Demon Slayer Infinity Castle review: True to its title, the film appears to go on till infinity

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This is a world where demons and humans have been at war with each other for centuries. While demons are controlled by Muzan Kibutsuji, Demon Slayer Corps stands between demons and the total annihilation of the human race. Headed by a man who has been sick for the entirety of the series, the Corps has its most important warriors, who are called Hashiras. Now in a desperate attempt to get Muzan, the leader of the Corps uses himself as bait, which was a plan that obviously did not work because how could an army of trained swordsmen and samurai who have learnt nothing but warfare since birth hatch a feasible plan in one go, right?

So they all wound up at Muzan’s palace, which is the location being referred to in the title of the film. Tanjiro is our protagonist who is on a quest to become the greatest Hashira of all time. He also has to ensure that his younger sister, who became a demon, should return to being human. He is also trying to uncover what truly happened to his father, avenge the death of the rest of his family, and ensure that his deathly mission is a success because it’s also a test and the older Hashiras are watching closely. Phew, no pressure. In his batch of Demon Slayers also exist our other supporting characters, such as Zenitsu and Inosuke, and one of them truly saves this film for as long as they can.

Zenitsu, our sleeping samurai, is by far one of the best additions to the film. Even though he is usually snoozing while delivering some of his most iconic moments, he is very much awake this time, and he is looking for revenge. He confronts his senior from school, Kaigaku, who decided to turn into a demon after Zenitsu’s grandfather refused to make him the sole successor of the school. Gramps took his own life after Kaigaku went to the other side, and Zenitsu is there to avenge him. The arc of the fight is feasible and entertaining, as the threat in front of our hero is daunting enough to look like a challenge but not so out of his league that his win just looks like a product of plot armour. Out of all things in this movie, this one fight scene is what the directors and the animators truly get right to a tee.

It’s scenes like the Zenitsu fight that give you a lot of hope, because the graphics and the narrative are truly gripping. It soon becomes too much of a good thing as the director decides to shove the same thing down your throat over and over again. The movie, which starts with a flashback, dives into its characters’ memories so many times that everyone on the screen looks like they are trying to escape their present.

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To its credit, the film gives us a solid antagonist in Akaza, and their battle allows Tanjiro to shine. It takes several strolls down memory lane, hidden powers, a broken katana and a defeated Hashira to best Akaza, and yet he is the one who ends up taking his own life. After all that background about Tanjiro’s father and those repetitive dialogues filled with unnecessary exposition leave us with a broken and exhausted Tanjiro. A sanitised ending takes the bite away from the film.

Akaza’s backstory is important to explain why he would take such an extreme step, just as most of Tanjiro’s flashbacks also make sense. But the flashbacks interrupt just as the momentum of the story starts building up. It takes the drama out of the dramatic film. Sotozaki thought that the action sequences and the several hundred fighting techniques would look cooler if the people knew their origin, fair, but not every single one of them. Every explanation chips a little bit of fun away from the film, and by the time you realise that you will have to wait another couple of years to see how this story actually ends, you are so tired you don’t even complain.

The music still plays a great role in the film, and some of the fight sequences involving Zenitsu, Tanjiro, and Giyu are breathtaking. You certainly understand the director’s vision quite early in the film, but he becomes too committed to it. He becomes the friend who, while showing you a new movie, keeps interrupting you in order to explain every single frame, colour, pause and sigh. All in all, Demon Slayer is a great film, within a good film, which is trapped inside an insufferable film.

Demon Slayer Infinity Castle voice cast: Natsuki Hanae, Takahiro Sakurai, Saori Hayami, Akira Ashida, Hriro Shimono
Demon Slayer Infinity Castle movie director: Haruo Sotozaki
Demon Slayer movie rating: 2.5 stars

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