TIME FOR ANOTHER DEMON SLAYER BLOG!

I can’t lie, this volume was making me SO MAD initially because the Hashira (the 9 highest ranking demon slayers in the Demon Slayer Corps) were trying to kill Nezuko! Like, KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF HER!! But before that…

I forgot that I left off in the middle of episode 21 in the anime, where we see Zenitsu getting rescued and cured. In the manga, they also find Inosuke right after, but in the anime, they don’t find him until after the message is sent to bring in Tanjiro and Nezuko. We’re also introduced to the Kakushi, the people who clean up after Demon Slayers.

We then see Shinobu trying to kill Nezuko, but Tomioka and Tanjiro are in the way. I love Tomioka because he allows Tanjiro to run away with Nezuko…even after he finds out from Shinobu that apparently not many people like him 😭

There’s a scene in the anime that’s not shown in the manga: it’s of Shinobu running away from Tomioka after saying she didn’t want to waste time with him. He catches up to her quickly, which is what I guess the manga was portraying when we see him restraining her.

Then there’s a scene in the manga that isn’t portrayed in the anime. When one of the butterfly demon slayers tries to kill Nezuko, it shows that she almost came close because a slash was on the ground next to Nezuko’s head. In the anime, it doesn’t show that at all, but that she missed completely. I think these choices to leave things out or add things speak to the manga artist and the anime producer. It shows what they each deem important, what they want to portray to their audience.

Episode 21 ends with Tanjiro tied up in front of the Hashira, and we get to see more of their personalities in episode 22. These are characters I’ve seen people cosplay as, or I’ve seen photos of them on anime social media accounts, so that’s nice to finally make that connection.

This is where they try to kill Nezuko because they’ve put Tanjiro on trial for being with a demon. They also want to punish Tomioka for defending them. SO frustrating to read because we know that Tanjiro and Nezuko are legit!

BUT ALSO…this is when we get introduced to the Hashira known as Sanemi Shinazugawa who has the same English voice actor as Satoru Gojo.

I can tell he tried to make this character sound a little different, but you can definitely tell it’s HIM! He also voices Jinshi from The Apothecary Diaries. This man’s resume is EXTENSIVE.

Back to Tanjiro though. Every time he defends Nezuko, I start to tear up because the sibling love RUNS DEEP. HE AIN’T LETTIN ANYBODY WHO TOUCHES HER GET AWAY WITH IT!

But then…the Master of the Mansion arrives. He’s the head of the Demon Slayer Corps, and it’s clear that, when he’s around, nobody getting out of line. And it’s not because he’s harsh; he’s extremely calm, and it causes the others to be calm as well! We love him too because he accepts Tanjiro and Nezuko, and implores the Hashira to do the same.

He also reminds me of William Vangeance from Black Clover, another anime I love! I wonder which one came first…

They of course are like…”I respect you, master, but HELL NAH.”

Another person I love? Urokodaki. Because he sent a letter ahead to ensure that the head of the Demon Slayer Corps would accept Tanjiro and Nezuko. This is where I learned the term “seppuku” which is also known as “harakiri” meaning “belly-cutting.” This basically means to slit open your belly, a way of dying with honor. Urokodaki says that, if Nezuko were to ever eat a human, he, along with Tanjiro and Tomioka, would commit seppuku. I think the manga author and the anime producer chose to keep this word instead of using “suicide” to show the cultural significance of it in Japan, which I respect!

Unlike the manga, the anime gives us more flashbacks for Nezuko while she contemplates eating Sanemi’s blood, but of course, it’s for dramatic effect! We also find out officially that Ubuyashiki is blind (I mean, the top half of his face looks like it’s been cursed by a demon or something, so, makes sense) because he asks what happened with Nezuko and Sanemi.

Once all that is settled, Tanjiro and Nezuko are taken to the Butterfly Mansion, where we finally get to see Zenitsu and Inosuke again! Zenitsu is his same wild self, but poor Inosuke is hella depressed 🫩 and his voice is lower because his larynx was crushed in the fight. Poor thing!

((Something funny that I didn’t notice until I watched the anime was that Zenitsu got his snot on one of the Kakushi, and they’re FREAKING OUT for a tissue 😂 it’s in the manga too, but I didn’t realize it!))

The manga gave a synopsis of everyone’s healing so it could get to Tanjiro’s re-training quickly. But I love that the anime added a scene of Tanjiro and Nezuko talking alone, recounting the events from Mount Natagumo and after, and of course, Tanjiro vowing to become stronger.

I had to go back to the manga while watching episode 23 because there was a scene in the anime of the Hashira meeting with the Master about what they were going to do about the demon population, but it wasn’t in this volume 😳 There was also a scene with Rengoku talking with Shinobu before he headed off into battle that I haven’t read in the manga yet (if it’s there). I wonder if it’ll be in volume 7! I hope that as I keep watching there won’t be too many scenes that stray from my reading. But if there are, I’ll just have to read more than one at a time to make sure all bases are covered!

Zenitsu is SO STUPID because he yelled at Tanjiro and Inosuke about their training being “playing games” with the girls of the mansion, and them not being grateful about it 😭😭 I cannot with him! 😂

But those are our nephews! I feel like a proud aunty for real when I see them trying their best at training, and succeeding. Like…am I tearing up?! Over some anime characters??

I may have to stop here because in Episode 25, it looks like they’re about to go into Kanao’s backstory, even though it’s intertwined with Zenitsu and Inosuke’s training. This blog post is already long too, so I’ll save more thoughts for the next time!

Mishy 🦋☁️✨