The Reading / Listening - Demon Slayer - Level 5

Cinemas around the world are struggling to survive, but cinemagoers in Japan have smashed box office records. Despite COVID-19 social distancing rules, the animated film 'Demon Slayer: Mugen Train' has just seen (by far) the biggest box office weekend in Japan's history. The movie also had the biggest opening weekend anywhere in the world. The movie debuted only in Japan but it more than doubled the previous record. Ticket sales last weekend were more than those of all other countries combined. Japanese cinemas made a huge $44 million on ticket sales.

The movie Demon Slayer is based on a smash-hit manga - a Japanese-style comic book. The story is set in early 20th-century Japan. The hero is a young man who joins a group of warriors to get revenge on a group of demons that killed his family and cursed his sister. It is the latest anime and manga to become a phenomenon in Japanese popular culture. The 22-volume manga sold over 100 million copies. It is one of the most successful manga ever. A Japan expert said: "This particular title cuts across generations. Even people over 50...really like Demon Slayer."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Demon Slayer - Level 4 or  Demon Slayer - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/20/business/demon-slayer-japan-movie.html
  • https://comicbook.com/anime/news/my-hero-academia-characters-anime-bakugo-katsuki-rich/
  • https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2020/10/19/box-office-china-top-north-america-for-2020-as-demon-slayer-nabs-record-44m-debut-in-japan/


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. struggling
  2. cinemagoers
  3. smashed
  4. social distancing
  5. the biggest opening weekend
  6. more than doubled the
  7. more than those of
  8. Japanese cinemas made
  1. anywhere in the world
  2. rules
  3. all other countries
  4. box office records
  5. a huge $44 million
  6. to survive
  7. in Japan
  8. previous record

Paragraph 2

  1. set in early
  2. a group of demons that
  3. cursed
  4. It is the latest
  5. The 22-
  6. one of the most successful manga
  7. cuts across
  8. Even people over 50 really
  1. killed his family
  2. generations
  3. anime and manga
  4. like Demon Slayer
  5. his sister
  6. volume manga
  7. 20th-century Japan
  8. ever

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Cinemas around the world are (1) ___________________, but cinemagoers in Japan have smashed box office records. Despite COVID-19 (2) ___________________, the animated film 'Demon Slayer: Mugen Train' has just (3) ___________________ the biggest box office weekend in Japan's history. The movie also had the biggest opening weekend (4) ___________________ world. The movie debuted only in Japan but it more than (5) ___________________ record. Ticket sales last weekend were more than those of all other countries combined. Japanese cinemas (6) ___________________ $44 million on ticket sales.

The movie Demon Slayer (7) ___________________ a smash-hit manga - a Japanese-style comic book. The (8) _________________ in early 20th-century Japan. The hero is a young man who joins a group of warriors (9) ___________________ on a group of demons that killed his family and cursed his sister. It is the latest (10) ___________________ to become a phenomenon in Japanese popular culture. The 22-volume manga sold over 100 million copies. It is one of the most (11) ___________________. A Japan expert said: "This particular (12) ___________________ generations. Even people over 50...really like Demon Slayer."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Cinemasaroundtheworldarestrugglingtosurvive,butcinemagoersinJ
apanhavesmashedboxofficerecords.DespiteCOVID-19socialdistan
cingrules,theanimatedfilm'DemonSlayer:MugenTrain'hasjustseen(
byfar)thebiggestboxofficeweekendinJapan'shistory.Themoviealsoh
adthebiggestopeningweekendanywhereintheworld.Themoviedebut
edonlyinJapanbutitmorethandoubledthepreviousrecord.Ticketsales
lastweekendweremorethanthoseofallothercountriescombined.Japa
nesecinemasmadeahuge$44milliononticketsales.ThemovieDemon
Slayerisbasedonasmash-hitmanga-aJapanese-stylecomicbook.Th
estoryissetinearly20th-centuryJapan.Theheroisayoungmanwhojoin
sagroupofwarriorstogetrevengeonagroupofdemonsthatkilledhisfa
milyandcursedhissister.Itisthelatestanimeandmangatobecomeaph
enomenoninJapanesepopularculture.The22-volumemangasoldov
er100millioncopies.Itisoneofthemostsuccessfulmangaever.AJapan
expertsaid:"Thisparticulartitlecutsacrossgenerations.Evenpeopleov
er50...reallylikeDemonSlayer."

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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