Of all of the things 2020 has come to be known for, movie releases breaking box office records wasn’t one in every of them. But one film defied the odds. Released in Japan on Oct. 16., the animated film Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Film: Mugen Train ended a 19-yr record held by the Studio Ghibli basic Spirited Away. Hitting $313 million in ticket sales in December, the movie overtook director Hayao Miyazaki’s magnum opus to develop into the country’s highest-grossing film of all time.
In the months since, the film—primarily based on the manga Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba by Koyoharu Gotouge—has broken another record beforehand set by Spirited Away: Mugen Train is now the highest-grossing anime film in the world. It is set for theatrical launch in the U.S. and Canada on April 23, in each a subtitled model and an English dubbed version.
Before the film made headlines for shattering records, the Demon Slayer franchise was already amassing a dedicated international fanbase. Each the manga that was first published in 2016 and the television series adapted from the manga have recorded feats of their own. Ahead of the North American release of Mugen Train, here’s everything to know about Demon Slayer, the writer-illustrator behind it and the meteoric success of the manga, television series and film.
What’s Demon Slayer about?
In this fictional world set in early 20th century Taishō-era Japan, man-consuming demons roam the land every night. thirteen-year-old Tanjiro Kamado’s world is turned upside down when he returns dwelling one morning to seek out his whole family murdered save for his sister Nezuko—who has turned right into a demon. Decided to avenge their deaths and discover a cure that would transform Nezuko back into a human, Tanjiro sets out on a journey to train for the Demon Slayer Corps. The story follows him as he joins this underground organization of skilled fighters who dedicate their lives to protecting humans from the vicious creatures.
Who’s Koyoharu Gotouge?
Koyoharu Gotouge (just lately featured as a part of the 2021 TIME 100 Next) wrote and illustrated Demon Slayer. The mangaka, or manga creator, has not publicly revealed their identity, and instead makes use of the pen name Gotouge and seems as an avatar of an alligator in glasses when making announcements in regards to the series. Despite not much about Demon Slayer’s author being known to the public, those who collaborate intently with Gotouge are familiar with their work ethic. «I’ve known Gotouge sensei [the honorific time period for teacher in Japanese] because the start of their career, and so they weren’t necessarily without fault at first,» Kohei Ohnishi, an Editor-in-Chief of Weekly Shonen Jump who edits Demon Slayer, tells TIME. «But by hard work and perseverance, they had been able to grow considerably as a mangaka.»
Though Gotouge’s schedule has not been shared before, the day by day work routines of manga authors are reputed to be rigorous. As an example, Oda Eiichiro—the creator of One Piece—has shared about sleeping usually from 2 AM to 5 AM to work on his manuscript. Ohnishi cites Gotouge’s strong sense of integrity and dedication to their work, and says the mangaka is «very aware of how readers are responding to their work.» Asked about essentially the most impactful element of Gotouge’s writing and art, Ohnishi references the strong characters and dialogue. «Their characters are all unique, yet still rooted in reality, and that’s a really tough balance to strike,» Ohnishi says. «In addition, there are a number of memorable lines filled with originality in Demon Slayer.»
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