Naturally Kimetsu no Yaiba is the franchise that can look at anime’s sacred New Year’s break and say “I fart in your general direction”.  They’d probably preempt the Kouhaku itself for Kimetsu if it made the demand.  Not that I’m complaining – it’s nice to have an actual episode post to do (even if I do enjoy having a break from them for a week or so).  Especially when it’s an overall pretty good one, as this one was (either that, or I was just desperate for content).

The equation with Kimetsu could hardly be simpler and it hardly ever misses.  Not much humor and a big fight. and this show is a lock to be entertaining.  Daki vs. Tanjirou does have an inherent pit trap with it, which is that Tanjirou can’t really win (or even hold his own) without tanking the credibility of the series’ power structure.  Still, it’s interesting to see him struggle – he overthinks at the best of times, but at moments like these it sort of comes in handy.

As you know I have a gap in my Kimetsu timeline, but as far as I know this is the first explicit acknowledgement of the fact that Mizu no Kokyuu is not destined to be Tanjirou’s true fighting style.  I suppose he’s all-in on Hinokami Kagura now, given that he’s turning to it in the midst of a fight for his life.  If you use the Kenshin Himura model all those special moves get retained in the arsenal – they just aren’t the true “special move”.  Does Tanjirou retain Mizu no Kokyuu even if he embraces Hinokami Kagura, or is it an either/or kind of thing?

As for the others, Boaris sniffs out Warabihime’s larder (it’s not clear if the youkai there is an extension of her body or that of one of her toadies).  He also gives us another indication (Uzui telling him to shut up being the first) that Zenitsu’s annoyingness is acknowledged by the narrative – yes, it would be a boon if he never woke up.  He certainly seems to be a better fighter that way, and Inosuke can use his help.  His and that of two of Uzui’s wives, likewise liberated from the larder.

Polygamy wasn’t outlawed in Japan until 1945 (the timing is not coincidental), so Uzui’s wives literally being wives (a “Taisho secret” indeed) shouldn’t be surprising.  Still, I wasn’t sure the series was actually going there, and I’ll be interested to see if this topic gets any more discussion.  I don’t find Uzui to be an especially compelling character but I suppose the fact that he embraces something taboo in modern society gives his character some distinctiveness…