This episode was very interesting. Not only was the dynamic between the spider demons intriguing in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Episode 16 but seeing more of Tanjiro character and how they illustrated his detest for evil and cruelty was excellently showcased.
Tanjiro and Inosuke continued to battle the Demon Slayers trapped by spider webs as they try to save them. I will admit, at first I was sort of getting fed up with these guys dynamic as a team but after this episode and seeing how they somewhat compliment each other in terms of abilities, I’ve gotten over my pet peeves. Now the “son” of the demons approached the “mother”, it was interesting to see the “mother” react to the mere mention of “father” in this messed up family. It wasn’t until the very end of the episode did we learn that the “father” was in fact one of the twelve demons. And an abusing one at that. Just seeing that scene alone made me sympathies with her and kinda explains why she did what she did.
The farther they advanced through the forest, the thicker the threads become, and those under their control started moving in ways impossible for a human being. Meaning bones were broken and they were still alive to feel the pain.
Tanjiro really tried his best to stop the Demon Slayers without hurting them, even coming up with a method to tangle the webs, but that came in vain.
When the “mother” demon killed them after they proved to be useless, this was the first time that we’ve seen Tanjiro genuinely infuriated by the cruelty of the demons. Well I wouldn’t say the first time, more like this is the first time it reached to a point where his blood-lust reached a boiling point. I really liked how they didn’t show his face nor showed anything other than his aura turning foul, something Inosuke picked up on.
However, what happened afterwards really highlighted the kindness in Tanjiro’s heart and something we can all learn from. Despite the rage he felt towards the demon that killed his comrades, the moment he saw the mother demon accepting her fate, he changed his attack to a more merciful strike, one that would leave no pain. That scene alone was amazing and beautifully illustrated Tanjiro’s character.
Overall, this was one of the great episode. Now hopefully we’ll get to see Zenistu shine and do something other than scream and being a thirsty bitch 24/7.
