Since time immemorial, humanity has sought to represent abstract concepts such as good and evil in the form of a set of images and symbols. There have often been periods in history when the main source of evil was considered to be certain mystical forces: they say, man is a weak, defenseless creature, and all misfortunes come from evil spirits, which must be fought with all our might. The church, of course, was considered the main source of good. The confrontation between angels and demons, good and evil, the church and evil spirits is a battle on the outcome of which the fate of all things depends. It is not surprising that such an epic scenario often finds its way into many fields of art, and the anime industry, of course, does not stand aside either. This review is dedicated to the popular title Ao no Exorcist (“Blue Exorcist”, “Blue Exorcist”) , which provides an unusual point of view on the issues of the struggle between good and evil.
Brief information
Ao no Exorcist is a shonen anime released in the spring of 2011 by A -1 Pictures . Based on the manga , the series consists of twenty-five episodes. In addition to the series, several special episodes and one full-length film were released - Ao no Exorcist Movie . Ao no Exorcist: Kyoto Fujou-hen, is scheduled for release in winter 2021 .
The anime takes place in a world very similar to ours. With one small exception - it consists of two dimensions that are a reflection of each other. The first dimension in which people live is called Assia, and the other, inhabited by demons, is Gehenna. Two worlds that should not influence each other. However, demons are able to penetrate Assia and inhabit living beings and objects, thereby harming ordinary people. Specially trained exorcists are engaged in expelling dangerous demons. Schoolboy Rin Okumura lived a very ordinary life until he learned the truth: it turns out that he was born as a result of the union of Satan and a mortal woman, and inherited the power of his demonic father. However, instead of joining the legions of darkness, Rin sided with good and decided to become an exorcist.
Before moving on to a direct examination of the strengths and weaknesses of Ao no Exorcist , I would like to speculate a little about what, in my understanding, a quality shonen anime should be - what basic characteristics it should have and what it should avoid. So:
Dynamism . One of the most important characteristics. Let me remind you that the main target audience of the shonen genre is young people over the age of fourteen, and this, as you know, is an impatient people. Not everyone wants to watch the next batch of fillers inserted at the most interesting place in the main storyline. Youth anime should entertain and energize, not bore.
Abundance of battles . Directly related to the previous point, because the use of battles is one of the easiest ways to increase the dynamism of a title and saturate it with events. Battles should be frequent, varied, unpredictable and not too drawn out (many titles have obvious problems with the latter).
Scale . Another extremely important point. Of course, even a story about going to the grocery store can be turned into an epic saga, but when the fate of the universe is at stake, it becomes much more interesting to watch what is happening.
Vivid characters . No comments here. No one wants to sympathize with another sad schoolboy in the role of the main character and his stereotyped friends in supporting roles. The brighter and more original the characters, the more chances the title has to attract attention and stand out from the background of passable shonen.
Moderate use of fanservice and violence. No, I'm not saying that they should be completely absent. You just need to know when to stop everything. In the case of shonen, well-used fan service can add points to the popularity score, without harming the other components of the title. In the case of cruelty, the situation is identical.
At the moment, among all the shounens I have watched, only Gurren Lagann : it has a dynamic plot, battles occur literally in every episode, and the scale becomes incredible over time, and the characters are very bright, and fan service is used optimally . Most other titles have problems in at least one area. For example, multi-episode shonen like Bleach or Naruto are large-scale, but the dynamism in them leaves much to be desired, while modern short shonen like 7 Deadly Sins or Akame ga Kill , on the contrary, are dynamic, but the effect of scale cannot be achieved in them. In addition, they often overuse fanservice or violence.
Who is Ryuji Suguro
It's not just the twin brothers who have an important role to play in the animated series Blue Exorcist. The characters who are their friends and enemies also deserve detailed consideration. It is impossible not to mention such a bright personality as Ryuji, who also goes by the nickname Bon. He studies in the same class with the descendant of Satan, constantly competes with him, envying his rival in the depths of his soul.
Ryuji has many virtues, behaves honestly in any situation, and does not like people prone to vices. He comes from the Cursed Temple, which was destroyed several years before the events described. The young man’s goal is the restoration of the Temple; to achieve it, he needs to cope with the army of darkness.
Characters
Rin Okumura is a classic shonen protagonist - a simple, straightforward guy who acts first and thinks later. He is very similar to Ichigo Kurosaki from Bleach, and he shares a similar backstory with Naruto: both unwillingly gained power that causes fear. However, unlike her brothers, Rin's positive qualities are limited only to straightforwardness and culinary abilities. Instead of learning to use his dangerous power, Rin pretends that he is already good, and that at the right moment everything will somehow work out. Everything would be fine, but because of his arrogance and laziness, innocent people are endangered over and over again. The longer I watched the main character's behavior, the more he annoyed me. Rin generally does not like to think and talk - in anime there are countless situations that could be resolved in a couple of phrases if he had not pulled out a sword and was not eager to fight. Heck, if you see a dangerous spirit hanging over a person, wouldn't it be easier to tell your friends about it, instead of trying to burn it down with flames, putting everyone in danger? Even in the few moments when Rin does the right thing, it takes him forever to come to the right decision. Do you hear a voice that others cannot hear? Let's ignore it and see how events develop further! Rin would be a great main character if he weren't so dumb . He is best characterized by the very last scene in the series, where he first tells the exorcists that they need to listen to the demons, otherwise it is impossible to understand the reason why they create chaos, and after a couple of seconds he flies at the enemy with a sword at the ready. Perhaps someone will call this behavior cool, but personally it was painful for me to watch how the character was dumb and committed inappropriate actions over and over again.
Ao no Exorcist is a classic shonen to the core. And one of the most characteristic features of any shonen is what? That's right, a kaleidoscope of minor characters. And this diversity is not always used to its full potential. The problem is especially obvious in shonen with a small number of episodes, during which it is physically impossible to pay attention to every minor character. In this regard, Ao no Exorcist was no exception to the rule. Among the minor characters there are representatives of all the main stereotyped types: here you have the positive mascot girl Shiemi Moriyama ; and the noisy adversary/friend of protagonist Ryuuji Suguro ; and the big-breasted mentor Shura Kirigakure ; and the bushy-browed tsunderka Izumo Kamiki . Even the bald, smart, bespectacled Konekomaru Miwa is there. In principle, on paper this set of characters looks good. It would be stupid to accuse shonen of using classic shonen character types, wouldn't it? What matters is how they are used.
The problem is that too often writers forget that overcoming trials and tribulations does not equate to character development . Recently, situations have become increasingly common when several episodes are dedicated to one or another character, in which he struggles with internal contradictions, and then resolves them with a heroic effort. But all this is only so that in the next episode he becomes himself again, as if before that you had not watched his moral torment for several hours. As a result, instead of a changed and probably matured character, we get his original version, which is why the truly interesting characters suffer, because there is no time left for them. Thus, characters like the father of the main character, Shirou Fujimoto, or the director of the academy, Mephisto, received practically no screen time, but a lot of interesting things could be told about them. Yukio Okumura, develops more or less noticeably . The rest of the characters, from the beginning to the very end, remain living embodiments of stereotypical ideas about big-breasted mentors, noisy teenagers and bushy-browed tsunderes, which cannot but upset.
Now a few words about the villains. Most of them have a common problem - they are faceless . I just finished watching, but I can hardly remember anyone besides Amaimon , who, however, also does not shine with originality - consider the same Ulquiorra, only the powers are smaller and more stupid. The rest of the time, young exorcists fight with undistinguished spirits of varying degrees of complexity. Who will remember that, for example, in the Nth episode the heroes defeated a giant moth? Or that they once defeated the garden spirit? In shonen, where the role of antagonists is traditionally large, the lack of bright negative heroes becomes a real problem. It’s good at least that Satan was shown from an unusual angle in the last arc - he was a great success.
Classmates Rina and Yukio
What other bright characters from the anime “Blue Exorcist” comprehend science together with brothers born from the leader of the dark forces? Rin maintains a friendly relationship with a girl named Shiemi Moriyama, whom he once helped get rid of a demon that had taken over her body. She is of little use in battle, but those around her appreciate her talent as a tamer. The main goal that Shiemi sets for herself is to help her friends in their struggle.
Izumo Kamiki also goes to school with the Okumura brothers. This girl is selfish, overly self-confident, and often displays rudeness. However, she is also capable of good deeds. Izumo belongs to a line of temple priestesses, which forces the Illuminati to hunt her.
Plot
Ao no Exorcist is based on a manga whose sales have increased sevenfold since the series was broadcast. While other studios try to avoid such “hackneyed” themes as demons, the underworld and exorcists, somewhere in the bowels of A-1 Pictures, smart bosses decided: “Why not?” , and gave the controversial project the green light. And they were right. From the very first minutes you find yourself in the thick of a conflict between demons and exorcists, and for several episodes you are not allowed to breathe. Unfortunately, starting from the sixth episode, the plot noticeably slows down, becomes more carefree and lighter, and accelerates again only in the very last arc, which turned out just great - largely thanks to the unexpected point of view on Satan and the reason for his atrocities. Unfortunately, the writers failed to maintain high concentration and intensity throughout the series.
Just as in the case of the characters, the plot of Ao no Exorcist follows the canons of the shonen genre in everything: the narrative is built on the principle of battles with pathetic dialogues in between. On the one hand, this is great. Such a plot structure allows for high dynamics and provides endless opportunities for character development, which in the case of Ao no Exorcist were somehow neglected. On the other hand, you won’t get far with battles alone. And here's the problem: all other components of the plot in Ao no Exorcist leave much to be desired .
Ao no Exorcist tries to be dark and serious, but the atmosphere builds up only in the last arc and dissipates very quickly. It tries to be dynamic, but all the dynamics are limited to monotonous and not always interesting battles. It tries to be touching, but practically none of the dramatic storylines except the story of Chernysh and the teacher’s wife were ever developed. Even though the story touches on many different cultural beliefs, legends, and contains aspects of folklore, none of it is used well in the anime. And this is his problem - the plot is extremely simple . Despite the opportunities available, the writers were unable to take advantage of them (or did not want to). For example, instead of fully describing the hierarchy of exorcists, and showing how they actually move from one level to another, they simply show us a tree, say that the paladin is at the top - he’s like the coolest, and you, Newbies are at the very bottom. In addition, in the anime there is practically no information about the world of Assiah and Gehenna - what kind of relationship they are in, why demons strive for the world of Assiah if they have a good time in Gehenna. In the biographies of the characters one can also find many omissions and superficialities. About many of the heroes we are simply told one sentence: they say, these guys lived in the temple, then it collapsed, and they came to take revenge on Satan. But this girl was a priest's student, and now she has suddenly come to Japan again. And it doesn’t matter that she can pull swords and other objects out of her stomach - the main thing is that she has multi-colored hair and large breasts. It was such shortcomings and omissions that prevented Ao no Exorcist from rising from the rank of just a good shonen anime to an outstanding one. It's hard to imagine what heights it could have reached if the plot had been a little more complex and varied.
Classmates Rina and Yukio
Renzo Shima is a child from a large family, left to his own devices from early childhood. This hero has characteristic features, like many other characters in the anime “Blue Exorcist,” whose names of characters are ready to be learned by heart by fans. The guy easily starts affairs with the fair sex, he is characterized by frivolity. He also has a wonderful voice and intends to become a singer. Renzo's weakness is the horror that insects inspire in him.
Not to mention Konekomaru Miwa, who also attends the same class as the demonic twins. The guy lost his parents in early childhood, he was raised by the Me Dha sect, for the sake of whose prosperity he is ready to sacrifice everything. Like Renzo, the hero intends to become a singer. Konekomaru is distinguished by a calm disposition, has a talent as a strategist, and has an excellent understanding of human psychology. Among his negative traits is excessive modesty.
Panache
For 2011, the art is at a decent level. I can’t say that I was overly impressed by what I saw, but all the main components of the art turned out well: the close-ups are detailed, the color scheme is bright and pleasing to the eye, the character designs are original. The battle animations and background images also turned out well. In addition, unusual camera angles were able to give the image a fresh look. In general, I did not notice any significant shortcomings in the drawing.
Who is Mephisto Pheles
This minor character heads the True Cross Academy and is an experienced exorcist. He is the half-brother of the Okumura twins, as he was born of Satan. His gift is the ability to transform into some animals and insects. Viewers will see how Mephisto becomes a cockroach, a dog. It is believed that his prototype is the famous demon Mephistopheles.
The character has a pronounced strategic talent and is excellent at misleading his interlocutors. Feles also loves a variety of intrigues.
Music
One thing you can love about shonen is the good soundtracks that appear in them on a regular basis. The music in Ao no Exorcist was excellent. Among the background compositions there are both simple, cheerful melodies designed to recreate a comedic atmosphere, and epic symphonic music that accompanies battle scenes. In addition, the anime contains several songs with excellent female vocals. The openings are classic rock songs that fit so well into the shonen anime format. The first opening of CORE PRIDE was performed by the famous group UVERworld , which I personally remember from the second opening from Bleach. I liked the second opening IN MY WORLD performed by ROOKiEZ is PUNK'D The first ending theme , Take off, performed by the South Korean group 2PM, is a classic K-pop, which I am not a fan of, and the graphic part of the ending theme looks a bit strange. The second ending Wired Lif e performed by Meisa Kuroki was much better.
Other Children of Satan
Amaimon is a demonic prince who is also a descendant of the leader of the forces of evil. He has a bright appearance (green hair) and loves provocative clothes. Amaimon is difficult to piss off, but those who succeed quickly begin to regret it. His weakness is sweets, which the demon is ready to consume in unlimited quantities.
Satan also has other sons, not the least of which is Lucifer, considered one of the most powerful creatures of hell. The hero leads a terrorist group. Only a select few can see his face, since Lucifer prefers to wear a mask.
Astaroth is also a child of the supreme demon, who amuses himself by capturing other people's bodies. The demon cannot be called dexterous, since all his attempts to catch Rin are defeated. Other inhabitants of the hellish abyss treat him somewhat dismissively.
These are the most prominent characters in the Blue Exorcist anime. Photos of the characters can be seen in this article.
Ratings
Characters – 6.5. Stereotyped and superficial, but not bad characters with a stupid main character. Some good characters didn't get the attention they deserved.
Plot – 7.0. Extremely simple and dynamic, with an interesting plot and a very worthy final arc.
Drawing – 8.0. Bright colors, good animation, high-quality close-ups and backgrounds. The character designs are also good.
Music – 8.5. Cool openings, good endings. Various background music.
Plot[edit]
The plot describes the confrontation between two worlds: Assia, the human world, and Gehenna, the demonic. Satan is trying to use his son Rin, half-human, half-demon (his mother is human), as the key with which evil will consume the world. However, this is not part of the young man’s plans, and he decides to become an exorcist after his guardian dies at the hands of the “main” demon. While learning this difficult task, he meets other exorcist students who become his friends and faithful comrades.
