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Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Season 1 Episode 2 Recap – Trainer Sakonji Urokodaki
BY Harris
Published 2 years ago
Bamboo
Tanjiro is in the countryside by the fields. He spots a worn basket and asks the owner if he can buy it. The owner wants to give it away, but Tanjiro shoves the money in his hands. He runs away with the broken basket and a stack of bamboo. He goes back to Nezuko’s hiding spot in a cave where she waits.
Tanjiro proceeds to fix the weaving of the basket with bamboo. He asks her to get inside. At first, she couldn’t fit, but her body shrinks to its size after a few tries.
As they journey through the evening, the locals by the road warn him that there’s been trouble recently. And true enough, he smells blood in a temple nearby, and they try to check it out, as someone must have hurt themselves.
The Temple
When Tanjiro opens the door, he sees a demon feasting on the people inside. The irate demon yells at being interrupted. Meanwhile, Nezuko drools at the sight of the dead.
The demon pounces at Tanjiro, overpowering him. Nezuko then helps his brother by kicking off the demon’s head. But even with its severed head, the demon still proceeds to move and attack them.
The demon can’t believe why another demon is with a human. The headless body attacks Nezuko while its head grows a pair of arms to tussle with Tanjiro, and Tanjiro hits it with headbutts before hurling it towards a tree.
Nezuko and the body are fighting deep into the woods. Tanjiro runs to the rescue. He almost falls off the cliff pushing the enemy, but Nezuko saves him. The demon’s body falls with a splat.
Killing a demon
They go back to the severed head. Tanjiro is about to kill it, but he hesitates. Someone touches his shoulder from behind – a man with a Tengu mask. He tells him the knife won’t kill the demon.
Tanjiro asks him what to do, but the man tells him to figure it out. Tanjiro then takes a huge boulder, and as he ponders what he should do, the masked man is reading his actions. He doesn’t think the kid is worthy.
Suddenly the demon wakes up, threatening Tanjiro. But shortly after, morning comes, and the demon dies due to sunlight. Meanwhile, Nezuko disappears, hiding back at the temple.
A Challenge
After burying the demon’s victims, the man introduces himself as Sakonji Urokodaki. He knows the boy is the one Giyu sent.
Sakonji asks him what he would do if Nezuko eats a man. Tanjiro is speechless. The man slaps him for being too slow, saying determination is weak. Sakonji scolds Tanjiro, telling him that he must never let that happen, and if it does he should kill her and himself right after.
Tanjiro agrees. Sakonji then asks them to follow him for his test. The man runs while Tanjiro struggles to keep up with his sister on his back.
The Real Test
When they arrive at the man’s hut, Tanjiro is exhausted, but the man tells him the test has just begun. He’ll have to go up the mountain while her sister stays behind.
The old man leaves him high up in the middle of the woods and instructs him to get back to his house. The man disappears, leaving an already tired Tanjiro. He instructs the young man to return before daybreak.
The mist is thick, but his sense of smell is strong. It turns out there are various traps scattered across the woodland. Tanjiro gets caught multiple times while the thin air slows him down. He focuses his breathing and weaves through several traps. The thought of Nezuko guiding his determination.
He arrives before daybreak, all bloody and bruised. He’s passed. From Giyu’s letter, we learn that Tanjiro’s extraordinary smell is similar to Sakonji’s. Giyu thinks there’s potential in him.
Our Thoughts:
This is an episode with great characterization for our leads and the introduction of our mentor. Tanjiro isn’t strong yet, but he has a great cause and heart. The animation is also splendid; there’s nothing bad I can say about the series so far. 4 out of 5.
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