After shattering numerous Japanese box office records, Demon Slayer: Mugen Train will be making its way to theaters in North America. Aniplex of America and Funimation recently announced that the anime film is set to arrive to theaters in the U.S. in April. The announcement came soon after the film beat out Spirited Away and Titanic for the title of the highest-grossing movie in Japan, bringing in almost $400 million, despite being released amid the pandemic.
Mugen Train is a continuation of the Demon Slayer series, which picks up right where the Season 1 finale left off. It is rare that anime films follow the main canon rather than creating an original story, so fans have plenty of reason to be excited. The story of Demon Slayer revolves around Tanjiro, a 15-year-old boy who comes home one day to discover nearly his entire family has been brutally murdered by a bloodthirsty demon. The only survivor is his younger sister, Nezuko, although she has turned into a demon herself as a result of her injuries. In order to save her life, Tanjiro becomes a member of the Demon Slayer Corps in hopes of gathering enough info on demons to obtain a cure. Soon after becoming a Demon Slayer, Tanjiro meets Zenitsu and Inosuke, two fellow Demon Slayers with conflicting personalities. The trio joins forces to complete missions, and after enduring grueling training and dangerous missions together, they end up becoming close friends. Along his journey, Tanjiro encounters Muzan Kibutsuji, the first human to ever be turned into a demon who has lived for over a thousand years. Within Kibutsuji lies the blood that has the power to turn humans into demons. It also can potentially turn demons back into humans. This causes Tanjiro to make it his mission to track him down in search of a cure for Nezuko.
At the conclusion of Season 1, Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke are preparing to board the Mugen Train to hunt down Enmu, a demon who has killed over 40 Demon Slayers and has been in direct contact with Kibutsuji. This mission will be the main story of Mugen Train. Greenville University student Minh La, who got a chance to see the film early, has nothing but positive things to say. He stated, “The fight scenes are great and flow really well. The train setting makes them extra interesting. The way the heroes are able to grow together and overcome adversity is beautiful to watch.”
Since its debut in 2019, Demon Slayer became an instant hit with viewers lauding the seamless fight sequences and the relatable characters. It was voted the best anime of the last decade by fans and has risen to 11th on the list of the best-selling manga series, despite only having 23 volumes so far. What is it about Demon Slayer that makes it so popular? La explained, “There is something about Tanjiro and his ragtag team of misfits that is impossible to look away from. The characters are so well fleshed out that you truly feel what they feel. You want them to succeed no matter what.”
Demon Slayer: Mugen Train is set to arrive in theaters in the U.S. on April 23rd and will be available to purchase digitally on June 22nd.
Media by Cole Simpson.
