To call Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Infinity Train a massive hit in Japan would be an understatement. In the month and a half since its release, it has grossed 263 million dollars. This makes it the second-highest-grossing anime film ever in Japan—putting it above Your Name. and just below the Miyazaki classic Spirited Away. With such amazing sales, you’d expect this movie to be a masterpiece of film-making—the pinnacle of what can be accomplished through the medium of animation. However, it is most certainly not. It’s average at best.
*This article contains major spoilers for Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Infinity Train.
Unlike many anime films based on TV anime, Infinity Train is neither a side story removed from the main plot nor is it an interquel being retroactively added to the original story. Rather, Infinity Train continues directly on from the end of the 2019 TV series, adapting the next arc from the manga in its entirety.
The story follows our four heroes, Tanjiro, Nezuko, Zenitsu, and Inosuke, as they investigate a series of disappearances on a mysterious train alongside Kyojuro—one of the strongest members of their demon-slaying order.
Image source: アニプレックス on YouTube.
The story has two purposes in a meta-sense. The first is to show how much stronger our heroes have become after their rehabilitation. To do this, the four young heroes are pitted against Enmu, the last living member of the Lower Ranks of the Twelve Kizuki—and one that has recently been powered up by Muzan’s blood.
This puts Enmu several steps above Rui, the spider demon the team fought—and ultimately lost to—on Mt. Natagumo. By having our heroes fight and defeat Enmu over the course of the film, we are able to see how they have grown from their past defeat—not only in power but also in battlefield strategy. Then there’s the second purpose for the story.
Image source: アニプレックス on YouTube.
While the first three-fourths of the film is to show us how strong our heroes have become, the final fourth is to show how strong the remaining Twelve Kizuki are in comparison. To do this, the film focuses on the battle between Kyojuro and the fourth strongest of all demons, Akaza. Needless to say, it doesn’t go well for the good guys. By the end of the film, Kyojuro is dead and the only reason our young heroes are alive is due to the timely arrival of the dawn.
All of this most certainly has the intended effect. While strong compared to what they were, our heroes are still massively outclassed by the remaining Twelve Kizuki. Moreover, even the strongest of demon slayers is unlikely to be able to best them one-on-one. And really, that’s all there is to the film.
Now don’t get me wrong, Infinity Train is a perfectly serviceable movie. The plot is neither contrived nor full of holes—and it certainly does setup the uphill battle to come. Moreover, it’s visually stunning (as expected of a Ufotable film). However, there are no greater themes explored and no revelations that turn the story on its head.
Image source: アニプレックス on YouTube.
The filmmakers have clearly attempted to make the death of Kyojuro the emotional center point of the film but it falls completely flat. This is mainly due to the fact that we have little reason to care about Kyojuro beyond the fact he is one of the good guys. In the TV series, Kyojuro has less than five minutes of screen time—most of which is either boisterous comic relief or him wanting to kill Nezuko (or both).
Even in the film proper, he has a single, uneventful conversation with Tanjiro about his fire powers. Other than that, he barks a few orders in the battle, teaches some basic first aid, and then gives his dying soliloquy to Tanjiro. Or to put it another way, we don’t know Kyojuro and neither does Tanjiro. They have no greater connection than strangers with the same job—not that that stops the latter from becoming a crying mess at the former’s death. (But let’s be serious, Tanjiro cries every time anyone around him dies. It’s kind of his thing.)
Now, the film does try to get us a bit more invested in Kyojuro by showing us a bit of his backstory through dream sequences and memory flashbacks but honestly, it’s too little too late—and far from anything profound. (He’s basically just trying to live up to his mother’s dying sentiments.) When it comes down to it, Kyojuro is an expendable plot tool to tell both the characters and the audience that shit has officially gotten real.
Image source: アニプレックス on YouTube.
So all this leaves the question, why is Infinity Train so damned popular if it isn’t anything special film-wise? Of course, there is both the popularity of the original manga and that it is the direct continuation of the TV anime. There is also the fact the manga itself ended in March—leaving its fans dying for more.
However, the most major reason is likely related to 2020’s biggest problem: Covid-19. The film released in October when the outbreak was at a stable low point (and had been for nearly a month). Thus, people were more than willing to hit the theaters.
Then there’s the lack of competition. Due to the crisis, far fewer films have been released in theaters than is normal. In fact, Infinity Train is the only big name, all-ages anime to hit Japanese theaters this year. (This year’s Detective Conan and Pokémon films have been delayed to next year.)
With pretty much no competition, a rabid fan base, and a general populous eager to leave their homes after months contained, Infinity Train’s release was pretty much a perfect storm for major success. It’s too bad that the movie itself just doesn’t have more to offer.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Infinity Train was released in Japanese theaters on October 16, 2020.
Top image source: アニプレックス on YouTube.
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