Nothing says fun like learning your classmate and friend is the son of Satan.
What They Say:
Consumed by the power of the flames during his battle with Amaimon, Rin goes berserk! He regains control of himself once his power is exhausted…only to be captured then and there by the current Paladin, Angel!
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Considering the way that Amaimon could mess with Rin and his abilities, particularly with that whole flame-on aspect, it’s little surprise that his powers are a bit out of control after that encounter and he needs to be tamed a bit before he goes completely berserk. It is welcome to see that Shiemi is able to ease him to a large degree since the two have such a potentially great relationship to build. But what the show does in addition to this is to introduce someone new, Arthur Angel, one of the senior members of the True Cross knights. He’s been sent to make things right, which includes noting just how much treachery that the True Cross council is aware of by Mephisto.
Because of what’s gone on, and we’ve known for awhile now that there are behind the scenes issues going on because of how Rin was kept secret for so long, the stakes are high as to what will happen Rin at this point. With Arthur having essentially captured him and putting Mephisto to task, things have to be explained, both to the council and amongst the friends of Rin who are missing out on a lot of the facts. Yukio is pretty straightforward with them and it’s interesting that they’re mostly behind Rin at this point since they have befriended him over the course of time that he’s been in the academy. It’s not a complete thing though as there are some who aren’t as sure, and one in particular that really makes it clear that their friend is actually the son of Satan and they really need to remember that.
With Yukio managing to sway them overall into helping Rin, that has them going on a mini quest of sorts where it’s more the kind where you walk down a hall and talk to someone different at first to get a feel for what’s needed in order to forge a proper sword through a ritual that requires specific ingredients. This actually gets the group to head off into the world together, which is useful because it is another bonding exercise, one designed to help a friend in need. There’s a lot to like with all of this, and with Yukio in particular as he pursues another angle to save Rin and is confronted about his feelings when it comes to Rin. The show has a very different tone about it as it progresses, both in terms of seriousness and pacing, but also because of how the characters interact with each other. It’s not off, specifically, but it moves in a different way.
In Summary:
There’s a lot to like here with Blue Exorcist even if this particular episode doesn’t feature much in the way of Rin himself. It’s very character driven as Rin’s classmates come together, too easily overall, to do what needs to be done to save their friend even though he’s the Son of Satan. The story that progresses there is interesting, though not entirely smooth. But what helps smooth things out is the small drama playing out as the subplot here as Mephisto goes on about what his plan (supposedly) is when it comes to Rin in front of the council. He’s certainly not someone to trust, but there is that kernel of truth to it as well with how he wants to use Rin as a weapon. The flow of the episode definitely doesn’t feel like past ones, but it’s good flow overall and it feels like we’re being pushed towards progress here.
Grade: B+
Simulcast By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Sony KDS-R70XBR2 70″ LCoS 1080P HDTV, Dell 10.1 Netbook via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.
