Danica Davidson
May 13, 2011 
Rin is a problem child. He’s also the son of Satan, which could explain that, but he doesn’t know his family relations yet. Rin and his younger twin brother Yukio are being raised by Father Fujimoto, who is an exorcist as well as a priest. While the father has a sense of humor, he’ll also get on Rin’s case and tell him to make something of himself.
So Rin goes out for a job interview because he has to. While walking, he starts noticing bugs everywhere, and this one boy he doesn’t like now sports a horn and a tail. Come to find out, those “bugs” are actually demons and the boy sprouted a horn and tail because he’s possessed. Father Fujimoto comes to the rescue, realizing that now Rin can see the demons everywhere.
That means it’s time to tell the truth. Father Fujimoto announces that Rin is literally the son of the devil and he is in grave danger. He has to run away. Father Fujimoto gives Rin a phone to call a friend, and a sword he must never unsheathe. (He does anyway.)
Rin doesn’t want to believe any of this. Besides, shouldn’t this mean his twin brother is also the son of the devil? Well, it turns out it doesn’t matter because all the evil powers went into Rin, not Yukio. When Satan himself then possesses Father Fujimoto, Rin has to realize this is all frighteningly real.
Satan wants to use his son for his evil plans, but Rin has another idea: He decides to become an exorcist and fight against the darkness. He’s able to locate Father Fujimoto’s friend, Mephisto Pheles (ha ha, get it?) to help him on his new path. (Mephisto Pheles also goes by the name Faust—ha ha, again!)
Blue Exorcist has some creepy images, as one would expect. I know a few people who would be bothered by them, and by the premise itself, but it’s really not that bad. The mangaka could have made it much more disturbing. The fact that Rin is evil but wants to be good is a cool aspect of the story, because it gives it an extra twist and some depth. He can’t help who he is, but he does have some control over who he’ll become. That gives him a chance at redemption and keeps the story moving. And am I the only one amused by the Faustian references?
Publisher: VIZ Media
Story & Art: Kazue Kato
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