REVIEW: ‘Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba The Stage’ Crafts An Intriguing Take On Its Source Material

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba The Stage (Demon Slayer The Stage Play) adapts the key early moments of Tanjiro Kamado’s (Ryôta Kobayashi) journey as he begins his search for a way to cure his sister Nezuko (Akari Takaishi) of the demonic nature that she has been cursed with by the villainous Muzan Kibutsuji (Yoshihide Sasaki).

While it’s been a few years since I watched the opening episodes of the anime, everything presented here feels on track with the events I remember. From the attack on Tanjero’s family to his training to be a Demon Hunter, his brush with Muzan in the city, and the battles at the Demon House, all the core narrative beats feel true to how I remember them playing out. Perhaps the biggest difference here is the presence of far more singing.

There are numerous musical performances scattered throughout Demon Slayer The Stage Play. Muzan’s solo helps flesh out his character and adds menace to his presence on stage. A group song performed during Zentisu’s big moment helps to clarify what’s happening as the cowardly fighter enters his trance-like state.  Others, however, do not go far as well. Perhaps the most poorly implemented is a self-aggrandizing song Tanjiro sings during his showdown with Kyogi. Not only does hearing Tanjiro singing about how powerful he is, even when wounded, feel odd for the character, but it does little for the moment.

One aspect of the musical implementation that was artfully done is how a large group number early on recreated the energy of the opening credits. Characters coming on and off stage, striking poses in well-selected groups, brought this crucial element of anime to life.

While the biggest audience for Demon Slayer The Stage Play is long-time fans of the series, another group may find an engaging reason to check out this show. If you bemoan films that are over-dependent on CGI and wish you could see more visual trickery in media, this show may be worth checking out. There are countless moments where the viewer will be surprised by how sleight of hand, wonderfully timed visual projections, and physical stage elements are used to shift scenes and display the impressive skills of the characters.

Seeing a character throw open a door at the stage rear to have the projected background zoom through the door, displaying the interior, proves to be a fabulous way to change the scene without anyone moving. The cinematography utilized for the recording only further aids the presentation’s efforts here, as it balances letting the viewer see everything they need to while also drawing their eyes away from the shifting stage elements till their moment arrives.

The fights that take place here also do all they can to bring the characters’ physical prowess to life. With the help of stagehands cloaked in black, punches can lift characters high into the air. We even see Inosuke Hashibira (Yugo Sato) assume his hands over shoulders rolling pose, though the actor does not launch the attack.

There is one big struggle that drags Demon Slayer The Stage Play down—the casting. While the performances all capture the core of their characters, even Zenitsu’s actor, Keisuke Ueda puts his all into making his character as abrasive as he is in the series, the failing comes in their ages. Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Nezuko are all far too old to be looked at and talked about as kids. While I understand why age-appropriate actors wouldn’t be desirable, if this casting were what had to be, they probably should’ve downplayed the kid angle of people’s perceptions of them.

While the age of the actors distracts from the series, one element of every character that is captured skillfully is the costuming and makeup. Every outfit is recreated in great detail, and even some of the more outlandish designs, like Kyogi with his drum-covered chest, are adapted convincingly.

When it’s all taken together, Demon Slayer: The Stage is an experience worth having. If you are a fan of the series and want to see it from a fresh perspective or simply love the practical effect of the stage, this show easily justifies its two-and-a-half-hour runtime, flaws and all.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba The Stage is streaming now on Crunchyroll.