I was on a shounen reread roll, so I decided to pick it up again. And you’ll need to be in a shounen mood too to enjoy this manga, because Ao no Exorcist has it all – immature protag, ridiculous goals, struggle between siblings, blooming love and nakama power, even beach episodes – everything is as it should be. Though there has been no onsen arc yet (edit: fixed by the mangaka) and for the most part all of this stuff works – so give it a try. The current arc (the one that starts around ch. 50) drastically changes the mood. It’s hard to tell how it will end,but it's an unexpectedly good horror, brutal and scary.

Now to art. It improves. MCs are drawn a bit shakily in the first chapters and Rin looks more of a devil than he, probably, is meant to, but later it becomes ok. Can’t say that it is the greatest shounen art I’ve ever seen, but it has its moments. Backgrounds are well drawn, but the range of facial expressions is somewhat limited. The designs are trickier. What do you think of darumas? I’d say that it is the best example. Everything is not exactly cool, not exactly cute – something in the middle and somewhat ridiculous. Rin’s design is considerably less badass than in anime, he usually looks like a wild idiot, which, I must say, is at least fresh. The fighting scenes are enjoyable. But maybe you’ll need a fetish to keep you going, I was properly ogling over demon features – horns and tails. *sigh* Fluffy tails are the best.

Nevermind. Characters are well-developed. Or, more exactly, the story takes the development very seriously and takes its time too, in chapter 60 we still get new interesting flashbacks. Everyone has complicated past, worries and huge plans for future. Of course, teen angst can get to you sometimes, and the usual journey of selfdiscovery reeks of metaphoric puberty, but it’s bearable. There’re some redeeming characters and features, also it more or less makes sense, sometimes even serious adult sense. Thankfully, the cast isn’t overblown. Female characters are unexpectedly good too (probably, cause the mangaka is female). I desperately want the second brother, Yukio to get development, but, sadly, it is only hinted on but saved for later. Well, that’s what is painful about shounen – any conflict is dragged forever in order for the series to never end.

Story. It takes place in a magical school. So what do you expect? Yep. Fighting monsters for exams, competitions, school events. Thankfully their school is ridiculous anyway (it’s governed by otaku demon king), and not that many time is spent on showing usual classes. Most of the boring school stuff as festivals or trips quickly boils down to beating demons. The flow of the story is the problem. It’s uneven to say the least. There is a lot of rubbish mixed with the good stuff, some arcs are extremely weak in their entirety. Though the last arc gives me hope, Actually, I’d say that it’s worth to read this manga for the sake of the last arc – it’s a seriously good heartbraking story. If it continues like that, the manga has potential, but I doubt it.

So, in the end Ao no Exorcist is a fine manga, if you’re able to put up with some of the sterotypes, characteristic of works from Jump Square. The last arc stand outs and easily makes to my list of favourite manga, but to understand it you’ll need to read most of the previous parts. Though, in my opinion, liking something in particular about the world or the characters is necessary to pull through the lowest points of writing.