New Release! Blue Exorcist

Alternate Title: Ao no Exorcist (青の祓魔師)
Creator: Kazue Kato
Publisher: Shueisha
English Publisher: Viz Media
Volumes: 5
Demographic: Shonen
Genres: supernatural, action, fantasy
Related Content: Ao no Exorcist (anime)

Rin Okumura has never known his biological father. Instead, he is raised by the famous exorcist of Assiah (the human world), Father Fujimoto. One fateful day, an argument with the Father reveals the truth about Rin’s origins – the demonic blood of Satan, god of Gehenna, runs through his veins. Rin swears to defeat his father by entering the mysterious school known as True Cross Academy to become a high-ranking exorcist. Using the sword that keeps his demonic powers in check, he struggles to keep his true nature a secret while fighting off Satan’s hoards of minions.

Blue Exorcist started off as a manga written and illustrated by Kazue Kato and serialized by Shueisha in their monthly magazine, Junp Square, in April 2009. As of July 2009, the serial chapters were collected into four manga volumes, the first of which was released August 4th of that year. The North American release is scheduled for April 5, 2011 by Viz Media.

The anime, produced by the A-1 Production studio, is set for its premier on the Japanese TV channels, TBS and MBS, April 17, 2011. It’s possible that Viz may simulcast Blue Exorcist soon if they decide to obtain the rights to the anime as well.

Half-demons, demon swords, and the classic “mysterious” high school for gifted youngsters – common elements in supernatural shonen titles. Off the top of my head, I can name at least ten anime or manga with the same plot devices. I must say, Blue Exorcist sounds like an old-school shonen; nevertheless, I think it still sounds interesting. I have come to learn that, although the plot summaries of various shonen titles of the same genre seem very unoriginal, it is essentially the characters and detailed plot twists (if any) that make or break the series. One must keep in mind that brief summaries fail to capture the essence of each series. Judging by some of the panels on the official Blue Exorcist site, both the anime and original manga look action-packed, well-drawn, and driven by a cast of colorful characters, aside from Rin. I may not speak Japanese, but the commercials for the anime make me want to start watching this show! Maybe I just have a soft spot for supernatural titles like this.

As one unfamiliar with the creator of the story and characters, it is difficult to accurately judge whether the content of Blue Exorcist is any good; however, it has done an excellent job at grabbing the audience’s attention with it’s fiendish-looking protagonist and his exorcist classmates. Not to mention the anime has an opening performed by UVERworld, the talented J-rock band, and ending theme by 2PM, the popular South Korean boy-band. So far, this looks like a promising manga and anime series.