On March 30th, a stage greeting for the theatrical screening project "World Tour Screening 'Demon Slayer': The Miracle of Bonds, and the Hashira Training" of the anime "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba," based on the popular manga by Koyoharu Gotouge, was held in Bangkok, Thailand, where Hanae Natsuki, who plays Tanjiro Kamado, and Namikawa Daisuke, who plays Haganezuka Hotaru, appeared. In connection with the new TV anime "Hashira Training Arc," when asked which Pillar he would like to be trained as a stepchild, Namikawa immediately replied, "Kanroji-san. Because she's cute (laughs)," causing the audience to erupt in laughter.
See details and more images on MANTANWEB
The world tour screening included the first episode of the new TV anime "Hashira Training Arc" and the 11th episode, the final episode of the "Swordsmith Village Arc". At the event, Hanae said, "I'll try even harder! To defeat Kibutsuji Muzan!" and Namikawa said, "I'll take care of this rusty sword. I'll polish it up with the Nichirin sword polishing technique handed down in the Haganzuka family." The audience cheered enthusiastically. The scene where Namikawa sang the line was also popular with Thai fans, and when asked about the dubbing, he said, "When I was playing Haganesuzuka, I had to play both angry and laughing scenes at the same time, so it was very difficult. But I'm glad that people enjoyed it."
This year, when "Hashira Training Arc" starts airing, marks the 5th anniversary of the "Blade of the Demon" TV anime. Hanae-san, who has played the role of Tanjiro since "Tanjiro Kamado, Unwavering Resolve Arc," said, "Tanjiro is a kind and honest boy. As the story progresses, there are surprisingly many comical scenes that reveal Sumijiro's overly serious and funny side, which made me realize that he has many more expressions than I had initially thought.
Namikawa, who played Haganezuka, said, "I always wore a mask, but this time (in "Swordsmith Village Arc") there was a scene where I was able to take it off for the first time, and at first I didn't realize how cool it was..." he added, "He remained angry for a long time. I was waiting for him to become kind, but he never did (laughs)."
Regarding the anime "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" celebrating its 5th anniversary, Namikawa commented, "I have the impression that 'Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba' is a work that is doing amazing things at the cutting edge of anime. I am very excited to see what kind of scenes Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: Kimetsu no Yaiba will show us in the future."
The story of "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" is about Tanjiro Kamado, whose family was killed by demons, setting out on a journey to turn his sister Nezuko, who has turned into a demon, back into a human. The original was serialized in "Weekly Shonen Jump" (Shueisha) from 2016 to 2020. The total number of copies of the comics published is over 150 million.
The TV anime "Tanjiro Kamado, Unwavering Resolve Arc" aired from April to September 2019, and the movie version "Mugen Train Arc" released in October 2020 was a huge hit, grossing approximately 40 billion yen, the highest ever box office revenue in Japan. The "Entertainment Arc" aired from December 2021 to February 2022, and the "Swordsmith Village Arc" aired from April to June 2023.
The new TV anime "Hashira Training Arc" will be broadcast on Fuji TV every Sunday at 11:15 pm starting May 12th. The first episode will be a one-hour special.