February 3 saw the first leg of the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba -To the Swordsmith Village- World Tour, with the Japan premiere pulling out all the stops to excite fans for the return of the series to the big screen after its historical Mugen Train run.
Even before the screenings began, the World Tour actually started in Asakusa on February 1 with Tanjiro, Zenitsu and Inosuke praying for the success of the upcoming world tour.
The Demon Slayers Stroll Down Asakusa
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba -To the Swordsmith Village- advertisements at Ueno Station in Tokyo
(Photo: Daryl Harding)
An overcast day hovered in the skies over Asakusa as crowds of people surrounded Kaminarimon, the first of many gates at Asakusa’s main street Nakamise Dori. The area is important to the lore of Demon Slayer: Not only is it where Tanjiro comes across Muzan for the first time but also a few blocks over from Yoshiwara, the setting of the Entertainment District arc.
RELATED: FEATURE: The Real-Life History Behind the Entertainment District in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
As the clock hit 10:45 a.m., the sound of Aimer’s “Zankyosanka” rang out from the speakers down the main street as the Demon Slayer characters paraded through the hordes of attendees, led by a monk from Sensoji Temple and the local police.
(Photo: Daryl Harding)
(Photo: Daryl Harding)
It’s one thing to see Tanjiro walking the streets of Asakusa in the anime, but it’s another to hear the music from the speakers of this ancient street as a banner reading “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba World Tour” moved ever closer towards the 1,378-year-old temple.
(Photo: Daryl Harding)
(Photo: Daryl Harding)
When Tanjiro, Zenitsu and Inosuke finally made it into the main hall of the Sensoji Temple, the trio prayed that Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba -To the Swordsmith Village- would be a hit. It was clear in hindsight that their prayers were answered.
(Photo: Daryl Harding)
On Stage with Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba’s Voice Actors
(Photo: Daryl Harding)
Saturday saw the second day of screenings for the World Tour, and the first day of the stage events with Natsuki Hanae (Tanjiro Kamado), Akari Kito (Nezuko Kamado), Hiro Shimono (Zenitsu Agatsuma) and Yoshitsugu Matsuoka (Inosuke Hashibara) officially commemorating the first leg of the World Tour.
All four of the voice actors were amazed by the reception Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba had in theaters and how excited they are that fans (and themselves) are able to experience the final fight of the Entertainment District Arc on the big screen. Kito especially loved how the emotions of the scenes hit differently when watching on a theater screen rather than on TV, with Matsuoka loving the new sound mix for the World Tour screenings.
Commenting on the first episode of the Swordsmith Village Arc, Hanae called the journey through the Infinity Castle an “attraction,” akin to being on a ride in an amusement park thanks to the large screen.
(Photo: Daryl Harding)
A waritama (confetti ball) was brought out onto the stage for Hanae to pull, and officially start the World Tour. Along with the ball, the costumed characters we met in Asakusa were brought out to look cute and, in the case of Inosuke, cause trouble. Much like the parade, Inosuke would lunge at those in the audience, particularly Aniplex producer Yuma Takahashi, only to be calmed by Tanjiro and Matsuoka themselves.
(Photo: Daryl Harding)
When Nezuko arrived, Shimono couldn’t help but scream out a very chesty “NEZUKO-CHAAAAN,” causing the theater to rumble under the bass in his voice, reverberating in my chest. He then mildly argued with his costume counterpart over Nezuko, which was resolved when Zenitsu adorably helped the costumed Nezuko on and off stage.
The costumed characters really brought a sense of continuity between both events and were just so fun to watch, as they always stayed in character and brought so much joy wherever they were. When Matsuoka was spilling his heart out, the costumed Tanjiro was there comforting him — it was so in character and lovely.
(Photo: Daryl Harding)
Hanae ended the event by saying how excited he was to take Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba on the road to meet fans in LA and other places. Shimono quipped that Hanae was bragging about all the cool places he was going to, while Hanae retorted that he was only going to these places for the fans.
Arriving at the Swordsmith Village
As the voice actors said during the stage greeting, it’s one thing to watch Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba on the TV, but it’s another to watch it in IMAX with some of the best speakers in the world, particularly Aimer’s Entertainment District Arc opening theme. It’s no secret the Entertainment District arc has some of the best animation in the series, and experiencing the final fight in one of the best theaters in the world is beyond hype.
The Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba -To the Swordsmith Village- screening features a recap of the first series arc, Mugen Train and part of the Entertainment District Arc leading up to the last two episodes, complete with the opening themes, title cards and eyecatches. These types of events are common in Japan where the first few episodes are shown on a bigger screen ahead of broadcast, though never on a scale seen with the World Tour.
While I’ll keep spoilers to a minimum for the first extended episode of the Swordsmith Village Arc (which featured the brand-new opening, title cards and eye-catches), I’ll just say that the Infinity Castle looked absolutely spectacular.
The prayers of the costumed trio were seemingly answered as the pre-broadcast screenings made over 2 billion yen (US$15.12 million) with 1.47 million tickets sold as of February 12.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba -To the Swordsmith Village-’s second leg of the World Tour will see Natsuki Hanae, Aimer and Aniplex producer Yuma Takahashi head to Los Angeles on February 18 ahead of the wide screenings put on by Crunchyroll and Aniplex of America on March 3.
©Koyoharu Gotoge / SHUEISHA, Aniplex, ufotable
Daryl Harding is a Senior Japan Correspondent for Crunchyroll News. He also runs a YouTube channel about Japan stuff called TheDoctorDazza, tweets at @DoctorDazza, and posts photos of his travels on Instagram.
Source: Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!
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