It's been quite a while! I know this isn't HxH but I really needed a break from blogging in general, so I took one lol. It's kinda funny because I only post once a month but apparently that's more taxing than I thought. I also recently got a new PC so I've been playing Path of Exile again lol. Anyway, this won't be the longest post but I do promise it will be the next part of HxH next time! I'm halfway through the next one so I will finish it!
Kimetsu no Yaiba Movie: Mugen Ressha-hen (Demon Slayer Movie: Infinity Train)
Genre: Action, Historical, Demons, Supernatural, ShounenMy Rating: 8/10
The Kimetsu no Yaiba movie is a direct sequel to the first season, so it's probably going to be pretty confusing if you haven't watched the series btw! Anyway, I'm really glad I dragged my brother to watch this with me in the cinemas because it was sooo beautiful! Honestly, KnY doesn't have the most gripping story (even after finishing the manga) but I still love how simple and straightforward the whole thing is. It's also great adapted as an anime because fights are basically what it is all about haha. The sword styles are portrayed so beautifully in the anime, it's really what captured me the most when I watched the first season. Anyway, if you liked S1, you'll like S2 because the fights are just as great and the characters are pretty much the same I guess, but I love the resolve Tanjiro showed in this arc, and it's also what solidified him as my favourite boy (until my other favourites appear anyway loll). First and foremost, I would have to say, it's definitely worth watching in the cinemas because the animation is awesome to enjoy on a big screen, but seriously, don't risk your life for it if you don't feel safe lol. Anyway, since this movie is a short arc in the manga, it honestly doesn't feel like a "movie" and more of just watching a whole arc of an anime in one sitting, which I don't mind but some people may haha. It's okay though, because I think despite all that, this was probably the best way to showcase Rengoku.
Spoilers from now onwards! The movie revolves around the trio of Tanjiro, Inosuke and Zenitsu assisting Rengoku against a demon who has been devouring people on a train basically lol. Personally, when I first read this arc in the manga, it was an all right arc for me, nothing special and I wasn't too emotional about it, but I think the movie in this case really elevated the emotions and everything for the characters. Rengoku's still as cool as he should be, and I think they really did the ending well with Tanjiro shouting at Akaza, because I honestly cried at that part. Many people find the dream demon boring and I agree that in terms of fighting, he's a pretty boring villain, but I'm probably one of the only ones who liked that part more than the Akaza part. For me, I'm more of an emotional person, so I like mental battles and I think seeing Tanjiro experiencing happiness with his family in a dream again, and then having the resolve to tear all that apart himself to fight against the demon really made me teary. I couldn't help but respect and love Tanjiro even more after that part and I think that's what made me enjoy the actual train part more. Oh, and I loved the Inosuke and Zenitsu dreams, because I honestly forgot about them so I was like omggg I remember this lmao. Anyway, in terms of the Rengoku part, I really enjoyed it much more than I did in the manga, because I think seeing it all animated with the great voice acting made everything feel so perfect and great. What made me the most happy was when Akaza spoke and I instantly knew it was Ishida Akira, like omgggg, my favourite villain is voiced by one of my favourite VAs, so yes, I am so hyped for that in the future.
Overall, Mugen Train is a good movie. It blends in beautifully the top-tier battle animation ufotable is awesome at alongside simple and clear-cut fights. Honestly, KnY is so blessed that there is so much effort done for the sword styles because they look pretty amazing. The story isn't much to talk about because really, it's just demon slaying but definitely 10/10 for how strong Tanjiro is mentally because every time I see him be tempted by stuff like family but overcoming it, I cry a little bit seeing how strong he is. This is also when things start getting serious, so definitely much hype for the future arcs. S2 with the Red Light District arc is honestly my favourite or second favourite with one of my favourite characters, so I'm definitely looking forward to that~ Anyway, Rengoku doesn't hit me as hard as he does for others, but I still like him and I think the movie did him justice and the whole thing definitely lived up to my expectations, so watch it if you can!
Given MovieGenre: Drama, Music, Romance, Shounen Ai, Slice of LifeMy Rating: 7/10
I'm a pretty big fan of Given even if I'm not a fan of Shounen Ai usually haha. As with KnY, Given is also a sequel movie but instead of focusing on Mafuyu and Uenoyama, it instead revolves around Akihiko and Haruki's relationship, alongside Ugetsu. Personally, I definitely think this arc would have been much better as a season because it was way too short as a movie and had many problems other than having parts cut out that were important to show character development, especially for Akihiko. I honestly feel like Akihiko got robbed because even though he did do shit stuff to Haruki, I think the way he "redeemed" himself and overcame his past made me really end up liking him as much as I did before and I feel like the movie really didn't show his growth well. I also feel that Haruki didn't get the time to truly show how good of a guy he was. Personally, I think the greatest part of the movie was Ugetsu because I think they showed his feelings the best and I honestly cried with him when everything ended.
Anyway. despite the problems with the movie, I still really enjoyed it, and I really cried lol. *spoilers ahead* Ugetsu and Akihiko's relationship has always been the one to resonate most with me in the story, because I guess I could understand the toxicity of it. I've never been in a toxic relationship before (or any relationship), but there was a time when I had something similar to theirs with a person I really liked. I knew that it was going nowhere, and I knew that we were both hanging on to something that could be found in the other knowing how comfortable yet toxic it was as we continued to not grow and be accepted by the other. So really, seeing Ugetsu tormented by the thoughts of needing to get out of this relationship but at the same time not being able to because he loved Akihiko really broke my heart. I think the movie and story really showed well how just loving someone isn't always enough, and it really hurt me to think about it, because loving someone is already so hard, let alone it not being enough. Anyway, the last scene with Ugetsu parting with Akhiko made me bawl my eyes because the atmosphere and voice acting was so great. As for Akihiko, I think it's definitely better to read the manga lol, because I honestly feel like the pacing hit him hard and made Akihiko more unlikeable than he should be lol, because I honestly remember how emotional it was for Akihiko to pick up the violin again. I also think that the manga shows much better how much Akihiko also really loved Ugetsu despite using him as a lifeline and escape from his inferiority.
Overall, I think the movie was good, but definitely could have been so much better. I definitely recommend the manga because I love it, but also because even though Akihiko and Haruki's arc is controversial in terms of the romance, I still really enjoyed it. Ugetsu makes me sad every time I think about his feelings but at the same time, I'm happy that he's free since he obviously couldn't truly leave Akihiko, so it had to be Akihiko who had to do it. Seeing Akihiko move on and be able to face his problems and violin again was an emotional moment that wasn't able to hit me as much in the movie, so that was disappointing, but I think if you're a Given fan, it's still worth watching because of how emotional it still was even if it was missing things that made the growth of Akihiko something hopeful and heartwarming to watch.
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