Blue Exorcist

Genre: Action
Age Appropriate: Pre-teens
Emotional Response: excited, surprised, entranced
Notable Features: demons, exorcists, high school
Language: Japanese
Length: 2 seasons, 25 episodes
Overall Recommendation: FTW

"Time, Stop! Thou art so beautiful" - Mephisto/Faust

Rin and Yukio are a set of 15-year-old twins who've been raised in a monestary by Shiro Fujimito, as his sons. While they know that he's not they're actual father, he is still their Dad. Rin is the troublemaker of the two, always getting into fights and refusing to grow up. Yukio is serious and wants to become a doctor, so he's more driven. He's gotten himself a scholarship to go to True Cross Academy - an elite school campus in their area. It is both a school for regular (read: rich) kids, and new exorcists-to-be.

Rin and Yukio are also the sons of Satan, who impregnanted their mother during a terrible event. This is how their father found them. At first, Rin seems to be a normal bumming high school-age student, but it turns out that he's been hiding his demon powers - until being accosted by a gang of teens including a demon, sets his powers free. His father saves him and drags him back to their monestary and gives him a brief talking to while they run from the little demons heading from them. During the attack, Shiro gives Rin a demon sword with instructions to never use it, and then locks him in an underground room to fight off the demons with the other priests. When Rin finally releases himself the battle seems over, until he gets upset at his father, says terrible things, and earns a slap in the process. That one action opens Shiro up to Satan's possession and thus is the beginning of the series story.

All of these events, lead Rin to join the Exorcist Cram School. It will include regular classes and cram school classes with hopes of educating all of the students to be exorcists fighting the evil demons that escape into Earth. There is no greater shock than to look up and for Rin to see that Rin's twin brother, Yukio, is his new teacher! Not only that, but Yukio is a full intermediate level exorcist whom Shiro had been training since age 7. With this new revelation, and the other students being annoyed with his presence, Rin's first days in class are difficult. His relationships with his classmates, his brother, and other characters as they enter the scene all lead up to the grand finale.

-----

I loved it! I didn't think I would. I'd been putting it off for awhile, because I wasn't too impressed by the synopsis where I found it to watch. After surfing around the internet for ideas, I decided it was time to watch it, anyway. I'm so glad that I did. I think that it's sometimes harder to get myself to watch anime in Japanese, because sometimes I'm too lazy to think about subtitles. If a series is new enough, Japanese may be the only option - or the easiest to find.

Anyway, I watched almost the entire two seasons in one day. I've figured out how to watch some of the Japanese series that I watch via the Xbox, which means I can enjoy them on the couch rather then on my iPad and it's has been awesome. Blue Exorcist just possessed me (haha), and I couldn't watch only one episode. It is highly likely that I will watch it again. After a little bit of time, and a lot more anime, I may consider promoting it up to Top 5 status. Per the usual note: No nudity, or swearing, some blood but not enough to make me cringe, so I think a mature pre-teen could handle it. Did I mention that I loved it? It was very exciting, and funny, and woooooooooo! Go Get Satan! Raaar! Also, I would like a familiar like Rin's.

-----

Surprise!: Kamisama Kiss

Canaan

Genre: Action
Age Appropriate: Adult
Emotional Response: Confused, impatient, and painful (emotionally)
Notable Features: rampant super virus, bioterrorism, cover-ups, genetically altered superhumans
Language: English
Length: 13 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Good

Canaan is a girl whose village was burned to the ground during Middle East conflict. Finding her under some rubble, Canaan is rescued by a military man, who trains her in combat abilities as a child. She has synesthesia and uses it to pinpoint enemy targets.  Her enemy is an organization named Snake, and it is now run by Alphard, with Ua virus survivors, or borners, under her control. The plot focuses on the battle between Canaan and Alphard in Shanghai, the location of their current operations. The underlying plot includes a complicated past between Canaan and Alphard.

While Canaan is the main protagonist of the series, each episode focuses a significant part of the story on her friend, Maria. As some point in her past, Maria was infected with the the Ua virus, but doesn't remember what happened. She does remember befriending Canaan at some point, and teaching her Cat's Cradle - an underlying activity that brings them together. Canaan, though a bit detached, seems her most "normal" when she's with Maria, clearly making the effort for Maria's sake. She holds their friendship precious and often has to save her from situations perpetuated by Snake. Maria is wanted both for her status regarding the Ua virus, and as bait for Canaan. A good portion of those situations are a result of her desire to be a photographer, and the relationship she has with her partner, Minoru, a journalist interested in the happenings of the Shibuya incident and the cover-up including gathering information about the strange mark that appears on those who've been exposed to the virus.

-----

Canaan was a surprise for me. It was mixed, though. When I first read the description, I thought I would like it more. When I started the series, I thought I was wrong. It's slow. The problem is committing to watching the whole thing, but in the end I found it to be worth it. It isn't really my typical genre, but it was a good change. In my efforts to be more inclusive with this blog, I've challenged myself to watching anime that I normally wouldn't. I'm glad that I did in this instance. Unfortunately, the slowness of the series doesn't let up. I struggled to finish it on time, and I had an extra day to get it in. It is definitely one of those series where you really should keep it to one episode per week.

It's complicated, and messed up. If you can get past the beginning parts, and get into it, you'll eventually hit the deep emotionality. You just have to be willing to sit it through. The messed up parts, including one messed up, insane sister, I found a bit tough. It's emotionally painful, and I suppose that makes it a success. Also, there is no comedic relief past the first episode or two. The end takes a little bit away from having to sit through it. This series isn't that messed, but it's rough enough that I would definitely not recommended it for anyone younger than an adult. It's a guy anime, with the violence and military leanings that remind me of certain video games, but good. I won't watch it again, but I would seriously recommend it to someone I thought would appreciate the genre/subject matter.

-----

For your viewing pleasure: Uraboku