Filthy Casual for Life

I was scrolling on my phone when I came across a blog/article that condemned Demon Slayer for ruining seasonal anime. You’ll have to excuse me as I was on my phone and didn’t think to capture the source of the article. Simply put, they are not a fan of anime in the movies.

Does turning to the big screen ruin seasonal anime? I took issue with this point of view. How can movies ruin seasonal anime? The writer didn’t really give any compelling arguments. I feel successful movie releases depend on the success of the seasonal offering. You can’t have one without the other. I seriously doubt companies are going to abandon seasonal offerings for movie-only debuts. Not to mention, movie budgets. Not every show is going to be successful enough to have a movie.

Demon Slayer is a plague on anime. Again, I wish I could link the blog/article that I read. This person obviously had a deep-seeded hatred for Demon Slayer. The success of Demon Slayer opened the genre up to people that didn’t partake in anime. I saw that with my own eyes. I had friends that heard the hype and jumped on the bandwagon. Maybe this person feels the “bandwagon effect” is a plague on anime. Me, on the other hand, love to see everyone enjoy anime, even if they’re not lifers. Bandwagon away, my friends! I am not here to gatekeep.

Striking while the iron is hot. I don’t blame companies for striking the iron while it is hot. Demon Slayer’s Infinity Castle will be three movies, and I am perfectly okay with that. Maybe this is the death that the writer was implying. Instead of getting seasonal content, we get movies. I don’t see the issue. I quite enjoy being able to watch 2 full hours of content instead of it spread over a season. I can see the argument that people shouldn’t have to be forced to pay for a movie which leads me to my next question.

Is it the money? Is it the premise of having to pay to watch it? I could see someone choosing to die on that hill. I can see someone being salty because they already pay a subscription fee and instead of getting content, they’re having to go pay admission to a theater. Maybe I don’t see things that way. I feel blessed that we get more content and I don’t really care where it is coming from. I gladly pay my Netflix/Crunchyroll/Amazon/HiDive subscriptions AND movie admissions.

I’ve watched Infinity Castle twice. That’s right. I gave Ufotable, Aniplex, and Shueisha my money. Twice. The movie is THAT good. The fighting is *chef’s kiss*. Can I tell you how bad ass Zenitsu is? Like, seriously. He’s bad ass.

It is no secret that Demon Slayer ranks as one of my all-time favorite anime, but that doesn’t sway my opinion. As a fan of anime, I welcome the era of anime in the movies because I don’t see it replacing seasonal content. I see it supplementing it. I can agree that some people might feel slighted by being forced to pay for a movie — but that doesn’t mean the success of anime in the movies kills seasonal anime.