Ao no Exorcist: Yosuga-hen 5y5v1l

I can't believe i'm saying this, but this is my favorite season (and it's not even focused on Rin & Yukio XD). I did really enjoy the Beyond the Snow Saga but due to some actions and decisions made in that season by some characters (*ahem* Yukio), it sits below this one. Overall, I felt this season felt very full circle and just brought to light a bunch of questions both the cast and us as the audience were wondering as well.

Some Overall Points:
1. The Animation/Art-style: I'm probably in a minority but this Art Style really grew on me over time and honestly ... like it better than S1's animation by quite a bit. Everyone complains over the change of studio but I like it this way. Animation wise, It's good. Not bad, but not great. It's enjoyable and have no qualms.

2. Story: Now I hadn't gotten to this arc in the manga yet so this was fresh story for me, but I was awaiting this Arc once I knew we were getting it. It didn't disappoint at all, and found this to be probably the best arc so far of the anime. Very in-depth on the past and a bunch of character growth for Rin. Just so good.

3. Characters: I'm so glad this was a flashback arc because after the events of Beyond the Snow I didn't want to see Yukio's face AT ALL. So this arc was nice. We get to finally know about Yuri and Shiro's relationship and how all the events fall into place. Ahhhhhh, I love Yuri <3

Overall, This season was really really great and If we could somehow get a Season 6, I'd be so elated :)

About the relationship between Yuri and Satan...episode 9

Shiro has always loved her, yet he has never expressed his feelings towards Yuri.

Why did Yuri choose Satan?
Shiro could have stopped her, he could have said "Don't go, stay with me." But no, he chose to remain silent, to not show his love.
Maybe Yuri in the end cared about Satan and wanted to stay with him, because she loved him. Yes, with this act she wanted to stop his killings, however, maybe she also saw the similarities between Satan and Shiro.
Firstly, of course, they have the same physical appearance.
Secondly, both are stubborn and do as ... they please - narcissists.
The difference between them is that Satan says what he thinks and shows his emotions, but Shiro suppresses them.

Maybe the reason why Shiro was always so cold towards everyone was that he was lost. He was a clone with a personality created to die - someone else to take over his body. He couldn't trust anyone. Maybe that is why he was so egoistic and never showed the weakness of loving someone. So, he was weak after all, just as Yuri said.

About Satan, he was obsessed with Yuri. However, is love defined as an obsession? - No.
After all, he cared only about himself.

Maybe Yuri let her have children with him because she loved Shiro. Maybe she saw Shiro in Satan.

At least Shiro realized that: "If only I told her this sooner..."; "It's all my fault."; "I could have protected her"

Yes. It's all his fault. If he wasn't that egocentric, they would have been together. She wouldn't have died.
He did right about taking care of her children and raising them as they were his own.

Yes fucking finally! I so so so hope they don't ruin this.

(I haven't read the manga, I have no idea what's gonna happen next)

Finally this show sees some actual progress! The latest season before this was quite good but this could the season that turns the show back to the bright side after the unimaginably boring 2nd and 3rd seasons.
4 episodes in and this has been the most entertaining this show has been since the first season. The latest season was also okey but the emo Yukio wasn't for me. The build up wasn't very good. But this gives it context (hopefully) so ... maybe I'll be able to forgive it.

Like I said, no idea what's gonna happen, happy to find out.

Blue Exorcist brings back so much nostalgia. I still watching the first season on TV, it was one of those shows that pulled me in instantly. There was something special about experiencing it weekly, the opening song, seeing Rin release his blue flames for the first time and even the moments of comedy all stuck with me. Now, watching this new season, I can’t help but feel that same excitement I did back when I first discovered the series.

The Blue Night Saga finally gives us all the backstory we’ve been waiting for. Mephisto and Rin dive into Yuri Egin’s memories and see how she ... met Fujimoto and eventually become exorcists together. Also we get the whole lore on Satan, we finally get to see how he was created, what his true nature is, and most importantly, his connection to Yuri. This season doesn’t have as many fights as previous one, but the tension is always there. The storytelling is so well done, the pacing is good, there are no random additions and nothing feels forced or unnecessary. Honestly, I couldn’t have asked for a better continuation.

Compared to the previous seasons, the animation has improved a lot. There’s no weird use of CGI, no slideshow of still frames and everything is fluid and feel super consistent from start to finish. You can tell the studio really put effort into keeping the visuals as strong as the narrative. Obviously, the animation is not top-tier like some of the big Shonen anime are getting these days( JJK, Dandadan...) But honestly, can we really complain? It’s still great animation for what it is. Everything else like the OST, voice acting is on point.

Honestly, I don't understand why Blue Exorcist isn’t more popular. When the first season was airing, it was everywhere. Everyone was talking about it. But now, it doesn’t seem to have the same level of recognition it once did. But anyway, I’m glad for all the Blue Exorcist fans. We waited five years to get a second season, and now we enjoying the 5th season. Even if the show isn’t as big as it once was, we’re not letting this anime die.

I will make it short.
This is definitely one of best arc of this series, and you definitely should not skip this arc because this arc tells us about the past, the origin of Satan and Rin & Yukio 's family
I've been waiting for so long and finally can see this arc being animated, and I'm glad it's finally here.
They didn't include some scene from the present, but I think they did it because they don't want to ruin the story so they focused on history from the past. Maybe they'll bring it up in next season.
Overall, they delivered the story so well that they can ... bring the feeling that I feel when read the manga.

Is it better than the previous season? Yes. Does that make it good? ... No.

The frustrating part about Ao no Exorcist and especially this season is that the story seems amazing. It is wildly intriguing to watch the story of the Blue Night, of how Satan fell in love with a normal girl, of the part that Rin and Yukio's dad played in all of it. All of the characters in this season are really interesting - in fact, more interesting than their children, in my opinion.
Unfortunately, this adaptation just doesn't do it justice. Though the animation seems to have improved slightly after the last ... few seasons made by Studio VOLN, it's still far from being up to today's standard. The art style is also still... A choice. I still missed the season 1 art every time I started an episode of this season. The editing has a slightly weird pace which doesn't exactly help when your animation & art does absolutely nothing to fill up the unnatural slowness of dialogue. The overall direction just wasn't good, though I'm sure that also has to do with budgeting.
Man, was it frustrating to watch such an interesting story be butchered by the execution of its presentation. This series deserves better.

In conclusion, never have I wanted to read a manga more after watching an anime. But not for the right reasons, I fear.

The rebirth of the blue phoenix
Here we are at last. The series' most memorable arc offers us the best season of its animated adaptation. Having already expressed my love for this masterful work many times, I'd now like to explain why this fifth season is, by far, the most accomplished and best realized, and why you should absolutely watch it.

First of all, I must it to having been somewhat biased in my reviews of the previous seasons. With hindsight, I realize that there were many imperfections. In fact, it's not impossible that, in a few years' time, I'll be able to discern certain flaws in ... the Blue Night arc that escape me at the moment. But to date, it seems undeniable to me that this fifth season represents the pinnacle of what Blue Exorcist has been able to offer in of animated adaptation.

Animation: 9.5 | Art direction: 9.5

As I mentioned for the previous arc, this season marks a clear improvement in of animation, staging and color palette. Technically, it sures not only the third season but also the fourth. Voln, which had become accustomed to integrating 3D for imposing creatures (zombies and Gedoin in season 3, Hashiro's true serpentine form in season 4), seems to have reviewed its policy of using CGI. Here, its use is almost non-existent, limited to a brief appearance during the confrontation between Yuri and the Aztec statue.

Particular care has also been taken with the visual rendering. The character design has been refined, and the animation of the fights - particularly the confrontation between young Rin and Shiro - is much closer to the dynamics offered by A-1 Pictures in season 2 than to the frozen shots of the Illuminati arc. The result is much more fluid, placing it in the upper middle range of this season's anime (I'm thinking in particular of Sorairo Utility). After so many years of waiting and two technically lacklustre seasons, this conclusion is more than satisfying.

Music: 10 | Dubbing: 10
In of sound, Blue Exorcist has always been a benchmark, and this season is no exception. Special mention goes to the legendary Megumi Hayashibara, known for her iconic roles as Faye Valentine (Cowboy Bebop), Musashi in Pokémon, or Hakumen no Mono and the Shirogane line in Voln's adaptations of Ushio to Tora and Karakuri Circus. Her interpretation of Yuri is simply remarkable. Here, she adopts a distinctive vocal timbre, almost maternal in its gentleness, as if her voice glided through the air to envelop our ears with infinite tenderness. Unlike her usual roles, where her timbre is immediately recognizable, here she manages to surprise, delivering a performance of unsuspected subtlety. Her interpretation alone lends a soul to this season.

Story: 10 | Characters: 10

I won't go into the narrative details here, as all the interest lies in Kazue Kato's sublime writing. This season demonstrates the extent of her talent, and it's clear that she has gained in mastery and experience. The themes are dealt with in great depth, and the arc centered on Shiro and Yuri brings a more adult dimension that is particularly welcome.

Without giving too much away, Shiro and Yuri are among the most striking characters in the series. Shiro is universally loved, while Yuri is more divisive. Some, including me, ire her kindness, sacrifice, devotion and benevolent smile. Others, on the other hand, reject some of his debatable choices. But the 2 of them, through their shared trials and tragedies, help Rin to evolve, mature, reconcile with his past and realize his own worth. This initiatory journey culminates in a poignant final episode, which closes a circle begun fourteen years ago by A-1 Pictures.

In conclusion, and having detailed all the elements that make this season the best of the adaptation, I'd like to express my gratitude to studio Voln. Despite the challenges and ups and downs of this new adaptation, they never gave up and always sought to improve their work. On behalf of all the fans, and from the bottom of my heart, thank you for this season of exceptional quality. We are deeply grateful.

This adaptation is coming to an end, at least for now - only God knows what the future holds. But this conclusion leaves me with a taste of nostalgia. These weekly rendezvous had become a precious habit, and their absence will leave a void. Blue Exorcist is a work dear to me, both in its manga and anime versions, and knowing that it's coming to an end saddens me. But who knows? Maybe one day we'll have the privilege of seeing Voln's animated sequel.

Until then, and for the last time in this review: Voln, thank you so much for this wonderful gift.

The best season in of writing.

The fifth season of this anime brought us an important flashback told through a tragic romance. The most positive thing to highlight is that the entire season was dedicated to telling the story of Yuri, Shiro, and Satan with minimal interventions from the main characters. The great writing behind this anime must be highlighted. A tragic romance is not easy at all, since you have to make us develop some kind of bond with at least one of the characters. Even more difficult is doing this with relatively new characters or those who have been minimally used in other ... parts of the story we already know. The story has a slow but not plodding pace, and the character development and the moments that will eventually explode are so subtle that you can forget that this won't have a happy ending.

I would like to talk about the main couple, but like any good tragedy, we can only rely on our imaginations of what could have been. This romance that never materializes conveys those feelings of love more than most of the other romances of the season. So it hurts even more when two people who truly love each other can't fulfill all their ambitions and dreams together. You enjoy the happy moments with them, but the sad parts are yours to endure alone, because they are extremely charismatic characters whom you will most likely never see again in the story with such an active role as the one we saw here.

As for the love triangle, beyond trying to make a martyr, it seeks to pose the classic ethical dilemma of "sacrificing one life to save thousands or sacrificing thousands to save one." This opens endless doors to debate who did the right thing, who was wrong, who was right, or who was the true hero at the end of the season. Each character has their motivations that make you understand why they do what they do, including the villain. The show handles moments of tension almost perfectly.

The downside lies precisely in what I find positive and loved so much: the tragic romance. It's a trope that isn't everyone's cup of tea because many come here to leave their troubles behind and not to that life is hard. Chances are, if you've already binged four seasons of the show, you'll breeze through this fifth without question. If you're interested in the franchise and still on the fence about whether to watch it or not, just that at this point in the story, no one will get a happy ending.

This season is probably the best season this anime has to offer, is not focus on the fighting and action but on the characters, some of them that we barely saw before but now are the protagonists . The story makes u attach to the characters and understand them , is really nice how this saga manage to avoid the easiest cliche' that we often see in animes, and can picture characters unique and interesting. Finally a bit of deep in ao no exorcist!
Sound and visual are good as well.
What lacks is a bit of impact on the main story for the whole ... episodes , and would be nice to see more the other casts of characters that are completly forgotten.

4 ep in and not as good as the other seasons. It feels like this whole part of the series has only been slice-of-life flashbacks.

Yeah, getting flashbacks for plot background is important. But it doesn't feel like there has been any forward momentum. It's just been going over what we already knew about in greater detail. There hasn't been a lot of action, and there hasn't been any answers to questions left over from the last part of the series. Getting to the past is nice, but this has hardly been better than filler.

I am not a manga reader so I don't already ... know what's going to happen before the jew episodes come out. So when I rate this as not recommended, it's because I feel like after 4 epsidoes, this part of the season hasn't even started yet. It's not just slow... I think all of these could have been done without. Or could have been wrapped in one episodes so that we can get on with the story. It's been nothing more than review anyways, and these hasn't been any heartthrobbing drama to make these dull past stories worth watching.

*Edit* Two more episodes in, and it didn't get any better by episode 6. I really liked this series up until now but in my opinion the story has become so underwhelmingly boring that I have decided to add this to my dropped list. I would definitely recommend all the seasons before this for anybody to watch, and to anyone else who is enjoying this season, more power to ya. But this is one series that I won't be continuing with.