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「假面」 (Kamen)
“Mask”
A-1 steps up to the plate with some outstanding anime-original material in episode 20 of Ao no Exorcist. I’m assuming this was anime-original anyway – I’m sure someone will correct me, if not. But more so than the last couple of episodes, this anime-original story seems to set the table for a real conclusion of some sort, building on some old plot points and adding in a few new twists and ending with a major cliffhanger.
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「なんでもない日」 (Nandemonai Hi)
“A Day When Nothing Happens”
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.
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「颶風」 (Gufuu)
“Hurricane”
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, and did a nice job tightening up some of the loose ends surrounding the issue of acceptance between Rin and his little playmates.
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「誘惑」 (Yūwaku)
“Temptation”
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 facing, what they’re doing well, and what they’re struggling with.
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「賭」 (Kake)
“Gamble”
Which direction does A-1 choose – an anime-original ending à la Kuroshitsuji, or perhaps a total “jump break” like Deadman Wonderland with the intent of waiting at least two years and hoping the audience is still there?
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「やさしい事」 (Yasashii Koto)
“Act of Kindness”
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 was behind it?
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「愉しいキャンプ」 (Tanoshii Kyanpu)
“Fun Camp”
It’s summer, and since we’ve already had a beach episode what could be more natural than a training camp episode?
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「証明」 (Shoumei)
“Proof”
Sometimes in anime, you have a character who, despite their physical absence through death or distance, hovers over the proceedings at all times. Though he’s been dead since the second episode, Shiro continues to reach out and impact the story.
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「鬼事」 (Onigokko)
“Tag”
No other currently airing series does filler as well, but last week’s was pretty flimsy even by those standards, and it’s nice to get back to some plot-advancing development.
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「深海の悪魔」 (Shinkai no Akuma)
“Demon of the Deep Seas”
You smell that? Mmm, smells like… filler.