Director: Tensai Okamura,
Starring: Nobuhiko Okamoto, Bryce Papenbrook, Jun Fukuyama, Johnny Yong Bosch, Kana Hanazawa, Christine Marie Cabanos, Kazuya Nakai, Kyle Hebert,
Running Time: 310 minutes
Certificate: 12
We’ve seen wizards, vampires, and super-powered mutants attend their own variations on educational establishments over the years, so why not demons? BLUE EXORCIST takes our protagonist, Rin Okamura, and reveals to him that he isn’t just a problem child, but is literally the son of Satan. Happy Father’s Day! Although he is a potential danger, having been raised by a priest, Rin enters an academy to train as an exorcist and use his demonic powers for good. It’s the classic tale of a person being judged by the sins of the father, but in all fairness, his father is Satan; those are some pretty mighty sins. Rin also has a twin brother, who is one of the teachers at the academy and doesn’t suffer from demoness since his brother took it all.
The plot does sound very familiar and it certainly mixes the demonic action sequences along with the day to day running of the supernatural school. Plot developments are pretty easy to spot, which does reduce the amount of tension and engagement a viewer is going to feel. When the show does try something new, such as an episode devoted mostly to cooking, it just stands out too much and slows down the story filled with inevitabilities.
Fortuitously, the show does what it does very well. It looks (especially on Blu-ray) absolutely stunning, and great care has been taken when animating the characters and settings. They animators have made the brave and commendable decision that bright colours and dark themes do not need to be mutually exclusive. It means the plot elements remain powerful and the visuals remain engrossing. I always wondered why villains can only wear black, and although BLUE EXORCIST gives us plenty of darker garbed sinister creations, there are also a few brighter ones. It also coincides with some of the characters’ original outlook on the progression of events; they see it as fun and games and forget about the dangers that may befall them.
This may be your cookie-cutter generic show, but at least it has a lot of fun and has a high production value. The vocal work fits well, but in both dubs there are certain characters whose voices seem a tad uncomfortable. If nothing else the fantastically designed demons and creatures will have you coming back for more, as that it where the show sets itself apart. Who would have thought than an onslaught of mushrooms would make for an epic and nerve shredding action sequence? If you’re already invested in a number of animes, this wont add anything to your catalogue. Otherwise you may want to give it a go.
BLUE EXORCIST: Definitive Edition Part 1 is released on Blu-ray on 9th September via Manga Entertainment.
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