UGH, NOT THE SPIDERS!!!

I knew it. Where there are demons, there are spiders. BECAUSE SPIDERS ARE DEMONS!!

This volume was hard to read because of the spider-shaped demons. It took everything in me not to just drop the book, because these jokers are UGLY. U G L Y. This is what nightmares are made of. But let me slow down, and go ahead and express what I feel about this manga.

Volume 4 covers episodes 14-17 of the anime. Everyone’s made it outside of the Tsuzumi Mansion only to find Inosuke (a new character who is now formally introduced to us) and Zenitsu fighting over the box that’s holding Nezuko. Within these episodes and this volume, it’s clear that Tanjiro is the only one with a clear head. Inosuke Hashibira is wild and violent, always wanting to challenge and be challenged. He also has a very feminine face, which I think is interesting, and I wonder if later when his story is revealed more if he wears the boar head so he looks more menacing. Zenitsu is cowardly and scared most of the time. Seeing the range among all three characters is so interesting; they all are strong in their own ways, but their different personalities and temperaments would have you think otherwise.

I noticed the anime episodes highlighting Inosuke’s reaction to Tanjiro and the old woman from the Wisteria House’s kindness more. While I was reading the manga (maybe I was reading too fast), I barely noticed it. I had to go back, the same way I did for volume 2, and see if anything like that was portrayed. And it was! I know I’m trying to get through this manga and the episodes, but this was just a reminder for me to slow down and pay attention when I read. It’s good that I’m reading and watching though, so I don’t miss any reactions that truly matter!

Okay, onto the spiders.

They were already disgusting in the manga, but OH MY GOODNESS…watching them move in the anime made my skin crawl. Especially the one whose body was a full spider, and it made humans little tiny spiders 😭

You can’t tell me this doesn’t look like that weird spider toy from Toy Story that we were all afraid of…

GROSS!!!

The forest is WILD, but it tests all our heroes in different ways. I liked seeing more of Zenitsu’s background (and the fact that the author gave us a spoiler in volume 3 about him that was actually true!), and seeing him move past his fear when he was more aware of it, and not just sleeping.

The Papa Spider though?! *shudders* The manga ends with face reveal of him…it’s a spider face. With all the eyes and little fangs and BLECH! If you have arachnophobia, this volume and these episodes are probably not for you. The anime ends with Tanjiro actually taking a swing at “Father”, or I like to call him Papa Spider, and we’re unsure if it actually hurts him or not.

I’m getting through this manga and the anime a little more quickly now! I’m ready to read on, and keep watching to see what happens to this spider family! I wanted to finish the first 10 volumes by the end of month, but I think I need to slow down so I can catch moments that matter more.

Hoped y’all liked this review (despite the spiders)! I’ll be back with more!

Mishy 🦋🩵☁️