Demon Slayer: Entertainment District Arc [SUB] (2021-2022) Review

 Demon Slayer: Entertainment District Arc [SUB] (2021-2022) 9/10

[THIS WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!]

Alright Ufotable. You guys can talk all the shit you want now. This arc was something else. Talk shit cause this was on another level. Demon Slayer: Entertainment District Arc is part of season 2, taking place after Mugen Train Arc. The story arc ran from December 5, 2021 - February 13, 2022, with it clocking in at only 11 episodes long. Even after sitting on this for roughly a day now, I still can’t get over this. The arc started off on the same level as the rest of the series so far but then it just skyrocketed into Andromeda. I’m gonna try and keep this short, so let’s begin.

After the events of Mugen Train, Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke recover at Butterfly Mansion, training to become stronger. Tanjiro also meets with Rengoku’s family to learn about the Hinokami Kagura and to give his condolences to the family. Four months pass and another Hashira, named Tengen Uzui, barges in, needing help with his mission. Tanjiro and the others offer their help and head on over to Yoshiwara Entertainment District. Their mission is to pose as courtesans and find the demon that’s lurking in the bustling shadows. As their mission progresses, they’ll learn that they aren’t dealing with any normal demon.

Not gonna lie, the arc started off rather standard. Nothing really extraordinary that hasn’t been shown before. But once the battle started was when this shit went into overdrive. I am still stunned and shocked at how this battle progressed. I just can’t get over it. It’s phenomenal. But let me try to dissect this lmao. The way the story progressed up to the fight was interesting. Seeing the lifestyle of the Red Light District and what went into running a courtesan house was actually fascinating to me. There was a whole social stature that I didn’t know about. Also the group’s investigations into the demon and how it progressed needs to be commended as well. I loved the evolution that everyone underwent in this arc. Tanjiro probably got the most out of this arc, but let’s not forget everyone else. Tengen was a cool character, but compared to previous Hashira, I’d probably rank him low as a favorite. Tanjiro’s evolution with him bringing out the big guns with Sun Breathing and then combining that with Water Breathing was an excellent way to develop him. Nezuko got some development too, but I was hoping she would play a bigger part in the arc. But I am still satisfied with her character. I love that the show kept Zenitsu “asleep” during the entire fight. Him whining would’ve hindered the quality of the battle. And I love how Inosuke wasn’t overly cocky in this. He understood the situation and was willing to do what was needed. I feel like Rengoku’s death hit him harder than it originally showed. The demons, Daki and Gyutaro, were excellent villains for the arc. Daki herself was alright at best, but once Gyutaro popped up is when shit started to get really interesting. The whole scene of Uzui trying to figure out why she hadn’t died yet was so fucking hype. The way this whole arc hyped up the viewer with the revelations of information and pacing is that of JoJo. Just pure insanity and clever writing.

The fight as a whole is just on another level. Very rarely do I see a fight this well written. The way everything progressed, showing off the character’s fruits of their training and all the twists and turns. This is literally a fight for the history books. Same way as Naruto vs Pain, Goku vs Frieza, Joseph vs Wamuu, Jotaro vs Dio, and Yusei vs Jack (at the end of Yugioh 5D’s). And this fight wouldn’t have hit so hard had Ufotable’s animation and art direction lacked in any form. This is what infinite animation budget looks like. Everything looked good, looked clean, and looked perfect. Even the use of 3D animation and live stock footage (used for the fire in certain shots) looked great. At the end of the second to last episode, it looked like a fucking nuke went off. Like Jesus fuck dude. This whole thing was hype, from start to finish. And the thing is, Daki and Gyutaro are WEAKER than Akaza and Muzan. I can’t even imagine what carnage will happen when these two start fighting.

Music for the Entertainment District Arc is another highlight. A lot of the music before and during the battle aided the insanity of this arc. All the hype moments wouldn’t have hit as hard if the score didn’t go so well. The OP “Zankyou Zanka” showed off the flamboyant air of the nightlife, with the up-beat use of the piano and guitar while also being a rocking piece of music. And the ED “Asa ga Kuru” was a nice “interlude” for each episode (I say interlude cause I binged this whole arc in one sitting lmao).

I watched this in the JP dub, just like the previous season and it’s just as good. All the VAs returned and they all did great. The new VAs were great as well. Overall best performances go to Natsuki Hanae (Tanjiro), Hiro Shimono (Zenitsu), Yoshisugu Matsuoka (Inosuke), Akari Kitou (Nezuko), Katsuyuki Konishi (Tengen Uzui), Miyuki Sawashiro (Daki), Ryota Oosaka (Gyutaro), and Nao Touyama (Suma). The yell during the final strike from everyone was fucking God tier. Also that particular face Tanjiro made when he made the cut. Oh man that shit is burned into my brain.

The only reason why this isn’t a perfect 10/10 is the beginning part before the fight. Nothing wrong with it at all. But it’s just not on the same level as the actual fight itself. Because of how high tier this is, I do have my concerns about the quality for the rest of the series. I fear that it’s not going to hit as high as this, but I’m praying that I am wrong and it’s going to stay this quality. Entertainment District Arc hit all the right notes and I am hyped for season 3. Until my next review, stay safe out there.

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time.

This is Zorgak, signing off.