We are back on the Mugen Train for a second time with Demon Slayer Mugen Train Anime Episode 2, and it is now time to see what the series changed and kept the same. This review is going to be a bit different, as you’ll find out when we get deeper. So let’s get right to it!
Demon Slayer Mugen Train Anime Episode 2 Overview
One of the most popular anime of our time, Demon Slayer, is back on our screens with the anime version of its Mugen Train Arc. Ufotable will slightly alter this adaptation from the movie released in 2020 to a huge critical and commercial reception, including new footage and an entirely new first episode. The Mugen Train Anime arc will run for 7 episodes, after which the show will resume its normal storyline with the Entertainment District Arc.
Ufotable is the studio behind Demon Slayer’s anime adaptation and will be directed by Haruo Sotozaki. It is to be noted that the first episode was Anime original, which means that the story isn’t originally what was written in the manga. This makes Demon Slayer Mugen Train Episode 2 the first to be entirely containing scenes from the movie. You can read our review of the movie while you’re at it. The episode is also known as Kimetsu no Yaiba Mugen Ressha-hen Episode 2 in original Japanese.
– Demon Slayer Mugen Train Anime Episode 2 Review does not contain spoilers –
Demon Slayer Mugen Train Arc Episode 2- The Review
The episode starts with Rengoku eating the bento he obtained in the last episode, and his reactions are precious. This also means that the scene with the Demon Slayer corps chief paying his respects in the graveyard to fallen Demon Slayers. I’m guessing that scene will probably come much later now, maybe even in the arc’s final episode. Other than that, the show didn’t change much from the movie at all.
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The plot and the overall outline of the anime were always going to be the same as the movie, but if I played the movie on another tab right now, I doubt that it would differ from the anime for more than a couple of seconds. I find that fact extremely confusing because if there isn’t any difference in the anime other than a couple of frames per action scene and a few more scenes that get to linger around, why would anyone watch this over the movie?
We all have our theories on why the movie is being chopped and served in the form of 6 episodes, but here is mine. I think Ufotable found out that the adaptation of the Entertainment District Arc was taking longer than they expected and maybe even shorter than they intended it to be. Then they decided to do this arc again, which would only require them to produce one extra episode on top of mostly derivative material. And voila, you get this.
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Now, I might be totally off the mark, but any explanation for this doesn’t make the arc any less lazy than it already is. If this cuts away on the time that the new material is going to get, I will be even madder about this than I am. While this episode was fine on its own, and I might have even liked it if I didn’t know that Ufotable lifted this almost frame for frame from the movie, which most people have already seen.
The stuff that they did add was great! I loved the opening and ending themes, much more than Season 1s even! This makes me all the more excited for the music that is supposed to be new in the anime, but Mugen Train Episode 2 didn’t have any of that. The animation is also always good, so I have no complaints in that department either. I hope they are saving most of the new stuff for later episodes, but I’m not too confident about that notion anymore.
Overall, Demon Slayer Mugen Train Episode 2, or Kimetsu No Yaiba Mugen Train Episode 2 if you prefer, was fine if you ignore that it was entirely material that we have already seen adapted before. I am not going to ignore that, however. Also, if you watched the episode on Netflix as I did, the translation was horrendous. “Aniki” does not mean “Sir” in any sense of the word. The subtitles also translated ” Taisho Secret” as “Tashio Secret”. Real professional, Netflix.
Verdict
If you have already seen the movie, you will not miss anything if you skip Demon Slayer Mugen Train Anime Episode 2. The episode included virtually no new material and didn’t offer anything of value as an add-on to the show.
Click here to read the review of the next episode!