Reset no Yaiba

The third season of Kimetsu no Yaiba began last week, beginning the "Sword Village" arc from the manga. This season looks to be hewing closer to the manga after season two disappointed audiences with excessive padding. Though it's a little strange, after the bloodbath of the last season finale, to have Tanjiro and his friends totally recovered and up to their usual antics. Tanjiro had two of his fingers broken and Inosuke was skewered through the chest in what looked like a mortal wound. Nezuko went further into demonaic transformations than she ever had before and now she's back to the cute little lady who rides in a box without anyone commenting on it. Even her little bamboo bit has been replaced without comment. It was clearly destroyed last season.

It sadly contributes more to the feeling established last season that, however dire and bloody things get, there's always a reset button somewhere, ready to restore everyone to season one status.

This season has taken at least one step in the right direction, though, by splitting up the group, as sad as I am to bid a temporary farewell to Inosuke. Now Tanjiro and Nezuko are teamed with two of the "Hashira", the high ranking demon slayers who harness a particular element. Joining the Kameda siblings are the Mist Hashira, Muichiro Tokito, and the Love Hashira, Mitsuri Kanroji.

If nothing else this season, we can all enjoy Mitsuri's cleavage. Except Tanjiro, who amusingly begs her to cover up when he sees her running down some stairs.

Kimetsu no Yaiba is available on Netflix in Japan.

Z versus S

There's plenty of sex and violence in the new season of Kimetsu no Yaiba, aka Demon Slayer. This show that's beloved across Japan by people from ages three to seventy. Good for them. And Japan's crime rate is astronomically lower than countries now trying to clamp down on this kind of thing.

The latest arc, "The Entertainment District", features the trio of demon fighting boys, Tanjiro (Natsuki Hanae), Inosuke (Yoshitsugu Matsuoka), and Zenitsu (Hiro Shimono), teaming up with a master slayer named Uzui (Katsuyuki Konishi) to investigate a red light district in Tokyo. The three boys dress as geisha to infiltrate three different geisha houses where Uzui's three female ninja assistants disappeared. Soon they discover a demon woman who uses her obi sash to dismember people. In the latest episode, Tanjiro's sister, Nezuko (Akari Kito), furthers her transformation into a demon in order to savage the villain.

In the process, Nezuko herself loses several limbs only to regrow them, multiple times. Not for the first time, only now more vividly, I'm reminded of my own Nesuko from Boschen and Nesuko.

Like Nesuko, Nezuko tries to resist a natural bloodlust, she can regrow her limbs, and she doesn't wear panties. She does part her hair on the opposite side, though.

I guess the similarities are likely all a coincidence. Nesuko certainly talks a lot more than Nezuko who remains mute most of the time. Still, I'm reminded of the minor character from Panty and Stocking with Garter Belt that was clearly modelled on Gir from Invader Zim and wonder if this is another example of a Japanese artist drawing inspiration from a casual perusal of American media. I guess it's flattering, if so. But it makes it all the stranger now that I work with kids who love this show and, as I share in their enthusiasm, I can never say to them, "Hey, I made a Nesuko, too, decades before this one . . ."

Kimetsu no Yaiba is available on Netflix in Japan and Boschen and Nesuko is available on my website, Anelnoath, worldwide.

Twitter Sonnet #1514

With tighter trousers, legs approach the bench.
The time arrived when crystal formed a flame.
A metal neck consumes the fleshy wrench.
We all remembered late the lodging's name.
A muffler wet was like a scarf for tongues.
We hid the treasure deep below the pad.
The cheapest house contained the wooden lungs.
No shedding wig could hide from us the mad.
The ruler broke for words with nothing in.
The music held a solid rule above.
The package broke the bread's recycling bin.
The spotless alley's filled with hearts of love.
Another demon dances strange with blood.
Another rabbit runs from Elmer Fudd.