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Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba The Movie: Mugen Train
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Wikipedia article
, also known as 'Demon Slayer: Mugen Train' or 'Demon Slayer: Infinity Train', is a 2020 Japanese animated dark fantasy action film based on the "Mugen Train" arc of the 'shnen' manga series 'Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba' by Koyoharu Gotouge. The film, which is a direct sequel to the first season of the anime television series, was directed by Haruo Sotozaki and written by Ufotable staff members. The film was produced by Ufotable in association with Aniplex and Shueisha.
The film was released during the COVID-19 pandemic, premiering on October 16, 2020 in Japan and late 2020 to mid-2021 internationally. It grossed over at the worldwide box office, making it the highest-grossing film of 2020, the first time a non-Hollywood production topped the annual box office. It set a number of box office records, including becoming the highest-grossing Japanese film of all time.
A second season of the anime television series began its broadcast in Japan on October 10, 2021. The second season's first part, 'Mugen Train Arc', is an extended and recompilated version of the film.
Plot
Tanjiro Kamado, his sister Nezuko, and his friends Zenitsu Agatsuma and Inosuke Hashibira board the Mugen TrainAs depicted in the final episode of the first season of the anime series. to assist the Flame Hashira Kyjur Rengoku in his mission to hunt for a demon that has caused forty people to go missing. Soon after boarding, all of them except for Nezuko are enchanted and fall into a deep sleep. Enmu, Lower One of the Twelve Kizuki, instructs four passengers, all suffering from severe insomnia, to enter the Demon Slayers' dreams and destroy their spiritual cores so that they can't wake up again. In exchange, Enmu will grant them a peaceful sleep.
During their sleep, Tanjiro and his companions have happy dreams; Tanjiro reunites with his deceased family, Kyjur reminisces on his past with his younger brother and disapproving father, Zenitsu envisions a quiet life with Nezuko, and Inosuke imagines himself as an adventuring leader. The girl who invades Kyjur's dream locates his core, but his immensely strong spirit manages to halt her even while still unconscious.
Tanjiro realizes that he is dreaming, tearfully abandoning his family and tries to wake up, succeeding after a vision of his father instructs him to kill himself in the dream. At the same time, Nezuko uses her Blood Demon Art to sever the intruders' connection to the slayers, and awaken the passengers. In fear of Enmu, they attack Tanjiro, who knocks them all out, except for his intruder, who had grown incredibly guilty after uncovering his subconscious and discovering he possesses a pure heart.
While Nezuko awakens the others, Tanjiro confronts Enmu on top of the train, who becomes overjoyed to discover he is the "man with the Hanafuda earrings" that his master, Muzan Kibutsuji, desires killed. In the ensuing battle, Tanjiro beheads him, however, Enmu reveals that he fused himself with the train, preparing to devour all the attendants within. An awakened Kyjur instructs Inosuke and Tanjiro to look for Enmu's neck while he, Nezuko, and Zenitsu stay behind to protect the other passengers. Tanjiro and Inosuke find Enmu's neckbone in the engine room, but are caught off guard by its defenses, including its Blood Demon Art that constantly puts him to sleep. The conductor ends up stabbing Tanjiro in the chaos, but together with Inosuke, they are able to expose and destroy Enmu's neckbone, killing him and derailing the train. In the aftermath, Enmu laments his failure over being defeated by the Demon Slayers, disintegrating away.
As Tanjiro attempts to recover from his wounds, Kyjur arrives to help teach him how to stabilize it with his breathing techniques. However, they are suddenly attacked by Upper Three of the Twelve Kizuki, Akaza, who tries to persuade Kyjur to turn into a demon to become immortal, after sensing his already immense power. Kyjur easily refuses, thinking about how his mother taught him to always use his strength and gifts to protect others.
Kyjur orders Tanjiro and Inosuke to stand back, while he and Akaza commence in a fight to the death which the others can barely keep up with. Despite his perseverance, Kyjur is unable to match Akaza's regeneration skills, as the demon manages to fatally injure him by piercing his solar plexus. Kyjur attempts to keep him at bay for long enough for the sun to kill him, but Akaza manages to break free and escape into the adjacent forest. In a last ditch effort to stop him, an enraged Tanjiro throws his sword at Akaza, which impales the demon's chest, but he still manages to get away, as Tanjiro breaks down calling him a coward.
Kyjur succumbs to his injuries and encourages Tanjiro and his friends to continue on his path, before dying. The three are devastated over the death, with Tanjiro especially drawn into despair due to the nearly impossible power gap between humans and Demons which Akaza has revealed that Demons are capable of, but Inosuke reminds him to heed Kyjur's last words and keep fighting to get stronger. The remaining Hashiras receive the news of Kyjurs death, while the head of the Demon Slayer Corps, Kagaya Ubuyashiki, appreciates him for not letting a single passenger or comrade die in his presence, stating that he will be glad to reunite with him when he finally passes.
Voice cast
Production
Yma Takahashi, the producer of the anime series, indicated a desire to continue production of the series with the Ufotable Production Team. The sequel project was greenlit following the success of the television series. A film was determined to be the best format for the "Mugen Train" arc due to the arc's shorter content and dramatic pacing. The main cast was made aware of the film project midway through the first season of the television series. The main production staff from the anime television series, as well as the cast, were carried over into the film's production. Haruo Sotozaki served as director, with Akira Matsushima and Manabu Kamino serving as animator and editor of the film, respectively. The film was announced on September 28, 2019, immediately following the airing of the anime series' season finale.
Release
Theatrical
The film was released theatrically in Japan on October 16, 2020. Because other major releases had been delayed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of available screens was higher than usual. The film opened in 403 cinemas total, including all 38 IMAX cinemas within the country. The film had a very staggered international release, being released from as early as October 30, 2020 in Taiwan to as late as August 13, 2021 in India. The theatrical release in China was delayed when a controversy surrounding the film 'Monster Hunter' led the Chinese censors to review some foreign films a second time.Home media
The film was released on Blu-ray and DVD in Japan on June 16, 2021; it sold over 800,000 units in its first day and over units in three days. In North America, the film was released digitally on June 22, 2021; pre-orders began on April 26, 2021, and the film was accidentally available for purchase on the PlayStation Store for a few hours in April. Upon its video-on-demand (VOD) release in North America, the film debuted at number-one on the Vudu, Google Play and YouTube charts. A novel adaptation was released on October 16, 2020.Reception
Box office
The worldwide box office total for 'Demon Slayer: Mugen Train' is over from more than 41 million tickets sold, making it the highest-grossing film of 2020 as well as the highest-grossing anime and Japanese film of all time. It was the first time in the history of cinema that a non-Hollywood production topped the annual worldwide box office. It also became the highest-grossing R-rated animated film of all time.
Prior to its release in Japan, the film set monthly sales records for advance tickets sold for two consecutive months in September and October 2020. Upon release, it set several box office records including highest opening weekend gross (, ) and fastest to gross (ten days), (24 days), and (59 days). It also set the record for the highest-grossing IMAX release in Japan with , surpassing the record previously set by 'Bohemian Rhapsody' in 2018. The film became the first film to top the Japanese box office charts for ten consecutive weekends since the charts began publication in 2004, and ultimately remained in the top 10 for 32 weeks, the second-highest number of consecutive weeks in the Japanese charts behind 'Titanic's 40 weeks in the late 1990s. It became the highest-grossing film of all time in Japan in 73 days at a gross of , surpassing 'Spirited Away' which had held the record for 19 years. After 220 days of release, it became the first film in the history of Japanese cinema to gross .
Outside of Japan, its highest gross in a single market was in the United States and Canada, where it was released on April 23, 2021 and grossed to become the second-highest-grossing anime film of all time in the market, after 'Pokmon: The First Movie' which grossed . Its North American opening weekend gross of set the record as the biggest opening for any foreign-language film released in North America. It became the highest-grossing animated film of all time in Taiwan by grossing in 17 days after its release and went on to gross in total. It also became the highest-grossing anime film in several other markets, including Singapore where it was released on November 12, 2020 and went on to gross , Malaysia where it was released on March 5, 2021 and went on to gross more than to surpass 'One Piece: Stampede's , Thailand where it surpassed the previous record held by 'Your Name' during the first weekend and went on to gross , and Russia where it grossed . In Hong Kong, the film topped the box office for four consecutive weekends following its opening on November 12, 2020, but its box office run came to a halt as all the cinemas in Hong Kong were shut down on December 2, 2020 amidst the outbreak of the fourth wave of COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong; cinemas did not reopen again until February 18, 2021.
The box-office success of the film was attributed to a confluence of different factors by Roland Kelts. Among these were being released during a period of relative calm in the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan, which meant that theatres were open but competition from other films was low, and the protracted sequential release of the manga, anime and film which allowed anticipation to build up over time.
Critical response
The site's critics consensus reads, "'Demon Slayer' visually stunning animation and masterful action set pieces serve a heartfelt plot that is sure to satisfy fans." According to Metacritic, which assigned a weighted average score of 75 out of 100 based on nine critics, the film received "generally favorable reviews". Upon release in North American theaters, 'Mugen Train' earned a 92% positive score from a PostTrak audience poll.Crunchyroll reviewer Daryl Harding gave the film a positive review, praising the combination of 2D and 3D animation techniques, the music, and the character writing. IndieWire reviewer David Ehrlich, who gave the film a "C" on an A to F scale, likewise praised the film for its striking visuals, and for the characters of Kyjur Rengoku and Enmu, but said its R rating was excessive. By contrast, Anime News Network reviewer Kim Morrissy and 'Variety' reviewer Peter Debruge compared the animation quality unfavourably to that of the TV series. Harding, Ehrlich, Morrissy and Debruge all noted that fully understanding and appreciating the film requires having watched the first season of the anime beforehand.
Accolades
{| class="wikitable sortable"|- style="background:#ccc; text-align:center;"
! colspan="5" style="background: LightSteelBlue;"| List of awards and nominations
|- style="background:#ccc; text-align:center;"
! Year
! Award
! Category
! Recipient(s)
! Result
|-
| rowspan="5" |2020
| 45th Hochi Film Award
| rowspan="2"| Best Animation Film
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center"| 'Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba The Movie: Mugen Train'
| rowspan="9"
|-
| rowspan="3"|33rd Nikkan Sports Film Award for Yjir Ishihara Award
|-
| Best Director
| style="text-align:center| Haruo Sotozaki
|-
| Best Anime Film of the Year
| rowspan="3" style="text-align:center"| 'Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba The Movie: Mugen Train'
|-
|26th AMD Award
|Grand Prize
|-
| rowspan="16"| 2021
| rowspan="4"| 44th Japan Academy Film Prize
| Animation of the Year
|-
| Outstanding Achievement in Music
| style="text-align:center| Yuki Kajiura, Go Shiina
|-
| Topic Award
| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center"| 'Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba The Movie: Mugen Train'
|-
| Fan Popularity Award
|-
| 74th Annual Mainichi Film Awards / Concours
| Best Animation Film
| rowspan="3"/
|-
| 25th Satellite Awards
| Best Motion Picture, Animated or Mixed Media
|-
| 52nd Seiun Awards
| Best Media
|-
| 15th Asian Film Awards
| 2020 Highest Grossing Asian Film
| rowspan="10"
|-
| rowspan="2"|2021 TAAF (Tokyo Anime Award Festival) Awards
| Best Director
| style="text-align:center"| Haruo Sotozaki
|-
| Best Animator
| style="text-align:center"| Akira Matsushima
|-
| 45th Elan d'or Awards
| Special Achievement Awards
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center"| 'Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba The Movie: Mugen Train'
|-
| rowspan="5"| 2021 Newtype Anime Awards
| Best Picture Award (Theatrical Work)
|-
| Character Award (Male Character)
| style="text-align:center"| Kyojuro Rengoku
|-
| Character Award (Female Character)
| style="text-align:center"| Nezuko Kamado
|-
| Theme Song Award
| style="text-align:center"| "Homura"
|-
| Director Award
| style="text-align:center"| Haruo Sotozaki
|-
| 2022
| 6th Crunchyroll Anime Awards
| Best Film
| style="text-align:center"| 'Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba The Movie: Mugen Train'
|}
Notes
References
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