Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Review

Demon Slayer is undoubtedly one of the pillars of contemporary action anime, alongside series like Jujutsu Kaisen and Attack on Titan. Since its anime debut in 2019, Demon Slayer has become more than just a commercial success; it has become a cultural phenomenon due to its stunning animation and action choreography by Ufotable, as well as its simple yet engaging story. The series is approaching its climactic finale by adapting the Infinity Castle arc into three feature-length films. The first instalment, Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, is quite lengthy at two hours and 35 minutes, but it still offers a diverse mix of spectacular action, otherworldly animation and compelling narrative to deliver a film that is worthy of the big screen.

Taking place exactly where the Hashira Training Arc left off, Tanjiro (Zach Aguilar) and the rest of the Demon Slayer Corps are transported to Muzan’s dimensional stronghold, the Infinity Castle, an ever-shifting and vast world which, until this moment, was only briefly seen by a select few. Now trapped within its labyrinthine depths, there is only one way to escape: by locating Muzan and killing him before his immortality ability is fully restored. While trying to locate Muzan, Tanjorio and his comrades must confront the Upper-Rank demons who stand between them and the fate of humanity.

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With Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, Ufotable will unquestionably go down as one of the best animation studios today, especially in the realm of action. The way 2D characters fluidly move within 3D environments is nothing short of mesmerising, leaving you to wonder how on earth they achieved this. Bolstered by the budget of a theatrical release, the camera moves with such dynamism and clarity that even in an ever-shifting world, you are never lost or confused. Where the animation truly shines, though, is with its action. The action transports you to another world, especially when the breathing styles are given their time to shine and leap from the screen with vivid colours and awe-inspiring beauty that, for a moment, I thought the film was in 3D.

It could be argued that the animation elevates the manga’s artwork to unimaginable heights. Even in my brief glances at the corresponding chapters, each moment feels redefined by Ufotable’s animation. A prime example is the Kaigaku vs Zenitsu fight scene, which takes what was likely a memorable moment from the manga and turns it into a truly stellar scene, brimming with tension and immaculate action choreography that’s nothing short of a visual feast.

What truly holds Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle back for me is the amount of exposition. While I have not read the manga, I found the amount of exposition to be so overbearing that I wanted to understand whether this was an issue with the adaptation or inherent to the source material. After reviewing several chapters, it’s clear that Ufotable’s screenplay remains remarkably faithful to the manga; many scenes are near one-to-one recreations.

For manga fans, this will be nothing short of incredible news as all the moments you know, and love are present. For anime-only fans, though, the frequent use of internal monologue to explicitly state characters’ emotions and inform the audience of important story moments they should already know, like Nezuko being immune to the light, can feel like the film is instructing the audience on how to feel and also strangely to ensure that those who haven’t seen the entire anime still have enough context to follow the story.

That said, the story we get here is compelling, especially the final 30 minutes are filled with so much emotional weight that you can help but well up. Demon Slayer understands that people are not born evil; rather, it’s the circumstances they face that affect the path they head down in life. Seeing how these demons have become the way they are due to natural and human emotions like the desire to protect and care for loved ones or the pain of loss is nothing short of gut-punching.

What has remained consistently impressive since its inception is the quality of the English dub. Aleks Le as Zenitsu continues to prove why he is one of the best voice actors working in anime today. In addition, Zach Aguilar also delivers a strong performance as Tanjiro, but the true standouts are Lucien Dodge as Akaza and Channing Tatum as Keizo. In the final 30 minutes, they carry the emotional weight of the film and Perfectly convey every line of dialogue, breathing life into their respective characters.
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Demon Slayer Infinity Castle will leave you wanting more, a strong first instalment of what could be an incredible trilogy. For longtime fans of the series, this will be an essential watch. For newcomers, it may just convince you to dive into the full show, even if you struggle at times to fully grasp everything that’s unfolding.

★★★★

In Cinemas from 12 September / Zach Aguilar, Aleks Le, Lucien Dodge, Johnny Yong Bosch, Channing Tatum / Dir: Haruo Sotozaki / Crunchyroll / 15

About the Author

Robert Ewing

Author

I am a freelance film critic and writer who specialises in Anime and Asian cinema. I have adored film since a young age, having watched films that were far too old for me, such as RoboCop, Die Hard, and Hot Tub Time Machine, to discovering the heights of foreign cinema through films like Headhunters and Battle Royale. Growing up with such a diverse catalogue of films that I cherished sparked my desire to discuss them. This passion eventually led me to become a reviewer. Dissecting films, speaking to filmmakers I admire, and showcasing the best of Asian and anime cinema is how I live my best and truest life.

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