Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Vol. 1 (1)
Tanjiro sets out on the path of the Demon Slayer to save his sister and avenge his family!
In Taisho-era Japan, kindhearted Tanjiro Kamado makes a living selling charcoal. But his peaceful life is shattered when a demon slaughters his entire family. His little sister Nezuko is the only survivor, but she has been transformed into a demon herself! Tanjiro sets out on a dangerous journey to find a way to return his sister to normal and destroy the demon who ruined his life.
Learning to destroy demons won’t be easy, and Tanjiro barely knows where to start. The surprise appearance of another boy named Giyu, who seems to know what’s going on, might provide some answers—but only if Tanjiro can stop Giyu from killing his sister first!
Giorgi G. –
Greatlove it
Jeff Blaine –
Generic and rushed.I picked this up because I’d heard the anime based on this source material was taking the world by storm, and generally if an anime is based on a manga I opt to read it first before delving into the series. Perhaps I expected too much from this based on the hype, but I came out of it pretty disappointed. The story, while admittedly intriguing and dark, is also very generic, copy-paste-with-different-characters type of manga. To be certain, you have seen or read this before. That isn’t always a deal breaker for me, as I actually like seeing how the familiar story we know and love might differ in another person’s hands. However, in this case as it turns out, not all that well.(Very minor spoilers ahead, but not much that isn’t already on the back cover or in the item description.)The story takes place in Taisho-era Japan (1912 – 1926) and our young protagonist, Tanjiro Kamado, is heading off down the cold and dangerous path from his mountain home into the town below to sell some coal so that he can help feed and clothe his family. He’s greeted well by the townsfolk who seem to love him, and it’s quickly revealed that Tanjiro seems to have an almost supernatural ability the rest of us do not (because of course he would), and the townspeople ask him to use it to aid in their squabbles, as well as requesting his assistance with other little things around the village. Before he knows it, it’s getting very late, and the path home is even more treacherous at night, as a kindly gentleman reveals to the reader that demons roam in the shadows of the woods. He insists Tanjiro stay the night with him, and return home in the morning, to which our little hero reluctantly agrees. The next morning he sets off back home, but to his horror, arrives there to find his family slaughtered. All perished with the exception of his little sister, who seems to have become a demon herself. Cue gag-worthy, cookie-cutter “mysterious” demon slaying stranger who’s cold-hearted yet righteous (and much too young-looking to be so cynical), who decides he sees something special in our young Tanjiro and his fang-y little sister, and sends them to meet an even more mystifying sensei who will train Tanjiro to become the thing demons have nightmares about. Cue the Rocky theme song and really corny (and again oh-so generic) training montage that only takes up half a chapter, but is meant to span about two years time, in which Tanjiro doesn’t seem to have aged at all other than some hair growth. There is also a suuuper, I’m talking extra large nacho cheese-y reveal at this point that actually made me snort and roll my eyes. Oh, and during all this training, Tanjiro’s sister has been (temporarily I’m sure) basically written out of the story for mere convenience sake, it would appear, due to some silly, lackluster excuse that happens off-page and barely explained to us in passing.The whole thing feels entirely too rushed. It’s as if the mangaka, Koyoharu Gotōge, is incredibly overeager to get to the juicy action, but doesn’t want to bother with the “boring” parts of building up to that, like, you know, the actual story, which in turn makes you feel very little for the characters or what happens to them.The art is another small issue that I personally had with it, as to be frank, it just doesn’t measure up to a lot of other popular manga out there at the moment. Don’t expect the polished look you get from a lot of your other favorites, with some really rough and jagged character line-work. Curiously, the backgrounds look better than the characters, albeit a bit lazy, and Koyoharu does put a lot of good (and I’m sure time-consuming) work and love into giving most characters their own fairly detailed clothing patterns.At the end of the day, I didn’t hate or even overly dislike this manga. The younger crowd who haven’t been spoiled by better renditions of this familiar story are sure to love it. It was nothing new, or even very good, but it did allow me to sort of check out of reality and keep me turning the page somehow. I did find myself rushing through it, where I’ll normally take my time reading manga to appreciate the art, but it was an okay way to pass some time. That being said, it in no way has me in a hurry to read the next one. I will, as I’d like to be fair and give it one more chance and tie up the loose end the cliffhanger left me with, but if it doesn’t improve in the second volume I may just switch to watching the anime, which looks to be more polished and improved upon, or abandon it entirely.
PartyMarty –
Great quality manga book at a great price!The media could not be loaded.
Getting this for a friend’s son’s birthday. I know he will just love it! Quality of cover, printing and pages are excellent! Also for those who complain that it is backwards remember it is not. You are just not use to reading a book this way. Below is an explanation from the web to help people who are confused about this:“All traditional Japanese manga reads from right to left, the reverse of English, which reads from left to right. In original manga-style books, the action, the word bubbles, and sound effects are all written in this direction.”
Donavan Campbell –
Great read,hookedI really felt the interest in this story as I read it. Flipping through each chapter I no need to put it away. I could easily relax to this awesome again on whim at any time.
April hamann –
Great mangaI love this series. I started watching the show them knew I just read all of the books. So far I am not disappointed.
morgan –
could be betteri love the books i got, i just wish it was packaged a little safer. the books are a little bent and couldve been avoided if bubble wrap was used
tiburcio –
Grandson giftMy grandson loves these, don’t get confused the books you read backwards, glad I asked someone or I would have sent back lol
Amazon Customer –
Amazing StoryI watched the anime and the movie a while ago. The art style in the manga is intricate and blends action and detail well. Worth the read.
The Stack Family –
Great seriesReally happy to begin collecting this series. It is a great book
hanii aburame –
Very good premise, I am looking forward to continuing the series4 1/2* starsThis has been a popular series for awhile but I had not gotten around to reading any of it, until now.The hype that I heard was right, this was so good! Within 20 pages the action already had me hooked and on the edge of my seat.It’s hard for me to find fault in manga, because, unless it’s something I just straight-up don’t agree with or can’t get past, I will enjoy it no matter.With that said, I’ll tell you it is a typical Shonen manga where a weaker young man strives to get stronger to save/protect someone he loves, these kind of tropes are not turn off for me but I know to some they are, so I felt like it should be mentioned. However I believe once the story gets deeper in it will be a lot more than just a classic trope to hook people.The art was great, it gave off a nostalgic vibe of mangas past, and I found that comforting in a way that made the darker parts of the story not so heavy, yet it also gave the comedic effects more of a realistic tone. When I started reading it, I did not realize that it was set in the Taisho era of Japan, so I kept thinking to myself why are the characters in these periodic costumes, but after learning that the story is set in a certain era and not just a fantasy world it made me appreciate the art a little more, especially the eye for detail to make the setting and characters appropriate for the time.the characters are interesting and the plot is well rounded, I believe the story can only get better from here on out, and I plan to continue reading.