Blue Exorcist Volume 1 Review

“I need to become a respectable person.”

Orphan Rin Okumura and his brother Yukio were raised by famous exorcist Father Fujimoto. What Rin didn’t know was that he was being protected from the secret of his true nature and status as the child of Satan himself. After a heated argument leads to a dramatic and dire upsetting of the status quo, Rin vows to fight his dual heritage and become an exorcist himself. It won’t be easy…

Blue Exorcist takes a solid central idea and really runs with it. The key, as with any great story, is in the characters. The opening chapters firmly illustrate the current conditions of Rin’s life and naturally convey the motivations and frustrations behind his attitude and actions, as well as those of Father Fujimoto. The second half of the volume establishes his brother Yukio as another vital character with his own distinct views, goals, and personality. This all works together to ground the plot and action and make everything engaging.

And there’s plenty of action to get into. From dealing with bullies to facing the truth behind his situation to training at school, Rin’s journey contains a lot of chaos and it’s all well done. The tension is kept up nicely and the entire atmosphere adds nice layers to Rin’s internal conflicts and difficult choices.

Blue Exorcist strives to transcend it’s typical Shounen trappings and elements with depth. And so far it’s succeeding.