Several days after the premiere of “Kimetsu no Yaiba: The Infinity Castle,” I was finally able to go to a movie theater to see it properly. I also spent several days avoiding spoilers, as the internet is flooded with them, considering that I haven't read the manga yet and don't know what's coming. It was hard work avoiding websites, forums, and even social media like Instagram and Facebook, so I wouldn't come across any spoilers that would somehow ruin the experience for me.
So, since few people do, I went to the movies alone. I have no problem with that, since my only mission was to see the movie. It wasn't a date or anything like that. I simply went to the nearest movie theater to see this movie I had been looking forward to so much. After buying my ticket, I had to wait about half an hour, so I took the opportunity to buy a delicious doughnut and enter the theater full of energy. A delicious doughnut, filled with dulce de leche, spectacular, it has nothing to do with the review, but I wanted to mention that little experience before entering the theater.
At the appointed time, I entered the theater, sat down in my assigned seat, and watched some trailers. Among them, the one for “Chainsaw Man” stood out, a movie that will also be in theaters and that I will probably see. This is one of those anime series where you eagerly await new material. I haven't read the manga of this interesting story either, but I wanted to take the opportunity to watch the trailer and get a sneak peek of what's to come with “Chainsaw Man.”
A few minutes passed and the long-awaited movie began. It was very interesting to see the Shueisha and Ufotable logos at the beginning. That already gave an idea of what was to come and promised high-quality audiovisual material, as we have come to expect from Ufotable with the anime “Kimetsu no Yaiba.”
I'm not going to talk in detail about the movie and its content, as most of you have probably already seen it, and I don't want to give away any spoilers. However, I did want to share my impressions. It's a fairly long movie, almost three hours, so the enjoyment is prolonged. From start to finish, it is full of emotions and moments that make you cry. On several occasions, I got goosebumps from the fascinating flashbacks. Even the demons have a heartbreaking past, which is probably what led them to become ruthless beings. Each one has their own motivation, weaknesses, strengths, and dissatisfactions, which led them to a bloody fate.
I must say, and this is not a spoiler, that the flashbacks can be quite extensive, but they are well worth it. I think that what makes a character interesting is precisely their development, which includes their past, their present, and everything that made them who they are today. On the other hand, as expected, the animation and graphics are simply majestic, spectacular, even better than much of what we've already seen in anime. It has impressive special effects and frenetic battles, very fast and shocking, that give you goosebumps with movements that we may not have seen before in some characters. Without a doubt, they make this film a complete audiovisual spectacle.
But we already knew that. Ufotable has accustomed us to these kinds of extraordinary battles, in which we see effects in the techniques of the hunters and demons like never before seen in other anime. I don't want to forget to mention the setting of the Infinite Castle. It's simply majestic how they managed to capture it in the film: it's literally infinite, impressive, unpredictable, and intriguing. It's even scary if we imagine ourselves falling aimlessly into a castle that is constantly moving. I think this is a very important aspect of this saga, which makes it very interesting and unique. The author definitely got it right in how to immerse us in a world that looks like hell and, in that sense, is the setting for what can be considered the final battle.
What I'm about to mention isn't a spoiler either, but I think you know that very painful deaths and, if you will, unequal fights are to be expected. Seeing the hunters trying to stand up to demons that are on another level is distressing, especially knowing that demons are ruthless, arrogant, and pure evil, in contrast to the benevolent nature of some hunters. This makes us fear for the fate of many of them.
Although we saw most of the hunters, not all of them saw action, at least in this first film. I understand that it will be a trilogy in which everyone will fight, but obviously in this installment there was not enough time to see them all. We will see Tanjiro together with Tomioka (this is the only preview or spoiler I will mention) in a spectacular battle, one of the best I have seen in the world of anime, as well as some others that are quite impressive because of their background. The past haunted some of them so that, as if it were a trick of fate, hunter and demon would meet to settle scores. This is something we see frequently in manga and anime: encounters or battles that seem predestined. I think it's a device that never fails to please, as it creates an atmosphere of anticipation about what might happen. Personally, I sometimes find flashbacks boring, but in “Kimetsu no Yaiba” it's quite the opposite. They are always enriching and contribute a lot to the story and character development.
This movie is undoubtedly a 10 out of 10. I left the theater completely satisfied, wanting more and looking forward to what's to come. I haven't read the manga, so I have no idea what's going to happen, and I'm trying not to read anything about it. I hope that what's next is even better, and I'm sure it will be. These are some of my thoughts on the movie “Kimetsu no Yaiba: The Infinity Castle,” which is currently in theaters. I hope to read your comments and hear about your experience. See you soon!
