I feel like not a lot happened in this episode, but it was still engaging enough where I was able to pay attention to everything that was happening. Not to mention it left us on a not very nice cliffhanger. It did feel a little fillerish with how Tanjiro was just acting hilariously obnoxious towards trying to get Giyu to join the Hashira training per the Master’s wishes for the majority of the episode. Though I did have a really good laugh at his antics. I absolutely lost it when he just peeked out from the side of the door with that dot-faced smile lol.
We got a bit more on Giyu and why he thinks the way that he does. Going into this, I already knew what was bogging him down so it wasn’t particularly surprising to me. And because of that, I feel like it didn’t quite hit me as hard as it should that he was friends with Sabito. But yeah, Giyu has just been self-deprecating with himself because he thought Sabito should have been the one to make it out of the test alive. And he meant as “not one of the Hashira” in the literal sense that he isn’t a Hashira because he believes he doesn’t deserve that role and not at all trying to put himself above them in any way. We don’t fully know the extent of Giyu’s strength and while it is possible he might not be as strong as all of them, he is still plenty capable as he was able to defeat the spider demons with little to no issue back in season one. Not to mention, I highly doubt the Master would make him into a Hashira if he didn’t deserve it. And what we can garner from the brief flashback of him training, there is little doubt in my mind that Giyu worked himself to the bone to get to where he is.
Giyu cares a lot for others despite not outwardly showing it on his face. I feel like there was a lot more to Giyu’s design that met the eye. Because on the surface, I feel like there wasn’t really that much going on for him. But the fact he wears an asymmetrical haori in memory of both Sabito and his deceased sister says a lot about how much he cared about them. Not to mention I didn’t realize how dead in the eyes he looked until I saw him with lights in his eyes when his younger self was shown. Poor guy has just been depressed for years because he’s still in mourning. And it is sad how little value he views his own life as he would have rather had himself die than his sister and Sabito.
While Tanjiro may not have known Rengoku for long, what Rengoku was to Tanjiro was similar to what Sabito was to Giyu in the sense of believing someone as bright as them should have been the ones to live on instead of them. Survivor’s guilt is a powerful thing and it’s sad that both Tanjiro and Giyu had to experience it by not being around to save their families and then again when two powerful individuals died in their steads. But because of that, I think Tanjiro is the best person to form a bond with Giyu since they do have quite a bit in common. Especially in the sense where they always think of others before themselves. Not to mention that because Tanjiro knew how to relate to him, his words were able to reach Giyu. I really liked how it made it seem as if Sabito just slapped Giyu again with the wind. But considering the strange bond that Tanjiro and Sabito have, it makes sense that it would be Tanjiro to help connect the two back in a way. Almost as if he had helped lead Sabito back to Giyu to wake him up after he had been suppressing himself so long.
I also like how Inosuke’s words of continuing to move forward because the deceased believed in you. I never expected words from Inosuke of all people to hold such strong importance lol. But I do like the notion of continuing to live on for the people who have passed their beliefs onto you so that their memory doesn’t die with you. And one day you can pass that wisdom onto someone else. It’s like a positive cycle.
Though I will say that this all felt like it got resolved a little too quickly where it just felt like a one and done sort of thing. Maybe it’ll come back again, but it did feel a bit too sudden for me. It does a good job at helping us understanding Giyu a little more, but I feel like it needed a little more time for Giyu to fully mourn and process Sabito’s passing. Especially with how jarring they changed moods with the comedy. It definitely felt like they needed a little more time for Giyu to come to terms with it. Like maybe they could have had him reluctantly agree to do the Hashira training while still not fully believing in Tanjiro’s words but slowly process them and then come to a conclusion about it in another episode. But eh, it is what it is I suppose. Though it was funny seeing both of them having that soba eating contest with blank looks on their faces.
The parts that most intrigued me most in this episode were when the crow left Tamayo to think about coming to the Demon Slayer base and whether or not that was what made Shinobu angry to the point where she was twitching at the end. Though we do know that Tamayo has decided to work with the Demon Slayer corp so I’m really curious how that will turn out. But I’m sure that Tanjiro will try and put in a good word for her and protect her if need be if the others don’t agree. But considering Shinobu’s intense hatred for demons, it does make me wonder if she can put that aside and work with her. While she is civil with Nezuko, Nezuko never ate humans. And considering Tamayo was under Muzan at one point, it can only be assumed she has consumed people before. Considering how Shinobu extended a hand of “friendship” to that one spider demon, I have a feeling she’s going to feel a type of way towards working with a demon who has eaten people.
However, the biggest cliffhanger so far was them just leaving me on Shinobu about to tell Kanao on she knows how to kill the demon that killed her sister. Granted, I already know who the demon is and how she will go about killing it, but the way they built it up, even I was like: NO TELL US despite me already knowing the answer lol. This definitely felt like another building up episode with not a lot happening, but I still enjoyed it. Hopefully more stuff will start happening in the next ep, especially now that things are starting to get pretty interesting.
Also, Oh? Giyu is the one to bring up what Shinobu is doing? Hm, hm, hm??? Sorry my shipper glasses are on too tight… but I need these crumbs XD.
The problem with Giyu isn’t hard to solve, it just that he is Giyu. If he ask anyone or share his thought, people would give him a pep talk and he would get over it relatively fast but it just isn’t Giyu to ask people for help or share his thought so everyone just think he is a jerk for looking all brooding all the time and refuse to talk to them. Only Tanjirou who probably the closest person to Giyu after his master would seek him out and talk to him.
In a way, Giyu’s face is like Muichiro, cold and hollow until Tanjiro brought back the light in their eyes. A bonus sketch included in one of the volumes did mention that Yushiro sensed hostility from Shinobu towards Tamayo, and I understand Shinobu’s hatred towards demons, but considering that Shinobu was praying for her sister and what she talked with Kanao afterwards, I’m leaning more to think that she’s angry not because she’s going to work with Tamayo, but because she remembered about the demon who killed her sister.