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Demon Slayer’s popularity proves the power of good animation and how Ufotable put the title on the world map.
Demon Slayer took the anime world by storm. The manga was quite popular among those who often indulged in this medium. However, the popularity of the title skyrocketed when the anime adaptation was released. There are numerous reasons for its success, and a lot of it has to do with Koyoharu Gotouge’s writing skills. On one hand, you have fight sequences that give you goosebumps.
On the other hand, you have an array of complex characters that don’t have the personality of a log. This combination is highly unusual because authors tend to focus a lot more on action scenes.
The anime and manga community loves taking part in various discourses that take place on social media platforms and forums. Ardent fans of the title have discussed the popularity of the series before and after the anime adaptation. The manga sales indicate that the title was doing well even before the anime adaptation was released. But it is hard to ignore the effect of the anime adaptation.
Without a shred of doubt, the anime adaptation is largely responsible for the series’ popularity. Ufotable managed to create some of the most incredible visuals in the series. The top-tier animation and the hauntingly beautiful soundtracks captivate you almost instantly. This show’s popularity is a testament to what could be achieved with incredible animation.
Demon Slayer’s Popularity Before the Anime
There are many who think that Ufotable’s animation was the sole reason for this title’s success. However, that is not the case, and this is not an arbitrary statement. There are numbers to back this claim. Demon Slayer put up some staggering numbers even before the anime debuted. The fifteenth volume was released just before the anime made its debut. It sold nearly 200,000 copies in just four weeks.
If you go back in time even further, you will notice the poor start that Demon Slayer suffered from. The first four volumes didn’t really do well because this was at a testing stage, and the story picks up from this point onward. By the time Volume 8 was released, the manga sold over 100,000 copies, which marked the turning point for this title.
To say that the anime is the sole reason for its success is diabolical. Koyoharu Gotouge’s writing and illustration skills made it quite an interesting read. Some would say this title is even more enjoyable when compared to the likes of Jujutsu Kaisen, which is infamous for cramming unnecessarily high amounts of conversations into a single page.
How Ufotable’s Animation Changed Demon Slayer’s Popularity
Ufotable’s animation can rarely be matched. The sheer hype from some of the fight sequences made us fall in love with the show. The fight against Rui in the first season gave fans a glimpse of Ufotable’s capabilities.
In fact, the animation was so good that it made you think about Ufotable’s. There was incredible attention to detail, and every episode had the perfect combination of emotional content and hype fight sequences. It was heartwarming to finally get a shonen title that was enjoyable and unique.
The manga sales were great prior to the anime’s debut. However, the sixteenth volume was released after the anime adaptation was released. Manga sales shot up to 225,000 copies in just one week. This was more than a 400% increase in sales, clearly showing the effects of the anime adaptation’s release.
Most of us are visual, which means we prefer anime over manga in most cases. That’s because moving images are better than still ones. Ufotable created visuals that were so brilliant that it got us hooked from the very first episode. When this occurs, it’s hard not to binge the episodes till our eyes are red.
Why Animation Is Not the Only Reason For Demon Slayer’s Popularity
Sure, the breathtaking visuals made this show incredibly entertaining to watch. But that’s not all there is to Demon Slayer. An entertaining show is like a well-oiled machine with various cogs that need to work in tandem. Animation is one of the most important aspects without a doubt. But it’s hard to ignore the soundtracks, the sound design, and the voice acting.
If you close your eyes and listen to “Kamado Tanjiro no Uta,” you’re instantly transported to Mount Natagumo, where he fought Rui. Tanjiro used a Sun Breathing technique for the very first time during this fight.
That is the power of good soundtracks. It immediately transports you to another world. The voice acting is also top-notch, as the producers didn’t spare any costs. They hired some of the biggest industry veterans to work on this project. There is intent and purpose behind the sound effects as well. It doesn’t sound like the effects used in a ‘90s video game that most shonen titles employ in their fight sequences. These are some of the elements aside from the animation that made this show popular.
How Demon Slayer Broke Some of the Oldest Shonen Tropes
Tanjiro doesn’t rely on the “power of Nakama” in his fights. He trains, struggles, and finds his way out of tricky situations. He also doesn’t go around swinging his sword and decapitating every demon all by himself. This is a title that relies a lot on teamwork and not on individual brilliance. Demon Slayer is a refreshing watch for this very reason.
Tanjiro also doesn’t have rivals in this series. Sometimes it can be quite annoying to see Tanjiro’s agreeableness, but that’s just how he is in the series. The protagonist is also not the strongest character in the series. He doesn’t have latent abilities that randomly spawn during a battle, making him the most powerful in the series. There are Hashiras who are more powerful than he is.
Last but not least, villains don’t turn over a leaf after listening to a heartfelt speech mid-battle. Naruto’s “talk no jutsu” didn’t infect this series, which fans like you and I were thankful for.
Conclusion
The bottom line is that the manga was popular, but Ufotable’s animation took it to the next level. It’s hard to ignore the effect that top-tier animation had on the series. Some fans who enjoyed reading the manga encountered the anime and turned into basement-dwellers, bingeing episodes till they lost track of time. This is an example of a show that has a simple plot, well-written characters, and good animation. While Attack on Titan fans will fight you till their final breath, Demon Slayer is arguably one of the best modern shonen titles.
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