FIRST REACT to Demon Slayer's Entertainment District Arc as a Literature PhD | 2x15

[00:00:00]Hi, my darlings. I'm Sophie darling and welcome back to the channel. If you're new here, hello. My name is Sophie. I have a doctorate in literature, which means I get way too emotionally invested in the shows that we're watching. So, if that sounds like something you will enjoy, why don't you hit that subscribe button so you never miss a video. Today, we're reacting to episode 15 of season 2 of Demon Slayer. Last episode was wild.

[00:00:22]We saw Nzo go on a full rampage. She was only brought back to sanity when Tandre sung the lullaby that their mother used to sing to them, showing that songs have connection to latent memories and that it was able to remind her of the humanity that she once had, which allowed her to grasp onto that moment and to bring herself back because she was scary in that form. She was enjoying that just a little too much. Then we had the reveal that not only is it one demon, it's two demons. That Daki's brother resides within her. So even though she was beheaded, because the brother exists, their bodies must be like connected as one. So if one's beheaded and the other isn't, then that means they can continue to survive. So it's kind of like a symbiotic relationship. But either way, absolutely insane. I don't think there was any sort of foreshadowing, but I was getting a bit concerned when she was beheaded and she wasn't dying. You know, I was a bit like something's going on here. We're getting flashes to Daki and her brother's backstory, but nothing concrete. There's like no clear information as to her actual story. So, I am really looking forward to that because out of all the demons we've had so far, I feel like Daki is the most fascinating to me because she's been around so long that she literally has like urban lore about herself. That's how the madam in the brothel that Daki worked in recognized that she wasn't quite human because they all had the same quirk and she was like, "You also have that quirk." So, I really can't wait till they actually reveal and delve into it. But from the brief glimpses that we've got and their image of her brother, they clearly were very impoverished, struggled to survive, and maybe were impacted by a famine. But then there was also the destruction of her home in a fire that was triggered by Nesco's blood demon art. So I don't know if maybe she was disfigured by the fire and man then reached out to her and gave her the opportunity to become a demon and restore her beauty. the beauty that she was always praised for and that's why she's so obsessed with this idea of being beautiful and not consuming or being associated with ugly people. But without further ado, we're going to jump into episode 15.

[00:02:55]Oh, her little eyes.

[00:03:06]>> [screaming and crying] >> Oh, well deserved little rest.

[00:03:28]I hope he doesn't push himself to the brink. He has a habit of doing that.

[00:03:34]He's so desperate to save as many people as possible, which is so admirable, but he puts himself in such danger in the process.

[00:03:51]I have killed, not him and Daki. I have killed like you don't know where I come from, what I've been through.

[00:04:15]>> [laughter] >> It's really like you're so narrow [laughter] in two months.

[00:04:35]He's basically like I pale in comparison to some of the people in this world.

[00:04:40]Like if you genuinely think I have talent, god, these two that I know that are also hashiraas will blow your [ __ ] mind. But the miss Hashira picked up a sword and became a hashira within 2 months. That's crazy. Hopefully we get like a backstory and an arc with them. I feel like we will. We're getting introduced to quite a lot of the Hashira. You know, we had Rang Goku. Now we've had Tangen. I swear to God, if Tangan dies at the end of this arc, I'm going to be furious. So, we'll probably end up getting introduced to some of the others. And then we saw the stone Hashira had taken on the angry boy from the final selection as his apprentice, I guess, because it was kind of implied that he was training under him to be the future stone Hashira. In the same way that Canel is the apprentice to Shinobi, I just love that he's literally calling them ignorant to their face. He's like, "You have stayed in this place all your life. You don't know about the outside world. You have no idea of what it's like to be from different areas of how vast the country is. You don't know what it's like to be me, what I've experienced. You don't know what it's like to be others and what they've experienced. You don't know how diverse the human race is. But you also don't give a [ __ ] because you're demons. You don't care about anything but yourselves. That's the difference.

[00:06:06]Humanity is interested in one another.

[00:06:09]Is interested in the different experiences but also experiencing different facets of life for themselves.

[00:06:15]Whereas demons are very self-orientated, very selfish. There's no sense of community. Though I would feel like this and Ruways would be sort of the only real time so far that we've seen demons long for community, long for something outside of their own wants and needs.

[00:06:34]And maybe man, because I feel like man setting up this whole establishment isn't just solely because he needs soldiers, but there could be like a desire for connection that he can't have with humans because he's a demon. Of course, he can like pretend to be human.

[00:06:50]He can mask his aura, but I don't know.

[00:06:53]Maybe there is like a deeper longing for something that you once had as a human that you'll never get back. But Ruway built his own family because he wanted that connection, that family love once more, but just didn't quite understand how to have it because he couldn't remember what it means to care about someone other than yourself, to love someone other than yourself, and was going about it through inciting trauma and harm rather than fostering a supportive environment. And then we have this brother sister dynamic which we don't really know much about because we've only really had it revealed last episode and then we're seeing little glimpses here. But he seems to be quite caring of Daki. He seems to be wanting to reassure her and comfort her the same way that Tango comforts Nzo. So maybe this is like the closest thing we see to community. He's literally like the fact that you think I have talent just goes to show how narrow-minded you are. is a very blessed, privileged position that you've never had to witness the lengths of human suffering, but also human perseverance and the attempt to establish a better life for yourself.

[00:08:05]It's not something they can remember from their time as humans. They likely did suffer, but now that they're demons, that suffering's kind of fallen into the wayside. They don't remember it the same way that humans do. So they don't use it as the motivator to get stronger, to be more educated and to embrace the different aspects of the world around you. It's more they see themselves as separate and removed from humanity. So they no longer care. So I just thought that was quite interesting.

[00:08:49]cuz Rangoku saved everyone on the train, but he couldn't save everyone in the village.

[00:08:59]Well, he's scratching furiously at his neck.

[00:09:08]That's what you think?

[00:09:14]Oh, he couldn't.

[00:09:39]What a feminist icon. He's like, "My wives are not disposable.

[00:09:45]Love him.

[00:09:51]It's a brave thing to do.

[00:10:00]He's literally breaking the cycle."

[00:10:07]I love Tangen.

[00:10:15]So this was before the master began to lose his eyesight because you have believe in me. You have faith in me.

[00:10:30]Those who have baggage like conflict or quandries are spineless fools. That's always been the story of my life. He's embraced it.

[00:10:38]He's made peace with that part of his life of him breaking away from the family beliefs. You know, he didn't want to be like his father. He didn't want to be like his brother where they see their wives as expendable so long as they have children. And he saw pretty much all of his siblings die by one. the trauma and the pain that must have caused in him to lose his family and his father to not really give a [ __ ] His father was only concerned with legacy, was only concerned with ensuring that his last two heirs could continue the family line, hence the grueling regimen. It's not that his father wanted to protect his children because he would have prioritized their lives. But he didn't do that. He decided instead he was just going to subject them to even more pain.

[00:11:31]And Tangen was like enough is enough. I don't want to continue this cycle. I want to break away from this. And that's why he has established this idea with his wives that they need to protect their own lives above all else. And why he is prioritizing their lives above everything else because no one else in his clan was willing to do that but him.

[00:11:53]He's decided that his wives aren't expendable. They mean everything to him.

[00:11:58]And if it means sacrificing himself to save them, he's going to do it because no one else in his clan would ever think to act that way. He's such a good guy.

[00:12:07]Like he's so good. And the fact that he's like Rang Goku in the sense that both of them have had like traumatic upbringings. You know, Rang Goku lost his mother, had a father that was so lost in his pain that he wasn't there for his sons the way that he should have been. And Rang Goku, instead of being bitter and resentful and using that as an excuse for being a [ __ ] person, made peace with what he couldn't change and began to move forward to help people, to help those that needed him to follow in his mother's words that he needed to use his strength to protect others. And similar to Rangoku, we have Tangen. He's like, I can't be like Ren Goku. And that's in regards to the fact that so many people have died and he feels like he's let himself down. All these lives have slid through his fingers because again his wives come above civilians. So whilst he was prioritizing his wives, the civilians ended up dying in the process which is different to Rangoku because Rangoku would prioritize civilians over all else. So it's just a difference in their philosophy but Tangen's here now.

[00:13:19]It's not to say that one is better than the other, but it's just showing that everyone has a different sense of priority, and it's not that Tangen sherking his responsibilities. There's just other responsibilities that matter more. And the master wouldn't think less of him for living up to those priorities because he knows Tangen. He's interacted with him. He's acknowledged that it's agonizing and a difficult weight to know that you have left everything you've ever known. That you've broke away from what you've been taught to pursue a different path. And you feel torn. You don't know if you're making the right decision or not. But he broke the cycle and it was an honorable thing to do. And he's made peace that this was the right choice for him. So he's not going to carry regrets or burdens or baggage forward with him because only fools do that. So like Ren Goku, he's made peace with the past. He's made peace with what he cannot change. And now he's going to push forward and motivate himself.

[00:14:22]Love him. Love him.

[00:14:33]You can see it at the temple.

[00:14:37]>> [screaming] >> Want to see me dance?

[00:14:47]>> Oh, my god, he's so [ __ ] cool.

[00:15:09]Do they have Wisteria in them?

[00:15:13]She's always taking a hit. That one.

[00:15:16][laughter] Oh, he's so [ __ ] cool. That was so close.

[00:15:32][screaming and groaning] Should I do it again? [laughter] Look, it's pel [screaming] both of them need to be beheaded.

[00:16:08]his minion. [laughter] >> Didn't that see his little bows?

[00:16:13][laughter] >> Adorable.

[00:16:19]>> And Tandro's back.

[00:16:27]They're going to tag team, aren't they?

[00:16:32]Like they're going to take one demon between two.

[00:16:37]Oh, >> his wives.

[00:16:43]I hope Tangen doesn't die at the end of this arc. As I said, I'll be pissed if that's the case >> because it just kind of devalues like Goku's death in a sense if you just keep killing the Hashira every arc and it becomes so predictable that it's hard to fall in love with them if you know they're going to die.

[00:17:14]those sparkling eyes. He's in love.

[00:17:16][laughter] He's like, "Ten, you want a fourth wife?

[00:17:21]Maybe a husband?" [laughter] Yeah, that's what I'm thinking.

[00:17:42]So, how does this work? Them being split off from each other.

[00:17:56]He's like, "Watch me."

[00:18:04]Part of me feels like he's not as resistant as he claims to be.

[00:18:16]He might have a tolerance, but I don't know.

[00:18:22]>> Both of you at the same time. Oh, he's seen Goku and him.

[00:18:34][laughter] That simple.

[00:18:46]15 for him.

[00:18:57]Oh my goodness.

[00:18:59][laughter] Like you want to fight, you got to fight.

[00:19:10]Yeah, they're splitting off.

[00:19:12]Praying mantis. He does kind of look like a prying mantis. That's fine. Yeah.

[00:19:21]Yes. Yes, he is.

[00:19:28]He's not let that go. He's so angry.

[00:19:39]This world. Duh.

[00:19:46]This is part of her backstory.

[00:19:56]No, that's really interesting the symbolism there. You know, she's talking about how women are merchandised.

[00:20:02]They're bought and sold. They have no right to choose their own life. And she's also then showing the faces that are learing at what may be her but may not be. It may just be part of the analogy. But then the way that she's saying ugly people have no right to eat any meals. The inept shouldn't be treated as humans. Did this maybe happen to her? Or maybe she witnessed this happen to her brother because she was born with the beautiful face, but her brother clearly wasn't. her brother clearly was born with blemishes and that maybe she found some aspect of a comfortable life because she could be sold as merchandise because of her beauty. But then her brother couldn't.

[00:20:50]So then he was seen as inept and therefore not treated as a human. And this is kind of the message that they've embied even though this is how they were treated. It's like they've forgotten the human aspect of themselves. They've forgotten what would connect them to others because again, as they become demons, they forget the element of humanity and empathy. But I just find it very telling that we have the butterfly in the cage and it's burning. So, it's alluding to Dhaki and then the burning house that we saw through her eyes. So, I don't know.

[00:21:23]Again, I've said either she's very insecure in that she was seen as ugly because I've said before that either this obsession with beauty is because it was the only thing she ever had in the world to get by, but she found herself suffering as a consequence of it, or she's so insecure in that she was never seen as beautiful and therefore was mistreated and therefore she's obsessed with beauty because she's never had it.

[00:21:51]But the fact that her brother said that she was always born with a beautiful face and then is jealous of Tangen because of Tangun's beauty. It's alluding to the fact that maybe their treatments weren't the same. That she maybe got better treatment because she was more of use to be sold as merchandise because she's a woman. She's beautiful. Whereas her brother suffered as consequence. I don't know. I just I'm so fascinated. I just so want to know more. But it's just a little heartbreaking to think that if that is the case that she would lose that ability to empathize, that ability to connect. But again, we see it all the time. All the demons end up losing that aspect, which is why Tandro can empathize with their situation, how they ended up being so desperate as to become a demon, but then he can't forgive them for the harm that they've gone on to cause because they've lost sight of what it means to be human, of what it means to feel connected to humanity that were done to you.

[00:23:01]Oh, is what made us stronger.

[00:23:16]So fascinating.

[00:23:20]Because it's so different to Tangen.

[00:23:33]God, he's fast.

[00:23:41]>> He's like not on my [ __ ] watch.

[00:23:59]>> [laughter] >> Three eyes. She only had two when she left.

[00:24:10][laughter] I'm stressed.

[00:24:32]>> Oh, the music is so good.

[00:24:43]The animation has been outstanding.

[00:24:47]Outstanding. Yeah, that's the right word.

[00:24:56]>> Oh no, he's getting more poison in his system.

[00:25:11]Oh, montra.

[00:25:21]Long time [snorts] during performance.

[00:25:50]Holy [ __ ] this is amazing.

[00:25:58]Synchronized moves.

[00:26:05]Just a scratch would be dead. That we're losing Tangen in this arc, aren't we?

[00:26:13]I'm going to be furious if we do.

[00:26:43]Holy [ __ ] [laughter] He's like, "You don't [ __ ] with my husband."

[00:26:53][laughter] Oh, cuz there's more to it.

[00:27:18]of a worldly senses. [laughter] No way.

[00:27:30]Wisteria poison like Shobu.

[00:27:43]She's like, "Please, I'm like, please."

[00:27:49][screaming] >> Oh, that's foul. What a cliffhanger.

[00:27:54]That's [ __ ] [laughter] Everyone's like, "Please." I'm like, "Please, you're not Rang Goku. You have to do it your way."

[00:28:08]Oh, stop.

[00:28:16][laughter] They're in your hands.

[00:28:33]Let's go. I don't like the fact that we're seeing so much of him asking Ren Goku about how Ren Goku would do things.

[00:28:41]This is making me [laughter] think that we might lose Tangen. And again, if we have another brother figure, somebody that comes in to be a mentor to these boys only to die tragically, I get the point that it's illustrating the danger of being a member of the Demon Slayer Core, right? I get it. But I can't take it personally in terms of my heart can't take it. But also, I just won't be able to fall in love with any future Hashira.

[00:29:10]I fell in love with Tangen after losing Ren Goku. If he dies, every time we get Hashira now, I'm going to be like, "Okay, how long for?" Cuz they're going to die next. It becomes too predictable for me to like it as an element of storytelling. So, I hope Tangen does survive this arc. I feel like he may have some resistance to poison, but not to the extent that he's been slashed because he's I've got like a hair stuck to me numerous times across like his leg, his arm, and then he's given him a taste of his own medicine now that he has been poisoned by Wisteria, which is linking back to Shobu because we saw Shobu's blade is coated in Wisteria poison. So this is likely something that she gave to Tangen and he's given it to his wives and they've put it on their kudai. So that's an interesting [laughter] sharing of knowledge right there. What I found the most fascinating was the way in which Tangen is talking about how like only fools carry their baggage with them that you have to make peace with it and move forward find a new purpose a new sense of direction. You can't allow your baggage to direct you, otherwise you're not living an authentic life. Versus these two demons when Zenetsu is saying, you can't do to others what's been done to you. It's not fair to take that suffering and pain that you felt and exact it on others. And they're like, no, we need to make people pay for everything that we've been through.

[00:30:46]Everyone's going to pay for the trauma and suffering we were subjected to. So they're allowing their trauma to dictate and rule them. Whereas Tangen is showing a healthier mindset. He's healed from his past. It wasn't easy. It was agonizing. But he's able to let go of it. It doesn't rule him in the same way.

[00:31:06]And that's why he's able to find this sense of purpose, which is prioritizing his wife's lives, serving as a hashira, and protecting civilians, and then himself last. You know, the fact that seeing the conflict in mentalities, but also the way in which hurt people hurt people. They are hurt and traumatized by what they've gone through. So now they're exacting it onto everyone without discrimination. They're causing all of humanity to suffer. Everyone is to blame versus Tangen who isn't blaming anyone for what he's been through. It was [ __ ] His upbringing, seeing his siblings die, having a father and a brother that he believes are cruel and doesn't want to be anything like them to the point that he had to distance himself entirely and strike out on his own. But he's come to terms with that and recognizes that it doesn't define who he becomes. What defines his direction in life is himself, his own strength, his own sense of purpose, his own sense of direction. He can't allow the trauma to rule him. Much in the same way Ren Goku didn't allow his trauma to rule him. And also like Tandro where Tandro could have fallen into that dream during the Mugan train arc but he chose to let go to make peace with the past and what he cannot change in order to find a new sense of direction and to move forward that he couldn't move forward so long as he was still burdened by their deaths. Of course, he'll always remember their deaths, but he's not going to carry the guilt that's attached to it. And Tenin's very much the same way. And just the passing of the torch, the fact that Ren Goku comes to Tangen, he's like, "You can't be like me, but I also can't be like you. You're exceptional in your own way. We are different to each other, but we both excel in what we do. We shouldn't try to be like one another." But the way that he's passing the torch by saying to him like, "Take care of these children. Take care of them. Look after them. It's up to you now. I'm not able to be there for them and guide them." anymore, but you are. So, do what I cannot do. I just every time I see Rang Goku absolutely breaks my heart. I'm so hyped for the next couple of episodes, especially now Tenun's wife has shown up and she's still recovering. God love her. But she was like, "Nobody is going to mess with my husband." You know what? More power to her. I would be the exact same way.

[00:33:40]I'd be like, "Absolutely [ __ ] not."

[00:33:42]Especially not Ten. He's hot and he's an icon. [laughter] There's not very many men like him in the world going to protect him at all girls. But my worry for Tandro is you can see it. This sense of anxiety and fear that what happened with Rangoku is going to happen with Teny. This sense of being a liability that he's not strong enough to help. You know, with Rangoku, he couldn't do anything. He had to sit back and watch. and Rangok Goku told him not to get involved because he would be more focused on protecting Tangro and Enoske than focusing on the fight with Akaza. And then now we're seeing Tandro in a similar position where he's watching Tangen. He nearly gets caught by the blade of Daki's brother. And it's only because of Tangen that he isn't poisoned. So he feels like a liability once more. You know, he's so anxious that he's going to let Tangen down, that he's going to be the reason that Tangen dies. Much in the same way that he kind of blames himself for Rang Goku's death.

[00:34:45]He constantly goes on about like, "If I had been stronger back then, maybe Van Goku wouldn't have died." But I don't think it would have made a difference because Akazo was [ __ ] insanely strong. And here it's very similar.

[00:34:59]They're so young. They're not to the same skill level of a Hishira, but they are holding their own. They are doing their absolute best, which is more than anyone can ever ask of them because even Tenken said to them, "You should probably leave because this is well above your skill level." And they didn't leave. And they're working together and they're in sync with each other. You know, Tangen and Tandro have never fought side by side, but he's falling into steps and he's utilizing water forms once more. He stepped away from it because it was nicking his blade. But I think he's realized that the water forms are good for the defense and that the Hinami Kagur is better for offensive. So water for defensive, fire for offensive. Well, some breathing, not really fire, but you get the point. So he's able to understand the benefits of both forms and use them as and when they're needed.

[00:35:58]you know, he was able to protect Tangen from getting hit with the blades, which was wild. Honestly, this arc has been probably up there for me as like some of the best episodes I've seen. I enjoyed season 1 and a Mugan Train arc was absolutely heart-wrenching and phenomenal, but there's something so endearing about the Entertainment District arc. But I think it's just seeing the way that the boys are able to work together more fluidly, how far they've come since season one, the strength and courage that they possess, and learning more about Tangen and the Hashira has just made this such a delight, coupled with the fact that Daki is such an interesting antagonist and then the reveal of her brother and then the fact that both of them have to be decapitated at the same time. So, even though the sword is going to his neck, if Daki is not decapitated at the same time, it's not going to work because that's what they figured out.

[00:37:03]So, he's killed 15.

[00:37:06]She's killed seven. Oh my god. I don't even know where to begin. This has just been wild from start to finish. But I just have fallen utterly in love with Tangen. I feel like Tangen and Rangoku are kind of like joint favorites for me.

[00:37:21]As I said, Rangoku was always going to haunt the narrative. And the fact that we have Tangen literally asking Rang Goku like what would you have done?

[00:37:30]Could you have done it better than me?

[00:37:32]Would it have been over sooner if you were here? And this sense of doubt that he can't live up to Rang Goku's reputation. But he doesn't need to live up to Rangoku's reputation because he is just as strong. Rangoku is essentially saying to him, you can do things that I can't do. So instead of looking to me and comparing yourself to me, compare yourself to who you were yesterday and how much stronger you are as each day goes forward. And that's your mission.

[00:37:59]Just to be stronger than you were before, to keep pushing forward, to keep going with your mission. Stop trying to compare yourself to others because you know what's the saying? Comparison is the thief of joy. that you'll never appreciate what you bring to the table if you're always comparing yourself to other people. You know, other people have different opportunities in life than you do, but that doesn't mean that they're better than you. You don't know their circumstances, just as they don't know yours. Much in the same way that Tangen was essentially saying to the brother, "If you think I have talent, then you don't know how hard I've worked to get to where I am today. but also you're so narrow-minded to think I have talent when I know there's so many other people in this world that would put me to shame. So he is a humble king and we love that for him. But at the same time it's the recognition that just because you bring something different to the table than someone else doesn't devalue you and what you're able to do. I think that's all I want to say for now. Thank you so much for watching this video. If you enjoyed this react, please consider liking, subscribing, and leaving a comment below to help boost this video into the algorithm. And until next episode, bye.