Manga Review: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu Academy Vol. 1
by Anna Lindwasser
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu Academy is a spin-off manga written and illustrated by Natsuki Hokami. It’s an alternate reality where the Demon Slayer cast goes to a modern-day Japanese school and has wacky adventures.
I thought that I was going to like it before I read it – I didn’t watch the entirety of Rock Lee & His Ninja Pals to not appreciate chibi spin-offs. Also, like pretty much every other anime and manga fan in existence, I like Demon Slayer. I was right! It was every bit as charming as I hoped it would be.
I’m a teacher, so for me, the biggest highlight was seeing the older characters as teachers or other school staff. My favorite was probably Uzui as the art teacher. He’s got the aesthetic to pull it off. I couldn’t help but laugh when he kept blowing up his classroom – especially because he included the phrase “art is an explosion.” Whether this is a reference to Deidara from Naruto or to Taro Okamoto, the real-world Japanese artist who inspired Deidara’s signature line, I’m all for it. I also enjoyed Sanemi’s chaotic approach to teaching math. Having kids run while doing worksheets is unorthodox, but it does get them to pay attention.
Another thing that I enjoyed was the fact that Zenitsu’s personality was smoothed out in this volume. He’s still obsessed with Nezuko, but he isn’t demanding or perverted about it – instead he’s doing things like making her a huge sign covered in encouraging messages when she has to get a cavity filled. I don’t like the idea of the two of them as a couple in the anime or the original manga, but in this universe, I’m all for it — they’re adorable together.
On a slightly sadder note, it was nice to see some of the characters who are dead in canon. Seeing characters like Rengoku and Tanjiro’s mom made my heart hurt a little bit.
But despite those moments, it was a fun, breezy read that you’ll probably like if you like the Taisho Secret omakes at the end of each anime episode.
Note: I received a free copy of this manga in exchange for the write-up. The content of the review represents my opinions and not necessarily those of Viz Media. You can buy a physical or digital copy starting on December 12, 2023.
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