By Iñaki Arredondo
We have seen plenty of cinematic adaptations of popular anime media like Dragon Ball, Naruto or My Hero Academia which range from mediocre to actually really good. However, none of those movies ever managed to top the animation films that are made exclusively for cinemas, like Studio Ghibli´s productions. So, how did this shonen movie surpass the historic Miyazaki creation “Spirited Away”?
The series follows the story of Tanjiro Kamado, a boy whose family was brutally murdered and his sister turned into a demon. The anime arrived with a bang in 2019 to anime streaming services, making a huge impact and even becoming a trending topic worldwide after the release of episode 19. So, we’ve established that the series was off to a good start and fans enjoyed it a lot, was this enough to make a big impact in cinemas? Not in the traditional sense.

Anime studios usually produce movies licenced by the manga the series is based on, but these movies don’t move forward the story, in other words, they are not canon. Which means that at the end of the runtime, nothing matters and everything is back to normal. Now that the meaningless adventure is over, the real story can continue in the anime. This is what made Kimetsu No Yaiba: Mugen Train stand out.
At the end of season one, an after credits scene announced that the next official story arc of the series would be made into a movie. Which meant that if you were invested in the story thus far, you should sit in a movie theater to enjoy the next chapter. Of course, the fact that Ufotable is making unparalleled work in regards to the series presentation also played a big role. Truth be told, every single episode of the anime could be shown on the big screen.
The production team has made a magnificent product and the fans noticed. As a consequence when they took a new path, everyone followed them knowing it would be worth it. And according to the 350 million made in its 16 weeks, it is definitely worth it.

Are you hyped to see Kimetsu No Yaiba: Mugen Train? Tell us all about it!