them or how he wasn't able to do it himself like the spider people sure spider family like the Hashira had to step in for that. Oh, yeah Well, there's there really are setting a bar of like this is Hashira material and this is you know, anybody below that and they went through the rankings After they got off of the mountain But they haven't really like dwelled on it much since then like they hit it a little bit in one of the entertainment district episodes So I like that they're actually bringing that back. It's like at this standard like this is what you're capable of and
00:37:23
Speaker
Yeah, and without spoiling anything to come in the entertainment district, we see some character growth with what's going on. And it's because there's a gap in time between everything we're talking about now and everything we talk about in the next episode. I think it's like four months. So they're continuing to, like you said, set that bar at the point of the episode. And hey, time has passed. Now we can set a new bar, see what else is happening. So they're very consistent, which is rare to find.
00:37:53
Speaker
fight demon kind of shows like this. Yeah, yeah. So I guess I guess wrapping up this first episode, I kind of want to know what both of y'all thoughts of the movie as a whole was before stepping into this other episode that kind of wraps the story up, which also this movie has been out since April 23 2021, and has made $500 million.
00:38:18
Speaker
Yes, it broke a number of records. I remember like it was the highest grossing anime movie in Japan, highest grossing anime movie outside of Japan, highest grossing animated film of the year. I mean, it was the first film I saw post the 2020 era of theaters being closed. This was the first movie that I could go and see in a theater. And the theme song from the Demon Slayer
00:38:47
Speaker
initial season was part of the closing ceremony for the Olympics. So very awesome for Lisa. Dang, that's super cool. Before I give my thoughts on the episode, there was one little final thing I wanted to mention about this episode. We were just kind of making the comparisons about, you know, a Hashura versus a lower level demon and what have you. But I do think that Kiroguro made one mistake and that's kind of given his passion and his gusto.
00:39:16
Speaker
He is so offended when the demon smashes the box of bento. He's like, that was made by people that I know and would love and I can't let that slide. And he's like, that kind of puts those people in danger in the first place. And he's obviously able to take care of it and they don't get hurt. But just kind of having that reaction, I felt showed a little bit of, you know, maybe where he has some shortcomings.
00:39:41
Speaker
As all humans do. Of course, of course. That's just the raw emotion, I think, at that point, of he couldn't contain it because he cared for people that he literally just met.
Team Dynamics and Character Partnerships
00:39:51
Speaker
So it's hard to fault someone for being a softie.
00:39:53
Speaker
Yeah, that was his uh, that was his Thor not going for the head moment. Yeah, I like it. Yes, it's a good comparison for sure. Yeah. Well, they don't want to find. Yeah, as far as the movie goes, I absolutely loved it. It did everything that the anime does. So you get the tragic backstory, you get to see
00:40:15
Speaker
Tanjiro's family and just I can't help but like harp on the fact that he kept like slicing his own neck to wake up from the dream and just the willpower that it takes to be able to achieve something like that and we get to see Zenetsu and Inosuke's dreams and they're a little bit more comical which is which is fitting so you get you know the full rounded experience there but
00:40:38
Speaker
Inosuke is one of my favorite characters so I love that at the end it was as it often has been it's Tanjiro and Inosuke trying to you know achieve a certain goal there and they both have their strengths and where Tanjiro is constantly able to kind of help direct
00:40:56
Speaker
in Otsuke a little bit, I did appreciate the fact that it was Otsuke that saved him from slitting his own throat. That was just great character development. It's great to see that partnership actually be mutually beneficial. Outside of that, I thought, you know,
00:41:10
Speaker
It was beautifully rendered. I love the sweeping shots from outside the train, getting some of that three dimension to the train traveling across the landscape and just the action that took place inside the train with Nezuko and Zenetsu, as well as on top of the train with our other characters. I was surprised by how
00:41:30
Speaker
quickly Inmu was taken out, given that you thought he was going to be the ultimate obstacle there, but it set up Akaza perfectly to be that next level threat and actually give Rin Goku a real challenge. Yeah, I mean, if I could, I would say 11 out of 10.
00:41:56
Speaker
I had toured this movie when I saw it in theater. It was everything that Jay Scottie just explained and more like I didn't expect to be as emotional as it was. I was like, okay, we're gonna fight the demon. I didn't expect us to go through the backstory with his family and just get you even closer to these characters and we already was or already were rather.
00:42:17
Speaker
I thought it was just phenomenal in every way, like you said, Jay Scottie. And I'll say, seeing it actually all in one shot, I don't know if it kind of ruined it for you being that it was broken up into episodes. You knew there was more coming. I thought that fight with Enmoo was it. I was like, OK, they did it. They defeated the demon. Oh, no, the train went off the tracks. That's fine. I was like, OK, I'm cleaning up the popcorn. Let's get out of the theater. I was completely blindsided.
00:42:45
Speaker
by Akaza's appearance. And then that subsequent fight was just continuous surprise, surprise, surprise, because I never thought the next thing was going to happen. So they wrote it perfectly. They animated it perfectly. It was one of the most beautiful anime fights I think I've ever seen. And it was just so emotional. And then all of that stuff with Tanjiro at the end throwing his sword at the demon, calling him out for being weak.
00:43:11
Speaker
And, you know, only fighting at night, all of that was so powerful that it really put into perspective what this world was really building toward the power that they were going to have to deal with the emotion running between all of them. It was everything I could have ever dreamed. I will watch it again anytime. So yeah.
00:43:35
Speaker
I mean, that's kind of the perfect transition into the first episode of the Entertainment District, because one of the major things that they are dealing with is the loss of Rinboku. Like, they're on their like three, four month recovery period right now. And that's another big thing that I appreciate about the show is that it's not like they have an injury and they're okay, like in a week.
00:43:56
Speaker
Like they have broken ribs and concussions and, you know, sore legs and stuff like that. And they actually address things like that. We've had arcs where he finished one demon had to go to the next and he was like, oh, I still haven't recovered from this yet, so it's bothering me. So the fact that they actually have to go through these long recovery periods is a really cool thing and a really nice attention to detail. And that's one of the things that they're really stressing is that
00:44:19
Speaker
they don't know how to move forward. It's really lingering on their recovery. They want to be a better version of themselves, but they're scared for what the future holds for them. And that's one of the reasons I really like characters like Inosuke, who are hard-headed and badass and all that stuff, but they recognize when real talent is in front of them and they recognize when
00:44:44
Speaker
things I've gotten out of hand. And to see his development from that point, like he really bonded with
00:44:51
Speaker
Tanjiro more than anybody else over this because he sees what Tanjiro is capable of and it's always like Tanjiro is the training buddy. If Zennyso shows up, whatever, but like, he wants Tanjiro to grow with him. He wants him to be powerful with him. Like he's the person that he wants by his side more than anyone else. And it's just it's such a great detail that this was such a huge factor on their development and growth. And it's something that is going to be lingering on the future of the story.
00:45:22
Speaker
And on the topic of their bonds coming together, I have tried to keep track of it through the rest of the entertainment district arc. I don't think he has gotten Tanjiro's name wrong again, which was a running joke, has he? I didn't catch it.
00:45:39
Speaker
I was like, did they finally find enough that he's calling him the right name? Okay, because I know that was running throughout the entire movie and first season, I didn't catch it enough. So I guess I just need to watch them all again. Oh, no.
00:45:55
Speaker
Yeah. I liked a lot of what you said there, Zuhara, especially about the injuries and physical toll that they sustain. It makes me think back in Mugen Train, just Tanjiro being Tanjiro, he gets stabbed by that one conductor, but still, that's when he and Onosuke have a little bit of a clashing there where Onosuke's just like, forget about that guy. And he's like, no.
00:46:16
Speaker
if he dies, or if I, actually he says if I die, that makes him a murderer. So he doesn't want to die just for the fact that he doesn't want this guy to become a murderer. And he's still just willing to go out of his way to save him. But it does make me think, you know, Tanjiro's first move is to go under Rengoku's instruction to go seek out his family and see if he can get his hands on these scripts that might tell him more about this
00:46:41
Speaker
dance that he learned from his father. Let me see if I've got this correct. I've got it here if you need it. He no, he no Kami Kagura. Yeah. Yep. Okay, cool. So I do recall when he was like making his way. I didn't know how close he was to their household. But that's when that stomach wound started acting up again. And he kind of pushed himself a little too far. And he collapses just before he gets there. But thankfully, syndrome is right there to kind of help him out.
00:47:06
Speaker
It is funny how protective he is over Nezuko like you could have just left her at home and not have had to carry
00:47:11
Speaker
heard the whole time, because it's not like she came out during that interaction at all either. That's true. That's true. Yeah. Though I don't blame it with Zenitsu, you know? Oh, that's true. He has he has the butterfly girls to worry about at this point. He is living the lap of luxury. Yeah, very true. Something else. But that was that was the thing, I guess we got teased a little bit in the Mugen train arc about how far
00:47:41
Speaker
Uh, what was the name? Shinjiro Shinjiro, um, Kirojiro's and Sinjiro's father. Was it Shinjiro? Sinjiro. Well, Sinjiro's the, the brother, right? What's the father's name again? Yeah, that's Shinjiro. Shinjiro. Okay. It's just, yeah, I, I, we saw him kind of like laying there on the mat with some indifference. And I thought maybe he was sick or something like that, but then we get to learn how far this former Ashira has really fallen. And it's just.
00:48:10
Speaker
I was not expecting to hear the utter disrespect and disdain that he almost had for his fallen son. Yeah. It's tough to watch. Yeah, I couldn't almost couldn't stomach it. I agreed with Tanjiro. I wanted to headbutt or punch or do whatever to this man, whether it was for hitting Sanjiro or for just bad mouthing, not only his son, but his fallen son was just too much.
00:48:39
Speaker
Like he says that he's there to give his son's final messages and it's like, Oh, it's probably something pathetic. I don't want to hear it. Yeah. And for, for the show to be able to get us to love this character so much in the span of an hour and a half movie is just phenomenal. Yeah.
00:48:58
Speaker
I mean, yeah, I just remember looking back on that, having no idea who this character was going into the train, the Mugen train arc rather, and then you come out of it like, how could we have lost such an amazing character so quickly? I need more. Yeah, it's just more and more and more just like all of the characters. It's never enough.
00:49:22
Speaker
But I guess on the flip side of things, we did get to see all of the other Hashira, as well as the leader of the Demon Corps, their response to the news of his falling. And it was nice to see them say, you know, we will carry on his will. And it's just kind of like what you said, Zuhair. He saw his master and his master's response, and he was just fully on board with what that gentleman
00:49:43
Speaker
had to do. So it's nice to see that respect turned in kind. It's like, you know, this guy had the right idea, we're going to make sure that his legacy continues on despite the shortcomings of his father, or even his brother. I mean,
00:49:57
Speaker
I don't want to say it's too much of a shortcoming there because I think there's something to be said for acknowledging whatever physical limitations you can have, but being willing to step up and say that I still want to help people in the ways that I can. And he's committed himself to rebuilding those flame chronicles for Tanjiro, so hopefully he can learn more. But that did great. Provide one of the funniest moments of this episode for me when
00:50:20
Speaker
Tundra tells him, you know, whatever path you want to take, follow your heart. And if anybody gives you crap, I'll headbutt them. And he's like, I don't know if that's such a good idea. We've been getting a lot of or we did in this episode rather get a lot of those classic anime faces of just blank confusion. And I love to see it because it's so comedic and so timed perfectly.
00:50:46
Speaker
Yeah, a lot of these characters have stunning eyes. Oh, but whenever it goes, it's like the small black dots. Like I lose it every time. But I think one of the biggest points of this encounter was the fact that he wasn't using a flame ability. He was there because he was trying to find out like what the Kagura dance was about and why it was such an important thing and why he was able to tap this power.
00:51:11
Speaker
So we learned that there actually is another form, I'm forgetting what it was, but Syndra recognizes it from the earrings. Sun breathing. Sun breathing, that's what it was, thank you. Which is apparently like the first type of breathing, like everything else comes off of that. So it's fast, I mean, when the conversation first happened, it's like you don't mix up fire and flame, there's a distinction for a reason.
00:51:41
Speaker
But Kyojiro didn't know what that was about. And he's on this journey to kind of figure out like where this random technique came from because he saw his dad do it all the time. But he has a generation of just coal miners. Right.
00:51:58
Speaker
So I think all of us were very anxious to find out what is the story behind this and just to find out that he ripped up all those records and that they have to go on their next mission. Now it's like, man, that's going to be put on hold for a while, isn't it? Unfortunately, it does seem that way. Yeah.
00:52:18
Speaker
It also gives you a little bit of a context of just about how much guilt Tanjiro has racked with over Rengoku's death because he talks to Syndra specifically about every time he uses this technique, even though he's implementing total concentration or concentration constant.
00:52:35
Speaker
He has no control of his body when it's happening. And afterwards, like you alluded to certain techniques and certain battles, like they're carrying these physical tolls with them afterwards. And that's part of the reason he's so spent is because of this technique. Did you see how like disrespected Shinjiro was when he saw the earrings or like, oh, you think you're better than me type of mentality? I was like, I need more. Give me background. Like now. Did he know the father was the first question I was asking myself?
00:53:04
Speaker
Yeah, that's immediately where my mind went as well. Yeah. But yeah, Jay, Scotty, you talk about the guilt. And it was it was really poignant in this episode, the way that he talked about, you know, if this was the first form, the best form, why couldn't I have saved Rengoku? Why was it not enough for me to go in there? And it gave us one of the two best
00:53:27
Speaker
animated scenes of this episode. I'll also throw out there that the flashback that they had to the fight between Ren Goku and Akaza. Thank you. Akaza. Akaza. Thank you. They just did the rotation around the still frame of the fight in the 3D render and then it just panned to the sky with the embers floating around almost like stars. It was
00:53:53
Speaker
top two scenes of the episode, like I said, we'll get to the other one when it pops up. But it brought me back into why I fell in love with this show in the first place. And it is that it is one of the if not the best art that I have ever seen in an anime full on. Yeah, yeah, I mean, the backgrounds and the environments are just so detailed and so vivid. They're almost like oil paintings, like just so much detail, the wood grain, just I'm thinking about like the mountain shrine, just seeing the
00:54:22
Speaker
reflections in the water on the ground and whatnot. But as you hear, you mentioned just the eyes and I noticed in like a lot of other animes where you have like dialogue, heavy episodes, they would resort to having a static image where maybe just the mouth moves and you might have some slight expressions here and there. But there are moments when like Syndra specifically is talking and his eyes are kind of like dilating the entire time and his eyes are filling or whelming with tears that are constantly moving and whatnot. And even when you flash to just
00:54:48
Speaker
Tanjiro, his fist just being there clinched. It's never a static image. There's always some form of movement and some form of expression happening, which is just, I give all the kudos to the animators. There's such passion and such attention to detail that they don't want a single frame to be boring. There's always just something so captivating to latch onto. And my eyes are glued to the screen the entire time.
00:55:14
Speaker
Two things off of that one being, when they have their comedic scenes, like you could tell they flatten everything out. And it is very like, you know, the arms just kind of like move like the Christmas lights or something like it's just like, you know, you know, two bits back and forth. So it's, it's very simple. And I feel like them being able to incorporate that in the way that they do like saves kind of this time and budget that they need to like really go into the action sequences.
00:55:40
Speaker
And the second thing being is that I took my friend to see this when I went for the second time.
00:55:49
Speaker
Like I said, I went so many times. But he had never seen Demon Slayer at all. We just happened to be hanging out. And this was like the first big movie to finally hit a theater because everything else had just been like, you know, Star Wars this anniversary or James Bond being put back in for this. So this was like the first like original movie to like really build up hype and make people want to go to the theater.
00:56:13
Speaker
So he was, you know, I grew up going to the movies every weekend with him. So it was like, yes, like I want to go to the movies. I don't care what it's about. So it's like, OK, watch as many episodes of Demon Slayer as you can. But he had never seen any of it when he went to go watch this film. And when we stepped out, he was like, so that was a movie budget. I guess it's not going to look that good when I watch, you know, the first season. I was like, actually, it will be like the fire and the water and the attention and detail that put everything like that's just in every episode, my guy.
00:56:43
Speaker
Yeah. I guess we should give mention to the studio. It's correct me if I'm wrong on my pronunciation or is it Ufotable? I'm not sure. I always do not actually know. It's U-F-O-T-A-B-L-E. I'm going to say Ufotable. In my head, it's always been Ufotable. That's the only reason I'm questioning, but I could be very off base. Okay. Ufotable, Ufotable, what have you. If you know, let us know.
00:57:09
Speaker
But I couldn't help it somewhere in the back of my mind when I was because this was my first time watching the show since having watched Star Wars visions and I was just thinking you know, if we do get a second season or iteration of Star Wars visions, I would totally love it if they even Slayer guys an opportunity to do some Star Wars would be great just imagine this level of sword fighting but put lightsabers in their hands and
00:57:34
Speaker
That would be... That would be amazing. Maybe you would get me to finish it. Yeah. Shame. Shame. I had to jab myself before one of y'all came after me. I didn't know you weren't still done.
00:57:51
Speaker
you outed yourself sir yeah but on the topic of the art here it's just so amazing i implore you if you only watch these episodes once watch them a second time and pretend you're about to podcast on them
00:58:06
Speaker
Yeah. Because I just found myself writing down, this scene is beautiful. The parallaxing of the world around the train, the golden hour light coming through the window when the sun was setting. All of these things you pick up on so much more when you're willing to stop and pause and take notes and really take in every single scene. So if you ever want to enjoy a show like that, I would say this is probably the one to go through it with a fine tooth comb because you'll find something more beautiful in every single scene. Yeah.
00:58:35
Speaker
Well said. Well said. That being said, I was a little surprised, you know, when I saw the episode linked and I knew beforehand Zuhair told me like the first episode of the Entertainment Arc is a longer one. But it really serves as as much as we're calling this like the Arc Bridge. Like this was definitely the most like transition based episode. And I try to think about everything that happened in the great scheme of things.
00:59:00
Speaker
for like an almost hour long episode, not really all that much took place, but that just goes to speak about how much time they spend setting up each scene and making sure that there's the emotional payoff, just those conversations between Tanjiro and Sinjiro, as well as just seeing the crow fly to deliver those messages and everybody gets their opportunity to react to the news. But outside of that, we talked about the passage of time and you mentioned that four month period,
00:59:28
Speaker
of training where we get to see, it's all narrated by Tanjiro and he mentions, Zenitsu no longer absolutely squeals with terror at the thought of doing a solo mission by himself and Inosuke is more aggressive than ever before. He's like, we're going to train till our bones shatter.
00:59:48
Speaker
But then we get this great scene where we get to spend a little time with Tanjiro and Nezuko. I just loved everything about this from the opening. I'm a pluvio file, so I love the rain. It just goes to speak how great a job this show does from the sound design to the animation. It created that atmosphere. I really felt like I was in the rain. I was digging Tanjiro's rain, get up everything.
01:00:13
Speaker
He enters that mountain shrine and we talked about seeing the evolutions of characters and I could not help but relate this fight to way back early on in season one before Tanjiro even met his first master. I'm going to blank on that gentleman's name, but he's one of my favorite characters. Urukodaki. Urukodaki, yes. When he fought that one demon where it basically came down to, he basically had to pin the guy to the tree until the sun came up and he still didn't want to kill the guy.
01:00:40
Speaker
He's just come so far. I felt like even the setting, the nature of the demon, even the way he looked a little bit like it just echoed a lot from that scene. And it's just awesome to see how capable Tanjiro is and how capable they are as a fighting team together when he just goes up to the ceiling and lets her drop out of the box onto the demon. Oh, I loved everything. Yes. So good.
01:01:00
Speaker
Because it was like him falling out of the tree and just turning over and her shooting up, because we've been talking about how we want to see more of Nezuko, because she kind of only really pops up in very dire situations. But just like that small moment was like, this is so cool. I need more of it. She's such a savage.
01:01:21
Speaker
Yeah, she is. And following him down the mountain and immediately being concerned about the people as opposed to anything else. Like it's just him still being the most caring person ever, as well as now able to fight demons. Like you said, he will kill one to save the people. He won't just pin it to a tree. Yeah. I was a little surprised when that young boy went to go check on the barn and he was like, I swear I heard something. There was no evidence once. So he pulled the bat out.
01:01:58
Speaker
I was just gonna say it's four months and the best way to do a passage of time in anything in my opinion is a training montage and that's what we got it was beautiful they they are strong now that's uh to say the least
01:02:12
Speaker
Yeah, exactly. That's what he did.
01:02:23
Speaker
Got his Nichiren back. Like, did he actually get a replacement for his, I guess? He did, yeah, yeah. Oh, how did we skip that scene? I completely forgot to say that. How did we miss that in the middle? He was like, what is that? And just sees Hagan Azuka like way down the street, just steaming. And he spent the whole day running away from him because he just wanted to beat his ass for breaking his sword. That dude was livid.
01:02:52
Speaker
As sad as the movie was, I do remember walking out of the theater like, what is Hagan Azuka gonna do next season when he found out he lost another sword? I knew it was coming. I didn't expect it to be that funny though. It was glorious.
01:03:10
Speaker
Yeah, I don't like pausing when I'm watching something for the first time, but that was the one where I actually had to pause because my chest was hurting and I was laughing so hard. And then we calmed down with Dango. It's such a simple thing.
01:03:25
Speaker
You're just so chill after that. I mean, I think that was all we kind of needed to cover with the training montage. And I hate to go from comedy to just super dark, but that's just kind of what the show does. But we totally forgot to mention, um, we finally get to see Muzon again and talking to Akaza. We're on the same page. I was going to transition there myself because we actually got to see his Nichiren sword get destroyed. We knew it was lost, but we saw
01:03:51
Speaker
Akazah actually like pummel it into dust. So yeah, yeah, he was pissed that you know Tanjiro was able to get a good hit on him like that. Mm-hmm He's like who the f does that kid think he is that he can lay one on me It's like like sorry you're pathetic man like you would have never survived that fight for limbs weren't reacting like in the snap of a finger and
01:04:15
Speaker
Yeah. Now, correct me if I'm wrong. Is this the first time we've seen this new form that Muzan has taken on this young child? Because I felt like the way they introduced him, it certainly was. And I have to imagine a big motivation for that change in form is because he was spotted by Tanjiro. And when he's having his, I guess, debriefing with Akaza and he tells Akaza, you know,
01:04:41
Speaker
You're coming to me telling me that you killed a flame or one of the Hashira. That's a given. Anytime a human and a demon go up, the demon is supposed to win. I want the demon core annihilated and there were three other ones there. What happened?
01:04:56
Speaker
Yeah, that scene was crazy. Just showing the power of Muzan in that moment that he was like paralyzing Akaza as he was saying all of those things. But when you talk about that being the first version of the child form, you are correct. Okay.
01:05:15
Speaker
I have a lot of questions about Muzan now in terms of that child form. So we know he could shapeshift because he started off as the bowler hat wearing very pale gentlemen in the streets.
01:05:30
Speaker
Michael Jackson looking I have to say, I didn't want to I didn't want to say it. But yes, Michael Jackson looking. And then at the end of the season, we saw him turn himself into a woman when he eliminated the bottom six of the key. That's right. So we knew he could shape shift.
01:05:48
Speaker
My only question is we know he has a wife and child. Yes. How is he also masquerading as the child of another family while also running his family on the set? It's just he's living too many lives for someone to not notice him missing from one of them. I have suspicions, but it goes into episodes I've seen already. So I'm not going to say anything on it. Hmm. That's why.
01:06:17
Speaker
That's interesting. That's very, I cannot wait to get to the next episodes though. Yeah. Because my questions still exist even after being caught all the way up. So. Yeah. One thing that stood out to me in that exchange is on top of Akazad's failings and taking out those three members of the demon core. He also mentions a flower. I want to say it was the blue spider Lily or something like that. Right in the money.
01:06:42
Speaker
Okay. And he says that he sought it out, did the research and whatnot, but came up short, was never able to actually spot it. So I'm wondering the family that took Muzon in, the father's talks about, he's hopeful that his drug company might be able to come up with a solution for the fact that he can't go out during the daytime. And I'm wondering if this flower might be a cure for
01:07:08
Speaker
demonism or demonology. I guess demonism would be better than demonology because that's like the study of them. But I have to imagine like that might end up being an end goal for both Tanjiro because he wants to save Nezuko as well as maybe Muzan, Muzan being this original demon that bestows all this power. But I would wouldn't be surprised if somewhere in the back of his mind, he's been a demon so long that maybe he wants to be human again. I don't know.
01:07:33
Speaker
Yeah, it could also just simply be what you said. The father was looking for the solution to curing the ability to not be in the sun. It could be a let's have the demons take over the day kind of a situation because there was the focus, like we said, on that entire rant from Tanjiro, how dare you be a coward and fight us in the night where you have all the power come out in the day where we can exist too. Is that going to be what we find out they cannot do? And then chaos will ensue when you also have demons in the daytime.
01:08:05
Speaker
Careful what we wish for. I will say though, the revelation that he was searching for that Blue Spider Lily upset me even more because that meant that Akaza was not sent to the Mugen Train to kill everyone. He happened to be there because he was on his way to that mission and that's the only reason that we lost
01:08:26
Speaker
And that just makes it all the more upsetting that it was some weird coincidence that he stumbled upon to that or they could have actually been triumphant. And Akazah is a member of the lower three. Upper three. Upper three, excuse me. Okay, so he's the highest ranking demon apart from Muzan that we've encountered, correct? Correct. I thought so, cool.
01:08:52
Speaker
Because there's only the upper six left, correct me if I'm wrong. Because we watched him kill almost all of the lower six, except for Enmu, who begged and pleaded for power. Because I think Enmu was in the lower six. If I'm remembering everything correctly. Yeah, because the first one he encountered is when he and Inosuke first kind of partnered up when they're inside that house with the guy with the drums, right? I want to say, Kayogi, Kayogi or something like that.
01:09:20
Speaker
I don't remember any of the names from the first one. I just described them by their attributes. I do recall, I might be wrong, that he was an ex. 12? Maybe. Yeah, you might be right about that. Yeah, that he was one prior, and that's why they were actually able to defeat him in that moment, is because he had fallen from grace, so to speak. Sure, sure. I think you're right about that. I guess grace isn't the word for demons. Okay, so...
01:09:49
Speaker
So upper rank is Akaza and the one that we get introduced to in Entertainment District. Okay. And it looks like Enmu, Rokuro, Wakuruba, Mukago, Rui, Kamenue, and Kyogai were lower ranked. So we've had lower rank.
01:10:14
Speaker
one through six and kill guy, it says former lower rank six. Okay. We were right on the money then. Okay. Cool. Awesome. Okay. Um, I guess other than that, as far as this, you know, first episode of
01:10:30
Speaker
the entertainment district art is really the final scene there where Tanjiro returns from the mission to the mountain shrine that we talked about and it's a very peculiar situation that he stumbles upon. We've got our sound Hashira
01:10:52
Speaker
And his name is Tengen, Lord Tengen Uzi, and he was a former Shinobi, Uzui, excuse me, you're gonna have to keep doing that, so I appreciate you doing that. So he's a former Shinobi, and his thing is all about being flashy. He is the flashiest of the Hashira, and he's trying to kidnap a few of the female members of the Corps. You're gonna have to help me with this name, too.
01:11:18
Speaker
that I'm going to have to look at. It's AOI. It's AOI. It could be Ollie. Okay. Well, she's kind of in terms of like the butterfly mansion. So you've got the three little girls that are not part of the demon core. And then she's the one that doesn't want to be a swordsman, but she's still I guess she's kind of like a medical personnel within the demon core there, as well as, you know, I think she helps prepare some of the food, as I recall, because when we learned
01:11:47
Speaker
Help me with the sword master, the sword maker's name again. Haganazuka. Haganazuka. When we found out that he was appeased with a certain food, Inosuke's like, I want some too. And she's like, okay, we'll get you some, not a big deal. Which kind of surprised me a little bit. But yeah, he's basically trying to kidnap them. And I love Tondro's reaction at first. He's like, Hey, put those girls down. You can't treat girls like that. Or wait, are they swarming him? Are they being held? What's happening here?
01:12:13
Speaker
I mean, you see a big, muscly man like that. Are they running at him? Are they running away? It could be either. It could be both. I don't know. I don't know which direction I'd be running.
01:12:27
Speaker
It was Ali the the medics name. Yes. Yes blue hair. Yeah, the blue-haired medic Yeah, it was funny because like we don't know what was his mission is at this point yet, right? But the fact that she was like I think it was tantra that pointed out once you know scans and sue kind of came for backup because they had no idea what was going on either Mm-hmm, and they just mentioned it's like look at her uniform. She's not even a demon Slayer and he just looks like
01:12:54
Speaker
Oh. And just tosses her right over the edge. And they freeze the frame where she's just like suspended it into like shock that she's about to fall down. Yes. There's the other demon slayer who's part of the butterfly house that doesn't speak.
01:13:17
Speaker
Not the one that doesn't speak. She flips the coin in order to make her decisions. She's kind of like Tanjiro's pseudo love interest at this point, I would say. I think so. Yeah. I mean, yeah, she trained him a little bit. But yeah, like she's trying to step into without being like too disrespectful because I think she knows who it is. But the whole encounter was just like it was so cringy, but it just the whole thing made me laugh so much.
01:13:44
Speaker
Oh, yeah. And this was where my favorite part of the episode came in. Both scene and it was the, you know, he says, Well, what am I going to do without these women? And he says, we'll take their place. And he's like, Who's we? And it was the 3d circle camera again, you pan one direction and Zenny too. I'm surprised he didn't jump on him immediately seeing he had his lovely ladies in his hands. And then it
01:14:10
Speaker
just pans to the other side you have Inosuke there and the fact that the leaves kicked up just for that moment to show that they ran in quickly enough that there was wind and the fall leaves and then as soon as they jumped down to have that amazing we'll call it spider-man glory shot there the three of them almost the leaves then just fell back to the ground after they were like it's it's us we're here we are going to do everything we can to fight i thought that was just a beautiful
01:14:38
Speaker
these guys are still a team kind of a scene because I was a little worried when I watched this episode through the first time. And it was like, Oh, is any two is not afraid to go solo anymore. And there was the solo mission with him and Nezuko. Okay, are we gonna have to break up the band? Like, is this going to be a little bit of a separate ways we'll get a Tanjiro story and maybe we'll come back together. I'm glad to know that we still have the original characters because I was a little, little upset at the set, the thought of that being the option.
01:15:06
Speaker
Yeah. Cause it's showing that they're not like always conveniently available when there's a big threat coming up, like they're still doing their job and taking out the smaller ones here and there without us having to watch it the whole time. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah.
Scene Comparisons and Future Episode Teasers
01:15:21
Speaker
Yeah. I loved everything about that scene as well. Just everything you mentioned about the wind kicking up, seeing the leaves and then.
01:15:27
Speaker
they actually like dart. You can't even like make out their physical forms. They're just kind of like blurs going in opposite diagonal directions and they land. At first, you think like Tundra will be at the front, but I kind of like how he is kind of center, but back and they get to be like his right and left hand man right there. It's yeah, it kind of makes me think of that moment from this is a real throwback, but to kill Bill when you've got the. That's badass introduction moment.
01:15:56
Speaker
Love that Well, I can already tease if you're questioning exactly what moment we're talking about I already have this picture plan to be one of the Instagram pictures for when this episode goes up So you can see it there at animation deliberation sweet sweet
01:16:12
Speaker
Okay, I'm really hoping it's her being tossed off the edge now. I met the picture of the glory shot of the three of them. But if I can find her being thrown off the edge, that will also go up just for you. Nice, nice.
01:16:32
Speaker
holds up a little sign drops down. It's episode two that goes into what the mission is, right? They didn't really do that in this one. Okay. Yeah, I think he gives us the tease that they're going to a place full of energy and lust. And I think he says the entertainment district and then it cuts to Okay.
01:16:53
Speaker
It cuts to another amazing scene if we want to keep talking about creation. Yeah, if you watch the credits through you get that great kind of comical scene if we're talking about the same one where we've got our heroes.
01:17:04
Speaker
No, we're thinking about a different one. Okay, what you got? I'm actually so before the credits, it actually does an amazing 3d overhead almost as though you're flying through the city through the light posts and then ends on some possibly demon looking woman behind the screen. We'll see who that is.
01:17:25
Speaker
But yeah, that was a really, really well done like, it reminded me of some of the scenes from the Harry Potter movies almost, where you're not a Dementor, a death eater, when they had some of those POV shots of them flying through the cities in London. It reminded me very much of just flying through and ending up in a building somewhere where something bad was going to happen. It was very reminiscent of that. But to see it fully hand and computer animated is very cool.
01:17:50
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Breathtaking. If there are any people that are sensitive to motion sickness, I would dare say it's so well done it might trigger you. But yeah. Honestly, yes. Yeah.
01:18:02
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, great call out there and it definitely sets up a lot of excitement for this new environment, new threat we're going to be facing. But then I always love to watch the credits through because I feel like they do just a great job of teasing things to come. We get to see Uzui sitting there surrounded by some ladies that I think we'll learn more about very soon. But then it does go to that.
01:18:27
Speaker
comical scene I was kind of talking about where our heroes are kind of like talking about their favorite foods and whatnot and then Uzui interrupts them to talk about the next episode.
01:18:38
Speaker
Yeah, it's kind of an anime staple just to kind of have something silly, whether it be like answering questions or celebrating something that's happening in current events or just something silly. But PSA, there actually are a few episodes that have end credit scenes and the music and the scenery on the closing sequence is beautiful anyway. So why would you want to skip it? True.
01:19:00
Speaker
Yeah, there's a few of them where it's like after it goes to the credits, like big things happen that are imperative to the episode. And if you're watching every week like we are, holy crap. Yeah. And as you're talking about the outro there, it was an interesting thing that they did with this episode.
01:19:18
Speaker
not to necessarily spoil what's to come, but this episode's outro is the intro for the rest of the season. So they didn't they didn't want to show us, you know, easily and the women and all of the entertainment district until the end because it didn't really start until the end of that. So I thought that was just a nice little touch, but I will agree. Amazing outro and intro as well.
01:19:42
Speaker
The first the first intro scenery music is just set such a high bar Like it generally had me worried of like how you're gonna match up to that and like the sequence in music is just so good to this like it's not It's not Lisa good, but I I don't
Love for Demon Slayer and Ritual Viewing
01:19:57
Speaker
skip it. I love Listening to the music. It's very it's very jazzy to kind of go with that entertainment district vibe It's I I love it. It's so fitting. It's just so appropriate. I
01:20:08
Speaker
I'm singing it in my head right now. I would actually sing it if I could keep going. I guess we got to keep it under 15 seconds for our copyright. All right. Well, it feels like we're winding down here. Did you gentlemen have anything else you want to bring up about the episodes we discussed here or just anything? Demon Slayer in general, you got to get off your chest.
01:20:33
Speaker
I love anime. I love Demon Slayer. It's so flipping good. I can't wait to watch for it. And I honestly, I love being able to just watch it every week. It's a, it's a Sunday thing, especially as football season's wrapping up. This is my, this is my Saturday morning cartoon of waking up with me like there's a new Demon Slayer episode. No, I couldn't agree more. Um, anime is just lovely. I don't have enough time to watch enough of them. So I'm glad that, uh, we have more to cover. So there's more of an excuse.
01:21:04
Speaker
Agreed. Agreed. One little thing that I felt like we overlooked with the Mugen train story that I felt like was kind of important was we did have those four kids that were kind of acolytes or puppets of Inmu. And the one in particular that had tuberculosis, it was just another one of those things where you, it's
01:21:23
Speaker
When you've got a character that's just so good, so altruistic like Tanjiro, sometimes it's a little difficult to find common ground with them. But the show just it's like the Superman problem. But the show just never has an issue with it. It just takes this good natured character and you get to see like the representation of his soul, how helpful they are that they just transform this person or he can't even like contemplate committing any any violence towards Tanjiro afterwards. So
01:21:50
Speaker
I really love that stuff and found myself welling up a little bit during that.
Rewatching Mugen Train and Emotional Resonance
01:21:55
Speaker
Oh, yeah, it was it was all emotion. And I wasn't really joking at the start of this when I said, yeah, I had to get emotional rewatching these episodes. Doesn't matter how many times I watch that movie. It just gets back into holy crap. All of this is important tears and everything else. Like it just happened again. And this is my you know, this was my third or fourth time watching the movie and train arc getting ready for all of this. And I didn't it did not hit any less hard.
01:22:23
Speaker
Yeah. Right in the fields. Right in the fields. Yeah. All right. Well, it's that part of the episode. As we're winding down, I will open up the floor to let you guys let the people know what you have going on. Zuhair, I know you're going to be appearing on one of our sister shows, Spark, a reading collective. Why don't you tell us about what you're going to be doing there?
01:22:46
Speaker
Guess I could give a little bit of a trailer. Yeah, they're doing a wrap up of their thoughts on the MCU content of 2021. And yeah, I just get to talk about more stuff. Source pages are reading collective. Check it out. Yeah. Brian V. Klein and Haley Hobbs there have been doing a phenomenal job. I've appeared on the show. Zuhar, is this your, you record an episode with them about one of the Avatar books, but this is going to be your first time, uh,
Podcast Collaborations and Future Coverage
01:23:15
Speaker
appearing on an episode that we know is going to be like released relatively soon, right? Yeah. OK, cool. Exciting. Yeah. Andrew, what you got? As per usual, follow us on our social media, animation deliberation on Instagram. I'm continuing to have fun. And the more you guys give feedback and interact, I will try and kind of give back if you guys like really like posts or something. I will do more of them.
01:23:44
Speaker
Whatever it is, we'll keep it going. Also, just on the topic of actually what we're talking about today, do we want to give them a heads up of what our next Demon Slayer coverage is going to be so they know what episodes they have to watch for those that aren't fully caught up? That is an excellent idea and that is why we keep you around. I got to help somehow. I'll let Zuhair tackle that because he's done a phenomenal job of kind of curating the episode arcs for us.
01:24:14
Speaker
Yeah, we haven't missed too many episodes. I think by next week, episode six will be out. I guess I can just kind of ask you guys live, do you want to break it into two episodes before we do weekly coverage? Or do you want to just knock out everything until the first episode and kind of be on track?
01:24:38
Speaker
From where I sit, having seen everything that is currently available, I don't feel like there's a good breaking point. I feel like it's just kind of all really coming at us. So unless something big actually, no, even if something big does happen in the sixth episode, we're going to be covering up to that anyhow. So I think I think they kind of got straight to the point.
01:24:59
Speaker
Yeah. I'm sitting here jonesing to watch episode five. So whatever, whatever gets me caught up as soon as possible. That's what I vote for. Yeah. So, um, by Sunday, episode six will be released. We will have episodes two through six watched by then, and we will talk about it all together. Sweet, sweet.
01:25:22
Speaker
And then after that, episodes still come out every Sunday. We intend to record every Tuesday unless dated otherwise. Yeah, that's the plan going forward. And then for myself, I need to touch base with Matthew Carroll for Pandavision. But I know we had discussed covering Peacemaker on HBO Max for Pandavision. So that's one that I am super excited for. It looks really irreverent.
01:25:51
Speaker
which is right up my alley. So stay tuned for that, as well as everything animation deliberation is doing. That's T-O-O-N-I-N. Stay whelmed. Bye, guys. You're invited to explore cypress swamps and magical gardens and float along the rushing waters of an old-fashioned swimming hole. Plan your journey at visitmississippi.org slash outdoor adventure. Mississippi. Wanderers welcome.
01:26:18
Speaker
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01:26:47
Speaker
There's a highway that stretches across the 93 days of summer, where worship isn't offered to the sun, but to the smoking tire, the S-curve, and the spin turn. And if you ride it, make sure you do it in a Dodge Charger, Challenger, or Durango. Because on this highway, the lines being blurred are the ones between drivers and demons. Welcome to Highway 93. Dodge is a registered trademark.
01:27:18
Speaker
There's a highway that stretches across the 93 days of summer, where worship isn't offered to the sun, but to the smoking tire, the S-curve, and the spin turn. And if you ride it, make sure you do it in a Dodge Charger, Challenger, or Durango. Because on this highway, the lines being blurred are the ones between drivers and demons. Welcome to Highway 93. Dodge is a registered trademark.
01:27:48
Speaker
right here in your neighborhood. Here's a little tale about hard to recycle plastics. Their destinies were changed. Their new lives are fantastic. What once was trash can live on as new things with a program that complements irregular recycling. Because plastics can be so much more. Give this trash a second chance at what
01:28:10
Speaker
Your hard to recycle plastics can be so much more. Participate in the hefty energy bag program happening in your neighborhood today.