Ao no Exorcist: Kyoto Fujouou-hen – 08

If these are fire “salamanders” then I don’t want to see what dragons look like

…I feel bad posting this almost right after my episode 7 post, but I guess them’s the breaks.

I was expecting a bit more razzle dazzle out of this episode, but I’m starting to like the idea of the big boss not being an overly evil baddy but just a big blob of spores. The Impure King isn’t so much a demon as it is a piece of moldy bread that got unruly. It simply expandsand kills people in the process, because that’s how it survives. I originally found this quite boring, because they’re basically  poking a giant fungus with hot sticks until it dies (and it’s not working very well either). It has no personality, no thoughts, and no ambitions. It just…gets bigger.

The Impure King started to grow on me when it took on the form of a castle (because why not) and then became so incredibly huge that it was hard to fathom trying to fight this thing at all. Isn’t that the most terrifying thing to fight in a way? A creature with no feelings or regard for the damage it inflicts on mankind – one that just silently grows and grows until there’s no room left. It’s hard to wrap your head around such a thing because it seems so unfair, so impossible to be reasoned with. It’s like a force of nature. The vastness of it all is also rather impressive. It takes up a good chunk of the mountain right now, and it doesn’t look like it’s about to stop yet. It genuinely creeps me out…a lot moreso than Todo!

But Todo adds that razzle dazzle I was talking about. They couldn’t just have the monks wave their staves at what looks like blobs on uncooked dough all day. They needed a nefarious villain with ulterior motives and all that to keep things I N T E N S E.  I like that he’s just a regular human who has dove headfirst into a pit of unrelenting evil, trying to prey on the weaknesses of others. He seems to be doing a number on Yukio, and it’s exciting to see whether or not he’ll take the bait.

I mean, I doubt Yukio would ever actually turn on Rin (it’d be a little too dark if he did), but it’s still a fun notion to toy with. Because it’s plausible. We heard Rin’s side of the story, and now it’s time to see what Yukio had to go through. Rin had no idea that Yukio was working his fingers to the bone while he was drooling away in his bed, unaware of his origins. I don’t blame Yukio for harboring some animosity deep down inside for his brother who was so pampered in comparison. The favourite child. Todo also brings up another interesting accusation, one that makes Yukio out to be a tool whose only purpose is to mechanically follow the path Shiro set him on. With such harsh parenting, it’s easy for Todo to twist the context around and make it seem like the only reason Shiro bothered to train him was so he could be a convenient bodyguard. But we know Shiro, and he’s not the type to be verbal about his true intentions (which are almost always sweet and mushy). I just hope Yukio realizes this…but not after a bit of torture. It’s fun watching him put on the ropes for once!

All I have to say about Bon and Tatsuma is “yay, they made up, and now Bon has red flames while Rin has blue ones!”. Just thought I’d get that out of the way so I can relay my thoughts on the most unintentionally funny scene of the episode. Let me leave you with my personal interpretation of the Vajra summoning scene to close the post.

Vajra: Who has summoned me, the great Vajra, destroyer of worlds?
Monk: We have, please help us!
Vajra: The cost for my all-consuming flames is the blood of 10,000 men. Then, you will be able to vanquish any foe who dares to face you.
Monk: Uh, we got like 5?
Vajra: SHINY STICKS WITH FIRE IT IS THEN

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.