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Sequential Scholars @sequentialscholars.bsky.social · 9h

Unfortunately, this again just leaves us at irresolution for a series that has its proponents and detractors operating with equal passion, but a fair conclusion would simply be that the publisher matters and merits consideration in this bizarre puzzle. 12/12

Tanjiro protecting Nezuko with a broken sword

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Sequential Scholars @sequentialscholars.bsky.social · 9h

And while Demon Slayer can be seen to play it quite safe with a number of factors (protagonist, degree of violence, good vs evil) there’s some genuine innovation to be found in the art style and the genuine weirdness of the tone and atmosphere of the series. 11/12

Zenitsu overwhelmed by how cute Nezuko is

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Sequential Scholars @sequentialscholars.bsky.social · 9h

Variation within an established norm (contrapuntal patterning) can be deeply creatively satisfying (think Jazz) and if what WSJ publishes is all within a pre-fabricated template, then an author looking to excel must indeed find creative opportunity within confines. 10/12

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Sequential Scholars @sequentialscholars.bsky.social · 9h

In consequence of this, the success of Demon Slayer can be seen to hinge upon a question of whether it works because it innovates or because it abides by a pre-fabricated template for success. And, of course, can it be both? 9/12

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Sequential Scholars @sequentialscholars.bsky.social · 9h

More broadly, WSJ’s commitment to formula has had an impact on the entire industry as a whole, contributing to the perceived creative stagnation of shonen in the 1980s and the subsequent borrowing of shojo tropes in the 1990s. 8/12

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Sequential Scholars @sequentialscholars.bsky.social · 9h

Demon Slayer, of course, embodies all of these attributes to an enormous extent with a protagonist pursuing victory through the shared powers of unnatural perseverance and unnaturally instantaneous friendships. 7/12

Demon slayer characters pointing their swords towards the left

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Sequential Scholars @sequentialscholars.bsky.social · 9h

“...The answers were yujo (friendship), doryoku (effort, or perseverance), and shori (winning, or victory). These three words then became the criteria for selecting the stories.” 6/12

Demon slayer characters in a line with the text "My cherished friends"

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Sequential Scholars @sequentialscholars.bsky.social · 9h

“...First, it conducted a survey of young readers, asking them to name (1) the word that warmed their hearts most, (2) the thing they felt most important, and (3) the thing that made them the happiest…” 5/12

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Sequential Scholars @sequentialscholars.bsky.social · 9h

Accusations of populism are not just apt but an open part of the WSJ business model. As noted by famed manga scholar Frederick Schodt, “Weekly Shonen Jump established a firm editorial policy that continues to this day…” 4/12

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Sequential Scholars @sequentialscholars.bsky.social · 9h

As with the centrality of Disney in the animated market, WSJ has been seen by some to have a homogenizing effect on shonen manga, creating a template that has been wildly successful, but creatively uninspired. 3/12

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Sequential Scholars @sequentialscholars.bsky.social · 9h

It is not an exaggeration to call WSJ the epicentre of shonen manga, if not of the entire manga industry, with Drummond-Matthews arguing that WSJ “has been said to be one of the highest selling magazines in the world.” 2/12

Circulation numbers of top shonen mangas. All in the millions

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Sequential Scholars @sequentialscholars.bsky.social · 9h

Demon Slayer’s success is attributable to a number of factors, but a big variable here has to be the site of publication: Weekly Shonen Jump, and the unique hold that this particular publication has on the world of manga in general. #demonslayer 1/12

50th issue of Demon Slayer on Weekly Shonen Jump featuring Tanjiro who is holding a sword that reflects Muzan with Inosuke and Zenitsu in the background

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Reposted by Sequential Scholars

Anna F Peppard PhD @annapeppard.bsky.social · 1d

Our latest over at @sequentialscholars.bsky.social explores the tragic backstory trope in Demon Slayer! #DemonSlayer #ComicsStudies

Sequential Scholars @sequentialscholars.bsky.social · 2d

In cultivating his characters (both heroes and villains), Gotouge makes use of a tried and true approach: the tragic backstory, thus positioning DS within a tradition that dates back millenia with complicated effects on the character/setting dynamic. #demonslayer 1/11

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Sequential Scholars @sequentialscholars.bsky.social · 2d

As we would expect, the tragic backstory can invoke the usual audience-sympathy response, but, when read in aggregate as the DNA of the Demon Slayer setting, it can also provide us with heroes who exist in stark opposition to the world they inhabit. 11/11

Tanjiro and Nezuko crouching in front of demon silhouettes

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Sequential Scholars @sequentialscholars.bsky.social · 2d

In short then, Demon Slayer’s reliance (or perhaps over-reliance) on the tragic backstory approach, when taken as a whole, can inflect and inform the fundamental relationship between setting and character. 10/11

Kokushibo the upper rank 1 demon crying, saying "I hate you, just stop"

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Sequential Scholars @sequentialscholars.bsky.social · 2d

As much as Tanjiro is an altruistic hero, he shouldn’t be. His world, his fate, and his suffering all portend to a life of selfishness, such as that of the main antagonist Muzan and of all the other demons who justify their evil as a logical consequence of their suffering. 9/11

Muzan is told that "you are the demon that our clan... the Demon Slayers has pursued for a thousand years"

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Sequential Scholars @sequentialscholars.bsky.social · 2d

At the same time, this approach also creates an intriguing contrast to Tanjiro, adding nobility and specialness to his unflappably optimistic demeanour and raw perseverance in the face of the oppressive world he occupies. 8/11

Tanjiro finding his whole family killed by demons

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Sequential Scholars @sequentialscholars.bsky.social · 2d

Perceived at the macro level, the reiteration of trauma, tragedy, and cruelty throughout the Demon Slayer series forms an overall portrayal of life as brutal, exhausting, and, ultimately, quite unfair. It’s the kind of world where one ought to carry a sword. 7/11

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Sequential Scholars @sequentialscholars.bsky.social · 2d

“…yet exercising a beneficent influence upon his environment in virtue of his boundless grief.” For Nietzsche, the suffering of a character isn’t just captivating, it’s aggrandizing, eliciting both admiration and pity from the audience. 6/11

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Sequential Scholars @sequentialscholars.bsky.social · 2d

In his treatise on tragedy, Friedrich Nietzsche argues that “Sophocles conceived doomed Oedipus the greatest sufferer of the Greek stage, as a pattern of nobility, destined to error and misery despite his wisdom,...” 5/11

A man crying with black tears rolling down his face seemingly tore his shirt open

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Sequential Scholars @sequentialscholars.bsky.social · 2d

In Demon Slayer, the tragic backstory can be seen to humanize the villains (thus complicating them beyond ‘evil’) whilst also making the heroes more vulnerable (emotionally, if not physically). In all cases, the effect is investment. 4/11

Sanemi finding his family killed by demons

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Sequential Scholars @sequentialscholars.bsky.social · 2d

“...But if you want to find out what it was, you must watch until the last episode, read until the final page. These kinds of stories satisfy us because they use good old-fashioned suspense. The flashbacks are bombs and we can’t look away until they have detonated” 3/11

The movie "Joker" featuring Joaquin Phoenix laughing on the stairs with a multi colored suit and clown makeup

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Sequential Scholars @sequentialscholars.bsky.social · 2d

In an article for “The Guardian” Diana Reid describes the use of tragic backstory as follows:
“Just as we began to wonder about why they were like this, flashbacks teased us with the promise of an answer: something really bad happened to them!” 2/11

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Sequential Scholars @sequentialscholars.bsky.social · 2d

In cultivating his characters (both heroes and villains), Gotouge makes use of a tried and true approach: the tragic backstory, thus positioning DS within a tradition that dates back millenia with complicated effects on the character/setting dynamic. #demonslayer 1/11

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Reposted by Sequential Scholars

Alfred Hitchcock's Kevin Newburn @kevinnewburn.bsky.social · 3d

What a great thread, I've just recently gotten into Demon Slayer and I've found Tanjiro to be an incredibly interesting and unique character but wasn't really able to really explain why.

Sequential Scholars @sequentialscholars.bsky.social · 7d

Threaded throughout the violent chaos of Demon Slayer is an intriguing portrayal of modern manga masculinity, one that moves against the series’ historical backdrop whilst embracing the medium it operates in metatextually. #demonslayer 1/14

Three male demon slayer characters in fighting stances

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