5 Apr 2013

Ao No Exorcist

After watching so many Anime, I started to put them into two simple categories. Good, and bad. It's not easy to place them as such, because every program has at least a single good trait. Otherwise, they would never get published. However, every now and again an anime is released that just shines in every respect. Ao No Exorcist is one of those great shows. From the moment you begin watching, it's a true pleasure to watch. Definitely a god tier anime.

Rin's sword, the Kurukari controls his powers.

Ao No Exorcist is about teenager Rin Okumura. Rin was raised in a shrine by the perverted priest Fujimoto, alongside his twin brother Yukio. Both children couldn't of turned out more different. Yukio is a responsible and intelligent individual, Rin is foolish and aggressive. Upon coming of age, the shrine comes under attack by Satan himself. His goal is to possess Rin, his son. Satan will kill anyone who stands in his way.

Satan's brutal destruction of the shrine encourages Rin to join True Cross Academy and train to become an exorcist to fight his own kind. This is where the majority of the anime takes place, during Rin's training to fight demons at the Academy. I found it very intriguing and entertaining, watching Rin try to fit into a school where all the students want to kill him.

Yukio is a surprisingly good brother.

Ao No Exorcist has a solid plot all the way through, and even though some of the episodes feel like filler, they are still entertaining to watch. There isn't any fanservice, and you don't even get to see many boobs on display. Take it as a blessing or a curse, it was just refreshing to be away from the annoying fanservice that plagues many shows. The slapstick comedy is brilliantly done at parts, even if the jokes were bad I still laughed. It's rare to burst out laughing when you watch an anime. Yet I did it on several occasions.

There are moments of loss, a lot of brooding and sad events in Ao No Exorcist. Yet it still manages to retain a happy and positive outlook. Even though Rin is the son of the devil himself; he's always so excited. He makes many friends over time, through sheer perseverance. Even though there are a lot of cliche moments and stereotypical dialogue, they don't bring the anime down. I found the way the characters interacted together was exceptionally well done. For example,  Rin and his brother argue constantly. Even though Rin is older, Yukio is far more mature. I found myself smiling at their rapport many times. When you watch an anime for action, but find yourself enjoying the moments between fights; you know you've found something good.

Fujimoto was a great character, I wish he had a bigger role in the anime.

By halfway through the first episode, I knew I couldn't stop until I'd finished them all. The art is spotless, the animation is amazing. The characters all present their own unique personality. It's a very well rounded anime. You will see a lot of stereotypes, but they are all done right. Rin is supposed to be a demon, everyone he meets looks down on him or fears him. However, he always retains a positive and often childish outlook. Although there are many Mangas and Anime that follow a similar plot, Ao No Exorcist (Or the Blue Exorcist) manages to stand out from the rest. It doesn't try to be different from the average demon fighting anime, it quite simply acts out the genre better than the others.

When Rin loses control, the blue flames of Satan take over.

It's rare to find an anime that's good in every respect. Ao No Exorcist is a part of that short list. I found it memorable and easy to watch. There's a great blend of action, comedy, and drama. Watch Ao No Exorcist if you haven't already. Watch it if you've seen hundreds of anime. Watch it if you've never seen an anime before. Just watch it. You won't regret it.

1 comment:

  1. If there's no fanservice why the hell is Shiemi wearing a short skirt and a shirt that emphasizes her size G tits? And why is Shura wearing a mini bikini on G+ tits? Why does the show include those pointless close ups on the female characters' breasts and under their skirts? How about that stupid boob bounce animation? Don't give me that bullshit this anime doesn't have fanservice. It does and it is incredibly annoying.

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