Kimetsu no Yaiba – 11 [Tsuzumi Mansion]

Welcome to another episode of Kimetsu no Yaiba! This week we finally meet the rest of our leading group, find a new Demon and deal with some… odd tonal issues. Lets dive in!

Starting off, Zenitsu. I have to say, whatever Yaiba is planning with him, so far I am not impressed. The man was just so incredibly… annoying. Right off the bat I am not the favorite of this cowardly archetype. Yet Yaiba did what it does and dialed him up to 11. With the entire first half just being his whiny voice ad-nauseam. Simply put, Zenitsu was way over-done at the start of the episode. Really putting me off him. It’s sad to, because there are definite hints to more around his character. With Zenitsu splitting the food Tanjiro gave him, or actually fulfilling his role as a Demon Slayer when he could run at any time. Yaiba makes it clear there is more to him. Yet because of the opening 11 minutes, both his character and the episode as a whole, suffer.

What do I mean by effect on the episode? Well, beyond the 11 minute opening, it’s the destruction of the series tone. Yaiba has, up until now, been a largely serious series. Of course it’s not devoid of humor, that’s ridiculous. Nezuko’s very existence disproves that. Yet Nezuko and Tanjiro’s comedy is much more muted, subtle. With her acting in the background, or having more subdued facial reactions. They are much less over than Zenitsu’s screaming madness. On top of that, it’s also a matter of timing. With most other comedy coming after or between serious moments. For instance this episode, right in the middle of us meeting the new demon, we have Zenitsu screaming. It really hurt the ominous tone of the introduction. It’s not like Yaiba can’t do it, it did it just fine this episode in other places. Its mostly just Zenitsu, screwing it up.

There were aspects of the comedy I enjoyed this week. Namely Tanjiro. I just found his faces hilarious, and I actually am looking forward to his straightman routine. I also suspect that Nezuko’s interactions, either being ignorant of it all or just rejecting Zenitsu, will be quite fun. That or Tanjiro’s protective older brother act. Regardless, between them and the inevitable 4th member of the party in the Boar, I think the quartet may actually work out. Ending up balanced. All Yaiba really has to do to ensure this is to tone Zenitsu down a bit. Hopefully, he was jacked up for his introduction this week, and that happens. If not though, it could seriously impact my enjoyment of the series. Still, that wasn’t the only decent part of the episode, so let’s move on to the creepy house.

I actually really like this house. When Tanjiro first came upon it, I actually suspected the kids might be demons of some kind. However their purpose fits a lot better as a sort of limiter to Tanjiro’s power, forcing him to look after someone. A good way to make the fight more interesting coming up. I also found that the ominous drum beat, with the crashing corpse out the window, managed to complete reset the tone from Zenitsu’s introduction and get me engaged again. Resetting the tone just right for the next episode. The demon’s power was also fascinating to me, allowing him to control the orientation and location of the room with drum beats. It’s not a direct attack power, but provides plenty of opportunities for interesting visuals. Such as the initial continuous room switches. Combined with the boar, next week is looking up.

Speaking of the Boar, let’s take a moment to examine him. Right off the bat, he doesn’t seem like a Demon Slayer to me. He wears neither the uniform, noar does is he restricted to a single sword. To me, it’s almost like he took the swords from someone else. Some fallen Demon Slayers perhaps, with the blades modified to hurt his enemies instead of killing them quickly? I also don’t see why Tanjiro would get sent here if there was already another Demon Slayer present. Though perhaps he got in from a different door, considering the rooms get swapped around constantly. Regardless, based on the OP and the timing of his introduction, Boar is obviously the final member of the group. Following Tanjiro after this for whatever reason. Most likely he will bee the standard “Strength seeking” member, challenging Tanjiro or respecting his strength for whatever reason.

So all in all, how was the episode? The first half was annoying, with a number of smaller moments that I enjoyed. But largely a negative on the episode. The 2nd half though got back into the darker fantasy that I enjoy so much. Crashing back into frame with a bloody corpse through a window. Some might call that a jarring tone switch, and I would agree with them, but it was a welcome one for me. I found the atmosphere of the house to welcoming, in an oppressive “I like my MC’s to suffer” sort of way. I promise, I am mentally sound, but tragedies are my jam. Between this new tone and the interesting visuals of the inner house, I enjoyed the 2nd half quite a bit. I can only hope that the next episode follows up on it well.