Netflix Demon Slayer live-action series in the works
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Netflix Demon Slayer live-action series in the works
Photo of Demon Slayer manga on sale in a bookstore.
Following the wild success of its live-action One Piece and the lesser success of the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender, Netflix is bringing another anime, arguably the biggest in the world, to live-action. Giant Freakin Robot reports on Netflix’s next live-action anime adaptation, Demon Slayer.
Given the series’ popularity, it makes sense that this would be the next one for the streaming service to adapt, but there are some very clear strengths and weaknesses to bringing the Demon Slayer Corps to life, which will likely make fans nervous.
A Shorter Tighter Anime
Netflix has come a long way in the past few years. Where once Netflix Original efforts were all about Adam Sandler movies, Netflix has now widened its scope.
Last year Netflix hit a home run with the live-action One Piece series, appealing to both long-time fans and newcomers to the long-running anime. Demon Slayer will be easier to adapt as it is significantly shorter. Instead of One Piece’s episode count, which stretches into the thousands, the current Shonen juggernaut only has 68 episodes, with significantly tighter story arcs.Â
Hopefully, that means an accurate adaptation.
A Possible Season Breakdown
Netflix condensed nearly 50 episodes of One Piece into its first season, and Avatar: The Last Airbender mixed up the first and second seasons of the cartoon, which means viewers can start speculating on the treatment Demon Slayer will receive. Season 1 will only cover the “Unwavering Resolve” arc, devoting the first episode to the entire “Final Selection” arc and possibly skipping the “Kidnapper’s Bog” entirely.
The next two arcs, “Asakusa” and “Tsuzumi Mansion,” could be one episode a piece, leaving over half the season (assuming eight episodes) for the more complex latter arcs, “Mount Natagumo” and “Rehabilitation Training.”
Translating The Visuals
While that’s good news for Netflix’s handling of Demon Slayer in live-action, the bad news is that a large part of the anime’s appeal is the gorgeous animation from Ufotable. Without Ufotable’s stunning artwork, especially during the numerous fight sequences, the plot of the series will be thrust to the forefront, and even the most die-hard fans of the series will admit there’s not much there.
It’s not a bad storyline, but it’s clear that the focus of Demon Slayer is on stunning visuals, both in the manga and in the anime, which can not be matched in live-action.
It’s Not About The Story
Netflix’s live-action Demon Slayer will bring the story of Tanjiro Kamado to life as he seeks a cure for his demonic sister, Nezuko, and winds up discovering the hidden world of the Demon Slayer Corps. By using different breathing techniques, the Slayers are able to channel different Breathing Styles capable of killing otherwise immortal demons. Tanjiro starts out wielding the Water-Breathing Style, but in true Shonen anime style, he trains hard and eventually learns another legendary technique.
Netflix Has Earned Fans’ Trust With Casting
Now that Netflix is working on a live-action Demon Slayer, the question is, who will it cast? Thankfully, Netflix’s record of casting in One Piece means fans can rest easy and trust that whoever gets the parts of Tanjiro and Nezuko will be a perfect fit.
No one knew who Inaki Godoy was, but he was the perfect Luffy in One Piece. Even Gordon Cormier is a fantastic Aang in Avatar: The Last Airbender, though some feel the weaker writing of this series let him down.
Start Dreaming Of The Mugen Train Now
There is no timetable yet for Netflix’s live-action Demon Slayer, leaving plenty of room for fans to speculate over casting and worry over whether the masks, especially Inosuke’s boar’s head, will make it to live-action.
Fans can even start dreaming about what the “Mugen Train” and “Entertainment District” arcs will look like in live-action. Before One Piece, fans would be justified to be terrified over a live-action adaptation, but now, well, this could turn out amazing.
This story was produced by Giant Freakin Robot and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media.
