Demon Slayer season 3 review: Splendid animation can’t save this slog

Demon Slayer season 3 covers the Swordsmith Village Arc of the source material, delving into the two Upper-Rank Demons’ arrival at the titular village and the battle with the slayers that ensues.

Story

Tanjiro and his mates recover from the injuries they suffered during their last battle. He then trains himself and regains most of his former health and fitness, before receiving Haganezuka’s letter rife with curses because he broke his sword again.

Tanjiro heads off to the forbidden Swordsmith Village to apologize to Haganezuka and hopefully get a new sword. There, he meets the Mist Hashira Tokito, Love Hashira Mitsuri, and Genya.

However, Hantengu and Gyokko arrive there too, and the battle immediately begins. Gyokko shocks wi no. th his new abilities and weapons, as does Hantengu with his cloning abilities, being able to divide himself into many other demons with unique personalities and abilities.

Meanwhile, Tokito fights off Gyokko and after bruises, cuts, poisoning, and other struggles, he manages to defeat the demon on his own. Tanjiro and company have a hard time with their opponent, but Love Hashira Mitsuri finally arrives and helps them a great deal.

Tanjiro goes for the kill and succeeds in disposing of Hantengu at last. Meanwhile, Nezuko’s new abilities are revealed, and Muzan learns about them too, gearing up to consume her and become a perfect being.

Performances

Natsuki Hanae once again delivers a strong performance as the lead Tanhiro while the rest of the cast brings their A-game as well.

Genya Shinazugawa’s voice actor, especially, deserves all the praise they can, and their vocal inflections from them deliver rage, frustration, regret, and other emotions with an intensity that remains constant throughout the season.

Positives

The animation is simply awe-inspiring for the most part. The season 2 premiere feature some of the best animation thus far in the series, and makes use of the 3D flawlessly.

The anime once again benefits from a stellar voice cast that is able to render each of the subtle and extreme emotions with brilliance. Hantengu’s voice actor seems to have a lot of him.

Negatives

Judging by the way the anime dips in the quality of animation after the first episode — not to suggest that the quality is bad by any measure — it feels as if all the budget went into the premiers.

The flashback routine during the final moments of the villains already got tired in the early seasons, and it’s no surprise here how these scenes can get really grating.

Apart from Tokito, none of the supporting characters seem to go through a proper developmental arc.

Verdict

Demon Slayer season 3 keeps upping the game when it comes to the animation and the awe-inspiring visuals but in terms of the pace or character development, failing to live up to the hype that has been surrounding it.

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Also Read: Hantengu: Demons Slayer character explained