Recently, with more people staying home due to the pandemic, anime has grown in popularity. With more mainstream shows gaining more attention at first, such as “Haikyuu” and “My Hero Academia,” adventure and dark fantasy anime “Demon Slayer” was quick to follow.

It tells the story of fifteen-year-old Kamado Tanjiro, a young boy who lived with his family in the mountains. After leaving for one night to sell coal in a town, however, Tanjiro returns to find that his entire family has been killed by a demon—all except for his younger sister, Nezuko, who has turned into a demon herself.

The entirety of the first season focuses on Tanjiro going on a journey to cure his sister and turn her back into a human, while Nezuko follows along beside him as the first “friendly” demon people have ever seen. Instead of attacking them as any other demon would, she fights alongside her brother, supporting him against all odds.

There are multiple scenes in the show that are more emotional and serious, showing just how strong the bond between the siblings is, while there are also humorous moments to make the audience laugh and create a lighthearted tone. To me, this is what truly makes the show engaging, instead of completely focusing on the more pressing matters at hand, the “Demon Slayer”. The “Demon Slayer” is able to take a step back and display amusing scenes that allow their viewers to connect more with the characters introduced.

After the first season of the anime was completed, a movie continuing the story was announced, its premiere set for Oct. 2020. With how extremely anticipated the movie was worldwide, it was no surprise that “Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train” quickly received high praise in Japan after its initial release.

In Dec. 2020, however, the movie actually became Japan’s highest-grossing movie of all time, surpassing the previous owner of the title, “Spirited Away.” Initially, this was a shock to me, seeing that “Spirited Away” is a very popular movie across all ages, but after recalling all the great traits “Demon Slayer” has as an anime, this outcome is not surprising.

“Demon Slayer” was a very easy show to binge for me. Once I started an episode, I found it was often hard to stop after an episode, the show’s intriguing plot and likable characters give it a certain charm that is unique to others. I would recommend this show to anyone who enjoys action and adventure, while also being okay with funny scenes that are sure to make you laugh. The first season of “Demon Slayer” was recently added to Netflix, so if you’re interested in it, you can check it out there!