Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba “Final Selection Arc” (Chapters 1 through 9) Manga Review
Major Spoilers are included in this manga review. Please read with caution.
Hi everyone! You should read Demon Slayer!
Let’s dive into the why.
Synopsis first: Demon Slayer follows Tanjiro Kamado in Taisho-era Japan, a kind-hearted boy who lives with his family in the mountains. Then everything changed when his family was slaughtered by a powerful demon. His sister Nezuko was the sole survivor of the incident, having been transformed into a demon herself. This kicked off the beginning of Tanjiro’s epic quest for vengeance against the demon who killed his family. More importantly, Tanjiro won’t rest until he finds a cure for Nezuko’s demon state.
I had watched the anime series back in 2019, but this was the first time I’m reading the manga. On June 26, 2020, I finished reading the first nine chapters of the manga. The “Final Selection Arc” started the series off, giving Tanjiro motive for wanting to become a Demon Slayer. For those who didn’t know, Demon Slayer was absolutely amazing. The artwork, fight scenes, Tanjiro’s kind-hearted personality, and the writing were really good.
The emotional moments were also on-point. Tanjiro’s ability to emphasize with the demons was beautiful, a signature trope of the series. This was an effective thing to do in the series, allowing the audience to understand the humanity behind demons.
The training scenes were also a nice way to cover large spans of time during this arc, preparing Tanjiro for the Final Selection—an entrance exam to become a Demon Slayer. I also enjoyed the twists on characters Sabito and Makomo. This series’ emotionally-charged moments will always tug at the heartstrings. The exposition—about demons, how to kill them, what a Demon Slayer, etc.—was well-handled through the dialogue and actions of the other characters.
Overall, I enjoyed revisiting the series in its manga form. There are 205 chapters in the entire series, so I will read until the end similar to The Promised Neverland. I can’t wait to see how Demon Slayer will end. Let’s keep it reading, everyone!