Ao no Exorcist: Kyoto Fujouou-hen – 03
Hey, come on over and sit with the cool kids!
The drama continues! Something I really like about watching the second season of something is that there’s less time setting up and more time getting into the thick of some sticky situations. Thick n sticky, that’s the way I like-ok nevermind, things are getting R-rated way too quickly.
The past two episodes have taken place pretty much entirely in a small inn. All the characters are staying in close quarters and basically being forced to interact with each other, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. It’s great that even though it’s all basically “people yapping at an inn” that the show remains interesting. After all these years, I’m still emotionally invested in these characters, and I want them to overcome their demons (accidental pun, sorry).
So let’s go down the list, shall we?
When he masters this, he’ll be the king of setting romantic mood lighting
Rin: You can imagine how being outed as the SPAWN OF SATAAAN would be bad for your public image, no matter how much of a nice person you are. Rin knows this all too well, but he’s not just sitting around and moping. He takes the time to understand why his friends are afraid of him, even though it’s painful to address these criticisms, and then does his best to improve. Instead of turning a blind eye to his weaknesses, he’s tackling them head on.
“Why are you so scared of me?” “YOU’RE LITERALLY ON FIRE RIGHT NOW” “Hmm, fair enough”
Konekomaru: This dude is absolutely horrified at the concept of even eating breakfast with Rin. It’s actually a little heart-breaking to see him be so blatantly hurtful to Rin, who’s just doing his best. But at the same time, the show makes it clear why Konekomaru is like this so that we can understand his side of the story. He (grudgingly) recognizes that Rin is a good guy, yet he’s still repelled by the fact that the very same blue flames Rin possesses killed the rest of his family. It’s not a black and white issue though. Konekomaru doesn’t hate Rin completely. In fact, it looks like he’s finding it increasingly hard to avoid him now that Rin’s been so nice (and Shima getting chummy with him probably made it even harder). Baldy has a ways to go before he works out his uneasiness towards Rin, but he’s at least doing better than Bon, who’s off in his own world completely.
Bon: Oh gee, where to even begin? First he can’t even find his dad to talk to and now his dad is being accused of trying to tamper with the Eye! He takes the whole thing surprisingly well though. It seems like he’s lost all faith in his own father, as he suspects him along with the rest of the group. Until he gets to actually talk to the guy though, there’s not much that can be done. I hope he shows up soon, and not just to Rin.
As for the true culprit, it’s hard to tell with all the finger pointing going on. I thought I might be able to guess, but I’m not too sure. I don’t think Tatsuma is actually the culprit here, because it’s never the guy they suspect first. If I were to pick anyone, it’s the stoic bald guy with a snake tattooed on his cranium. The snake sister Mamushi also seems a bit suspicious, but in a way where she’s so suspicious that she can’t possibly be the culprit. Non-manga readers, I’ll be curious to see who you think actually tried to steal it. I know there aren’t very many hints right now, but that just means it’s anybody’s guess!
Shiemi: This girl has been hiding (more like puttering about) in the shadows for the past couple of episodes, trying to avoid Rin. She seems to actually want to talk to him, but her body freezes up whenever she sees him. I guess it’s a tad awkward to wave casually to someone who you called a dirty liar demon so recently. But unlike the three monks, she doesn’t need as much convincing. She knows Rin meant well and would never intentionally hurt anyone. Her self-esteem is just so low that she can’t manage to muster up the strength to talk to him yet. However, her low self-esteem got a bit of a boost from Kamiki this week after Shiemi pours her heart out.
Shiemi complains about being useless, which seems oddly timed because of the break between season 1 and 2. I think Shiemi is referring more to her uselessness in the battle with Amaimon in episode 16 – not how she spilled a little tea on Kamiki and took too long to pick flowers. If we forget this, it makes her outburst seem extremely dramatic and uncalled for. I say this because I, of course, went ahead and forgot this and was rolling my eyes like crazy at her. But no, she’s not worried about her tea pouring abilities to the point of tears, she wants to protect those close to her. It’s a life or death issue. With just a few words from Kamiki, she cheers up instantly. It’s still a bit of a sudden detour, but I think it will be an important stepping stone on her path to eventually talk to Rin again. And then Kamiki will have competition for his heart again too…
Bonus Shura pretending to be Santa with her sack of presents
About Overcooled
A neuroscience graduate, black belt, and all-around nerd. You'll either find me in my lab or curled up in my rilakkuma kigurumi watching anime.
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
Something I really like about watching the second season of something is that there’s less time setting up and more time getting into the thick of some sticky situations.
Well, there is enough manga material for them to get into things. Plus I think S2’s only 1 cour, so no time to lounge around with setup.
PS. Overcooled used to be S, but time is slowly making her an M.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Yes. The Ao no Exorcist: Kyoto Fujouou-hen MAL page confirms it’s a single cour series.
PS: So she implies, there’s no reason she can’t be both.
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
True, but what if she forgets and becomes a full-on M?
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
You’ve got me there. I’m completely stumped.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
and you’ll never know the truth either!
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Things are getting R-rated? Hah! It sounds like it’s gone way past that. 😉
Though not much happened, this episode went by quicker than the previous ones in my opinion.
Where Rin’s training is concerned, my theory is he’s messing up because he’s forcing it. Overexerting himself, putting too much power for targets as small as those candles whereas he should be pacing himself using small, calculated bursts. Easy to see the difference. Rin got it right the moment he was about to take a break to cool his head off but whenever the session’s back on, he overdoes it.
The whole investigation bit is a depressing reminder to just how ugly humans in nature can be. So many years of positivity among the members, so much needed to build trust and the moment a single situation arises, it all unravels and burns away like it was nothing solid to begin with and everyone’s suspecting and distrusting one another. It really highlights a quote from Heath Ledger’s Joker from The Dark Knight: “When the chips are down, these… uh… these “civilized people… They’ll eat each other”.
A bit premature but I’m ruling Mamushi out. To me, she’s the type that craves recognition, especially from her elders and clearly has a lust for advancement. So being a traitor would surely jeopardize that path. She approached the eye to safeguard it despite ignoring orders for the sake of proving her worth.
That picture of Shura on the roof. *wolf whistle* She’s looking real good for someone pushing on 27 years of age.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
I think so too. He’s too desperate, so forcing it isn’t gonna work. He only succeeds when he stops overthinking it (and he doesn’t even see his positive results haha)
They seem like they used to be a tightly knit group, so it is pretty sad to see them turn on each other like this. The suspicions are tearing them apart.
Yeah, Mamushi genuinely seems like she’s so crazily dedicated that she really did all that to protect the eye and nothing more.
Hey, stop that, I’m almost her age! You’re making me feel old!