Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (2023)

[鬼滅の刃]

Season 3

Director: Haruo Sotozaki
Studio: Ufotable
Starring: Natsuki Hanae, Akari Kito, Hiro Shimono
Episodes: 11

Synopsis:
Tanjirou receives special leave to visit the swordsmiths' village, but while he is there, two of the Upper Kizuki launch an attack.

Impressions:
I saw the first part of this in the theatrical release that paired the finale of the previous season with the premiere of this one. If only my niece wasn't a heretic who insists on watching anime in English... Anyway, while I don't consider this arc of the story to hit quite as hard as the previous two, there's plenty to appreciate here. If you've read my manga reviews, you know that I wasn't a big fan of the Gyokko fight, but I will say that it benefits from being animated. The Hantengu fight is much more technically appealing, featuring a joint effort, while the Gyokko fight is mostly a solo effort by Tokitou. Character-wise, I really like the work that's gone into developing Genya and I want to give a particular nod to Nobuhiko Okamoto's performance here. And while I said this arc doesn't hit as hard as the previous two, the climax still packs plenty of whallop. As you'd expect, Ufotable doesn't slack off, so you can expect the kind of visual treat you've come to expect from the series. By this point, fans shouldn't even have to ask about the final verdict. This is one for the collection.

Rating:
Own It