After six long years, the follow up to 2011’s Blue Exorcist is finally here.
Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga (“Kyoto Saga”) is the sequel series to the popular shōnen anime title. Originally released in 2017, the title is now available on DVD and Blu-ray in two parts.
Despite the six year gap between seasons, Kyoto Saga continues the story of Rin Okumura and his classmates at the True Cross Academy. After learning that Rin and his brother, Yukio, are the sons of Satan, all hell breaks loose. The young exorcists in training must put aside their differences to overcome a new threat and save the world from another powerful demon.
The narrative is strong and flows on naturally from the first season. Kyoto Saga builds on from the main narrative arc but also manages to develop the environment and characters around the Okumura twins.
This season focuses a lot more on the ancillary characters, allowing us to get to know these characters better. Not only that, but this second season also sees Rin learning more about his powers.
After six years, one would expect that a second season would ‘feel’ different. However, Kyoto Saga manages to maintain the same sense of action and supernatural themes set out in the first season. This made watching the series all the more engaging and left me wanting so much more.
Visually, the anime managed to remain true to the shōnen genre, with brilliant effects bringing to life the epic fight scenes. Couple that with a fantastic soundtrack, and the anime series kept me on the edge of my seat.
It’s a real shame that there currently isn’t a third season to continue the narrative. Hopefully it won’t take another six years to produce. Nevertheless, Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga was an entertaining watch.
