Of all the things 2020 has come to be known for, movie releases breaking box office records wasn’t one of them. However one film defied the odds. Released in Japan on Oct. 16., the animated film Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train ended a 19-year record held by the Studio Ghibli traditional Spirited Away. Hitting $313 million in ticket sales in December, the film overtook director Hayao Miyazaki’s magnum opus to turn into the country’s highest-grossing film of all time.
Within the months since, the film—based on the manga Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba by Koyoharu Gotouge—has broken one other record previously set by Spirited Away: Mugen Train is now the highest-grossing anime movie within the world. It’s set for theatrical release within the U.S. and Canada on April 23, in both a subtitled model and an English dubbed version.
Earlier than the film made headlines for shattering records, the Demon Slayer franchise was already amassing a dedicated international fanbase. Each the manga that was first revealed 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, right 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-period Japan, man-eating demons roam the land every night. 13-yr-old Tanjiro Kamado’s world is turned upside down when he returns home one morning to search out his complete household murdered save for his sister Nezuko—who has turned right into a demon. Determined to avenge their deaths and find a remedy that might transform Nezuko back right 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 group of skilled fighters who dedicate their lives to protecting humans from the vicious creatures.
Who is Koyoharu Gotouge?
Koyoharu Gotouge (recently featured as a part of the 2021 TIME one hundred Subsequent) wrote and illustrated Demon Slayer. The mangaka, or manga creator, has not publicly revealed their identity, and instead uses the pen name Gotouge and appears as an avatar of an alligator in glasses when making announcements concerning the series. Despite not much about Demon Slayer’s writer being known to the general public, those who collaborate closely with Gotouge are familiar with their work ethic. «I have known Gotouge sensei [the honorific term for teacher in Japanese] because the start of their career, they usually weren’t necessarily without fault at first,» Kohei Ohnishi, an Editor-in-Chief of Weekly Shonen Jump who edits Demon Slayer, tells TIME. «However via hard work and perseverance, they have been able to grow considerably as a mangaka.»
Although Gotouge’s schedule has not been shared before, the daily work routines of manga authors are reputed to be rigorous. For example, Oda Eiichiro—the creator of One Piece—has shared about sleeping frequently 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 the most impactful element of Gotouge’s writing and artwork, Ohnishi references the strong characters and dialogue. «Their characters are all distinctive, but still rooted in reality, and that’s a very 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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