The storm of “Demon Slayer” is unstoppable as the blockbuster manga and anime series about a boy fighting demon continues to break movie records in Japan despite the pandemic.
In another boost to the “Demon Slayer” boom, the final installment of the manga series hit bookstores on Friday in book form, prompting fans to form long lines to grab a copy of the highly anticipated 23rd volume. closing the story that first appeared in a manga magazine in 2016.
Copies of the final and 23rd installment of the “Demon Slayer” manga series are on the bookshelves in a Tokyo store on the December 4, 2020 release date. (Kyodo) == Kyodo
Set in Japan about 100 years ago, the story follows Tanjiro Kamado, an adolescent boy who returns home to find all of his family, but his younger sister Nezuko has been slaughtered in a demonic attack. His sister has now turned into a demon herself, he sets out to find a way to make her human again and fights man-eating demons along with his comrades as part of a demon killer corps.
At a bookstore in central Tokyo, about 30 people queued for opening hours. A 46-year-old man, who got his hands on a special edition featuring miniature figures of the characters, said he went around 14 convenience stores to find a copy for his 5-year-old daughter.
“The book tells the backstory of the enemies (of the hero) and shows the love for the family. What’s fascinating is that it’s not just a story about rewarding good and punishing evil,” he said.
The popularity of “Demon Slayer” as a comic series was given an extra boost by the anime series that aired in Japan last year, then propelled by the animated film “Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train”, which takes off from where the anime series ended.
At a time when the coronavirus pandemic has hit the film industry, it took the film just 45 days to become the second highest-grossing film ever in the country.
According to distributors Aniplex Inc. and Toho Co. the film raised 27.51 billion yen ($ 265 million) by attracting more than 20 million spectators, overtaking the 1997 American film “Titanic”.
The film centers on the hero’s efforts to save the lives of passengers aboard the “Mugen Train”, named after the Japanese word for infinity, on which countless people are missing.
Koyoharu Gotoge’s manga series appears to be a bright spot in the country’s publishing industry, with its new version also among the bestsellers on an annual rankings.
Publisher Shueisha Inc. said 3.95 million copies were published as the first edition of the final volume, with the cumulative number for all volumes, including in digital form, exceeding 120 million copies.
While the series, now a worldwide hit, ended in Weekly Shonen Jump in May, the latest installment in book form has left fans guessing, in part because it features new illustrations. The series has been translated into 14 languages and is available in 33 countries and regions, according to Shueisha.
At the time of the book’s release, advertisements featuring images of the characters from the series and the author’s message of thanks to fans in their morning issues were distributed in five major Japanese newspapers.
Companies have also cashed in on the popularity of “Demon Slayer” goods with ties, while the series title was also chosen as one of Japan’s buzzwords for this year.
Copies of the final and 23rd installment of the “Demon Slayer” manga series are on the bookshelves in a Tokyo store on the December 4, 2020 release date. (Kyodo) == Kyodo
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