Blue Exorcist (Ao no ekusoshisuto) Complete Series (Blu-ray) (2011) |
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Blue Exorcist (Ao no ekusoshisuto) Complete Series (Blu-ray) (2011) |
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| BUY IT |
| General | Extras | ||
| Category | Anime |
Bonus Episode-Kuro Runs Away From Home (24:00) More…-Testless Opening x 2 More…-Testless Ending x 2 Trailer-Trailers & TV Spots x 8 More…-Web Previews Additional Footage-Ura-Eku - extra anime sections on each disc |
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| Rating |
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| Year Of Production | 2011 | ||
| Running Time | 629:33 (Case: 625) | ||
| RSDL / Flipper |
Dual Layered Multi Disc Set (6) |
Cast & Crew | |
| Start Up | Menu | ||
| Region Coding | 2,4 | Directed By | Tensai Okamura |
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Studio
Distributor |
 Madman Entertainment |
Starring |
Nobuhiko Okamoto / Bryce Papenbrook Jun Fukuyama / Johnny Yong Bosch Kana Hanazawa / Christine Marie Cabanos Hiroshi Kamiya / Sam Regal Keiji Fujiwara / Kirk Thornton Kazuya Nakai / Kyle Herbert Koji Yusa / Brian Beacock Yuki Kaji / Miki Moran Eri Kitamura / Kira Buckland Rina Sato / Wendee Lee Tetsuya Kakihara / Darrel Guilbeau |
| Case | ? | ||
| RPI | ? | Music | Hiroyuki Sawano |
| Video | Audio | ||
| Pan & Scan/Full Frame | None |
English Linear PCM 48/16 2.0  Japanese Linear PCM 48/16 2.0
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| Widescreen Aspect Ratio | 1.78:1 | ||
| 16x9 Enhancement |
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| Video Format | 1080p | ||
| Original Aspect Ratio | 1.78:1 | Miscellaneous | |
| Jacket Pictures | No | ||
| Subtitles | English | Smoking | No |
| Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
| Action In or After Credits | No | ||
Assiah, the world of humans, and Gehenna, the realm of demons controlled by Satan, exist in parallel universes and should never intersect. But now all the material substances in Gehenna have been consumed and demons are intruding into Assiah where only those humans with the power to exorcise demons, the Exorcists, can fight them.
Rin Okumura (voiced by Nobuhiko Okamoto / Bryce Papenbrook) and Yukio (Jun Fukuyama / Johnny Yong Bosch) are 15 year old twin brothers raised as foster children by Shiro Fujimoto (Keiji Fujiwara / Kirk Thornton), a Catholic Priest and powerful Exorcist. Yukio is the studious and clever twin who has been accepted as a student into the prestigious True Cross Academy, Rin, who is slightly the elder, is the more aggressive twin who is always in trouble. But both twins have a secret past: their biological father is in fact Satan and Rin has inherited some of his powers, breaking out into blue flames when angry. Yukio, apparently, has not inherited the same powers so as the boundary between Assiah and Gehenna becomes ever more porous, Satan comes to take Rin back home. Shiro dies protecting Rin, but not before giving Rin a sword which awakes his demon powers. Rin escapes, but he is deemed a risk to Assiah by the Vatican’s Knights of the True Cross led by Mephisto Pheles (Hiroshi Kamiya / Sam Regal), who does a neat trick of shape-shifting into a dog. Rin is set for execution but persuades Mephisto that he wants to become an Exorcist and defeat Satan. Mephisto is also the director of the True Cross Academy so Rin becomes a student alongside Yukio, taking lessons while studying to become an Exorcist.
While at the Academy Rin and Yukio meet the shy young girl Shiemi and interact with some of the other students including the equally aggressive rival to Rin, Ryuji Suguro (Kazuya Nakai / Kyle Herbert), the more balanced Renzo Shima (Koji Yusa / Brian Beacock), the smaller Konekomaru Miwa (Yuki Kaji / Miki Moran) and the lonely and hostile Izumo Kamiki (Eri Kitamura / Kira Buckland). At the school, the existence of the students switches between the normal concerns of high school students, homework, passing exams, belonging and friendships to studying to become Exorcists while occasionally fighting demons of different levels, although it is clear that not all demons are evil. But Satan has other sons and there are more powerful demons in important positions in Assiah than anyone realises who want to test the extent of Rin’s powers. As season 1 ends, Rin and his friends are still at school and a new, powerful Exorcist from the Knights of the True Cross, Shura Kirigakure (Rina Sato / Wendee Lee), is added to the mix to test Rin.
As the second season starts, Rin starts to realise the extent of his powers when he is challenged by the high level demon Amaimon (Tetsuya Kakihara / Darrel Guilbeau). But the Knights, wary of Rin’s potential to destroy Assiah, put him on trial for his life. Loyalties are revelled, friendships and promises renewed, powers tested and past history revealed. And Rin must prepare to confront his Father.
Blue Exorcist (Ao no ekusoshisuto) is based on the popular manga written by Kazue Kato. The series is beautiful to look at with deep, vibrant colours and strong detail. For much of its running time the series is light hearted and funny with a somewhat common plotline about an unusual teen being thrown into high school situations dealing with friendships and belonging, and Rin remains a likeable, somewhat naïve, character unable to control his temper, with unfortunate results. Many of the demons the budding Exorcists have to deal with are not overly scary, and there is a comic element to this as well, but there are always issues of hidden agendas simmering just below the surface; who is demon, who human, and can either be trusted? The anime also starts and ends with very bloody and tense sequences that are rather at odds in tone with the rest of the series.
Blue Exorcist was shown on Japanese TV between April and October 2011. Blue Exorcist – Complete Series contains all 25 episodes of the anime plus the unaired bonus episode and minor extras on 6 Blu-rays.
Blue Exorcist is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, the original broadcast ratio, in 1080p using the MPEG-4 AVC code.
In a word: stunning! This is beautiful, richly textured anime with strong lines in both foregrounds and backgrounds; the halls of the Academy, the garden, the towers and the trees have an almost 3D depth. Colours are rich and vibrant, with luscious blues, browns, greens and yellows.
I did not notice any marks or artefacts.
The English subtitles are in American English in a clear white font. The subtitles are not burnt in when the Japanese dub is selected so they may be removed for Japanese speakers. I noticed no errors.
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| Film Artefacts | |
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Audio is a choice of the original Japanese and an English dub, both LPCM 2.0. The audio and subtitles can be changed on the fly with the remote.
Both audio tracks are surround encoded. Dialogue is clear and although the English voice cast were fine, I do still prefer the intensity of the Japanese so after the first few episodes I stuck to that track. The rears featured music and ambient effects such as rain and did give a loud and enveloping feel to the battles against demons. The sub-woofer supported the action.
The score by Hiroyuki Sawano, who has provided great music for series as diverse as Attack on Titan and Kill la Kill is excellent; it is diverse and includes religious sounding sections, epic orchestra music and quieter, reflective pieces.
It is anime so lip synchronisation is approximate in either audio track.
| Dialogue | |
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The extras are not extensive and are spread over the six discs.
Two short anime sections using characters from the series in humorous situations.
The same preview for the next episode that ends each episode on this disc, but with different voiceover audio.
Eight trailers and TV spots for the anime or the Blu-ray / DVD, ranging from 0:18 to 1:08 in length. Unfortunately there is not a play all option.
The opening song without the credits.
The closing song without the credits.
One silent text screen with details of the Japanese and US cast and crew.
Two more extra anime sections.
As above.
Two more anime sections.
As above.
A full length episode focussing on the demon cat Kuro, Rin’s familiar.
Two more extra anime sections.
As above.
The opening song for the second series without the credits.
The closing song for the second series without the credits.
One silent text screen with details of the Japanese and US cast and crew.
Two more.
As above.
Two more.
As above.
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
All releases of Blue Exorcist, whether the complete series or discs of various episodes separately, are the same technically and have the same extras.
Blue Exorcist was a series which kept my attention. It is a beautiful looking anime that is funny with good characters and an interesting story about growing up, friendships and reaching your potential, complete with demons.
Blue Exorcist – Complete Series is a 6 Blu-ray set which contains all 25 episodes of the anime. Each of the 6 discs has previously been released separately, and there has also been a box set with each disc in its own Blu-ray sleeve. The Blue Exorcist – Complete Series provides nothing new technically or by way of extras; the only advantage is that it takes up considerably less space on the shelf!! So if you have it already there is no value in repurchasing. However, if you have yet to find yourself addicted to this excellent series, this is the place to start!
The video is spectacular and the audio good. The extras are OK and the same as available in the US.
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| Review Equipment | |
| DVD | Sony BDP-S580, using HDMI output |
| Display | LG 55inch HD LCD. This display device has not been calibrated. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p. |
| Audio Decoder | NAD T737. This audio decoder/receiver has not been calibrated. |
| Amplification | NAD T737 |
| Speakers | Studio Acoustics 5.1 |