Ao no Exorcist: Kyoto Fujouou-hen – 10
[rakugo voice] see? your flame is about to go out…
Don’t do shrooms, kids. Just fight giant, demonic ones at night on top of a mountain.
The previous episode was so good it might have well been the penultimate offering for this entire arc. I wasn’t sure if they’d be able to maintain this level of intensity for longer, but it looks like we’re getting at least 3 balls to the walls episodes of insanity! THREE! Colour me impressed, because it takes a lot of content to fill up that much air time with plot twists, drama, and huge “final boss fights.” This episode splits between the face-off of two different villains, and both are very distinct in what kind of shounen action experience they provide.
Todo is the mastermind behind all this, so he’s there for all the smirks and smarmy remarks necessary to give you someone to really hate. It’s particularly satisfying to see him interact with Yukio, who is dangerously close to following the same path. All he needs is the right push. Thankfully, Todo’s words weren’t enough to push him over the edge. The side of him that hates Rin still exists though, waiting to potentially tip the scale.
Sibling rivalry aside, Todo finds a new fascination in Yukio when he witnesses his awakening to previously hidden (or emotionally suppressed) demonic powers. The rest of the Myoda clan doesn’t seem to notice, so only Todo knows this secret. I’m actually hoping Todo survives in any way he can, as a puddle of mud if he has to, just so he can reappear at the right moment to mess with Yukio again. Now that he has such a juicy secret, it would be perfect for him to try and use that to his advantage. With all the stigma Rin faces for being the son of Satan, things would be horrible if anyone found out Yukio has similar powers…which he likely has no control over yet. It’s a disaster waiting to happen, and it makes me excited for the future arcs. Secrets don’t remain secrets for very long in shows like this, after all.
Anyways, going back to Todo, I liked that his fight was half martial arts, half elemental trickery. The latter added some nice strategy into the mix (something I could never expect from Rin, as all his fights just involve frantic sword slashing and screaming). It was a nice change of pace from watching everyone flail sticks around and slowly get covered by a mass of spores…who aren’t as good at witty banter or being cocky.
Love the red and blue flames against the dull background for this fight
The second villain of this arc is the titular Impure King…who winds up actually being a giant monster, like I expected in the beginning. I kind of liked the idea of the final boss just being this nigh unstoppable force of nature: an ever-growing fungus without a lick of inner reflection. It was a spooky concept to wrap my head around. This ruins that, but at least it provides some nice drama, and a very different type of action from the previous fight. The scale of this fight is much larger, and the zoomed out camera shots do an excellent job at showing just how dwarfed Rin and Bon look in comparison to this huge beast.
The furry tail is OUT! (also the sword but whatever)
It’s a nearly impossible mission, but they seem to be managing. Rin finally drew the sword after Bon declared his undying love (yeah, pretty sure that’s how it went). The pure power of bromance allowed Rin to set the entire Impure King on fire, which seemed almost like a OHKO. …But it’s not over yet. I feel like we’re being spoiled with all these lengthy fights, it’s so great!
We still have to resolve two big fights with these aforementioned villains. One is a quick little devil with a sharp wit and the other is a slow-moving goliath. The fight rages on! (Let’s not forget that Kamiki is still writhing around covered in spores here too so that’s yet another fight that needs to be won)
Attack on Titan s2 so soon?
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: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Best show of the season and the reason to show why “shounen” is one of anime’s ruling genres.
Todo just baits you with every reason to loathe him and you just can’t help but take the bait. His overconfidence and ego are the real prickly parts. I couldn’t see what Yukio had in mind while his plan was unfolding but the results were nice… for the moment. How Todo managed to still have the upper hand is baffling. In light of his body getting reduced to clay, he shouldn’t have been able to move, let alone attack people with melted limbs. Rather odd that up to now, Rin hasn’t met him. Maybe he’s made to solely be Yukio’s problem.
So the Impure King (emphasis on “King” if you notice the protrusions on its head look like the form of a crown and spores around the neck that give the impression of medieval frills) had one more trick up its sleeve. A curious thing to take into account that not only does it have another form, you still have to keep in mind that everything white surrounding Rin and Bon is part of its being which gives an intimidating and despair-inducing atmosphere. My theory is it grows the more it’s exposed to nature (Air and nutrients from the ground to create spores). Like a mushroom as we mentioned in previous posts.
Rin simply got the essential incentive that every lead needs: the threat of a friend dying in front of them on their watch.
Among all these matters, I hope someone takes a shot at Mephisto for taking it easy while everyone else is risking their necks.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
So good!
I thought they were done with Todo as soon as he was clay as well (I figured sealing his limbs would be the biggest hassle), but whoa…not dead yet! Now that you mention it, Rin only met him briefly in episode 1, and they didn’t even talk. I think he’s mainly supposed to be an enemy/temptation for Yukio too.
That’s what makes the Impure King so beastly…he’s not just a giant monster, but he made his own castle that’s slowly covering everything in spores too. Double the fun!
Mephisto just casually watching over everything and not doing a thing is always great. I wonder if he’ll ever join a fight as the endboss or just keep enjoying the show.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
I’m guessing you’re pretty eager to get back in the blogging seat for that one.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
I might actually pass that one off and just go for Eccentric Family/Uchouten Kazoku as the only show I blog since life is getting hectic. You can bet I’ll be watching though!
POWUH: Meta Resident and Metanorn's Hime-chan~ with 1758 comments
Even before this aired I knew I would love it, because bias and all that stuff, but I am honestly surprised at how well paced and written this seems to me. At least there are no apparent issues I can pinpoint right now and say “damn, if only they didn’t do this..”
At this point, though, I just wish that there will be more of the anime 😀
Also, long time no see 😀 I’m still lurking here ^^/
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Well, here’s someone familiar. Long time, no see, Namika. Hope to see you around frequently for the Spring season.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
I second BB, it’s great to see you back!!!
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
High five!!
POWUH: Meta Resident and Metanorn's Hime-chan~ with 1758 comments
Hehe ^^ Well, I certainly hope so! I’ll admit, since I started gaming I have watched considerably less anime than before. Also add my increasing snobbishness and there u go 😀
So far there are only a couple of shows I am going to watch for sure, one of them is Glory(at least I think that’s what it’s called in english) and the other one should be fairly obvious xD AoT is prolly the only staple in everyone’s watchlist this season 😀
Looking forward to discussions and speculations~
Someone will cover AoT, right? >.>
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
That kind of situation is understandable. Recently I received the remaining two of 7 PS4 games I ordered through Amazon and since I began playing, the time I usually give for watching anime has taken a considerable blow. But as I have very few shows listed this Winter 2017 season, it’s not that big of a deal but will pose a problem with Spring 2017 right around the corner.
That’s up in the air. Though she blogged the first season, Overcooled is considering passing on reprising her spot for the second season and covering at least one other series (Uchouten Kazoku S2) after confessing life is becoming hectic.
POWUH: Meta Resident and Metanorn's Hime-chan~ with 1758 comments
Gaming is evil. Especially online gaming 😀
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
I feel you, gaming (…and school) have taken up a lot more of my time now too.
Yeah, Attack on Titan is one of those shows that most people are really excited for. I can assure you that at least one of the other writers will blog it! Don’t worry!
POWUH: Meta Resident and Metanorn's Hime-chan~ with 1758 comments
Thats good to hear :> its nice to have a place where u can ramble 😀
Well, I would say that quality is definitely more important than quantity, and if u don’t have a lot of free time the quality of the things you want to watch increases. At least that happened for me. Since there is a limited amount of time I can spend watching anime I try to pick and choose the ones I will like for sure.