“Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga†is another action-packed, thrilling series and the conclusion of the “Kyoto Saga” has proven to be wonderful! Fans of the series will no doubt want to check out “Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga 2”!  Recommended!
Purchase this Blu-ray from Rightstuf
Image courtesy of Image courtesy of © 2009 by Kazue Kato/SHUEISHA, Blue Exorcist Committee, MBS. All Rights Reserved.
TITLE: Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga 2
YEAR: 2017
DURATION: (Episodes 7-12) 140 Minutes
BLU-RAY INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, English and Japanese Linear PCM Stereo, English Subtitles
COMPANY: Aniplex Inc.
RATED: 13 and Up
Release Date: February 13, 2018
Based on the manga by Kazue Kato
Directed by Koichi Hatsumi
Series Composition by Toshiya Ono
Music by Hiroyuki Sawano, Kohta Yamamoto
Character Design by Keigo Sasaki
Art Director: Maho Takahashi
Anime Production: A-1 Pictures
Featuring the following voice talent:
Nobuhiko Okamoto/Bryce Papenbrook as Rin Okumura
Jun Fukuyama/Johnny Yong Bosch as Yukio Okumura
Kana Hanazawa/Christine Marie Cabanos as Shiemi Moriyama
Kazuya Nakai/Kyle Hebert as Ryūji Suguro
Ayahi Takagaki/Stephanie Sheh as Kuro
Eri Kitamura/Kira Buckland as Izumo Kamiki
Hiroshi Kamiya/Sam Regal as Mephisto Pheles
Keiji Fujiwara/Kirk Thornton as ShirÅ Fujimoto
Koji Yusa as RenzÅ Shima
Rina Satou/Wendee Lee as Shura Kirigakure
Tetsuya Kakihara/Darrel Guilbeau as Amaimon
Yuuki Kaji as Konekomaru Miw
Blue Exorcist, the manga by Kazue Kato which has surpassed 15 million copies in sales. Following a TV anime series and a theatrical film, the long-awaited new series has come back! Set in Kyoto, a new chapter of Blue Exorcist is about to begin…
Rin’s anger towards Ryuji Suguro releases as blue flame in front of everyone, resulting in Rin being thrown into prison. While locked up, Shura delivers a letter to Rin from Tatsuma, Ryuji’s father and the head priest of Myohda Sect. From the letter they learn of the relationship between Tatsuma and Shiro Fujimoto, as well as the secret of the demon sword, Kurikara.
Meanwhile, Todo attempts to resurrect the Impure King and Tatsuma tries to disrupt his plans, but despite Tatsuma’s best efforts, Todo resurrects the Impure King!
Now Rin and his classmates must band together and defeat the Impure King!
Nearly six years since “Blue Exorcist” first aired on Japanese television, now the 12-episode anime series “Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga” has aired in Japan and with a first part released in the US, now part 2 on Blu-ray will be available in the U.S. courtesy of Aniplex of America, Inc.
In the “Kyoto Saga”, Rin’s secret that he is the son of Satan has been exposed and for some his friends, they realize that Rin is the son of the demon that killed their family and friends. And because of Rin showed signs of trying to use his power against evil, to be used as a weapon if his father was to reappear, he has been given a second chance. Mess up and he will be executed.
Meanwhile, the “Left Eye of the Impure King”, a demon relic was stolen from True Cross Academy. And now someone has unleashed it in the land.
Find out in “Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga” vol. 2!
So, What is “Blue Exorcist�
“Ao no Exorcist†(Blue Exorcist) is an anime adaptation of a manga series written and illustrated by Kazue Kato, a mangaka who won a Tenkaichi Manga Award back in 1999 at the age of 19 and won a Tezuka Award in 2000 for his manga “The Witch and the Rabbitâ€. Kato is also known for his 2006 manga series “Robot Usakichi†(Space Traveler Robo & Usakichi).
“Blue Exorcist†was serialized on Jump Square Magazine by Shueisha since April 2009 and is still an ongoing manga series (as of January 2012, there have been a total of 30 chapters released).
With the popularity of the manga series, an anime adaptation was produced by A-1 Pictures with Hitoshi Okamura as the producer. The series began back in April 2011 and 25-episodes have aired in Japan. And now the second setof “Blue Exorcist†was released on Blu-ray courtesy of Aniplex.
The series revolves around a hotheaded teenager named Rin Okumura. Both he and his brother Yukio have been raised by Father Fujimoto at the Cross Academy Town – Southern Cross Boys Monastery. While Yuki shows great intelligence and is attending school at True Cross Academy to become a doctor, Rin is quite the opposite. He tends to get himself in trouble, fights a lot and is continually told by Father Fujimoto to find a job.
Unfortunately for Rin, finding and holding onto a job is difficult. But one day, while working at a supermarket, he sees a monster in a girl’s scarf. He tells Father Fujimoto of what he has seen and Father Fujimoto starts to fear that something is happening. One day, Rin encounters a group of thugs and its leader that he had beaten up earlier and suddenly sees him turn into a demon. The demon tells Rin that satan is waiting for him and immediately, Father Fujimoto is there to save him and exorcise the demon. Fortunately, Father Fujimoto is there to help but it is all revealed to Rin about why he can see monsters.
It’s the fact that he is not truly human. He is the son of a human woman and satan. And the monsters he have seen, it is explained to Rin that in the world, there is Assiah, the realm of humans, and Gehenna, the realm of demons. Both are not supposed to come in contact with each other but they have and as an exorcist, it is his duty to send the demons back to where they belong. And satan wants to reunite with his son.
To protect Rin, Father Fujimoto gives him the Kamkakushi key, so he can hide anything. And he is also given the Koma Sword, a magic sword passed down from generation to generation and a sword where Rin’s powers have been sealed since birth. Rin’s flame resides inside the sword and is sealed by the scabbard. If he draws it, he will assume his demonic nature and will never be able to live as a human again.
One day, he and Father Fujimoto try to prepare for an imminent attack and tells Rin that he must seek shelter where satan can’t get to him but Rin takes it as his father trying to get rid of him forever. In return, Rin said some hurtful things to Father Fujimoto and the pain that Father Fujimoto felt was enough for satan, the demon to possess him.
Satan shows up to claim his son and attacks Father Fujimoto. Satan reveals that he created Rin from a human woman in order to create a container that would be powerful enough to hold him.
But it’s something that Father Fujimoto will not let happen to the boy, he looked at as a son. In order to save Rin, Father Fujimoto risks his own life to keep satan away and is killed in the process.
Now Rin mourns for the one person he knew as his father and when Mephisto Pheles, a friend of Father Fujimoto comes to visit, he tells him that they represent the Knights of the True Cross and they exorcise demons. And Rin has two choices, they will kill him, or he kills the demons. Instead, Rin tells him that he could care less about being human or a demon, he wants to become an exorcist like Father Fujimoto and avenge him and that means defeating his own father.
So, from that point on, Rin must be trained to become an exorcist and will have to follow special rules (which includes not revealing his true nature). But the first thing that he will need to do is enroll at the same school that his brother Yukio attends. When Rin sees his brother, Yukio is in the top of the class and that he is a special leader that people follow at the school and he is no longer the scrawny younger brother he once knew.
As Rin is now a student at the Knights of the True Cross, many of the elders are not too thrilled because Rin is the son of Satan and because Rin tends to be more of a hothead, they are not too sure if he can fit into the Academy. But Rin is determined to make good on his promise to his deceased father and to protect people, but most of all, to kill satan.
The story continues as Rin continues to study along with his classmates and each are trying to be Esquires, in order to take on various missions. But others at the Academy and the higher ups want to test Rin and find out if he is a person that can be taught and eventually fight with the other exorcists in defeating demons and satan himself.
While people question a demon being an exorcist, for Rin, he makes a goal that one day, he will become a Paladin (highest level of exorcism) like his adoptive father, Father Shiro and prove that because he is satan’s son, that having a caring father like Shiro can make a big change in the life of a person, even if they are a demon.
“Blue Exorcist†features the following characters:
- Rin Okamura – The main protagonist. The son of Satan but born from a human mother. He and his brother Yukio are twins but he inherited his father’s powers. Rin’s power was sealed inside a sword by Mephisto Pheles, so he can live a human life. Rin was raised by the priest Shiro Fujimoto as normal humans with compassion and love. Despite getting into a lot of trouble and his abilities tend to be more of fighting or cooking, since discovering his power and identity, he vows to use his power to avenge his adoptive father Shiro Fujimoto’s death and defeat Satan. He vows to attend True Cross Academy and do all it takes to become a Paladin and a “Meister†(Knight). Rin also has taken in a dog demon (Cat Sith) which he names Kuro.
- Yukio Okamura – The son of Satan but born from a human mother. Unlike Rin he did not inherit Satan’s powers. Known as the intellectual person of the family, unbeknown to Rin was that he has been secretly trained to become an exorcist since the age of seven in order to protect his brother. So, now he is an instructor at True Cross Academy and responsible for looking after his brother. But he harbors a secret…dark spots are starting to appear on his body which Yukio has told no one about, despite being tested daily if Satan’s power is in him.
- Mephisto Pheles – The Chairman of True Cross Academy. He and Shiro Fujimoto worked together in order to seal Rin’s power and make him human. Mephisto is a powerful exorcist but because he is a demon, many do not believe him while others believe he has proven he is on the side to fight against Satan.
- Ryuji Suguro – Also known as “Bon†to his classmates. He has a high temper and is often fighting and arguing with Rin. But despite his attitude, he is the best student in the class and dedicated to his studies. Part of his drive is because Satan destroyed his family temple.
- Shiemi Moriyama – The daughter of a woman who runs an exorcist-only shop. She lacks confidence and she is quite sheltered (having lived with her grandmother and her only friends were plants) but when given the chance to meet and make friends at True Cross Academy, being in school gives her a new lease on life. It appears that both Rin and Yukio may have feelings towards her. Shiemi is a tamer and can summon a greenman spirit to produce herbs and barriers.
- Izumo Kamiki – She always has a cold attitude and known for her eyebrows. The only friend she is close to is her best friend Paku but slowly (very slowly), she is starting to befriend her classmates. She can summon two Baykko (foxes) to fight.
- Konkomaru Miwa – Very smart but very shy. He is the strategist and is loyal to his best friend Ryuji and Renzo, since they grew up at the same temple that was destroyed. His parents were killed by Satan.
- Renzo Shima – Carefee, loves to flirt with girls (especially Paku and Izumi) but has a major phobia of insects. He also grew up with Ryuji and Konekomaru. Renzo carries a K’rik staff to fight.
- Shura Kirigakure – The carefree, hardly wears anything, loves alcohol, upper first class exorcist who was asked by priest Shiro Fujimoto to train Rin and help him become a “Meisterâ€. She can draw a demon sword from her chest and stomach and is an excellent fighter.
- Shiro Fujimoto – The priest of Southern Cross Monastery who raised both Yukio and Rin as a loving father. He is a Paladin in the True Cross Order and was the strongest exorcist. Was thought to be the only man who could not be possessed by Satan but after an argument with Rin (and Rin saying some hurtful things) which shocked Shiro, it was enough time for Satan to possess Shiro. In order to protect himself from hurting Rin and Yukio, Shiro sacrificed himself.
VIDEO:
“Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga†is presented in 1080p High Definition (16:9 Widescreen). The anime production is well-done. The surrounding environments are well-detailed, painted nicely, while the character designs are vibrant, clear and just gorgeous on Blu-ray!
If anything, character designer Keigo Sasaki (“Night Raid 1931″, “Sengoku Basaraâ€) does a great job of bringing the characters from Kazue Kato’s manga series to life, while art director Mahot Takahashi (“Pumpkin Scissors”, “Tegami Bachi: Letter Beeâ€, “Tokko”) did a wonderful job in bringing the series to life with the scenery and painted backgrounds.
Animation is vibrant, colorful and the series looks great on Blu-ray!
AUDIO & SUBTITLES:
“Blue Exorcist†is presented in English Linear PCM Stereo and Japanese Linear PCM Stereo with English subtitles. Audio is clear coming from the front channels. Japanese voice acting for the series is excellent! I personally had my receiver set to stereo on all channels for a more immersive soundtrack. But dialogue is understandable and English subtitles are easy to read.
As for the English dub track, the overall acting is good but it’s once again an action series with Johnny Yong Bosch as the lead character. For the most part, the voice acting by the English dub staff is very good.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
“Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga 2” comes with the Japanese PV’s, trailers and textless opening and closing themes.
EXTRAS:
“Blue Exorcist:Kyoto Saga 2” comes with a 38-page booklet and comes with three collectable postcards.
I’ve always enjoyed “Blue Exorcist” from the manga and the original series and Rin and his brother Yukio trying to keep a secret that they are the children of Satan. While Rin is the primary one who has the blue flames and literally needs to control his power or he will become a demon. While Yukio looks like the level-headed, intelligent brother but in reality, he is trying to hid something dark within him.
As “Kyoto Saga” takes place after Rin’s secret is revealed, his friends are starting to treat him differently. Primarily because his father is the one who slaughtered their friends or family and for some, having a friend who can turn to evil is not easy for them.
So, for Rin, what matters most is trying to control his power and try not to get in trouble or else face the consequence and that is execution.
For “Kyoto Arc”, the Impure King has been revived and as Yukio has locked Rin up and Rin trying to understand why he should live when he feels he causes everyone so much pain, that leaves everyone trying to fight the Impure King which they are powerless again.
At a time like this, Rin’s friends must get him out of his funk and show him how much he means to them but also how important he is in the battle against the Impure King.
This will also be a test for each of them as Bon must rise to take on his father’s work and protect the village, Konekomaru proving that he is brave enough to protect or help his friends, Shiemi must prove that while she may not be the strongest, she can be useful to everyone, especially for her wanting to protect Rin.
Meanwhile Yukio must confront his true feelings of his true self and why Rin gets to him so much.
And Shura Kirigakure wonders if Mephisto is up to no good.
All this and more in the final episodes of “Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga”!
The series has developed quite well in terms of storyline pacing, animation, voice acting and just overall enjoyment and the second season is consistent. There is a lot of action, humor and drama, especially as Rin is dragged into things and his anger tends to get the best of him. The big question is whether or not he can control his anger, not become a demon and protect the people he cares about?
As for the overall series, the character designs are actually pretty cool, especially the costume designs for the characters. Also, the art backgrounds for this series is nicely detailed and range from pastels to really vibrant colors. Something you typically don’t see in a TV Series.
“Blue Exorcist†has a good balance of humor, action and an interesting concept in balance with awesome animation and beautiful art backgrounds. While the action may be a bit too visual for younger anime viewers (as this is suggested for 13 and up), for fans of action-based anime or manga series such as “Naruto†and “Bleach†will find “Blue Exorcist†to their liking.
And once again, Aniplex of America continues to deliver in terms of swag with a 38-page special booklet and collectable postcards.
Overall, “Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga†is another action-packed, thrilling series and the conclusion of the “Kyoto Saga” has proven to be wonderful! Fans of the series will no doubt want to check out “Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga 2”!  Recommended!
Purchase this Blu-ray from Rightstuf