The title for this show is a tad misleading, in that “Blue Exorcist” does not approach exorcism as you think it should. Sure, these folks get rid of demons, but they do not necessarily possess people as much as they are free-form rovers that cross over and need to be sent off to the afterlife.

We start off the show with Rin and Yukio Okumura (second from left and far right, both in front row) and their overseer Father Shiro Fujimoto (the guy with the cross eyeglass danglers). They learn that they are both the son of Satan, but it appears that Rin inherited all the power. Father is an exorcist and has been taking care of them since they were born. Well, since they are both now teens, they get those yearnings and itches…..to be on their own! What did you think I meant, pervert? However, Rin rebels against Father at a bad time and Father gets possessed by Satan, who is looking for an earthly vessel. Father takes care of that matter, but not in the best way for everyone involved.

It is determined that Rin and Yukio should go to True Cross Academy, to learn how to become a real exorcist. The school is taken care of by Chairman Mephisto Pheles (that really happy dude in the back row), but he’s a bit of a jerk. That’s the biggest problem with the series: everyone is a caliber of jerk. In any case, he takes a special exorcist course, where he meets other people who want to become exorcists. The rest of the classmates, from left to right are

Konekomaru Miwa
Rin
Shiemi Moriyama
Izumo Kamiki
Renzo Shima
Ryuji Suguro
Yukio

They are all varying degrees of jerk, from timid jerk (Shiemi) to arrogant jerk (Ryuji) and everything else in between. The series shows up their training and how they learn to come together and fight as a team. Well, you never spill everything out to folks, so they all have secrets they will not tell anyone else. Adding to this problem is Igor Neuhaus (Mr. Eye Patch). He is nursing a big time grudge and wants nothing more than to kill Rin, but will never explain his actions (don’t worry; this tales will give all answers to all questions, just when they feel like doing so).

I did like the show overall, but it got kind of tiresome when Rin had to take care of himself and did a total crap job of it. He was TOO angry all the time and, towards the end, when his demon powers are revealed, it seemed to be done more that external forces could come and try to take him over. Mephisto is another one of those worthless jerks in charge, as he is rather dilettante in dispensing his duties and you are never really certain if he is friend or foe. The closing arc for the show irked me, as it is basically some righteous religious figure who doesn’t know enough about what he’s doing, so he does it all wrong and really steps into it. I just find that kind of arrogance unnecessary, as, for me, it has become a trope or cliché.

But I would recommend you see it. It would also help explain the movie better, in how this world operates, but I would place it on your “B” List. You want to see it, but not immediately.

On a scale of 1 to 10:

Artwork 7 (Some odd design decisions)
Plot 8 (Good for a standard approach)
Pacing 7 (Moves along consistently, but can drag)
Effectiveness 7 (End arc didn’t balance well)
Conclusion 7 (It reaches a ‘coupler’, but doesn’t really end)
Fan Service 4 (A similar show would be “Gurren Lagann”)

Overall 7 (Got a bit too weepy for me)

And remember, it’s first run until you’ve seen it. What did you say?