Blue Exorcist: Volume 12 manga review

Manga
Blue Exorcist: Volume 12 manga review
By Leroy Douresseaux
November 19, 2014 - 21:23

Viz Media
Writer(s): Kazue Kato, John Werry
Penciller(s): Kazue Kato
Letterer(s): John Hunt, PrimaryGraphix
ISBN: 978-1-4215-7536-0
$9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 U.K., 204pp B&W, paperback
Rating: T+ (Teen Plus)

Blue Exorcist Volume 12 cover image is courtesy of barnesandnoble.com.

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Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”

Rin Okumura has an argument with Father Fujimoto, the famous exorcist who is his foster father. The disagreement reveals that the Demon Lord Satan is Rin’s father. Even after Satan suddenly appears and tries to drag him to hell, Rin is still determined to reject his demonic blood line. He enrolls at True Cross Academy Private High School, in order to train to become an exorcist. Rin’s twin brother, Yukio Okumura, already an exorcist, will be his instructor.

Blue Exorcist, Vol. 12 (Chapters 48 to 52) opens as the True Cross Academy Festival reaches it peak. The “Tamer,” Izumo Kamiki, seeks out fellow student Nemu Takara, a puppet master who can summon and control dolls. However, Izumo's confrontation with Nemu reveals a plot by the Illuminati, an old order that recently has been connected to incidents involving demons.

Now, Yukio Okumura leads a team of Exwires: Rin (his brother), the aforementioned Nemu, Konkomaru Miwa, Ryuji Suguro, and Shiemi Moriyama. They travel to Inari (in Shimane Prefecture), Izumo's home town. Now, they will also learn the dark history of Izumo and her mother.

THE LOWDOWN: At times, the Blue Exorcist manga has been a comic fantasy about a teen boy with a cursed origin, trying to find redemption or justification for his existence. At other times, Blue Exorcist has also been about a conspiracy at a school of the supernatural (with only a passing resemblance to the Harry Potter series).

Blue Exorcist Volume 12 moves deeper into a new story arc involving a big conspiracy. It promises to be some of Blue Exorcist creator Kazue Kato's best work. All these students and their family tragedies remind me a little of Naruto, which is to say that Blue Exorcist is a very good read and a fantastic series to follow.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE: Readers who like the heady brew of shonen action-comedy and fantasy will want to try the Shonen Jump Advanced title, Blue Exorcist.

Rating: A/10