TOKYO (JAPAN) – The boost in the number of fans because of the pandemic and its message of resilience will make ‘Demon Slayer, the tale of a boy fighting human-eating demons which murdered his family, Japan’s top-grossing film ever.
The movie is based on a hugely popular manga and anime series and it has spun off an industry of related merchandise. It has won over fans with its portrayal of Japanese traditions which are fast disappearing.
“People in high positions act according to that – ‘Noblesse oblige’, samurai and so on. Those at the top become a shield for weaker ones, using their strength to protect them,” said movie commentator Yuichi Maeda.
“That’s absolutely missing in modern Japan.”
The flick is slated to overtake the Academy Award-winning “Spirited Away,” which is the nation’s top-grossing film for 20 years.
The movie whose full title is “Kimetsu no Yaiba – Mugen no Resshahen” was released on October 16. It has raked in 30.28 billion yen ($291 million).
It has already premiered in a few Asian countries and will make its way to the US and Canada early next year.
The Demon Slayer was a manga series from 2016 to 2020 in a magazine and was also published in a series of books. The first 22 books sold over 100 million copies. When the 23rd volume went on sale earlier this month, fans lined up to buy it.
But the impact hasn’t stopped there, said Toshihiro Nagahama, senior economist at the Dai-Ichi Life Research Institute. According to him, the economic impact would be at least 270 billion yen as of Dec 3.
Of that, some 130 billion yen came in through related goods such as toys, with a sword released by Bandai Namco Holdings – which has also produced a “Demon Slayer” series of its long-running Tamagotchi hit – selling like hotcakes.
Dydo Group Holdings’ “Demon Slayer”-themed canned coffee became hugely popular that it revised its profit prediction this fiscal year to 2.5 billion yen from 500 million yen.
The delay in the screening of the movie worked to its benefit as parents, who were stuck at home during the lockdown in spring, heard about the franchise from their children. They read about it and binge-watched the series on streaming services.
“This got the whole family interested, it was something they could talk about at home,” said Yuka Ijima, an assistant professor at Daito Bunka University.
According to Ijima, demons appear in folklore as symbols of disease and the story’s message resonates with the audience.
“Overall, it’s about resilience, about overcoming terrible things and the strength to do that,” she said.
Fans gathered at a downtown Tokyo cinema agreed.
“There are many people suffering in the current situation,” said Yohei Suzuki, 38 and an office worker. “I don’t think the story was intentionally made for these people but it … could cheer people up.”