Blue Exorcist Vol. 16by Wolfen MoondaughterReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Publisher
Credits Grade: 7 Yukio worries that he may have a demon inside him. Rin and his circle of friends try to take a break at a hot spring, but between something at the spring and the fact that Shima's loyalty is in question, they might not get much relaxation. Later, Lewin takes on a role as a teacher -- a rather unorthodox one, who has Suguro questioning everything he thinks he knows. Rin and Shiemi have some trouble on what was supposed to be a routine mission. And the Round table Council of the Knights of the True Cross discuss how to deal with the threat of zombies and the possibility of the return of Satan.I received this as a review copy; even with a sizable roster and a recap at the front of the volume, it was a bit of a struggle to understand what was going on, especially when the scenes were a bit choppy or segued oddly into other scenes, or some things didn't translate well. Even so, I did manage to figure out enough to enjoy it. The characters seem interesting and likable -- although, lead Rin was the least interesting, too much of a typical brainless hero-in-training. I didn't really dislike him, but I found his smarter, angsty brother Yukio to be way more compelling -- I'm enthralled by his story! I liked Suguro, Shura, and Lewin a lot too -- even if there was a strong focus on Shura's bustiness, and Lewin might actually be a bad guy. I like that it's hard to tell if he and Mephisto are good or bad (at least for me, coming in where I am; maybe it's clearer if one has read other volumes). There's a lot of fanservice here, but there's nearly as much nudity with the guys as the gals. There's a point where I was disgusted with Shima and Rin for wanting to peep on the girls in the bath, but then it's revealed that they may have been under the influence of something. Stiil, it doesn't mean that the desire wasn't there in them in the first place, and the fact that Rin seems to think him wanting to see a specific girl, and not let the other guys see her, makes things okay is gross (although that might be a result of the influence as well). I'm left wondering if the influence is really why Shima was so quiet to start with, as he claimed, or if his mind was originally on his double-agent situation, which could make for some lovely angst, but we don't really see any here. I do like the sense of friendship between him, Suguro, and Konekomaru, and their larger circle too. I especially like the hints of yuri from Izumo towards Shiemi, and that Suguro isn't ashamed to admit he has a "man-crush" on Lewin, even if neither character seems likely to actually end up in a same sex relationship! It seems less a matter of playing up the idea of same-sex relations for laughs (although there is humour in each case), and more a matter of just everyday human situations in a perhaps less sexually-repressed society. All in all, the art is good, and the story seems interesting enough to make me curious to read previous volumes as well as the next. Written: December 11, 2016
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