Demon Slayer: Entertainment District Arc Episode 2

The Red Light District

Demon Slayer: Entertainment District Arc Episode 2 wasn’t an amazing episode by any means. However, I do like how it’s setting up the arc. The Entertainment District Arc already feels like something different from what we’ve gotten before in this series.

Obviously, I don’t like Zenitsu and Inosuke as characters. I don’t really see the appeal of either of them. But, I kind of like how they were used to introduce the red-light district. For example, based on the fact that only Zenitsu knows what a red-light district is, you could infer what kind of place it is if you didn’t know.

But, the better way the two of them were used to introduce the district is through their reactions to seeing it for the first time.

Inosuke’s initial response to the district is that there’s a lot going on and there’s a lot of people. Basically, it’s setting up the idea that it would be easy for someone, such as a demon, to blend in and hide within the crowd if they so chose.

Zenitsu’s initial response is that there are a lot of beautiful women to distract him. This time, the series is setting up the idea that the red-light district is somewhere people let their guard down. It’s the ideal location for taking someone by surprise.

So, while Inosuke’s and Zenitsu’s reactions to the red-light district are definitely still in character, they play a bigger role within the episode and arc. They illustrate how dangerous the red-light district has the potential to be.

And on top of that, later on in the episode, Tanjirou even points out that the courtesans of the district themselves are a vulnerable population when it comes to being demon victims.

Tengen’s Wives

The big plot twist of the episode was, of course, that Tengen Uzui has three wives. Okay, so maybe that’s not actually a big twist. But, I do actually think Tengen having three wives helps to make this arc feel unique (so far).

It’s not the fact that he has three wives that’s important. It’s more the fact that he had women infiltrating three different brothels within the district and they all stopped sending him updates. That’s the perfect setup for having Tanjirou, Zenitsu, and Inosuke split up to investigate the brothels at the same time.

I just like the idea of having these three investigations/rescue operations going on at the same time. And I’m interested in seeing how each of the three main characters go about their missions differently. I was already surprised by how seriously Inosuke, in particular, took the mission once he was inside.

Hopefully, Tengen’s wives are also more than just plot devices. We know they’re kunoichi (female shinobi), so they should be able to help out the Demon Slayers once they’re rescued. I don’t know how effective they’ll be at fighting demons, though.

Since they’re shinobi, you expect them to have a degree of combat experience to go along with their ability to gather intelligence. But fighting demons seems to be an extremely specialized skill. After all, isn’t a Nichirin blade necessary for killing them?

Though, it’s also very possible that Tengen’s wives are technically Demon Slayers as well. If he’s using them within his official missions, they might be low-rank Demon Slayers themselves along with being shinobi.

It would be pretty cool if they have Nichirin blade kunai, shuriken, or some other shinobi weapon. They wouldn’t be great for decapitation. But they could at least deal damage.

Oiran or Demon

Considering we were told that there’s a structure of courtesans within each brothel with the Oiran sitting at the top, the question is, “are the Oiran of the brothels demons?” I think it would be less interesting if that were the case for all three brothels.

However, that seems likely to be the case for at least one of them. And the one that stands out right from the start is Koinatsu, the Oiran of the brothel Tanjirou infiltrated. But, I think she stands out a bit too much. She’s so suspicious that it makes me doubt she’s a demon.

Also, one thing that makes me believe in Koinatsu’s innocence is what she said to the twins when she heard them mention Ashinuke (足抜け). Koinatsu says not to spread those rumors and that they don’t know what happened to Suma (one of Tengen’s wives).

At first, Koinatsu’s statement seemed suspicious. But then I realized that she wasn’t telling them not to talk about girls going missing from the red-light district. She was saying that they may have disappeared for another reason. She seems to be implying something darker may have happened.

I think Koinatsu is going to be instrumental to Tanjirou getting to the bottom of what’s going on in that particular brothel. She knows she’s working in a dangerous business. And she may even recognize that there’s something darker going on within the district, despite not knowing exactly what.

Oh, and because I don’t actually suspect Koinatsu of being a demon, that makes me suspect the twins. I could definitely see the twist being that the twins are demons. None of the random background girls are going to turn out to be demons. It has to be someone prominent and relevant within the story, but who can still go unnoticed — like the twins.

Conclusion

What do you think of Demon Slayer: Entertainment District Arc Episode 2? Are you liking this arc so far? Which of the three main characters do you think will save the first of Tengen’s wives? And is there anyone you suspect of being a demon so far? Let me know in the comments.

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My review of Episode 3 is available now.