When Anime and Film Collide: The Failed Demon Slayer: Swordsmith Village Tie-In Project

Demon Slayer’s Swordsmith Village movie seemed cheaply made in comparison to Mugen Train.

There are spoilers in Demon Slayer. The Swordsmith Village, which is now shown in select movie venues

The new Demon Slayermovie connects the anime’s earlier “Entertainment District” and the newly created “Swordsmith Village” episodes. While the Mugen Trainfilm was a good continuation of Season 1 to help fans prepare for a new Demon Slayer era, its successor To The Swordsmith Village does not disappoint.

Mugen Train was a solid experience. This feature-length anime movie told a complete story that had a beginning, middle, and ending. The new Swordsmith Village movie consists of only two anime episodes. Credits included. A new episode from the next season was also added. It’s an innovative new formula that failed disastrously.

RELATED! Demon Slayer’s Cast-Size Proves There Are Sometimes Less

The Demon Slayer, Swordsmith Village Movie’s Fail Formula

Anime movies can tell stories differently from individual episodes and entire seasons. They feature tie-ins as well as a beginning middle and end, just like other movies. It is inaccurate to call them supersized anime episodes; a TV episode is only a fragment. It often starts from where another episode has left off or has a conclusion before the next breath of air. However, self-contained segments might not tell the whole story. For example, anthology programs or “monstersoftheweek” tales.

Demon Slayer Swordsmith Village tried to adapt the anime movie model but was unsuccessful. It wasn’t only a scam that you had to pay to rewatch older episodes, but it was also not a good idea to make them into a movie. Even if Swordsmith Village included entirely new material and consisted of the first three or fourth episodes, it wouldn’t have worked. The movie would have been properly started with the premiere, but it would be lacking in the middle and end.

RELATED: Inosuke’s Beast Breathing Method Can Reinvent the Demon Slayer Corps

No matter how animated the tie-in is, a movie is not allowed to be the first section of a larger storyline. It will not have a solid conclusion. If Demon Slayer had done the same thing for the “Entertainment District arc” and put the first four episodes together into one film, it would have been a satisfying viewing experience that ended with Tanjiro beginning to fight Daki. The entire arc was too long to make it a movie. However, it’s impossible to adapt just a part of it. The movie combines the “Entertainment District”, the arc’s last two episodes, with the “Swordsmith Village”, the arc’s premiere. It starts with a dramatic climax and ends with a build-up.

The Swordsmith Village movie sought to bridge two anime seasons by collapsing three episodes together. This contradicted even the most fundamental principles in film theory. It didn’t have an ending. The movie stopped abruptly and was unresolved. This is in stark contrast to Mugen Train. The sad, but hopeful ending of Kyojuro Rengoku’s existence had a substantial payoff.

RELATED Demon Slayer’s Season 3 Premiere Exceeds Expense

Demon Slayer Don’t Need a Second Film

Demon Slayer Swordsmith Village is receiving a cold reception. This could be indicative of more than what fans generally dislike. Statistics tell part. Mugen Train has a 98% Rotten Tomatoes and Swordsmith Village has 68%. Although the latter’s score might not matter, fans can choose to avoid it because they believe it is a scam and stop watching it. The Saddest of all is that the Swordsmith Village movie likely didn’t have to exist.

Even the most well-known and successful anime series may not need a tie-in movie. While some anime films can expand the original franchise’s legend, others simply exist to do so. Fans can usually tell when a movie is simply a cash grab or an essential part of the lore. Swordsmith Village is barely a cash grab.

Mugen Train was integral to Demon Slayer lore. They seamlessly bridged the two anime seasons before appearing again in Season 2 Tie-in films that are not intended to be entertaining for their own sake are never a good idea. Even more so, the borderline scam movie Swordsmith Village which offers nothing new — is worse. This movie did not need to be made. Fans could easily wait another month for Season 3’s start. Demon Slayermovies may not be a big hit, but that doesn’t make them a great movie. It is clear that Mugen Train was a one-of-a-kind anime film experience.