Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga

Episode 8

Poor Yukio. It seems like no matter what incarnation of the Blue Exorcist universe we're in, he's destined to be plagued by his, shall we say, ambivalent feelings regarding his brother. It makes sense given what we know of Yukio's personal struggles and grief over losing Fujimoto, and this season especially seems to be hammering down on the pressure Yukio feels in trying to save the world from demons while also having Rin for a brother, and how that pressure might be starting to break him.

All of that comes at the end, though. Before Yukio's Family Drama™ comes bubbling to the surface, we've actually got a pretty intense and eventful episode to deal with, starting with Suguro's reunion with his father. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little disappointed Tatsuma survive this episode, not because I'm a monster or anything, but because I figured his death would add a real sense of urgency and danger to the rest of the Impure King arc. As it stands though, I am glad that Suguro and his pop were able to reconcile after their last, less than ideal parting; not only that, but Suguro was able to inherit the Phoenix spirit that managed to keep Tatsuma alive after a very thorough neck gouging. Also, the contrast of Suguro's red flames to Rin's blue flames was not lost on me, and while it's a bit on the nose, I appreciate the show cementing Suguro as Rin's friend, rival, and dramatic foil (in addition to Yukio, that is). The growth of their bond was one of the more endearing relationships explored in the first season of the show, and while I've enjoyed the dramatics between them of the last eight episodes, it is good to have Team Exwires back to their usual selves.

One thing I'd like to note is that I'm really digging two the Impure King is being handled, both visually and thematically. The idea of having one of the Big Bads of the arc be an unthinking, unfeeling cancerous mass of demonic evil is pretty refreshing, and it provides a nice counterpoint to Todo's more typical Shonen Villain theatrics. I especially appreciate how well the CG is being used, making the Impure King seem even more alien than he already is. The fact that he slowly transforms into a fleshy, poisonous castle is also just really cool on an aesthetic level, I must admit.

Yukio's encounter with Todo at the end of the episode is probably the biggest weak spot of this week's entry, though it isn't outright bad or anything. I'm just personally less interested in Todo as a villain, especially since we know so little about his character as of yet. I'm guessing future episodes will shed some light on him, but for now he works best in fits and spurts of evildoing, at least for me. His longer, more blatantly manipulative monologues feel hewn a bit too close to cliché for my liking, though I will say his new, younger form is more visually interesting, at the very least.

As for poor Yukio, well, we can't say we didn't see his personal crisis coming. It's been foreshadowed heavily since the beginning of the season, and the seeds of animosity between Rin and Yukio were planted the minute Rin showed up at True Cross academy. Like Todo, this is the aspect of the Blue Exorcist's story that interests me the least, partially because I find Yukio to be one of the flatter characters in the series, and the “Brother vs Brother” conflict is old hat at this point. I haven't read this far into the manga, so maybe I'll be more inclined to like Yukio's characterization in the coming weeks. Until then, I'll take more “Rin and Suguro Riding a Giant Cat Up a Nightmare Flesh-Castle” any day.

Rating: B+

Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

James is an English teacher who has loved anime his entire life, and he spends way too much time on Twitter and his blog.