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PT KONTAK PERKASA - Our cover story in the latest issue of Anime USA is none other than Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga,
which recently wrapped its 12-episode return to directly adapting Kazue
Kato's manga. At the time the article was written the series wasn't
quite finished yet, but now that the dust has settled we can look back
fondly at the Okumura brothers' triumphant return to television.
For those looking to get an experience as close to the
manga as possible, I can't imagine a more ideal scenario than quitting
the first series around episode 17 and picking Kyoto Saga up
immediately after. It's not that the original anime had a disappointing
conclusion, it's just such a far cry from what we've seen in this
followup, and at this point it can be a little confusing. Rather than
building to a critical, world-threatening climax, Kyoto Saga sticks to its guns, focusing on characters while leading us toward a final battle with a more immediate area of effect.
The battle in question comes when both eyes of the Impure
King have been returned, allowing the monstrous creature a complete
rampaging resurrection. I won't get too into that because it results in a
few action-packed episodes that are worth experiencing with fresh eyes.
On the way to this showdown we're treated to equal measures of
betrayal, important backstory revelations—particularly the one
concerning a younger Father Fujimoto—and a series of natural character
turns as each principal cast member must find their own way to accept
the truth about Rin.
The sharp focus on the strained relationship between the students of True Cross Academy remains the highlight of Kyoto Saga.
It's not just the strong resentment and distrust between characters
like Ryuji "Bon" Suguro and Rin; there are other interpersonal
relationships going through their own unique struggles, as well. Izumo
and Shiemi have their own little arc to work through, and then there's
Yukio. Rin's brother might just be the most troubled of the bunch in
this season, and we can see shades of what ended up happening to him
after the first series started veering further away from where the manga
was at the time.
With that in mind, I've only read a bit of the manga
myself. I can only go off the confirmation of more experienced fans and
take them at their word that Kyoto Saga adheres to the source material. I don't know what, if any, future adaptation plans may be in store for Blue Exorcist,
but I would love to see more of this one-condensed-arc-at-a-time
approach in the future. A-1 Pictures did a fantastic job putting this
together, and the direction by Koichi Hatsumi is a nice fit that doesn't
stray too far from the style Tensai Okamura and his staff established
back in 2011.
The final note of Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga is a
hopeful one. There are obviously more story threads to unravel moving
forward, but it works perfectly fine as a standalone saga.
Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga is currently available to stream on Crunchyroll and Daisuki.
Source : otakuusamagazine.com