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Title:
 Blue Exorcist Part 1

UK Distributor:  Manga Entertainment

BBFC Certificate:  15

Suggested Retail Price (SRP):  £24.99

Episodes:  1-13 (of 25)

Audio Options:  English 5.1, Japanese 2.0

Subtitles:  English

Release Date:  20th August 2012

Reviewer:  Rich (Webmaster)
 

Anime series have always taken a long time to make it to the UK, often not getting released here until a couple of years after their Japanese TV debut and months after the US release.  One of the biggest delaying factors is the availability of an English dub, and with several recent licenses pushed back until an American studio has recorded an English language track, Manga have taken a large amount of flak on social media for not simply releasing a subtitle-only version.  The main reason they don't is that sub-only releases have not traditionally sold as well as dual-language ones in the UK, but despite this Manga are giving it another shot with a sub-only release of Blue Exorcist.

Blue Exorcist focuses on teenager Rin Okumura, a boy whose quick temper and wild nature earned him the title of 'demon child' in his youth and has seen him struggle to find work after leaving school.  His brother Yukio by contrast is calm and good natured, and has already been enrolled into a prestigious academy, but their guardian - a priest called Father Shiro Fujimoto - treats them both the same and only wishes the best for them.  However, Rin and Yukio are by no means ordinary, both are sons of Satan himself and whilst the sickly Yukio has grown up untouched by his Satanic heritage, Rin has inherited his father's dark powers.  Shiro sealed them away and raised Rin as a human, but when his satanic energies begin to manifest his world is torn apart as the denizens of Hell come to claim him, killing Shiro in the process.  On the run and pursued by demons Rin vows to fight the hordes of Hell and avenge his guardian's death, enrolling in the True Cross Academy to train as an exorcist.  However, the path is not going to be an easy one for him.  The True Cross Academy is the main training centre for demon hunters, and pretty much everyone there will not take too kindly to finding the son of Satan in their midst!  To become an exorcist he will need to use his Satanic powers but hide them from those around him, something that's not easy considering the tell-tale blue flames that flare up whenever he uses them.  He's also still being targeted by Satan and with top-level demons pursuing him he's facing danger on both sides.  Finally there's Yukio, who it turns out is a teacher at the True Cross Academy!  Yukio is already qualified as an exorcist and Rin is unsure how much he knows about his true heritage, or if he blames him for the death of Shiro.  With potential enemies all around him can Rin achieve his goal?  Or will he be consumed by the ages old battle of good versus evil?
 

Sub-only releases are a bit of a gamble from a business point of view, but Manga have picked a very good series to give it a crack with Blue Exorcist.  Ostensibly cut from the same cloth as Bleach but laced with Western rather than Eastern mysticism, Blue Exorcist is actually a much darker and more intriguing series than you may expect.  It's interesting to find an anime series that isn't about vampires basing itself in Catholic mythology, and with the most powerful of demons corrupting and possessing human hosts it adds a unique horror element

that's a cut above the usual 'monsters of the week' favoured by series like Bleach.  Even the lesser demons that appear are pretty good, with the series cleverly knitting other mythologies with the Catholic basis to make a coherent whole.  The story is action-packed from the start, with Rin's powers beginning to manifest and draw demons to him pretty much from the first episode.  The battles come thick and fast as Rin struggles to come to terms with his powers whilst under constant assault from his enemies and suspicion from his peers, but despite the fast-paced action, horror, emotion and -somewhat surprisingly - comedy are never too far away.

With a few exceptions the demons are truly unsettling, possessing humans and corrupting them in horrific ways whilst resurrecting human and animal corpses as servants.  The horror is quite effective, providing an edge to the action which is balanced with some well delivered drama.  The series retains its character focus despite everything that's going on around them, putting human drama at its heart and even squeezing a few laughs from Rin's tribulations at the True Cross Academy.  The story moves at a fast pace, but not so quickly you lose track of what's going on, and there are plenty of twists and subplots to keep you guessing about the motivations of some of the characters.  It keeps you wanting to know what's going to happen next, keeping its characters at the heart of the story and giving them true challenges and problems to overcome.  It remains exciting and interesting throughout.  Presentation-wise it's fantastic too, with excellent visuals which are a cut above those normally found in TV series like this and a great soundtrack.  For me the lack of an English dub (which Manga have indicated they may include on a later re-issue of the series, depending on sales) does not have much of an impact as I often watch anime subbed, but for some it may detract from it. 
 

Although I really enjoyed this first part of the series there are a few things which marred it a little for me.  It's a shame that it's another anime largely based in a magical, highly exclusive academy, a setup seen in everything from Revolutionary Girl Utena to Negima to Vampire Knight.  There's also the standard setup of a delinquent student with special powers who must earn the respect of his peers, and the over-the-top Mephisto, the flamboyant head of the True Cross Academy who seemed very out of place and almost like

a joke character at times.  There were also the usual array of stereotyped side characters, but at least the series does try and give them some back story which makes them a little more interesting.  It must be said though that the main character pairing of Rin and Yukio is excellent, whilst the combination of wild character and a calm one is pretty standard what sets this one apart is that they are supportive of each other rather than rivals.  It's a kind of brotherly relationship rarely depicted in this kind of action series, it's really refreshing and really helps endear the characters to the viewers.

Blue Exorcist Part 1 is a fantastic anime series, and amongst the best I have seen this year.  I was expecting another series in the mould of Bleach or Naruto, and whilst it retains many of the elements that makes those series so watchable the Catholic mythology that underpins it gives it a much darker and more intriguing edge.  It combines horror, action, drama and even comedy with aplomb, never losing sight of its lead characters and despite the quite standard setting of a secret school for supernatural warriors it remains pretty fresh and interesting.  Although some may be put off by the fact there's no English dub Manga have really made up with it by including an excellent selection of extras, and coupled with the series itself it makes for an excellent package.  It's worth noting that there were 13 episodes on the review version of this volume rather than the 12 stated on the cover art above (not including the extra bonus episode), so if this is the case for the retail version it makes for excellent value for money.  Blue Exorcist is a hugely enjoyable action series with a great mix of drama and horror, and is certainly one of the series of the year so far.

Extras

Plenty!  As well as a series of bonus 'omake' shorts there are clean opening and ending sequences, web promos and best of all a full bonus episode told from the point of view of the demon cat Kuro.  A great selection!

Ratings

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