I absolutely loved this episode. I don’t know if it’s just me, but the animation looked even more amazing with this episode both with the cinematography and the characters themselves. Also the way the episode was presented with flashbacks of Yoshiwara and Daki back in the Edo era, to present day, to just a couple days before Tanjiro and the others arrived for their infiltration mission. The transitions were smooth and it didn’t feel like it went all over the place. We really know who Daki is and the strange mystery of the Kyogoku house. I think that’s why I’m really enjoying this arc so far. It’s not your typical action-oriented arc (at least not yet), this one is a lot more slower and serious. I love this slow suspenseful pace, and the boys having to take their time to find Uzui’s wives while also finding the demon. Which we have found her rather quickly, but it just makes things more intense and exciting. It makes you think, how are they going to get through this now? This type of genre and pacing is right up my alley.
Inosuke makes his move to rescue Makio but finds her room completely empty. He senses the demon escaping through the attic and in his usual Inosuke way, runs through the house and destroying the place along the way trying to reach Makio and the demon. It was hilarious when Inosuke punched that customer in the face and the fact he was causing so much chaos. But again, I’m so happy that he’s really taking this mission seriously. He went straight into action the second he knew something was up, and even went back to his room to concentrate on the demon’s movements. It was also worth noting that he knew he screwed up when he punched the customer. Again, I feel like the old Inosuke would blame the customer for being in the way of his mission, but instead he knew he was to blame for what happened. Again, his growth is great to watch and I’m glad he’s maturing bit by bit.
Tanjiro is continuing to be a diligent worker, a little TOO diligent as he happily does the chores around the house. At least the others probably like him a lot for being so friendly and hardworking, but don’t forget your mission Tanjiro!
But of course the best part of the episode was when we focused on both Zenitsu and Daki. Honing his koto and shamisen skills won’t really do him any good, so Zenitsu puts his ears to use and tries to scout anything that could be useful. Instead, he hears the cries of a little girl and rushes over to where she is. Upon entering the room, he finds the little girl with a bruise on her cheek in the middle of a completely destroyed room. Trying his best to comfort her, suddenly a hand sits on his shoulder with a powerful aura emanating behind him. It’s the Oiran of the house, Warabihime. But Zenitsu is immediately able to deduce that she is the Upper Rank demon that they were looking for. And I will say, I am happy that the one encountering the Upper Rank is Zenitsu. Zenitsu got little attention in the Mugen Train arc so it’s great that he’s the one in the house with the demon. I also like that Inosuke is getting his own time to shine as well. I love Tanjiro as the main protagonist but it’s nice to see the other guys have their time to be in the spotlight, so I’m really liking this mission. And going back to Zenitsu, I’m proud that even though he knew he was facing an Upper Rank demon he didn’t hesitate to grab her arm and look at her in the eye when she was hurting that poor child’s ear.
Warabihime is actually an Upper Seven Rank demon named Daki, who has been an Oiran in the Yoshiwara District since the Edo era. We’ve seen that she has been doing the same thing for centuries, being a twisted woman who would devour humans and kill others. In the current day, two days before the madam of the house was killed, she had confronted Daki about women disappearing, and how her grandmother had told her in her youth she had known an Oiran that had greatly resembled Daki. In her beauty, twisted nature, and her mannerisms such as cocking her head to the side. Making the mistake to confront her with this, much like the woman we saw in the flashback in the very beginning, the madam loses her life as Daki grabs her with her sashes and drops her midair to her death. Obviously, this has happened much too many times.
In that same flashback Muzan pays her a quick visit and is unusually kind towards her. We’ve seen how ruthless he’s been to all of his followers so it was interesting that he was so kind to her. Though I don’t think it will last for long, as Muzan has proven how brutal he can be. I take it the reason why he is so kind to her, saying how proud he is of her, is because he can see that she’s obviously very much infatuated with him with how her personality shifted so much when facing him. He’s probably using that infatuation to his benefit in order to get things done and have her continue to obey, but of course I can see that changing really quick. Still, from this scene we now know that Daki has actually taken down seven Hashira and she does know that the Demon Slayer Corps are approaching. After hitting Zenitsu, Daki was easily able to figure out Zenitsu both being male and being part of the Demon Slayer Corps.
The after credit scene was so sweet, until the very last moments when Daki’s sashes wrapped around Zenitsu. It was done so well with the scene feeling calm and sweet with the girls leaving Zenitsu, Zenitsu feeling relieved he could show them kindness in such a horrible environment, to the silence building up to the last second of the scene. Perfectly chilling. I’m so excited to see how things will play out now, now that we know who the demon is and what exactly is going to happen to Zenitsu. Great episode, I’m looking forward to the next one!
This episode truly brought out a horror feels. I admit that Daki gave me quite a fright. Anyone who doesn’t know KnY and watched the first part of the episode would think this is a horror anime. Props for Ufotable to animate the chilling atmosphere so well. This episode also makes me wondering, if it’s a real-life Yoshiwara or red-light district in general, does the highest-ranking Oiran who makes the most profit able to do as she pleases like Warabihime does?
Tanjiro sure takes the backseat this time, a welcome change because the supporting characters needs the focus too, not just the protagonist. If not, what’s the point of them being there? Inosuke is still his brash violent-self, but I’m glad to see him taking things into consideration. The old Inosuke certainly won’t have so much patience and would just destroy everything. I think even if everyone in the house realized that Tanjiro is a boy disguised as a girl, they’ll still maintain a good relationship with him since he’s so down to earth and sincere. (^_^)
I remember certain scenes in the first season that also felt like a horror anime, so yeah they do a great job when they want to make a scene chilling and creepy.
Hmm, I feel like the owners and the other workers bowing down to Daki’s will is both because she brings in a lot of profit and also because they’re simply afraid of her. The fear is obvious, but it does make sense that even though she’s a horrible person, business-wise it wouldn’t be a good idea to get rid of her because she brings in so much profits to the house and she’s a big name. What a terrible relationship.
I really like Zenitsu in this arc. If you remember, Zenitsu backstory actually make perfect sense why he feel sympathy for people in these places. Also it shows that he might be fearful but not a coward which i think a lot of people usually conflate.
Some of the things Zenitsu says can make him seem like a coward, but he has a good heart and truly does want to help people and we’ve seen him be there in times of need before so he’s definitely not a coward.
Every time I see Muzan’s male form in that hat and suit, I think he looks a lot like the late Michael Jackson. Or, should I say, Muzan Jackson.
Lol he ABSOLUTELY looks like Michael Jackson, that was the very first thought I had when I saw him.
I’m pretty sure that’s what everyone would think the moment they lay eyes on Muzan during his debut. Michael Jackson made his debut in an anime! XD