I'm sure this won't move the needle for most people on here, but an Anime film set several box office records over the weekend. Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train is a feature film based on a Shonin anime & manga by the same name. It made $21M at the US box office this weekend, just $2M behind Mortal Kombat while playing in about half as many screens, making it the highest grossing release per theater domestically in 2021 (not a huge feat, but we are talking about an anime film). Additionally, it set the record for highest grossing release of a foreign language film (although there is a dubbed version also released and the dollars are combined). The US box office put the global gross over $400M, making it the highest grossing animated film of all time.

As an anime fan, I was super excited when the wide release was announced. These types of film typically get three or four showings power theater through Fathom Events. This thing literally destroyed at the Japanese box office and no home release had occured, so US fans had been waiting for their chance to see this.

I was able to see it dubbed today and it was fantastic. Typically, anime feature films for Shonin anime are non-canon "villian of the week" paint by number and therefore have a "ended where we started" feel. Not this film. Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train is very much a Shonin action anime but, like the series, has just enough differences to pacing and world building to keep it fresh. Without going into spoilers, the events of the film will have direct consequences on the series and will serve to both placate and hype the fan base up for the second season coming either the end of this year or beginning of the next.

https://www.boxofficepro.com/demon-slayer-mugen-train-21-million-opening/

My teen daughter is a nut about anime, so much to the point that she actually wants to move to Japan when she is older. So yeah, she told me a couple of weeks ago that this was her Avengers Endgame, and she HAD HAD HAD to see it. Went on Saturday. She loved it. Me, being neither a fan of anime or even familiar with anime, found the movie to be entertaining, surely, but not something that I'll likely ever watch again.

What's with the number of characters drawn to appear rather feminine yet clearly intended to be male characters?

I took my 13 year old and a friend of his (since it's rated R) to see this at Cinemark in B/CS yesterday afternoon. The theater was pretty full at 4:30 on a Sunday and we had to see that showing because there weren't good seats on Saturday or any earlier on Sunday.

Full disclosure: I have never seen one episode nor did I have any idea who anybody was or what the premise was going in.

All in all, it was still pretty enjoyable and the crowd seemed to really be into it. For the life of me, I still don't see why they rated it R.

Cinco Ranch Aggie said:

---

What's with the number of characters drawn to appear rather feminine yet clearly intended to be male characters?

---

Not 100% sure the exact characters or features you are describing here, but I will try to give an answer. In contrast to US comics, male manga characters are not typically depicted as extremely broad chested and with buldging muscle, unless it is part of a particular character's schtick/identity. So, male characters are much more slender than their US counterparts.

Additionally, US comic artist typically rely on differences in costumes/clothes to easily differentiate characters. Because uniforms and standard business attire is so much more common in Japan, often characters will dress very similar to one another making them hard to distinguish. To address this, manga artist will use extreme colours and styles for hair so the characters can be easily identified. This will have a show end up with blonde spikey hair guy, purple straight hair guy, red curly hair guy, black long hair guy, bald guy, ect ect. Sometimes, these hairstyles will be pretty feminin from western standards.

Finally, and I imagine this is what really gets you, the "typical" anime face is very angular and gives the impression of high predominant cheekbones and small pointy noses. These are both very feminine traits in western culture as blush is used to exentuate cheekbones by women. Mixed with the overly large eyes, it came give the impression of a very feminin face.

I honestly didn't realize it was rated R. I'm sure it's due to extreme graphic violence and blood. For some reason, the MPAA will be okay with you cutting off limbs and impaling people as long as there is little to no blood. Lightsabers are great for that since they cauterize wounds instantly. Also, and again this is really silly, they will tolerate violence in love action versus animation better since "animation is for kids". That's right, the draconian Karen's on the MPAA think it's less of an issue for kids to see violence between actual humans than in animation because animation means Disney, Scooby Doo, and Saturday morning cartoons in their world. This also lends itself to why the Best Animated Long Picture is really most popular Disney or Pixar (technically same thing) or Dreamworks movie. Not saying their movies aren't good, but the best animated Japanese films rairly get a nomination, despite making animated films all over the spectrum, not just G and PG family movies.

BigC said:

---

Cinco Ranch Aggie said:

---

What's with the number of characters drawn to appear rather feminine yet clearly intended to be male characters?

---

Not 100% sure the exact characters or features you are describing here, but I will try to give an answer. In contrast to US comics, male manga characters are not typically depicted as extremely broad chested and with buldging muscle, unless it is part of a particular character's schtick/identity. So, male characters are much more slender than their US counterparts.

Additionally, US comic artist typically rely on differences in costumes/clothes to easily differentiate characters. Because uniforms and standard business attire is so much more common in Japan, often characters will dress very similar to one another making them hard to distinguish. To address this, manga artist will use extreme colours and styles for hair so the characters can be easily identified. This will have a show end up with blonde spikey hair guy, purple straight hair guy, red curly hair guy, black long hair guy, bald guy, ect ect. Sometimes, these hairstyles will be pretty feminin from western standards.

Finally, and I imagine this is what really gets you, the "typical" anime face is very angular and gives the impression of high predominant cheekbones and small pointy noses. These are both very feminine traits in western culture as blush is used to exentuate cheekbones by women. Mixed with the overly large eyes, it came give the impression of a very feminin face.

---

Thanks for that explanation.

I can't say character names, but the ones I was most focused on for this feminine appearance were the main character if I have that one pegged correctly, the one with the family of sisters, and then the train demon. Train demon literally appeared to have a "rack". Plus their voices sounded much more feminine than say the main bad-ass we first see eating and saying "delicious" after every bite.

Quote:

---

I was able to see it dubbed today and it was fantastic. Typically, anime feature films for Shonin anime are non-canon "villian of the week" paint by number and therefore have a "ended where we started" feel. Not this film. Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train is very much a Shonin action anime but, like the series, has just enough differences to pacing and world building to keep it fresh. Without going into spoilers, the events of the film will have direct consequences on the series and will serve to both placate and hype the fan base up for the second season coming either the end of this year or beginning of the next.

---

From what I understand it's basically a self contained canon arc that they decided to make a movie rather than incorporate into a show(which in hindsight appears to be the right call).

I like the show, but I haven't seen this yet. I'll try to catch it sometime this week.

Taking my son to see it today. He made me watch a 10 min recap of the series so I won't be lost.....not sure it helped. He won't see the dubbed version so I will have to read subtitles

Aggie95 said:

---

Taking my son to see it today. He made me watch a 10 min recap of the series so I won't be lost.....not sure it helped. He won't see the dubbed version so I will have to read subtitles

---

Basically:

• View the demons more as vampires and a lot of the tropes fall into place
• MC's sister is a demon, but due to self-restraint and hypnotism she helps her brother(self restraint) and sees humanity as her family(hypnotism).
• The main trio are talented beginners in the Demon Hunter Corps, an extra-governmental organization. they've killed a few demons but are still learning. There's the MC with the demon sister, the coward that only fights while in a self induced trance, and the semi crazy berserker.
• I believe one of the highest ranked Demon Hunters shows up in the trailer, it's the elite rank that they all strive for, but few make(because killing demons is deadly apparently).
• I believe the main bad guy in the movie is a lieutenant for the prime Demon(think dracula being the first vampire and making his followers), like I said even though the show calls them demons trope-wise they're much closer to western style vampires.

It's mainly an action series so there isn't too much more to catch up on other than that.

Also I can't say why this show has been so popular, the animation is good and story is good but there's better anime out there. I guess the show has very few weak links compared to most others.

BigC said:

---

I'm sure this won't move the needle for most people on here, but an Anime film set several box office records over the weekend. Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train is a feature film based on a Shonin anime & manga by the same name. It made $21M at the US box office this weekend, just $2M behind Mortal Kombat while playing in about half as many screens, making it the highest grossing release per theater domestically in 2021 (not a huge feat, but we are talking about an anime film). Additionally, it set the record for highest grossing release of a foreign language film (although there is a dubbed version also released and the dollars are combined). The US box office put the global gross over $400M, making it the highest grossing animated film of all time.

As an anime fan, I was super excited when the wide release was announced. These types of film typically get three or four showings power theater through Fathom Events. This thing literally destroyed at the Japanese box office and no home release had occured, so US fans had been waiting for their chance to see this.

I was able to see it dubbed today and it was fantastic. Typically, anime feature films for Shonin anime are non-canon "villian of the week" paint by number and therefore have a "ended where we started" feel. Not this film. Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train is very much a Shonin action anime but, like the series, has just enough differences to pacing and world building to keep it fresh. Without going into spoilers, the events of the film will have direct consequences on the series and will serve to both placate and hype the fan base up for the second season coming either the end of this year or beginning of the next.

https://www.boxofficepro.com/demon-slayer-mugen-train-21-million-opening/

---

T&Ps to those shareholders and employees that perished.

Thanks.
I found it pretty funny that the main demon is made to look like Michael Jackson.

Gotta make sure the bad guy is a smooth criminal...

The single strand of wavy/curly hair in front of his face is next level hilarious.

Saw it last night and liked it for the most part. I thought having Upper 3 show up at the end to kill off the Flame Hashira was unnecessary, I would have rather had him die fighting the main Lower 1(the main bad guy in the movie) and saving the train than that just because it felt a little random.

Overall I do like that the show/movie doesn't take itself too seriously despite some serious moments.