<div dir="ltr"><div>Reasons for a given work's popularity are always speculative. Toho producer Ichikawa Minami told the Asahi that because people spend more time at home they read more manga, watch more anime, and that Demon Slayer caters, like Spirited Away, to both adults and children. In addition to his questionable remarks about the Japanese penchant for themes of friendship and family, he also points out that because of the pandemic there was less  competition from Hollywood, but perhaps the film succeeds despite covid, and not thanks to it.   <br></div><div><br></div><div><a href="https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASNDX52SLNDPUCVL016.html">https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASNDX52SLNDPUCVL016.html</a></div><div><br></div><div>Me and my elementary school daughters can't wait to watch it already!</div><div><br></div><div>Yoi o toshi o<br></div><div><br></div><div>Rea <br></div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Sun, Dec 27, 2020 at 10:48 PM Gerow Aaron via KineJapan <<a href="mailto:kinejapan@mailman.yale.edu">kinejapan@mailman.yale.edu</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div style="overflow-wrap: break-word;">According to news reports, Demon Slayer: Mugen Train has now surpassed Miyazaki Hayao's Spirited Away to become the top grossing film of all time at the Japanese box office. I think that in the future there will be a lot of discussion not only of this series, but of why this film did so well during a pandemic that suppressed filmgoing worldwide. <div><br></div><div><a href="https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2020-12-27/demon-slayer-kimetsu-no-yaiba-film-overtakes-spirited-away-as-no.1-film-ever-in-japan/.167920" target="_blank">https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2020-12-27/demon-slayer-kimetsu-no-yaiba-film-overtakes-spirited-away-as-no.1-film-ever-in-japan/.167920</a></div><div><a href="https://www.nikkansports.com/entertainment/news/202012280000250.html" target="_blank">https://www.nikkansports.com/entertainment/news/202012280000250.html</a></div><div><br></div><div>But does anyone want to offer some theories now?</div><div><br></div><div>
<div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px"><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px"><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px"><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px"><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px"><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px"><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px"><span style="border-collapse:separate;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Helvetica;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:normal;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;border-spacing:0px"><div style="overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span style="border-collapse:separate;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Helvetica;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:normal;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;border-spacing:0px"><div style="overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span style="border-collapse:separate;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Helvetica;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:normal;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;border-spacing:0px"><div style="overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span style="border-collapse:separate;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Helvetica;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:normal;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;border-spacing:0px"><div style="overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span style="border-collapse:separate;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Helvetica;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:normal;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;border-spacing:0px"><div style="overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span style="border-collapse:separate;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Helvetica;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:normal;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;border-spacing:0px"><div style="overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span style="border-collapse:separate;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Helvetica;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:normal;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;border-spacing:0px"><div style="overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span style="border-collapse:separate;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Helvetica;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:normal;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;border-spacing:0px"><div style="overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div>Aaron Gerow<br>Professor<br>Film and Media Studies Program/East Asian Languages and Literatures</div><div>Chair, <span>East Asian Languages and Literatures</span></div><div><span>Yale University</span></div><div>143 Elm Street, Room 210<br>PO Box 208324<br>New Haven, CT 06520-<span style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px none">8324</span><br>USA<br>Phone: 1-203-432-7082<br>Fax: 1-203-432-6729<br>e-mail: <a href="mailto:aaron.gerow@yale.edu" target="_blank">aaron.gerow@yale.edu</a></div><div>website: <a href="http://www.aarongerow.com" target="_blank">www.aarongerow.com</a></div><div><br></div></div></span><br></div></span><br></div></span><br></div></span><br></div></span><br></div></span><br></div></span><br></div></span><br></div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br><br>
</div>
<br></div>_______________________________________________<br>
KineJapan mailing list<br>
<a href="mailto:KineJapan@mailman.yale.edu" target="_blank">KineJapan@mailman.yale.edu</a><br>
<a href="https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan</a><br>
</blockquote></div>