This was the deal-closer for me with Kimetsu no Yaiba, though truth be told I was pretty much on-board in all but name already.  This was the episode that put the pieces together more comprehensively and elegantly than we’ve seen before, a coherent and compelling OP to ED narrative that was worthy of the always stellar production values.  It’s apparent we’re still operating within well-established genre guardrails here, but the ride is getting more and more enjoyable every week.  I still have an issue with the whole Nezuko-sleeping asspull, but that’s the only real complaint I have at this point and it’s no deal-breaker.

There’s a definitely upside and downside to using almost exclusively big-name seiyuu the way a show like Kimetsu does (because it can afford to).  When everyone sounds familiar realism takes a hit for sure, but if the actors are good enough they can elevate the material – and the two main guest voices this week certainly are.  As I watched the A-part playing out I was struck over and over by just how damn good Kimura Ryouhei is – what great range and emotional depth he has, even in a minor role like this one.  I’ve ended up kinda rooting for the demons a couple of times already, but I really did hate to see his character go because I just wanted him to keep on talking.

Kimura’s youkai was an interesting design too, plot-wise.  The whole split-personality teeth-grinding thing suggests an untold story behind it, especially when we got down the highly disturbing “I’m doing you a favor by eating girls before they turn!” justification he offered in the end.  As you’d expect the design for the “underwater” sequence was beautiful, right down to the floating bits of memorabilia from the victims.  It painted a vivid picture of the mindset of the demon, and it wasn’t as pretty to look at as it was pretty to look at.

The last contribution the tooth-grinder gives the story is a glimpse inside the terror that Kibutsuji Muzan elicits, even in other demons, as Teethy is too terrified to give up any information about Kibutsuji even at the cost of his own life.  Tanjirou is frustrated once more in his search for info, but his crow immediately sends him on his next mission – to Asakusa, in Tokyo.  Asakusa has already had a busy season in anime, and Kimetsu paints a vivid picture of what it must have looked like to the eyes of a country boy in the Taishou Era.

If it was unclear at times whether this story was set much further in the past when it was in the mountains, Asakusa eliminates all doubt – and that’s a telling statement about Japan during this period.  Asakusa was the center of modernity – the emblematic Ryouunkaku, garish lighting, streetcars.  In its way this is more terrifying (and educational) for Tanjirou than any demon, and he eventually retreats to the Sumida riverside for the quiet refuge of an udon cart – but soon his nose picks up the scent of Kibutsuji Muzan, and he unhesitatingly dashes back into the sea of humanity (leaving Nezuko – I hope he has Google Maps).

In Seki Toshihiko, Kimetsu no Yaiba has another of those unmistakable voices – but as with Kimura, the owner is an actor of great range and subtlety.  Kibutsuji raises the bar for youkai in this story – he’s smart and composed and clearly both willing and able to pass as a human – Tanjirou is stunned to see he seems to have a human wife and daughter.  It’s not like Tanjirou can cut him down in these circumstances, especially surrounded by a throng of innocents, but in a fascinating gesture Kibutsuji slashes and turns another human – to cause a commotion and slip away?  Or to send a message to Tanjirou about who the real boss is, who can do what he wants with impunity?  I’ve always been impressed with the visuals and music with Kimetsu no Yaiba, but this is definitely the most intrigued I’ve been by where the story is headed.