BLUE EXORCIST Vol. 1
Writer/Artist: Kazue Kato
$9.99, Viz Media/Shonen Jump, 200 pgs.
ISBN 978-1421540320
Brothers Rin and Yukio Okumura are orphans. Raised in a boys’ home by the
stern but caring Father Fujimoto, the boys are polar opposites. The volatile
Rin is foul-tempered and quick to fight, while Yukio is studious and bookish, soon
to enter True Cross Academy in pursuit of his goal of becoming a doctor. Their
differences become even more pronounced with Rin learns that his mysterious
father is, in fact, Satan himself. Determined to make Satan pay for ruining his
life, Rin vows to use his newly-discovered demonic powers to become an
exorcist. He too enters the True Cross Academy, only to find that his
relationship with Yukio is about to get a lot more complicated…
If any of this sounds familiar, it ought to: BLUE EXORCIST is very
well-done, with a briskly paced script and some very slick art, but it’s quite
possibly the most derivative manga
I’ve ever read. That doesn’t mean the
series isn’t enjoyable. It is. As I
said, it’s a well-done manga. It’s just that it feels cobbled together from a
manga checklist. Teen protagonist with father issues? Check. Brother issues for
good measure? Check. Young hero must come to grips with unwanted power he
inherits on the cusp of adulthood, a power which might destroy him? Check.
Emotional volume turned up to eleven at all times? Supernatural overtones, many
of which are more than a little derivative of other franchises? A school
setting? Check, check, and check. If you’ve read three or four manga—or watched
an anime or two—odds are you’ve seen all of this before. There’s even a scene
in which Rin falls to his knees while yelling “Father!” Now that is classic!
Of course, just like fans of American superhero comics eagerly devour
the same basic storylines over and over again (as a lifelong fanboy, I say that
without judgment), fans of shonen manga respond well to the familiar, provided
it’s delivered with a high level of craftsmanship. For fans of certain genres,
familiar tropes enrich the experience. At best, the familiarity acts as
thematic shorthand enabling the reader to feel as if they instantly understand
the setting and relate to the characters. At worst…well, who doesn’t love a
paint-by-numbers popcorn movie? Bottom line is, every critic goes on about BLUE
EXORCIST’s copycat nature, but they all like it. Including me.
TIPS FOR LIBRARIANS: This series has only been published in English
since 2011, so there are no money-saving combined editions; you’re stuck buying
the individual tankÅbon. Eleven volumes have been released to the U.S. market
thus far, with a twelfth dropping in November. Also, if you’re unfamiliar with
manga demography, stop by the
“Resources for Librarians” page of this website
and download my Graphic Novel Collection Development guide; it’s all explained
in there.
READERS’ ADVISORY NOTES: This series is marketed under the Shonen Jump
Advanced label, meaning that it courts a slightly older audience than the
average shonen manga. It’s not an adult title; it’s no seinen manga by any
stretch of the imagination. The content is comparable to a PG-13 film, and audiences
who’ve enjoyed series such as Fullmetal
Alchemist, Bleach, and even the Harry
Potter franchise (trust me, there's more than a passing thematic similarity) will probably enjoy this one. Writer/artist Kazue Kato is a
woman, too, a fact that will interest many readers looking for female voices in
comics.
CONTENT ADVISORY: Mild adult language, stylized supernatural
action/violence
Review © 2014, C. Michael Hall.
