Sousei No Onmyouji

Time for another exorcism anime. I wasn’t impressed the last time I watched an eastern style exorcism in Tokyo Ravens so I didn’t expect myself to catch Sousei No Onmyouji. It must be this hope thingy I had that it would be different. World has some sort of supernatural contaminant wreaking havoc. Exorcists purify them to protect the land and people. Young talented main protagonists with troubled past forced to be together. In fact they are forced into an arranged marriage because they will produce the most powerful Exorcist ever so to speak. Fight more evil supernaturals. Bond closer. Plot revelation. Plot twist. Plot filler. Conspiracy. Current world will soon be cleansed-cum-destroyed. Our heroes fight big bad final boss. The day is saved. I hope that is as different as it can get.

* Kegare: Literally Impurities. The so called antagonists of the series because they try to kill humans. Think of them like Bleach’s Hollow. The only way to fight them are for Exorcists to enter a gate called Magano to an alternate reality to destroy them.

* Rokuro Enmadou: Main lead male character. Fang boy. Loser in love. Hot tempered. Has a tragic past. The only survivor of Hinatsuki Tragedy. Because of that, doesn’t want to get involved or become an Exorcist. But sometimes he has to because of circumstances. Uses his powerful right arm to fight.

* Benio Adashino: Main lead female character. Stubborn, cold, quiet and distant. Has a tragic past. Comes from a respected family of Exorcists but her parents were killed while on duty and she witnessed it first-hand. Because of that, tries to become stronger to exact revenge. Uses twin blades and a mask to fight. Loves those sweet ohagi treats.

* Kinako: Benio’s fox familiar who helps sense Kegare nearby. Totally loyal to her to a point you might say he ‘carries her balls’. WTF did I just say… In additional to being a mascot character, also a comic relief character because his ‘sparring’ partner is Rokuro.

* Arima Tsuchimikado: The big boss of all the Exorcists in Japan. Quirky guy. Makes his first appearance only in his underwear. And yes, a pervert.

* Twin Star Exorcists: Arima had a vision that he saw the advent of a Miko who will once and for all end the endless war between Exorcists and Kegare. After pitting a ‘fight to the death’ battle between Rokuro and Benio, since both are equal in strength, this means that they are the Twin Star Exorcists who will marry and give birth to that said Miko. Oh yeah. An excuse for Rokuro and Benio to be put together and live together. See how they hate each other at first before learning and understanding each other and then… Well, you get the idea.

* Seika Dorm: Currently where Rokuro lives with his other Exorcist family members like Ryogo Nagitsuji, Atsushi Sukumozuka and Shinnosuke Kuzaki. Also old farts living there include Zenkichi Otomi and Kinu Furusato. And after the Twin Star Exorcists were announced, Benio is now made to move in and live with them. Boy, every day is going to get livelier. However subsequently Arima has the duo live in a big villa of his to further deepen their relationship. Well, it’s going to take some time…

* Mayura Otomi: Zenkichi’s granddaughter and Rokuro’s classmate and childhood friend. Busty. One-sided love. Now that Benio is in the picture… I can see where this is going…

* The Twelve Guardians: 12 most powerful Exorcists serving under Arima. They inherit the names and powers of the shikigami of Abe No Seimei.

* Shimon Ikaruga: The first of the Twelve Guardians to show up and also the youngest. Because of his similar age to Rokuro and Benio, Arima has him demonstrate his powers to motivate Rokuro.

* Seigen Amakawa: Can you believe it this guy, one of the Twelve Guardians who looks old enough to be your brother and with bags below his eyes is Mayura’s father?! He is also Rokuro’s mentor. Might come off first as a non-likeable person as he doesn’t mince his words and very harsh. But that’s the truth…

* Yuuto Ijika: Benio’s supposedly dead brother who was killed in an exorcism event. After their parent’s death, Yuuto was adopted into a different family, hence his different surname. His shocking return shows us he is now on the dark side and making it worse and more traumatic for Benio is that he confesses how much he hated her.

* Hinatsuki Tragedy: Rokuro and Yuuto once lived in this dorm with other Exorcist kids their age. 2 years ago, a tragedy struck the dorm and it is widely believed that Kegare attacked and killed everyone. However the dark truth behind was that Yuuto was dabbling in the dark forbidden arts. With the pretence of helping them get stronger, he actually used them as human experiments to turn them into Kegare. Yuuto is forced to kill and exorcise his friends and in the process gained that right arm of his. This trauma made him leave the exorcism profession. Until today. When he realizes he doesn’t want to lose his dorm family guys, his best bet is to get back into the exorcism profession and protect what is important to him.

* Stronger together: Benio’s eyes are now opened to the truth. Rokuro goes out of control while making his futile attacks against Yuuto. It took Benio to put a stop to Rokuro’s rampage. After calming down, Benio apologizes for all the misunderstanding. They vow to get stronger together as Exorcists with their new partnership. Though, marriage still not in sight yet…

* Subaru Mitejima: Another of the Twelve Guardians (along with Tatara – speechless bread crumbs loving fox guy whose emotions can be seen on his paper mask via emoji) sent by Arima to train the duo. If you smell something fishy about her ‘training’, then probably it is because they seem to be like stuffs you do on a date. Of course at the end of it all, it is to test and see how strong their bonds are and how much they trust each other.

* Basara: A more powerful and humanoid form of Kegare. Able to think and act on their own as they are mostly born out of humans’ negative emotions and sins. Think of them like Bleach’s Arrancar. Their powers are on par with the Twelve Guardians.

* Kamui: First Basara to appear. Apparently he is the one who killed Benio’s parents. Emotionless girl now goes into rage trying to get her revenge since this is what she has been living her life for. Too bad she is too weak. Then Rokuro steps in. They do a double power combo thingy enough to drive him away.

* To Love-Ru’s Momo: What the heck is she doing here? Actually, Mayura turned into a Kegare for some reason (probably out of jealous). No hope to save her, you say?

* Resonance: Apparently the ultimate spell that only the Twin Star Exorcists can pull off. By touching each other, they are able to hear Mayura’s inner voice crying for help. Resonance also amplifies and boosts their combined powers. It’s the only chance they have to save Mayura. And guess what? They pulled it off with also the power of love!

* RIP Seigen: Once again Yuuto is here to cause trouble. That Mayura thingy was part of his plan to make Rokuro stronger. Sorry to disappoint. As the Twin Star Exorcists have no power left, Seigen is all that left to fight Yuuto. At the cost of his life and orders from Arima to protect them (to the point he had to play the villain and strict ass to them), he self-destructs with Yuuto. Too bad all in vain because no damage to Yuuto. While Rokuro may have saved Seigen from death, he is in critical condition. Even if he survives and recovers, he can never become an Exorcist again.

* The choice is yours: Yuuto sees potential in Rokuro and offers him to join his side. Since Rokuro refuses, Yuuto threatens to turn everyone into Kegare like he did to Mayura. He gives a day for his answer.

* Exorcist Union: A group formed to defeat Yuuto. Consists of the Twelve Guardians. Oops. Make that 11 since Seigen has ‘retired’.

* Red Master Star Armour Talisman: A cool Exorcist suit that Seigen wore that Rokuro would love to have when he was younger. Now that he is ‘gone’, he passed it on to Rokuro. For the first time in a long time, Rokuro is hell bent on becoming a true Exorcist and kick Yuuto’s ass and end it all.

* Hinatsuki revisited: The battle with Yuuto at this place of memories. Even with new Resonance moves like World End Overlay and Crimson Meteor Smash, Yuuto still comes out unharmed thanks to his high levels of Kegare.

* Deal with the demon: After Yuuto destroys Benio’s legs, mocks her uselessness and leaves her to die at the hands of other Kegare, she is saved by Kamui who is willing to give her powers. Why? For fun. Seeing Yuuto getting beaten to a pulp by Yuuto, her options are limited. She wants the power to defeat Yuuto. The power to defeat Kamui. She has to fight her inner demons and flaws before getting a power up that looks anything more like beautiful than impure. Benio is now able to beat Yuuto to a pulp. Too bad it has a time limit. She reverts back to being a handicap. Who’s next for a beat down?

* Screaming punching bag: Yuuto and Rokuro start punching each other while screaming at the top of their lungs. Of course Rokuro has to win because he is main character and also this weird scene of dead Hinatsuki kids supporting his back. WTF… So powerful their punches that it could be bigger than an atomic bomb explosion, leaving a huge crater. Don’t worry. Nobody dies.

* Sealed fate of the unborn: Apparently despite their ‘victory’ the Twelve Guardians (technically 11 of them now) want to punish Twin Star Exorcists for doing something dangerous. Yeah, they think they could have handled it themselves had they waited for backup. After being told off all they need to do is marry and have a kid, Rokuro trolls everyone by wanting to marry Benio and make a kid right now! His point is, he isn’t going to let his kid bear that burden. He will end it all before that happens. So Arima gives him 2 years to achieve that since his premonition told him a big catastrophe will occur. Otherwise, back to making babies.

* New look: Rokuro spent all his money trying to win a prize just to get Benio a new hair accessory to replace the ones from Yuuto. The cutest smile ever seen.

* Debutants: Mayura debuts as an Exorcist. Expect lots of clumsiness. Also joining in is Haruka Kaibara, Ryogo’s girlfriend.

* Playing house: Well, 2 years is enough to change people. Rokuro is working harder, has more friends at school and even girls who rejected him are starting to look his way! And there are some things that don’t change. Like Benio’s poison cooking… Benio is even mulling the thought of having a baby with him! One mission in the Magano, they find a cute little girl unharmed, Sae. She learns things fast and takes a liking for Rokuro whom she calls him papa. And so with her living with them, they’re looking pretty much like a family now, eh?

* Dragon Spots: Holes in the Magano that allow Kegare to just walk into our world like a big parade and unleash miasma that either kill or turn ordinary people into their kind. And yeah, only Twin Star Exorcists can seal them. Only them.

* Ecto-1?: Apparently Kinako can possess some caravan do give Twin Star Exorcists a ride all over Japan to seal Dragon Spots.

* Suzu: WTF is this hip hop hard punk metal rapping Basara?! Currently her mission is to observe Sae. Nice to meet you, ‘jan!

* Moro: Another Basara who is super strong, super fast, super tough and likes eating delicious people.

* Yamato: Why is this Basara looking a lot like One Piece’s Do Flamingo?! Just make him dark skin and turn him into someone younger.

* Momochi & Chijiwa: Not exactly Basara twins but 2 people who make one whole.

* Kuranashi: The big bad Basara boss who wants to free Magano. So badass that he killed Momochi and framed it on Twin Star Exorcists so that he could fuel Chijiwa with anger and revenge.

* Shimon x Mayura?: He just helping this weakling to get stronger…

* Kinasa: Why does this Basara remind me of Yugioh’s Pegasus? Only, he doesn’t use cards but rifles and whips. WTF is he talking about hospitality?!

* Tenma Unomiya: The strongest of the Twelve Guardians. You mean he is a guy?! With that girly looks and cockroach-like hairstyle?! So powerful that all he has to do is open his mouth and say simple words (as easy as Open Sesame) to close the Dragon Spots!!! Heck, they should send this guy to do the sealing instead of Twin Star Exorcists.

* Ame No Mihashira: The HQ of Exorcist Union houses and protects this giant and powerful tree underground which is the barrier keeping apart reality and Magano. However one of its branches broke off and the reason Dragon Spots opened everywhere. The simple solution is to of course fix the branch and guaranteed no more Dragon Spots. But you know there is a catch, right? So where’s the missing branch? Sae! It’s going to be a tough decision for the ‘parents’. Save their ‘daughter’ or save millions of lives.

* Heavenly Blue Earth Ritual: Nobody wants to sacrifice a little girl, right? Plus, the tree won’t be stable if they force her. So we’re going with this method whereby the Twelve Guardians are going to be stationed at 6 different spots to seal the big Dragon Spot. As they will be paired, one will do the ritual and the other will fight off the hordes of Kegare trying to stop them. But since they are short of one member, Rokuro and Benio are tasked to help fend off for Tenma.

* Don’t count your chickens: Apparently the ritual backfired. It was just an illusion as the power they used to seal the Dragon Spot is used against them. All of them are now sealed. Rokuro and Benio try their Resonance but they ran out of power and it had no effect whatsoever.

* Back to your roots: I guess the only way left is for Sae to return becoming a branch. Lots of don’t-do-this from her ‘parents’ but Sae now remembers this and that and thanks them, blah, blah, blah. Once the branch is fixed, everything instantly reverts back to normal. Cue for more crying.

* Final gift: Sae also left a picture story book as her present to Rokuro and Benio, detailing all the smiles and things they do. How touching… NOOO!!! Why you have to make us cry some more???!!!

* Arima dead?: It is believed that Kuranashi killed Arima during their fight. Knowing he wouldn’t die this easy, the Twelve Guardians mount a search for him. However to no avail. Therefore Arima’s aid, Mikage Tsuchimikado will now become the new head of the Exorcist Union. Later he receives a vision from the oracle ‘confirming’ Arima is really dead. Time to go out on a revenge spree.

* Who am I:? Rokudo finally gets the courage to ask Seigen about his origins. He doesn’t have memories prior coming to Hinatsuki. So where did he come from? 10 years ago Seigen picked him up wandering inside Magano. No wonder Sae clicked so well with him…

* So you think you can dance: Suzu makes her appearance after a while as she reveals her new objective is to observe the Twin Star Exorcists. Not too sure about their talk regarding elegance and life goals, but when Suzu starts to scream to her death metal hell song, Benio takes this ‘hint’ as to try something never done before. So the Benio and Rokuro start dancing to this song?! WTF???!!! It looks so weird???!!! So out of place!!!!! If this was a reality TV, I bet they’ll be the first to be eliminated.

* Sakura Sada & Miku Zeze: Both from the Twelve Guardians have a grudge against Moro because she was responsible in killing the man who was Sakura’s father and Miku’s crush many years ago. With the power of love and perseverance, they finally get their vengeance.

* New kid in class: Shimon becomes a new transfer student in Rokuro and Benio’s class as he is under orders to protect Twin Star Exorcists. I guess they are still as weak as they are so much so they can’t even protect themselves. Yeah. Time for Rokuro to bug/harass him for training.

* Mass disappearance: One night, many Exorcists all over the country just suddenly disappeared. During the Dragon Spots incident, while the Exorcists were helping people, they unknowingly absorb miasma and accumulated them in their body. Now that the time is right, Kuranashi summons them all into Magano and has them write talismans that serve as natural armour for the Basara to be able to fight in the real world without the need of filling the surroundings miasma.

* Puppet master returns: With this ‘armour’, Chijiwa returns to avenge his twin on the Twin Star Exorcists. Sadly they’re so weak that Shimon had to intervene and fight him singlehandedly. Could have kicked his ass had not Chijiwa took the entire school as his puppet hostage. In fact he is going to kill everyone to make them feel the despair he felt before granting them death. But of course, he won’t have his way since Shimon transformed into his ultimate phoenix form to defeat him. And if Chijiwa is going to blow everything up, this is where Rokudo comes in to simultaneously attack and stop all the explosions. Huh?! There’s some explanation for this but still, huh?!

* Be careful who you call ugly: What’s this? Rokuro receiving a love letter? And from a girl who once rejected him? And now she wants to go out with him? Not to say Rokuro is having his last laugh. He feels awkward. Too bad he has to reject her. Maybe there is someone he likes… Wanna bet Benio and Mayura are spying over this?

* The proposal: Ryogo finally pops the question to Haruka. In short, they’re getting married. Nice kiss to go with that. Wanna bet the rest of the gang are spying over this? So are Rokuro and Benio inspired to do the same? Maybe after a lot of staring and blushing… But damn this next disaster had to strike…

* Rikujin Shinka: Thanks to all the Kegare distraction so far, Mikado realizes too late that strong spell powers has been placed around town. Enough to form a barrier around it. All electronic devices go kaput. The only way to stop this is this ritual, Rikujin Shinka that requires all Twelve Guardians. But remember, they are short of one. Mikado will step in as replacement. As they start the ritual, giant Kegare appear to stop them. However they cannot be cut down and regenerate easily. It is revealed it is all thanks to the kidnapped Exorcists’ extracted power and then infusing it into these giant Kegare. That power culminates causing a huge earthquake across town and causing he centre to rise up like a floating island. Though Kuranashi is behind this scheme, the main power source behind it all is Yuuto.

* Kingdom of Noto: Apparently that floating island isn’t something new and happened before. You guessed it. Kuranashi was behind that one too. So it sprouts a giant creepy flower with many creepy eyes, shoots tentacles that steals your life force (why does it have to be tentacles?) and also laser beams that will destroy the town. Such a fine mess…

* Kuranashi unmasked: For the first time he meets the Twin Star Exorcists, he unmasks himself. He has normal human eyes. The more Kegare absorbs those powers, the more human they become. So apparently Kuranashi is treating this like a game. Hence he tells them they have 2 hours to save the day or kingdom come early. Even explaining the mechanics of how the ‘game’ is supposed to work. You have to destroy the bulb that is buried underground to permanently destroy it otherwise any destroyed parts are just going to regenerate, wasting your efforts. This is going to be so much fun…

* On to the next generation: As Kuranashi takes down Seigen and Mayura who are supposed to destroy the bulb, Seigen is not as powerful as he used to be and fast running out of steam. So he has to reluctantly transfer his Byakko powers to Mayura to end this game. So when you’re young and you have those same feelings of wanna be strong to protect, naturally deities like Byakko would instantly accept and give her the divine powers. Oh, she also rescued her mom from Kuranashi’s clutches. Wait. I thought she was dead?

* Falling: Rokuro and Benio kicking ass and talking like they’ve fallen for each other. Like it should have been? They destroy the mean Kegare as it disappears and now they are free falling. Don’t worry. Rokuro has some sort of spell for safe landing. With the Kegare gone, now the city is also falling. Don’t worry. The Twelve Guardians unleash all their might for it for a soft landing. And then it’s like Kuranashi got everything planned out from the start because at the end of it, he traps the Twelve Guardians again. A trap they will find it tougher to get out. Yet fallen for the same trick again.

* The real game begins: Kuranashi lures the Twin Star Exorcists to where he has the Twelve Guardians in his grasp. Rokuro can’t do anything to get them out because any attacks are absorbed and weakens them. He explains the plan he has been orchestrating for over a thousand years. He filled the land with miasma so the Exorcists could cleanse them but actually they were absorbing it. Once enough, he mind controls them into the Magano where he uses up all their power to create powerful Kegare. With all the small fries out of the way, he is able to concentrate on the Twelve Guardians who are the only threat to Basara. That floating island was a distraction to lure the Twelve Guardians out. He knows how to use Rikujin Shinka against them thanks to Yuuto. Kuranashi absorbs their powers while turning them into stone. He has left the Twin Star Exorcists alive because he realizes their growing powers. He will devour them when they are ripe and then become the king of this world and Magano.

* New look: Kuranashi is more powerful than ever since he has all the abilities of the Twelve Guardians. He has also got a new tight suit which makes him look gay…

* Tatara unmasked: Because Tatara is a shikigami and not human, it took time for him to break out from the spell that affects humans. Now we get to see his (angry) face, there’s lots of screaming, flashy powers and overkill in his bid to bring down Kuranashi. In the end, Tatara used his life to curse deterioration on Kuranashi. But he won’t stay weakened for long because he plans to absorb Yuuto’s power.

* Yuuto’s return: Once Kuranashi absorbs his power, his joy is only short-lived. He realizes he has been manipulated by Yuuto all along since Yuuto takes advantage of the situation to return in his body. Look who’s back?

* Here, there, nowhere and everywhere: So we’ve got the kids fighting each other again. They’re at a place between reality and Magano. How does Yuuto know all this? During his recuperation, he linked his senses with the founder of the Exorcist Union, the one and only Seimei. Apparently you can prolong your life by suspending your vital organs. So Yuuto is the most powerful Exorcist because he has absorbed the powers of Seimei and the Twelve Guardians.

* Wife beater: Yuuto still wants Rokuro as his gay buddy and hates his sister. So he beats the crap out of Benio to work up Rokuro’s anger so that he could turn into his ultimate beast mode.

* Rokuro’s true original form: He is a Kegare, you know.

* Arima’s return: You don’t think this pervert would be easily killed off, did you? He is back in time to distract Yuuto and save his precious Twin Star Exorcists. I guess they’ll have to have their rematch another day. Again.

* Pursuit of Ages Ritual: For Arima to perform this and go back in time to observe and learn whatever he needs, he needs to perform this ritual which makes him close to death. That’s why he used Kuranashi to ‘kill’ him. Back in the era where Seimei was still alive exorcising Kegare, to cut a long story short (some yin and yang thingy too), humans’ negative emotions created them. Seimei’s attempt to contain it but with those emotions kept increasing, it exploded into something twisted known as Magano. So by forming Exorcist Union and the Twelve Guardians to counter it, he also put forth his plan for Twin Star Exorcists to give birth to a powerful Miko that would end it all.

* Cataclysm King: Apparently Rokuro isn’t just Kegare. Apparently Seimei also tried to create this to cleanse human of this world. So that powerful incarnate yin energy known as Cataclysm King is Rokuro. So the only way to rid this is to bring forth the Miko. Something about his yin energy combine with Benio’s yang energy. Well, Rokuro is trying to be the considerate guy now. It’s like the perfect excuse he won’t bang Benio because he is not human. WTF. So now he sinks into some sort of depression, so much so Suzu had to even tell him it doesn’t matter he is Kegare, Cataclysm King or human. Rokuro is Rokuro. Wait. She knows he is Cataclysm King too?

* Yuuto’s bugging again: Oh geez… This guy too now knows about Rokuro being a Cataclysm King? I won’t be surprised if the whole world knows by now. Anyway, he is once again here to bug Rokuro to join him to destroy mankind since he has the power to do so. If he doesn’t he’ll destroy the world himself. And you guessed it. The only way to stop this is to beat him. Obviously. Don’t make him wait too long. He is itching to destroy the world. I mean, who else is there to fight him? The Twelve Guardians are out of commission, Arima and Seigen are powerless.

* She finally said it: Benio finally confesses she loves Rokuro! Well, if she only said it to him in person instead of Mayura.

* It’s over: Just when you think Rokuro wants to have an important talk with Benio, it turns out he wants to break up! WTF?! Well, it’s not like they’re really married or anything. So why break up as Twin Star Exorcists?! After that beating from Yuuto, he fears the next time would be fatal. That’s why he is going it alone. She would only slow her down. At least it isn’t because he is gay and decided to ditch this cutie pie. WTF did I just say?! Oh poor Benio, looks like she has to start crying again.

* Bromance: While Rokuro fights Yuuto, it seems Yuuto has been hinting some bromance with Rokuro all along?! He is happy he ditched Benio to come fight him alone like as though he has chosen him over her! And when Rokuro thinks of Benio, Yuuto gets mad and beats him up for doing so! In the end, what Yuuto wants is to enjoy the moment of fighting with him. He doesn’t care about the future or the results of the fight. As long as he can enjoy fighting to the death with him. Man, this is one sick twisted bromance.

* Burial Ritual: Rokuro is so considerate. He sought Arima’s help prior to implant some spell in his heart. If he ever turns into Cataclysm King, the spell will activate and kill him. Are you sure? You’re both turning into Super Saiyans in this ultimate fight.

* Masochist: Yuuto loves the pain and wants to get beaten up more by Rokuro! Oh well, it’s a ploy to make him so mad that he will turn into Cataclysm King. If Rokuro won’t fall into this trap, Yuuto beats himself up for more tremendous pain so he could turn into his Super Saiyan form. Wait. Does he not look like Frieza?

* Mikado’s true original form: He is Seimei, you know.

* Unaccounted factor: There is this crap explaining how Ame No Mihashira gave the yin and yang powers to Rokuro and Benio as part of Seimei’s big plan. However that plan didn’t take into account Yuuto. So his existence somewhat messes up all that plan since he wasn’t supposed to exist in the first place. Because of that, that’s why he challenged Rokuro to a final battle?

* The price to protect: More rage for Rokuro when Yuuto threatens to kill everyone. Because of his desire to protect them, he beats up Yuuto so hard that he starts losing his memories. Sure, Yuuto’s done for but this activates his Cataclysm King form. The end of the world begins. So Cataclysm King is a giant human torch?

* Survival of the fittest: So now the human torch is just standing there, causing big rains and sending out light signals? Yeah, whoever has weak spiritual power gets turned into stone. All part of the natural selection for the perfect world of Seimei.

* One woman showdown: Benio confronts Seimei herself because she wants him to turn Rokuro back. Well, you do know you’re no match for Cataclysm King who absorbed Yuuto’s power who absorbed Kuranashi’s power who absorbed the Twelve Guardians’ power, right? Seimei can guarantee he will return to Rokuro’s human form once he has done judging which humans are worthy for the next world. Because by then, Seimei will take over Cataclysm King’s body and continue his grand cleansing ritual.

* A boring world: So the world that Seimei intends will rid of all the yin power and hence no more Kegare. This means everybody will be like the same freaking zombie robot. Hey, but it’s peaceful, right? What do you mean you don’t want that kind of world, Benio? Are you saying you prefer this more corrupted and dangerous world because it is more dangerous and different?

* 2 become 1: Too bad Benio won’t see Rokuro even if he becomes human because Seimei needs 2 things to complete his ritual: Ame No Mihashira and Benio. Benio is supposedly the yang powers that flowed out and accumulated in her. So in order to give it back to him, he must consummate with him. Oh sh*t! Is this some sort of excuse to get pervy with her? Heck, even Kinako hates to admit the only one for her is Rokuro! Since we have some time, Benio wants to think about it. And so she decides she will join with Seimei. That was quick. Yeah, some tears to show us it wasn’t an easy decision.

* The merger: The results of Seimei x Benio are in. Ame No Mihashira is uprooted, Cataclysm King gets absorbed by it and Seimei just got whiter. Sorry people. No sex was engaged. In spite of all this, we only got lousy Rokuro back? Oh well, it was part of the deal.

* Blame: We’ve seen this coming. Rokuro blaming the hell out of himself and can’t understand why Benio chose to sacrifice herself despite knowing he is a Kegare. You should know better at this point. If Kinako has to point it out to you, you’re really useless.

* Kegare the musical: WTF???!!! Suzu singing a musical to get Rokuro back on his feet?! WTF???!!!

* Rescue Benio: What’s left of the Exorcist make a race against time to rescue Benio stuck inside Ame No Mihashira. The odds are close to zero but it isn’t zero. It gets cliché enough as everybody else gets owned by the obstacles and passes their power to Rokuro just so he can move on. The hero must always save the princess, right?

* The power of love: Long story short, let’s say the bond between Rokuro and Benio is that what busts her out. Also cue for quarrelling and blaming each other for being ‘stupid’.

* The most effective way to shut up: What happens if your woman can’t stop b*tching? You kiss her! If she doesn’t like that, what should she do? Kiss him back! And she dared complain she would have preferred it under romantic setting…

* Kamui returns: Because we have started to forget about him, he is back to fight Seimei and relishes fighting a strong opponent. Too bad he lost.

* Petals: Apparently in the final stage of the cleansing involves this huge flower and all its petals to drop. What about Benio’s union? Well, Seimei already absorbed all her yang powers. Why didn’t he do this before? At least we can be rest assured no unwarranted sex will ever happen between them.

* The power of more love: Twin Star Exorcists are using this excuse of protecting and love despite all the bad things they went through in this screwed up world. They don’t like his one-sided view of what the world should be. Yeah, your opinions don’t matter. In that case, your feelings don’t matter either! But that isn’t enough. Seimei has put his faith in humanity to change but he was betrayed by that faith.

* Kegare is good!: Apparently when Seimei says a good Kegare is a dead Kegare (not exactly but I surmise it is along this line), Rokuro argues Kegare isn’t a bad thing. He himself is a Kegare and a few other Kegare and Basara they fought did show some sort of compassion. So they’re not all that bad! So you’re telling based on this logic, the Ebola virus isn’t bad either?

* The vicious cycle: Rokuro and Benio think they might be doing some good exorcising Kegare. But they have gone through periods with negative emotions and that gives rise to Kegare. Because of such, Kegare is born. Thus the only way free from all that is Seimei’s ideal world.

* Home team support: Well, Twin Star Exorcists lost again and being put to sleep. However all those who were previously absorbed by Ame No Mihashira pop up to support them. This means from Sae to the Twelve Guardians, other Exorcists and possibly the entire townspeople cheering on for them. Why do they sound like cheering for a sports event?

* Aurora: Thanks to Rokuro and Benio reviving and putting a stop to Seimei’s plan, all souls are released back to its original place. And the entire world get to see a beautiful aurora phenomenon.

* See you again: With Rokuro and Benio spouting about love and wanting to be with other, I guess Seimei for once could laugh at his own failure. So he decides to give humanity a chance to see if they should go through this sh*t judgment again in a thousand years. Oh boy. He is making a big mistake putting faith in humanity once more… I suppose he hasn’t heard about once bitten, twice shy…

* Hitched: Ryogo and Haruka got married. Rokuro and Benio give their speech about fighting and living every day for the future. Wow. It’s like they’re veterans in life.

* Just get married already: Rokuro gives back Benio’s hair accessory. Puts it on for her. Benio smiles. Benio is happy. Kiss. Wedding date when?

Rewrite: Twin Star Weaklings
Oh boy. It’s like saying the world is beautiful because of its flaws and imperfection. Okay. Beauty is so subjective and depends on the eye of the beholder. Because exorcising Kegare is better than not exorcising any? Yeah, it’s like saying killing something is much better than having nothing to kill. Even if the world didn’t end in this anime, I’m glad the series did. Not too sure if I can handle it anymore if it has twice this number of episodes. It was really getting boring. So much so when the whole series ended, I came up with this conspiracy theory that Twin Star Exorcists were so adamant in preventing the cleansing of the world despite all the virtue signalling BS crap they spout is so that Ryogo and Haruka could get married and everybody lives happily ever after doing their normal daily routine. Uh huh. If the world is cleansed, we won’t be having a wedding ceremony… So that’s what we’re fighting for!!! Oh yeah! And of course, one day, just one day Rokuro and Benio will walk down the aisle together. All this would not be possible had they not stopped Seimei. Damn right it was worth it. Phew. Now to get back on track.

I have to admit that I wasn’t placing much hope on the plot and storyline and was expecting cliché stuffs. However the early episodes especially during the Hinatsuki Tragedy and the revelation of Yuuto being an antagonist was interesting. However when that first fight was over and they introduced Sae so they could ‘practice playing family’, I thought that was where it went downhill. It became boring and was just uninspiring as well as cliché and predictable. You know, going around defeating and exorcising Kegare, which is pretty much what the entire series is all about no matter how different setting or façade they put up. Sure, Seimei’s world cleansing and attempts to rewrite the world back to a clean slate was another twist in the plot but at this point I have already become so numb with the story that I didn’t feel anything. It was like I expected something of this sort to happen although I didn’t see this exact plot twist coming.

Character wise, personally I feel Rokuro and Benio as the main protagonists are also uninspiring and cliché. You get the feeling that when they are forced to get married and produce a child, it is predictable that they are so against it and to the point that they dislike each other. Thanks to the many episodes and the need of them having to cooperate to fight Kegare together, this serves as a mask to slowly turn their relationship around. Before you know it, they are like having good opinions for each other and they can’t live without the other. Like as though those early bickering never happened at all. Like it was all a dream. At this point you might just start asking when did they turn into this. I figure it must be around Sae’s time because that girl feels just redundant but for a particular plot in the story (aside for being the series’ cute loli mascot) and once she’s gone, it somewhat opened Rokuro and Benio’s eyes that they need to do this for everyone they love and possible the world.

In addition to that, I have this view that the Twin Star Exorcists are a bunch of weaklings when it comes to fighting Kegare. Just because Rokuro screams out with angst a lot and quiet type Benio has her pride, it makes them seem capable till you see them getting easily owned by the enemy. I know this is a catch 22 situation because if you make your characters overpowered from the start, it wouldn’t be fun and the fans won’t like it because it’s boring. But I didn’t think they are this weak because on many occasions they need their asses to be saved by somebody. Really. Sure, it is to show that there is room for improvement and that they can grow stronger or unleash some hidden power, blah, blah, blah. But from the rate I see them doing so, if they have improved, the others especially the Twelve Guardians have improved even more. Do you not believe that they are still lacking around 3/4 of the series? They’re just too freaking weak! And what was it again that Rokuro promising Arima in 2 years he will be the strongest? Look at all the sh*t everyone has been through since then! What a joke! Even making a baby seems to be a much better probability to save the world. Even in the last episode they fail to overcome Seimei themselves after giving all they’ve got. Even to the point of thinking about giving up when they have exhausted everything. So it’s like they ‘cheated’ when everybody boosted them up. So you get my idea why I view them as weak?

Talking about saving the world and everybody, the ideals they have because they are the main heroes can be said to be controversial and mind boggling at times. We hear Seimei’s goal to purify the entire world with no Kegare at all. No Kegare whatsoever. The price to pay is a world void of emotions, a zombie world, pure peace and tranquil. Sure, it might sound boring but isn’t peace and harmony the ultimate goal? And then you have clichéd heroes like Twin Star Exorcists who oppose that view because they prefer this corrupted and bad world. So you like to see more kids starve to death in Africa, eh? You want to see more child soldiers die for fat evil dictators in oppressed countries? I know that what they mean is that all the bad things they have gone through makes them who they are but do they not miss the point of the overall picture? The big picture of what mankind needs. But then again, if you put me in their shoes, I wouldn’t know which world to choose either. After all, when everyone is living like a zombie, you wouldn’t know anything at all. Just like if time stops, nobody would know a damn thing. So wanting to maintain this wretched world is like because they are afraid of taking the first bold step into the unknown. You know we won’t get anywhere if we stay in our comfort zone (tainted world in this case), right? And hence the reason why Rokuro and Benio best Seimei in the end so this is ‘proof’ that the current stinking world sucks. Imagine Seimei who was confident and invincible in his plan suddenly bows to those young punks in the end just because they had the better support and power of love. Dang it’s like they’re just delaying the inevitable because I believe human will hardly change and it’s back to the same thing again. So like pushing the problem to the next generation? Yeah, reality and logic is like love. So confusing and doesn’t make sense.

So the other characters are just rather okay. Nothing really too special or memorable. Like those Exorcist guys in Seika Dorm feels like to give that feeling that Rokuro and Benio aren’t alone in their quest exorcising Kegare. They are not as powerful and do battle less dangerous Kegare so as to give us the illusion that the Twin Star Exorcists are better. Remember what I said about them being weak because compared to the Twelve Guardians and some of the Basara, Twin Star Exorcists are that weak by comparison and that they are just above the average level of these average Exorcists. Get what I mean? If Sae is the cute loli mascot, Kinako is the cute animal mascot. Though I find his main role is to complain and b*tch about Rokuro (just to prove he is a staunch Benio supporter) and a signal to detect Kegare but often at times fail at his job because some of the more dangerous Kegare he can’t detect. Yeah, just stay cute and at most yap your mouth at Rokuro. Please don’t even possess a car or something. He did a freaking bad job in even keeping Sae in because she always lets herself out and for some reason he can’t catch her. WTF. Then you have Seigen with his tough love, the very casual and laidback Arima (because such characters are always as the head of something) a couple of old geezers sitting around Seika Dorm… I think that’s about it.

Special mention needs to be said about the Twelve Guardians. While some like Shimon and Subaru have decent screen times albeit still very lacking, others felt like they are there just to make up for the numbers. Heck, I don’t even know their names. I mean among them we have one robot loli who loves to spell or at least with her limited vocabulary she spells out letter by letter of that word, a woman who literally screams every word in her sentence (somebody forgot to lower her volume dial when she was born), a goth loli queen who is the oldest member among them all, a quack doctor, an accountant who only thinks about time is money and an emoticon face familiar. Wow. They sure look like an interesting bunch of weirdoes. However they don’t have too deep of a story to tell and some are just scratching the surface which makes it a little worse because it just makes it feel like fillers. And because of that, all of them got ‘killed off’ in the final arc. Good riddance? Nah. Just to show that Twin Star Exorcists can manage the final boss with them. Sort of.

Because Rokuro and Benio took too long with their romance and dragging their feet with it (because exorcising Kegare feels like an excuse to interrupt and put it off) and heck, they only get their double first kiss at the penultimate episode, that is why we have Ryogo x Haruka despite their very minimal screen time as ‘part time’ romance until the big one finally happens. Yeah, their big wedding day. Too bad I was hoping for some love triangle with Mayura but in the end I figure she is just there for fanservice since she has one of the biggest busts among the female characters. Oops! So what happened with her fascination with Shimon? Is something ever going to materialize out of that or is she still going to hopelessly pine for Rokuro despite knowing her chances are close to zero?

If there was a character I like, it would be Yuuto. Yes, this annoying bratty teaser is one of the best characters in the series because of the way he bows down to no one and how he enjoys the hell out of tormenting Rokuro and to a point Benio. This kid sounds so gay each time he talks to Rokuro like as though he might want to get into some big bromance with Rokuro as his end goal. He literally has Rokuro dancing in the palm of his hand because he makes him mad, beats him up, gets beaten and he still mostly laughs at all the farce. Yeah, this guy just really want to have a good time before the world ends. And even though he is rightfully defeated for plot purposes in the end, it was all worth it. You did well, Yuuto. Rest in peace. The other amusing character is Suzu because of the hilarious songs she sometimes sings. Especially that death metal rock and that musical. They’re so out of place that it’s funny. Even funnier how she sometimes gives Rokuro advice like as though she is his ally or something. I don’t understand what her role in this anime is. Unlike Kamui, she just bums around observing Twin Star Exorcists from time to time. So? We see her holding a concert for the Kegare. Do they go to concerts too in Magano? Heck, with the exception of Kamui, all the other Basara that appeared in the series are anime only characters. So much about staying faithful to the source. No wonder this series sucked…

Speaking of which, the next episode preview is a segment whereby the characters quote a famous line from famous people all around the world. Not that I can see how it relates to the next episode or the series overall. I think they’re trying to be funny but I don’t really get it. Even without resorting to these quotes I believe the usual banter will still be there. The famous quotes just makes it looks out of place. Because of that, I am beginning to wonder if this quote borrowing thing was borrowed in another anime series that sucked: Hand Shakers. Oh yeah. If you watched that show, you’ll know there is an annoying character who often spouts words from famous people as reference when she fights. So it’s decided. Having a series that tries to use quotes from other people is bad.

This series is supposed to be action battle but I hardly find myself enjoying them. They don’t really use confusing terms or skills but most of them are just chanting a talisman and then let its effect do the job. Then you have Rokuro’s Kegare arm and Benio’s feet to do some close combat quarters but how far and how much a variety can they offer? Apparently a few especially their Resonance combo but I don’t really remember them. That is why I am thinking maybe the flashy and colourful effects during the battle are some sort of distraction to divert you from the plain battle to the flamboyant effects.

I have mixed feelings for the art style and animation. At times they are rather okay but at other times they drop in quality. The characters do look a bit one kind and because I have seen so many animes over the years, many look like I have seen them from somewhere before. For example, Ryogo looks like Momoshiro from Prince Of Tennis, Atsushi looks like Grount from One Piece, Shinnosuke looks like Nodoka from Negima series and Benio looks like Ririchiyo from Inu x Boku SS. As for the Kegare, the Magano world has this sketchy-like art so in a way it is a bit refreshing from the usual 2D anime style. And it is funny that the Kegare have this large net emblem on their body because at first I thought they look like some huge tic-tac-toe that one could play over it if they ever get bored of killing each other. Just kidding. One more thing to point out. When Dragon Spots first made their appearance, I thought its shape look like a hamburger from Burger King! No kidding! Every time it appears, I would go like, “Oh, it’s burger time already”.

Speaking of Kegare, I can’t help bring this out. I am very sure that the producers have no skin colour issue because Kegare and Basara are always dark skinned. I believe the original presentation for this is to represent light and darkness, good versus evil. However in today’s politically correct world, I’m sure racist people can point this out. OMG. Am I a racist? Heck, I thought Kuranashi was Mikado in disguise because of their dark skin. Although both turn out to be different characters, but they are both still antagonist for the series, right? I know there is one dark skinned strong uncle among the Twelve Guardians but he is forgettable. Then Seimei turned white in the final arc and it’s like if you’re from the west, you’re going to blame white people that everything was their fault to begin with.

With a huge number of casts, a handful of recognizable seiyuus for me include Natsuki Hanae as Rokuro, Jun Fukuyama as Kinako, Junichi Suwabe as Seigen, Miyuki Sawashiro as Subaru and Daisuke Ono as Mikage/Seimei. The other casts are Megumi Han as Benio (Akko in Little Witch Academia), Ayumu Murase as Yuuto (Kazuo in Hatsukoi Monster), Daisuke Namikawa as Arima (Rock in Black Lagoon), Yuu Serizawa as Mayura (Tenma in Mushibugyou), Kaito Ishikawa as Shimon (Iida in Boku No Hero Academia), Kazuhiko Inoue as Kuranashi (Gildarts in Fairy Tail), Yuuki Ono as Kamui (Isami in Shokugeki No Souma), Tomoaki Maeno as Ryogo (Schubert in ClassicaLoid), Misako Tomioka as Haruka (Maria Himesato in Aikatsu), Yuuki Wakai as Suzu (Reona West in PriPara) and Hitomi Sasaki as Sae (Shiozawa in Urara Meirochou).

Many of the themes are rock based like Valkyrie -Ikusa Otome- by Wagakki Band (first opening), Re: Call by Iris (second opening), Kanadeai by Itowakashi (fourth opening) and Hide & Seek by Girlfriend (fourth ending). There are slow ballads like Eyes by Hitomi Kaji (first ending), the slow rock of Yadoriboshi by Itowakashi (third ending) and a special episode 30 ending, 15 by Girlfriend. These aren’t too bad. But the one that I prefer the most is the third opening, Sync by lol (yes, that’s the band’s name). The techno hip hop is quite catchy. It somewhat reminds me of one of the anime Beelzebub’s ending theme, Shoujo Traveler. It makes you want to get up and dance a little. But the weirdest one is Hotarubi by Wagakki Band. Although this is mainly a slow rock, it is some lines of this song that makes it feel weird. Because the singer sings like a computer slowly pronouncing syllable for syllable at certain verses, it sounded like a retard singing! But overall, it isn’t that bad since it has this frenzy traditional flute/fue playing and crazy shamisen picking in the background which are the catchy parts of the song.

In the end, the predictability and overused trope of its characters and plots that made it so cliché from start to finish is a huge disappointment for a casual and ‘veteran’ anime viewer like me. If you are new into this anime industry, everything is going to be wows, ahhs and oohs. I’m not sure if I can put this series on par, better or worse than Tokyo Ravens. It’s far too long and I’ve mostly forgotten. If you really want to watch a good exorcism series, I highly recommend the western influenced one like Ao No Exorcist. Can’t say about Nurarihyon No Mago, Kekkaishi or D. Gray Man as I have not watched them. I heard they are great but… If I was Rokuro and Benio, I would have just get over it and f*ck each other and bring forth the Miko. Leave your problems to the next generation! But then, history might repeat itself because parents with young kids always die and leave their kids in their grandparents’ care. And the whole cycle repeats itself again… It doesn’t matter how many stars you have, as long as you are born under a bad star, you’re screwed.