Book Review: Demon Slayer Volume 11 by Koyoharu Gotouge

Spoiler Free Summary: Demon Slayer Volume 11 by Koyoharu Gotouge is the eleventh volume in the Demon Slayer manga. The fight against Daki enters its final stages. Every time our heroes feel like they have found a new level, we see the upper Kizuki are still just that much better. No one demon slayer stands a chance, but what if they fight as a team?

The cover image for this volume was taken from its Amazon buy page for review purposes under Fair Use doctrine.

Character: The development continues here, but this volume is far more about the fight scene (and man is it great). Here what makes the character work is something important: I was genuinely worried about the characters. To make a fight scene great, and to make a character sympathetic, we have to worry for them. We have to be afraid that they hero might lose, and that’s an impossibly high standard sometimes because who goes into a story genuinely expecting the hero to lose. We’ve seen an uptick in side-character deaths, but it’s a rare author (Martin) who’s willing to kill off any character. This means establishing that worry is very hard. I had that from this issue through (I’m currently caught up and eagerly awaiting Volume 22).

Exposition: Once more, we’re seeing an actual fight, so the exposition is pretty much non-existent and not necessary.

Worldbuilding: The worldbuilding doesn’t really shift from the earth-shattering reveal in Volume 10, but I don’t need every volume to have that. This issue is the culmination of an arc, and so all the worldbuidling had been done. That lest us readers sit back and enjoy the show.

Dialogue: That 1980’s cartoon villain banter was still present, but I didn’t mind. There is minimal dialogue in this volume aside from “I can’t believe you’re still alive!”

Description: The art is amazing. The way the breathing forms are done is just wonderful. I love aspects like that, and I intend to steal it at some point (the technique, not the literal names). There isn’t any description via the written word, but the detail of this art is second to none (at least outside of anime/manga).

Overall: This volume ends the fight that started in Volume 9. It’s not the best fight anymore (see later reviews), but it still really holds up. To me, this volume represents the last surge before the final push that begins in Volume 17. From 11 to 17, there is a lot of great stuff, but once you start 17, you better have the rest ready to go. This arc, however, is similarly (if not as) difficult to put down. I love it when a conclusion (even to a chapter) is worth the build up, and this volume is.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Book Review: Demon Slayer Volume 8 by Koyoharu Gotouge

Spoiler Free Summary: Demon Slayer Volume 8 by Koyoharu Gotouge is the eighth volume in the Demon Slayer manga. The battle on the train concludes, and our heroes are forced to live with the aftermath. But from sadness, hope arises, and Tanjiro finally has the chance to learn what Hinokami Kagura is. Just as answers seem near, a new mission begins.

The cover image for this manga was taken from its Amazon buy page for review purposes under Fair Use docrine.

Character: Tanjiro is still the star of the show, but like all truly amazing anime/manga, even the side characters with just a sliver of screen time have deep arcs that touch the heart. This entire volume is more about the heart of those side characters. Learning about others through the compassionate and loving eyes of Tanjiro is all the more special.

Exposition: This manga probably needed a bit more exposition than most given that this particular volume is more setup and worldbuilding, but it’s not an offensive amount.

Worldbuilding: This volume delivers on the promise made by the previous one. We do indeed finally gain some relevant, meaningful information about Hinokami Kagura. On one hand, the information is awesome in it’s scope, but it isn’t very functionally revealing. Think of it like a history lesson without the current applicational use. Still, it expands the worldbuilding and teases real cool things to come, also hinting at why Tanjiro’s family was targeted.

Dialogue: The dialogue is where a lot comes to light. It’s not as thinly veiled as it could have been, but it’s pretty on the nose. Still, the characters each have a unique voice, and that makes watching the story unfold fun. The conversations are charming, touching, and sad at all the appropriate times.

Description: The art is still great, but there’s not much that will change here in regard to description. If you’re reading the manga by this point, you probably already like the art and, therefore, the description.

Overall: This volume does what all great setup volumes do. They yank you along from volume to volume with great cliffhangers that make you want to rush out and buy the next however-many volumes are available. Where Volume 7 gives the reader action and cool fight scenes, this volume gives you context and worldbuilding while setting up the next big showdown.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Book Review: Demon Slayer Volume 7 by Koyoharu Gotouge

Spoiler Free Summary: Demon Slayer Volume 7 by Koyoharu Gotouge is the seventh volume in the Demon Slayer manga. Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke board a train where people are vanishing at an alarming rate. Tanjiro hopes to find Rengoku, a Hashira in the Demon Slayer Corps to ask the master about fire breathing techniques and if they are related to Hinokami Kagura. But the mystery of this train will force all the members of the team to face their own hearts, and if they can’t let go of dreams of what could have been or could be, the only futures they’ll have will be as food.

The cover image for this volume was taken from its Amazon buy page for review purposes under Fair Use doctrine.

Character: Tanjiro is easily one of the most compelling characters of this generation. He’s innocent, kind, and loyal. Like all great anime characters I can think of off the top of my head, he’s not that bright. This volume connects all the way back to the beginning of Tanjiro’s story, and it’s heartbreaking to watch him face those memories only to have to abandon them.

Exposition: Manga’s have an advantage in that they can use art to fill in gaps, but even mangas need a few exposition boxes to provide context or the occasional joke. Thankfully, these particular boxes are short and to the point. They’re only used to provide information that can’t be shown visually, and that’s cool.

Worldbuilding: This volume continues to tease the mysterious nature of Hinokami Kagura, but it doesn’t provide any real answers. This volume relies on cool fight scenes and emotional drama to keep the pages turning. However, I feel it was still successful. You see, with serialized stories, not every book needs to have every quality. This volume had it’s traits (see above) and other volumes deal with other areas of storytelling. This is because a volume is a part of a far much greater whole. The only real worldbuilding here you see is how much more unique the upper ranked demons are.

Dialogue: A lot of the charm in this series comes from the dialogue between Tanjiro and his friends. Even the other members of the corps have their personalities revealed via dialogue. I think that’s a bit unique, but I watch far more anime than I do read manga, so a bit manga reader will have to comment below and tell me how far off I am. I think this dialogue was a bit stronger than other anime (Naruto, Bleach). I don’t think it’s as good as Death Note, but it’s close.

Description: Manga cheats a little here. It’s so much easier to have great description when you’re an artist who can literally draw what you want viewers to see. The art is incredible. The action scenes are well depicted. I have to admit that black and white is a bit hard for me to see in the details sometimes, but that’s a minor complaint that has more to do with the genre than with the art.

Overall: I picked this up because I didn’t want to wait another year for the movie to come out. At lest now I have the story in my head. That said, I can’t wait for the movie now. The story is beautiful and tragic, fun and action packed. It has lots of surprising moments and teases some strong world building in future volumes. If you like anime and/or manga, this is worth starting.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

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