Fans of the smash-hit anime and manga series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba have got a lot to look forward to this year when it comes to the wildly popular samurai series. For one thing, the original manga by Koyoharu Gotouge will soon be entering the exciting climax of its story in a few chapters. Anime fans, meanwhile, have feature-length animated film sequel Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train (Kimetsu no Yaiba: Mugen Ressha-Hen) to look forward to when it hits theaters in Japan on October 16th. Even if you don’t live in Japan, though, there’s some exciting anime related news about the series for you to get hyped about. Aniplex of America and Funimation have announced that Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba will be coming to Blu-Ray in North America starting this year.
When Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba comes to home video on Blu-ray, it will be available in a gorgeous Limited Edition set from Aniplex of America. The company plans to ship two volumes of this set, with the first volume — containing the first 13 episodes of the series — arriving on June 30th. The second limited-edition volume, meanwhile, will contain episodes 14–26 of the anime and will be available on November 24th. The first Limited Edition Blu-ray set is packed full of gorgeous content, with deluxe box art and packaging that features brand new art from anime character designer Akira Matsushima.
The first box set of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba also comes with a set of illustration cards featuring the main cast, as well as a special art booklet featuring character profiles, design details, and concept art from the series. The box set includes three Blu-ray discs for the anime episodes, as well as special features like textless opening and ending animations and full audio commentary tracks from both the Japanese and English voice acting cast. Finally, music fans will be pleased with the three-disc collection of Go Shiina music that is also included in the limited edition release.
Aniplex of America also plans to partner with Funimation in order to release standard-edition Blu-ray discs of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. These will omit the various physical bonuses from the Limited Edition Blu-ray set, but still contain the full episodes as well as digital features like textless opening and ending animations and audio commentary. The first standard-edition volume is expected to ship in September 2020, while the second volume will arrive in January 2021.
Aniplex of America describes Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba as follows:
It is the Taisho Period in Japan. Tanjiro, a kindhearted boy who sells charcoal for a living, finds his family slaughtered by a demon. To make matters worse, his younger sister Nezuko, the sole survivor, has been transformed into a demon herself. Though devastated by this grim reality, Tanjiro resolves to become a “demon slayer” so that he can turn his sister back into a human, and kill the demon that massacred his family.
Additionally, Aniplex of America has also released an English dub version of the teaser trailer for Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train, the film sequel to the first season of the anime series. The movie will pick up right where the series ended, adapting the iconic Mugen train arc from the original manga.
The animation staff from the television anime are set to return for Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: Demon Train Arc, which is once again being animated by Ufotable. Haruo Sotozaki, who previously directed Tales of Zestiria the X and Tales of Symphonia the Animation, is directing the film. Akira Matsushima of Maria Watches Over Us and Tales of Zestiria the X fame will once again be handling character designs along with sub-character designers Miyuki Sato, Yoko Kajiyama, and Mika Kikuchi. Yuki Kajiura and Go Shiina will be composing music for the film. Kajiura previously worked on Sword Art Online, Fate/Zero, and Madoka Magica, while Go Shiina previously composed for Tales of Zestiria the X, Juni Taisen: Zodiac War, and God Eater. Hikaru Kondo will be producing the film.
Source: Anime News Network, Crunchyroll
