"Demon Slayer" nears Japan movie history, boosts economy with resilience message

Bandai Namco Holdings

14/12/2020 08:00

By Elaine Lies
    TOKYO, Dec 14 (Reuters) - The tale of a boy fighting
human-eating demons which murdered his family, "Demon Slayer" is
poised to become Japan's top-grossing film ever, thanks to a
boost in fan numbers due to the coronavirus pandemic and its
message of resilience.   
    Based on a popular manga and TV anime series, the film has
spun off an industry of related merchandise and has won over
fans with its nod to Japanese traditions people fear are missing
today. 
    "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."
    "Demon Slayer" is set to overtake the Academy Award-winning
"Spirited Away," Japan's top-grossing film for nearly two
decades.
    According to data on Monday, the film - whose full title is
"Kimetsu no Yaiba - Mugen no Densha" and was released on Oct 16
- has taken in a total of 30.28 billion yen ($291 million),
within a whisker of the 30.8 billion yen for "Spirited Away," by
Studio Ghibli's Hayao Miyazaki.
    It has already opened in a few Asian nations and will head
to the U.S. and Canada early next year.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2IP4JG
    The Demon Slayer manga series, running from 2016 to 2020 in
a magazine and published in a series of books, has sold over 100
million copies of the first 22 books. Fans lined up for the 23rd
volume when it went on sale earlier this month.
    But the impact hasn't stopped there, said Toshihiro
Nagahama, senior economist at the Dai-Ichi Life Research
Institute, who estimated an economic impact of at least 270
billion yen as of Dec 3. 
    Of that, some 130 billion yen was in related goods such as
toys, with a sword released by Bandai Namco Holdings  7832.T  -
which has also produced a "Demon Slayer" series of its
long-running Tamagotchi hit - flying off store shelves.
    A less obvious winner is Dydo Group Holdings  2590.T , whose
"Demon Slayer" themed canned coffee has proved so popular it
revised up its profit forecast this fiscal year to 2.5 billion
yen from from 500 million yen. 
    Sony Corp, whose music unit is co-distributor, has also
gained a boost.
    Although the movie's opening was pushed back due to the
pandemic, the delay worked to its benefit as parents, stuck at
home during Japan's soft lockdown in spring, heard about the
franchise from their children. With time on their hands, they
read 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.
    Ijima noted that demons first appeared in Japanese folklore
as a symbol of disease, and said the story's message was
resonating with audiences.
    "Overall, it's about resilience, about overcoming terrible
things and the strength to do that," she said.
    That message is similar to "Spirited Away," when a girl
finds herself on her own after her parents are transformed into
pigs, said Kaoru Endo, a sociologist at Gakushuin University -
but with a crucial difference.
    "I think the meaning is less that we have to fight to
overcome things than it is that just living is fine," she said.
"Just living through tough situations is enough - and this is
helping everybody right now."
    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."


    
    
    
($1 = 104.0200 yen)

 (Reporting by Elaine Lies; additional reporting by Akira
Tomoshige; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
 ((elaine.lies@thomsonreuters.com; +81-3-4563-2748; Reuters
Messaging: elaine.lies@thomsonreuters.com))