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    Kimetsu no Yaiba: Mugen Ressha-hen (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Mugen Train Arc) – A Song of Fire and Dreams Revisited

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    Anime fans everywhere know all about the box office success of the highly anticipated follow-up to the 2019 anime series known as Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer). It has been a year since its Japanese release, and several months since the showing of the film, Kimetsu no Yaiba Movie: Mugen Ressha-hen (Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train) in cinemas all over the world, from South Africa to the United States! Now we’re up for some more Demon Slayer content with the highly-anticipated return of the anime series, with the currently-airing Mugen Train Arc and the Entertainment District Arc coming later. This means that even if you didn’t manage to catch the movie in local theatres, you can watch it now in TV episode format. That sounds like a drawn-out recap session for those who caught the movie; however, the second season boasts a never-before-seen episode featuring Rengoku, as well as a seamless adaptation of the film. Here’s what to expect from the currently airing Kimetsu no Yaiba: Mugen Ressha-hen (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Mugen Train Arc)!

    What We’ve Seen So Far

    Rengoku-san

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    As we mentioned before, the anime is currently showing us the events of the film, Kimetsu no Yaiba Movie: Mugen Ressha-hen (Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train), as well as a special first episode that centred on Rengoku in the two days or so leading up to the Mugen Train arc. This first episode is filled with great moments and the beautiful animation we’ve always appreciated. In fact, we see a train conductor fall victim to an unseen demon on a train before we even see the title card, a gesture that could be humorously interpreted as ufotable making a blatant statement that this is no filler episode. It really isn’t. Rengoku’s mission in this episode actually concerns the strange series of disappearances that have happened on the Mugen Train, and while having lunch with a subordinate at a certain old man’s restaurant, Rengoku hears some information about the recent disappearance of 40 people aboard the Mugen Train; as well as a demon dubbed “The Slasher” that has been going around eviscerating people. The Slasher’s victims seem to include an unnamed victim that Rengoku and his subordinate managed to secure alive the previous night. The first episode has Rengoku distracted from this Mugen Train mission only briefly, but the vast majority of the most important events in this episode happened on a train or near one somehow.

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    He later learns that the Mugen Train has been briefly decommissioned in order to be serviced. There is no better time for Rengoku to investigate the mysterious train while it’s subject to maintenance, and while he’s there, he meets the many workers and engineers who keep the trains running smoothly. This is where The Slasher makes a proper appearance since that mysterious debut in the first scene, showing off its insane speed and threatening Rengoku and the other people there. A blistering chase and battle ensue, with Rengoku’s obvious victory. He manages to save the old lady and granddaughter vendor pair that he met earlier that day, which sets the grandma’s memory ablaze as she recalls being saved by the previous Flame Hashira—Rengoku’s father. In this episode, we get to learn a little bit about Rengoku and see his abilities in action before getting into the events of the Mugen Train Arc. It is both pleasing to the eye and also a good way to kickstart the narrative of this arc, not to mention the way it seamlessly throws itself into the flow of the Mugen Train Arc.

    The Mugen Train

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    From the second episode onwards, we get the events of the Mugen Train Arc with the same quality as the film but cut up into several episodes that graciously cover the content of the film and bring us up to speed without feeling like a boring recap. The series retains the film’s humour, which is arguably better this way as we get small doses of humour in each episode. Some of the funniest moments include the pleasant dreams seen by Zenitsu and Inosuke respectively, which happen to reflect the characters’ internal environment in an interesting fashion. Zenitsu’s crush on Nezuko, and more specifically, his Sanji-like obsession with women is what is emphasized the most, while Inosuke’s beast-like tendencies are highlighted by his dream, where he attempts to conquer the Mugen Train itself, which he sees as a really big animal of some kind! At this point, we have just seen the 5th episode, which covers Tanjiro’s epic fight against Enmu after the enemy reveals that the Mugen Train itself is his real body. With the inside of the train becoming a slimy and gooey mess reflective of the fact that it is Enmu’s body, things are beyond desperate. His tentacles and tendrils stretch out towards the various sleeping passengers, and the interior of the train begins to fall apart. The best part about the anime is the pacing, as the runtime of the movie is cut up into lovely bite-sized chunks that even manage to give us several cliffhangers and not leave out a single morsel! As a recap, it’s well-paced and will go on for a total of 7 episodes. That’s precarious; however, as many of us do want to get into the Entertainment District Arc. However, the sheer excitement of the Mugen Train Arc is only getting stronger as we approach the conclusion, with a Tanjiro performing a Hinokami Kagura to sever the Enmu’s neck, which was thick given that it was part of the train.


    Final Thoughts

    The past few episodes have been epic and anyone who hasn’t seen Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train film will greatly appreciate them, but even the fans who have seen the film can enjoy the TV series version of events and the fact that the visual quality has not changed at all is a major plus. There is still a lot to be adapted for TV; however, and with a particular battle still looming, many of us will be looking forward to the Entertainment District Arc, which begins on December 5! One thing is for sure, the hype is building for this part of the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba storyline, and it is great that they’re walking us through it in this way. What do you think about Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Mugen Train Arc so far? Drop a comment below and tell us what you think!

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