Whatever else you might care to say about A-1 Pictures’ anime-original ending for this season, let this be clear – they’re definitely going big. While it was not without flaws, I liked this episode an awful lot. Pacing was still too fast, though it was definitely improved over last […] Read more

There’s a definite sense of irony to what’s happening on Ao no Exorcist as we enter the final stretch.  After all the debate about anime-original material, it looks as if the series would have been better off diverting from the manga sooner. I base that on the premise that the […] Read more

Take a good studio, add a good director, throw in some good characters and an ongoing manga and what do you get?  From the looks of things, the potential for a very good anime-original ending that just might satisfy some very nervous fans. I really have nothing but good things […] Read more

A-1 steps up to the plate with some outstanding anime-original material in episode 20 of Ao no Exorcist.  Rock-solid in all aspects, for my money this was the best effort the series has offered in the last month. I’m assuming this was anime-original anyway – I’m sure someone will correct […] Read more

Whatever you thought of the entertainment value of this episode of AoEx, there’s no denying that it was slight. Given that and the fact that it was anime-original, I’m sure there won’t be a lot of excitement in the ranks of the manga readers this week. I enjoyed the episode […] Read more

I can hardly wait to see the response on this one.  An almost purely anime-original episode – and based on the preview another one next week, and a slice-of-lifer about Shima to boot – will surely set the masses to grumbling.  Yet this was a really good effort, I thought, […] Read more

I’ll confess a certain reluctance at wading into the debate over the direction this series is taking, but I guess that’s sort of the point of being an anime blogger, isn’t it? I think this episode did a pretty good job encapsulating all the challenges the produces of AoEx are […] Read more

This appears to be a critical time for AoEx. The series is doing very well in terms of ratings and BD/DVD sales, and the manga is selling well in the US. Yet the manga is nowhere near far enough along to support a second season of the anime. So which […] Read more

Playtime’s over, looks like. Last week wasn’t just another school adventure of the week, as it turns out – it was actually setting up the chain of events that would seismically shift the ground underneath Ao no Exorcist for good. And can anyone be surprised that it was Mephistopheles that […] Read more

After an extremely emotional and intense episode, Ao no Exorcist returns to a more typically laid back style this week. That’s not to say there weren’t important developments or action – just a more relaxed pace. It’s summer, and since we’ve already had a beach episode what could be more […] Read more