This was probably the least enjoyable episode of the series for me personally. There's so much empty dialogue between Tanjiro and the Hashira, restating the same positions/beliefs over and over with slightly different wording until the master arrives. The tension between them felt so artificial and contrived, and could've easily been avoided with clearer communication and explanation of the situation by Tanjiro.
Everything about this "trial" seemed haphazard and no protocol was employed. The "Demon Slayer Code" is never explored or even established in any capacity beyond two rules (can't engage other demon slayers in combat or protect demons). Clear punishments aren't laid out, and the Master isn't even present while the Hashira bicker amongst each other trying to arrive at some semblance of a verdict. It was completely disorganized and chaotic, with not a single modicum of respect displayed amongst these highly revered Hashira. Obviously I expected some dramatic conflict within the group, not some drab courtroom hearing. But this conflict should've stemmed from their personal interpretations of the Kamado's situation with respect to the code they live by, and we could've been introduced to their personalities through this. However, no such subtlety was utilized.
The introductions of the Hashira throughout the episode were extraordinarily frustrating to watch unfold, not to mention their attitudes and actions. For one, some of these new "elements"/breathing techniques seem totally arbitrary and have no basis in what we know about how breathing techniques and swordplay styles evolved. I'm sure these will be explored eventually, but I doubt the evolution of styles like "insect", "sound", "serpent", or "love" will be explained in any logical or satisfying manner. In part because of this, many of the new Hashira we meet come off as extremely one-note and gimmicky, with no real hints at any interesting relationships between them or any individual complexity. It honestly just felt like the introduction of these one-dimensional figures was some cheap marketing ploy. In the writers' poor attempt to make each Hashira distinct, all of them fell flat.
Also, for how much the Hashira apparently respect the master they completely dismiss his words and wishes at every turn. They're combative with the master after learning of his prior knowledge of the Kamado's relationship, as well as hearing Urokodaki's (a former Hashira) and Giyu's (a current Hashira) firsthand testimony about the Kamado's unique situation. The demonstration of those two's resolve was incredibly heartwarming (vowing to commit seppuku if Nezuko ever harms a human, honestly the only reason this episode still gets 2 stars from me), and these supposed pillars of respect and morality completely dismiss the gesture. Only after the wind Hashira flagrantly disrupts the meeting and sees for himself that Nezuko can resist attacking humans do they back down. This behavior seriously undermined the power and authority the master holds, and caused some real cognitive dissonance for me as a viewer.
The writing and dialogue was incredibly clunky and the pacing was unnecessarily sluggish. Much of the episode's runtime could've been used to explore the topics I discussed above instead of bashing the viewer over the head with tired and monotonous tropes, or devoting 2/3's of the episode to mind-numbing bickering. This episode could've been great, considering the apparent gravity of the situation and the importance of the characters introduced (take the film 12 Angry Men for example). That's why this episode was so frustrating for me to watch. I know this is a manga adaptation, so the content is pretty much set in stone. But either way, this episode is a failure on practically every front. Whether that's the fault of the show creators or the mangaka is irrelevant.
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