Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga

Episode 10

Given the way this week picked up at the exact moment last week left off, not to mention the killer final shot the episode ended on, I've come to realize that Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga is going to make for excellent binge watching once the season is done. Don't get me wrong, this show has been an absolute treat to follow on a weekly basis; I think it's the best action series of the season, hands down, but it's also that particular kind of manga adaptation where an amazing scene happens and you know that if you were reading it instead of watching it, you would just turn the page or grab the next book off the shelf. This isn't a criticism, but a point of praise. Blue Exorcist is just so damned good, and I can't stand the wait between episodes.

This pain is made doubly potent by the fact that these final few episodes make up the Kyoto Saga's breathless and action-packed climax, taking all of the measured buildup from the first eight weeks and letting it explode into flames of consequence and peril, often literally. The onslaught of the Impure King isn't just the highlight of the season, but probably the entire series up to this point. The characterization is on point, with every team of Exwires gets something important and exciting to do, and the stakes are raised higher and higher with each new episode. The composition and pacing of this season's final act have felt less like a traditional battle with a Shonen Big Bad, and more like the final reel of a particularly engrossing war movie, and I can't oversell how much it works. I loved the first season of the series, but Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga has taken it to all-new heights.

Take Yukio's fight with Todo, for example. While I was originally down on Todo as a villain, he's definitely come into his own over the past couple weeks. If nothing else, his showdown with Yukio has been a creative highlight for the series. It would have been so easy for the show to boil this conflict down to a battle of strength or emotion, but instead it highlights what can be done when you combine Yukio's singular smarts with the honed teamwork of the monks on his side. Using the flames of Karura to essentially overheat and break down Todo's body was cool enough, but the added twist of using the rainwater to turn that body into ash was brilliant. Though it obviously wasn't going to straight-up kill Todo, reducing him to a pile of disembodied, gelatinous limbs definitely wasn't where I expected things to go. One of the hallmarks of excellence in a series for me is the ability to surprise the audience without feeling cheap or contrived. Blue Exorcist has that going on in spades this season.

Then we have Rin's “Big Damn Hero” moment, which was predictably saved for the end of the episode, serving more as a tease for what's to come than anything. That said, Rin's drawing of the koma Sword was still appropriately badass, and his dorky exchange with Suguro regarding Kyoto Tower was a perfect encapsulation of their rivalry and friendship, highlighting just how far these two have come together since their contentious first meeting. I was honestly expecting this season to focus more on Yukio and Rin's relationship, but they've largely been separated throughout this storyline. Rin mending his ties with his other friends, Suguro especially, has taken priority, and I think I actually prefer that. Blue Exorcist has one of my favorite hero ensembles in anime, so getting to see all of them have little moments to shine with Rin has been an absolute highlight of this arc, with this moment between two brothers-in-arms being the culmination of it all.

If you couldn't tell by this point, I'm loving Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga, and these past few episodes have really demonstrated what works so well about this show. Despite containing a lot of recognizable genre formulas and story beats, Blue Exorcist has always worked hard to forge its own unique style, tone, and pacing. It prioritizes character growth over flashy fights, and when things finally do get crazy, it never forgets that the action only works when you care about the characters involved. This is top tier anime, and if you haven't caught up on the series yet, you're missing out on one of the best of the season.

Rating: A

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.