I have a litmus test with dropping series that’s rarely wrong.  When I start to use the fast-forward button, that’s usually the end – it’s very rare that a show can dig itself into that hole and ever extricate itself.  And I reached that point with Kimetsu no Yaiba this week.  Frankly I think Shimono Hiro should probably be doing hard time for his performance as Zenitsu, but he’s not the real problem here – the problem is the way his character (and Boaris’ too) are written.  And that this series is so terrible at buddy comedy.

That the B-part of this episode was better is not a bad thing, obviously – but if it’s going to be a matter of suffering through unwatchable stretches every episode, that’s just not a series I can write about.  Watch maybe, and even occasionally pop off 280 characters on, but not cover traditionally.  This was not a totally surprising development, because a series that relies so heavily on execution at the expense of ideas has a razor-thin margin for error.  The anime itself has obviously remained solid in terms of production, but for me at least we’re seeing the limits of where its writing can take Kimetsu no Yaiba.

As long as I’m venting, though, let me just note that the Demon Slayer association really pisses me off.  Their general strategy seems to be “let’s (barely) train a bunch of kids to do an adult’s job, and then get as many of them killed as quickly as possible”.  It’s hard not to root for the demons in this series, and not just because they’re invariably the most interesting characters.  From the preposterous “trial” which killed off most of the applicants, to sending these children off to battle injured, exhausted and with no clue what they’re getting into, I don’t think we have any real “good guys” here.  The slayer kids are the victims, and maybe Tamayo is a genuinely heroic figure – but it’s clear she and Yushiro are bit players in the larger narrative picture.

Also, the current battle…  Oy.  Sending a bunch of zaku in for a job clearly too difficult, and only reluctantly sending in experienced slayers (who still haven’t arrived yet, mind you) after they’re mostly slaughtered?  And Boaris’ just happening to have exactly the ability necessary to pull out of his ass, right when Tanjirou asks for it?  Sorry, not buying that.  Sometimes KnY does correct its glaring mistakes – such as Tanjirou fighting without a limp and the slayers never getting any downtime – after the fact, but it plays almost like an afterthought.  Why not write it so it makes sense in the first place?

Nah, this is clearly not working for me at this point, and I really think it’s best to pull the plug.  As ever I reserve the right to change my mind if a really great episode or arc comes along and changes my mind.  And while it’s very rare (like “count on one hand” rare), there have been instances (most recently Tsurune) where I’ve dropped shows and found my way back to them.  I’m not anticipating that here but hey, I wasn’t on any of the other occasions where it happened either, so the door is only closed – not locked.