(CR) Blue Exorcist - Shimane Illuminati Saga

[FlareKnight]

I'm going to be honest here. If my life was on the line and the ExWires were my only hope of not dying a horrible death...I'd probably lose all hope. Do these people have any sense of urgency at all? Rin may be a useful idiot...but sometimes he leans hard into the idiot side of that.

Honestly Shima deserved a kick between the legs more than a slap. But considering the position I suppose that's the best Izumo could manage in that situation. Honestly I don't really care what he's thinking or up to here. Whether he's truly on this side or he's playing multiple sides, it doesn't really matter. He's turned this situation into a true mess.

Sadly the next episode likely won't be a fun one. Can't imagine this backstory is going to be anything less than a total tragedy. But they need to get to the point and find out what is going on. Honestly I don't know if they really need to. Since the objectives here are pretty clear. Bust into that apartment that is clearly being run by the Illuminati and get their friend out of there. More intel is nice and in terms of narrative it's good for the audience. But I question the lack of urgency they've been showing. They don't know things are ok.

Intel is nice, but I'm not sure that this is the time for that. Thankfully I can't imagine the story having them fail because they wasted time on food and stories. So it should work out fine.

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by FlareKnight

I'm going to be honest here. If my life was on the line and the ExWires were my only hope of not dying a horrible death...I'd probably lose all hope. Do these people have any sense of urgency at all? Rin may be a useful idiot...but sometimes he leans hard into the idiot side of that.

Honestly Shima deserved a kick between the legs more than a slap. But considering the position I suppose that's the best Izumo could manage in that situation. Honestly I don't really care what he's thinking or up to here. Whether he's truly on this side or he's playing multiple sides, it doesn't really matter. He's turned this situation into a true mess.

Sadly the next episode likely won't be a fun one. Can't imagine this backstory is going to be anything less than a total tragedy. But they need to get to the point and find out what is going on. Honestly I don't know if they really need to. Since the objectives here are pretty clear. Bust into that apartment that is clearly being run by the Illuminati and get their friend out of there. More intel is nice and in terms of narrative it's good for the audience. But I question the lack of urgency they've been showing. They don't know things are ok.

Intel is nice, but I'm not sure that this is the time for that. Thankfully I can't imagine the story having them fail because they wasted time on food and stories. So it should work out fine.

I don't know if they've really lost that much time, feels like it's only been like a few hours and maybe a day since Izumo got kidnapped and they've done about what you would expect save for immediately rushing into Izumo's location.

[FlareKnight]

This was a solid flashback for Izumo. Honestly it's no wonder Izumo ended up like this . Her mother was a total...piece of work and honestly the fox spirits made most things worse. They spoiled her mother until she was useless because she was their type and mostly treated Izumo awkwardly (at best) because she wasn't their type. If they didn't do the bare minimum of protecting the kids from the possessed Tamamo...I'd have nothing good to say about them.

The Illuminati were bad. But it's ironic that they aren't even the initial reason things went downhill . The mother fell for a jerk who never bothered to interact with his own children. And she went off the rails and blamed her children because a jerk wouldn't give her enough attention. Izumo did turn to the wrong people, but honestly she didn't have any right people to turn to. The other shrine maidens had no respect for her mother and didn't appear to be that friendly. The foxes at least helped protect the kids, but that's about it for them. She was a kid with nowhere to turn.

And naturally all Izumo learned from this is that she really shouldn't trust anyone. Which I feel is going to be tough to resolve when her comrades seem utterly unreliable

Originally Posted by Frontier

I don't know if they've really lost that much time, feels like it's only been like a few hours and maybe a day since Izumo got kidnapped and they've done about what you would expect save for immediately rushing into Izumo's location.

I'm not feeling that. It truly feels like they think they are on a field trip and have forgotten what they are even there in the first place for. Which lines up painfully badly with them standing around like they were in sleep mode during the kidnapping itself. You are probably right that they haven't wasted too much time. But they've definitely been wasting time!

Probably setting too high a standard for them. At the same time I don't feel like I'm asking too much for the show to try a bit harder here. I haven't seen a rescue arc handled this badly. It has the pieces of a good one. They are checking the usual boxes (kidnapping, emergency team formed for a desperate rescue, getting the tragic backstory revealed to everyone, etc). But it mostly feels empty since the characters just don't seem to care. Mephisto seems more invested in having Izumo rescued. Mephisto! When a guy that suspicious seems like the most invested person here, something has gone really wrong !

[Frontier]

I feel like the major red flags from the get-go was that Tamamo was so emotionally immature as both a person and a parent to the point where her child daughter seemed more mature and on-top of things. The only thing she really had going for her was how charming she is and her skills as a medium, even if that also meant she coasted on her powers and how much the spirit foxes dote on her .

Man, Uke and Mike were hard on Izumo even back then? She was just a young girl who, despite her criticisms, idolized her mother and was doing her best to take care of her little sister. She was practically in charge most of the time because Tamamo was so busy with her work or spending time with their dad. And yet she feels like she has to bear the brunt of it, especially when she and her sister are judged for being the product of an affair .

Their dad was a real piece of work though. Whether he was genuinely attached to Tamamo or not or just saw it as a fun fling, that he completely dismissed and wanted nothing to do with his daughters, after getting Tamamo pregnant twice, was appalling. And for calling her children her "treasures" Tamamo sure seemed to turn on them the moment it seemed like they were getting in the way of her relationship with their father .

Can you imagine on the same night your mother not only beheads your father after turning into a nine-tailed demon woman but would then turn on you and your little sister and blame you for everything? That would be enough to mess anybody up. Tamamo should've just listened to Uke and Mike and not kept going when her heart obviously wasn't in it, but her own personality flaws did her in and basically ruined her family for life .

In the interest of fairness, unless you're Rin or maybe Father Fujimoto, the True Cross Knights probably would have killed Tamamo on sight. Not that the Illuminati taking her in and then experimenting on her to the point that she's practically dead is much better .

Maria seemed to genuinely care about the sisters and realizing she screwed up with the Illuminati, but her efforts to make up for it only end up with her dead. I totally don't blame Izumo, they were bound to catch her one way or another and Maria hadn't done enough to convince Izumo she was trustworthy (not to mention taking her sister away when she was the only thing Izumo had left)...but she still seemed to blame herself when she watched Gedoin experiment on her, and it just cemented her belief that she can't rely on adults and swear vengeance on Gedoin .

[Frontier]

Well, now the Exewires are even more resolved to save Izumo after hearing her backstory...not that it makes much difference to Rin, it's what he always intended to do from the start !

Nothing says prisoner than being lead away in handcuffs...not that Izumo's going to let Shima get away without guilt tripping him in and showing him her absolute disdain in the process, even if it also seems like she's resigned herself to death .

But Izumo is no damsel in distress! She fakes a freakout, stabs a dude with a pen, then kicks a guy, and manages to summon Uke and Mike to help her escape! Of course she also doesn't have any intention of returning to the Order, even though they came to save her, because all she cares about is getting back to Tsukumo. Which I guess I understand, but they're putting all that effort to rescue her !

So basically everyone who partakes in the delicacies ends up becoming emotional zombies...good thing Shiemi fed them her sandwiches, or they (especially Rin) would've been really screwed !

Yeah...I kind of figured Mephisto wouldn't immediately send back up. They're on their own. Just think of it as a learning opportunity .

Attack of the CG Zombies! Not only do they not go down from headshots, but they're tons of them! All the result of Gedoin's mad experiments! And Rin finally has to resolve to harm humans...or those who were once human .

Standing in the way of Izumo's escape is, of course, Shima...and ironically the one time Uke and Mike actually go out of their way for her, they end up dying by Shima's hand. Izumo lost one of the last remaining family she still had left, foxes she considered brothers despite how harsh they were towards her, and Shima doesn't seem to feel an ounce of guilt over it. No wonder she basically just gives up .

Oh dang, they lost Kuro! Who is very disappointed that none of the food is real .

Gedoin doesn't just want Izumo, he wants the Okumura brothers too! Which means separating and trapping the Exewires with a bunch of zombies .

[FlareKnight]

I'm still going to be mean. Oh good, it took a while but it seems like everyone (minus Rin) might be motivated for this rescue mission they are already part of! Still iffy that they needed a tragic backstory to get invested in this (feel like your friend getting kidnapped should be enough on its own), but will take it.

Obviously with Rin they are taking the "idiot that doesn't care about the details" approach. But he really is the worst example of it that I've seen. Even with someone like Luffy (One Piece) there was no doubt that he was determined to save his crew regardless of what went on in their pasts. But with Rin, I'm not sure he's really all that invested in any of this. Not going to say he's completely ambivalent. But have seen him way more invested in way less pressing things than this.

Back on the positive side of things...that was a solid escape effort by Izumo. Obviously she's not actually going to get away like that. But I salute the effort. Because what else is there to do than at least make an effort? She's not wrong that she's dead as things stand regardless. Might as well put in some desperate struggle. Plus getting to stab someone with a pen has to at least bring some minor satisfaction.

Hey credit to the kitsune. For once they actually seemed to be ready to help Izumo. Unfortunately it wasn't a good matchup or situation. Did their best even if the result ended up the same.

Sadly it doesn't seem like they are remotely close to a successful rescue. All separated into zombie feeding pens. I suspect a good amount of time will be spent with everyone struggling against their opponents while Rin struggles with fighting the walking corpses at all.

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by FlareKnight

I'm still going to be mean. Oh good, it took a while but it seems like everyone (minus Rin) might be motivated for this rescue mission they are already part of! Still iffy that they needed a tragic backstory to get invested in this (feel like your friend getting kidnapped should be enough on its own), but will take it.

Obviously with Rin they are taking the "idiot that doesn't care about the details" approach. But he really is the worst example of it that I've seen. Even with someone like Luffy (One Piece) there was no doubt that he was determined to save his crew regardless of what went on in their pasts. But with Rin, I'm not sure he's really all that invested in any of this. Not going to say he's completely ambivalent. But have seen him way more invested in way less pressing things than this.

Back on the positive side of things...that was a solid escape effort by Izumo. Obviously she's not actually going to get away like that. But I salute the effort. Because what else is there to do than at least make an effort? She's not wrong that she's dead as things stand regardless. Might as well put in some desperate struggle. Plus getting to stab someone with a pen has to at least bring some minor satisfaction.

Hey credit to the kitsune. For once they actually seemed to be ready to help Izumo. Unfortunately it wasn't a good matchup or situation. Did their best even if the result ended up the same.

Sadly it doesn't seem like they are remotely close to a successful rescue. All separated into zombie feeding pens. I suspect a good amount of time will be spent with everyone struggling against their opponents while Rin struggles with fighting the walking corpses at all.

I was actually going to mention Luffy .

I dunno, I feel like Rin's been the most determined to get their friends back (other than Shiemi and Sugoro with Shima) even if he's not being 100% serious all the time.

[Frontier]

Lucifer might be strapped to a hospital bed and with various things injected into his body...but he's still a very fine specimen of a demon! I can almost understand why Gedoin is so obsessed with him even if it's still creepy in true Gedoin fashion .

Well, quite the compliment to Rin's strength if Lucifer thinks he's the only one there who has a chance of killing him, but Shima's probably right that he'd struggle holding back against other humans .

It seems like Lucifer is, above all else, loyal to his cause and to Satan...not wanting to harm Rin, knowing he's important to Satan's plans (though Yukio is a different story), and it seems like the Illuminati's plans involve trying to make Satan a body. Their experiments in hybirds have already resulted in stuff like Todo .

Well, so much for Gedoin's big plan! Whatever compatibility Izumo had with her mom has degraded over time, so there's barely any chance the transfer of Nine Tails will work. Not that that's going to stop Gedoin, even if it means killing Izumo. And he'll kill Rin too to cover his tracks...and think he'll get to cuddle up with Lucifer as a Bishonen if he succeeds .

Ah jeez, now they're fighting against zombie chimera's! And the worst part is they're still somewhat sentient! Also, did that one actually get to look up Shiemi's skirt !?

Poor Konekomaru...he's not a fighter, he's not a "main character," and with things looking so hopeless he's even tempted to kill himself...but understanding what he's good at is enough to renew his resolve and keep fighting, even managing to escape with Kuro's help! Good thing only Rin can understand Kuro though, otherwise Konekomaru would realize all Kuro wants is food .

Skinny Bon! Shima and Bon with black hair! Bon's come a long way to become an Aria and shoot bazooka's, but what has it all been for? Were the dreams and boyhood experiences he had in his childhood really worth anything now? Especially with hte reality of the world around him? But at the very least he can do his part to give these beings their last rites. They deserve that much .

Rin is their ace, but mentally he can't fight humans, because it's all he feels is holding him back from becoming a demon. But if someone like Shiemi can defeat them by herself, even if it's hard for her, can Rin do any less ?

[FlareKnight]

I salute Rin's desire to be on the side of humans and the emotional struggles he's dealing with. But...this kind of isn't the time or place. I think those things left being human behind a while ago! And honestly it's more cruel to just keep running away and leaving them in that horrific state than simply letting them die.

Even Shiemi is sucking it up and enduring. She knows they don't have the luxury of being selfish here. The more time they waste the worse things could get. It's not fun for her either having to put something like that down, but it's all they can do.

The most interesting thing is Izumo's compatibility plummeting. It's almost certainly a mentality thing. Whatever played out, the mentality of her mother aligned with the Kyuubi and allowed for a successful possession. Anything could be a factor for why Izumo is now a terrible match. Her sense of hopelessness, the agony of losing her familiars, the desire to just not connect with anyone, the feeling of betrayal via Shima's scumbag maneuvers. It could be any number of things. And frankly it's unlikely a slimeball like Gedoin will be able to figure out why it's so bad in the limited time he has.

The one lucky break for the Illuminati is that presumably almost all their main staff are right here. So countering Yukio's group shouldn't be impossible.

Some factors in this are kind of entertaining. Like how honestly...they are right there. Gedoin and Shima are right there! A good bazooka shot should be enough to hit them!

[Frontier]

Jeez, all those poor people who were turned into zombies...and the only saving grace is they were made numb with ecstasy and addicted before getting transformed .

Gedoin really is a piece of work. He thinks he's so enlightened as a human who experiments as humans because he sees it as more "fair" than humans experimenting on animals, which is why he personally hates them...but ignoring his own blatant depravity and how he puts no values in lives .

Setting aside the situation and the handcuffs, Izumo actually looks pretty nice in that miko outfit .

Save Izumo, Rin!!! That punch to Shima's face was so satisfying. If only Izumo was more receptive to Rin's efforts...but she's seen so many people die trying to help her, that she won't let anyone else sacrifice themselves for her, and if she's going to go out, it's on her own terms .

Poor Rin. He made all this effort to save Izumo and Shima, but neither wanted his help and both basically turned on him, Shima even seriously wounds him, and then he gets consumed by the Inflazombie and doesn't know what to do any more .

Tamamo realy thinks she could ask her daughter for help after everything she'd put Izumo through? Well, Izumo will help her...out of her own sense of revenge, wanting to use Nine Tails' power for herself and to kill Gedoin .

Of course even if she has the dance down, her compatability is nil, which isn't a problem for Gedoin because they can just use the helmet to FORCE Nine Tails into her body. And it isn't pretty .

Not only is Izumo mutating (possibly to her own death) but it's eroding away at all the happy memories she has with the people she cares about, and making her realize that despite her harsh and cold exterior she really did care about everyone in her life...and she doesn't want to die .

And it is that feeling that Rin responds to and comes barreling through to wreck everything, even delivering a fire punch straight to Gedoin's face! Nice .

"Good luck, guys!" So obviously the Illuminati is giving up on Gedoin, but was Shima talking about Gedoin or the Exewires ?

Man, even after everything Izumo prioritized saving her mother over herself. But that won't help them against the horde of zombies Rin has to fight through .

[FlareKnight]

Well at least some of them made it to Izumo. I'll just presume everyone will catch up eventually .

Sadly I can't be all that surprised that Izumo gave up on the best chance for help she could get. An absolutely naive strategy of just somehow being able to handle the Kyuubi possession. If it was that easy then the situation that her family had been handling for generations wouldn't have unfolded in that way. But sadly once she jumped in there was no way to back out. Heck her situation is honestly really dire. That thing is already partly possessing her. And not sure she'd want to keep the fox girl thing going long term.

If not for the physical trauma to her skin it'd be a good look to be sure. But not sure she'd agree...

[Twi]

I actually forgot how dark this series was since it had been so long...

[Frontier]

Well, the good news is everyone is reunited and they have Izumo and her mom! Bad news is they're surrounded by zombies and Izumo is being consumed by Nine Tails .

The only person who could possibly save Izumo is someone from the Kamiki family, and the only person there who could...is Tamamo. And as if she just woke from a long, long dream, Tamamo sees her daughter in pain and immediately gets back to work effortlessly channeling Nine Tails back into herself, knowing she was going to die in the process, to save her daughter. In her very last moments, she protect what was really most precious to her and made things right with Izumo. And Izumo lost her mother in the process .

Jeez, Gedoin, read the room! And then he transforms himself into the monster he really is, but that just makes him an easier target for Izumo's wrath...as the experiences she's gone through, her mothers' will passed on to her, and knowing that this is HER fight inspires her to keep fighting. And what better answer to that resolve than Uke and Mike coming back to her? Maybe Shima ISN'T entirely evil ?

And Izumo finally embraces her heritage as an inari shrine maiden and can not only down the same crown and power as her mother but can even bring out Uke and Mike's humanoid form and their inner power! All the better to finally finish Gedoin off .

Maybe Shima isn't completely bad, though he does abscond with Gedoin and lets Suguro off the hook for his choices. So maybe that's one thing Suguro can feel less guilty about .

Oh hey, reinforcements actually DID show up! Just in time to clean everything up .

Tsukumo is okay! She even got adopted into Takara's family and living a nice and comfortable home life with loving parents! The only cost...she doesn't remember Izumo at all. She knows the fox doll Izumo made her is precious, but she doesn't recognize her big sister at all. Izumo worked so hard so they could be a family again, but Tsukumo is happy without her. The worst part is when she calls her "big sis" but not because she recognizes Izumo as her actual big sister .

It's all Izumo can do but cry in front of Shiemi because of how unfair it is...but Izumo letting all her emotions and frustrations out just goes to show how close she's become to Shiemi, and how much more willing she is to be open with her friends now. She may have lost her mother, and in a way her little sister, but she regained herself and found precious friends !

[Twi]

Izumo's life is suffering. And Rin's. And Yukio's.

Really, any main character in this series.

[FlareKnight]

Well that worked out fine. Honestly it was a far easier situation to resolve than I expected. It wasn't without cost. But I suppose Izumo's mother was pretty much done for at that point anyways so it was just a question of how she'd use the remainder of her life.

In that sense I'm surprised no one thought about just doing that before. Obviously it's a pretty morally iffy call to have the Kyuubi possess someone and then kill that person. But...it doesn't feel off the table for this setting. I feel like someone would have said "yeah, let's do it."

But yeah, that worked out about as well as you could ask for. Took care of business, got Izumo back, and Shima is being annoying somewhere else . Just wins all across the board! Slight power-up (I guess) for Izumo. Maybe the foxes will be less jerks from now on and thus be more useful as a reliable combat force? Luckily the Illuminati didn't care that much about securing this installation.

Obviously a rough one for Izumo finding out the truth. Good that her sister is fine, happy...and rich. But yeah, that's rough. Sacrificed so much of herself for someone that can't even remember who she is. It's really starting from a blank slate. Everyone she could consider family is pretty much gone. Going to have to carry herself onward without any of that. At least she doesn't have the weight of hostages to carry around. She'll probably carry on with her current path since she's got nothing else to do. And she's pretty insulated from future drama. Her whole life has been covered through this arc so she's in the clear now.

I guess we'll set up the effort to...recover Shima. Probably won't accomplish it in two episodes, but it's something to focus on.

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by FlareKnight

Well that worked out fine. Honestly it was a far easier situation to resolve than I expected. It wasn't without cost. But I suppose Izumo's mother was pretty much done for at that point anyways so it was just a question of how she'd use the remainder of her life.

In that sense I'm surprised no one thought about just doing that before. Obviously it's a pretty morally iffy call to have the Kyuubi possess someone and then kill that person. But...it doesn't feel off the table for this setting. I feel like someone would have said "yeah, let's do it."

Well, the Illuminati wanted to experiment and control Nine Tails, so that would've never been something they'd consider. Before that they just controlled it because they basically worshiped the thing.

But yeah, that worked out about as well as you could ask for. Took care of business, got Izumo back, and Shima is being annoying somewhere else . Just wins all across the board! Slight power-up (I guess) for Izumo. Maybe the foxes will be less jerks from now on and thus be more useful as a reliable combat force? Luckily the Illuminati didn't care that much about securing this installation.

Seems like Uke and Mike were mostly just waiting for her to get over herself before really opening themselves up to her.

[FlareKnight]

Originally Posted by Frontier

Seems like Uke and Mike were mostly just waiting for her to get over herself before really opening themselves up to her.

Considering her life was in constant danger and they knew the situation wasn't going to allow her personality to suddenly shift overnight...yeah I'm going to say that was a really dumb strategy on their part. Plus we saw the flashback. Their main motivation was because she wasn't their type. Hey, everyone has types. Some people like airheads that they can pamper. But that probably shouldn't contribute to life or death situations.

Really shows the downside to having summons as a main power. Absolutely depending on the whims of supernatural beings. Above zero odds that their shift at the end was because Izumo's mother was dead and they now fully accepted that it is Izumo or nothing. That and they could get revenge on the one responsible for her death.

Not completely serious there. But it'll be interesting to see what happens in the next fight. If they actually remain useful or if they go back to the status quo.

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by FlareKnight

Considering her life was in constant danger and they knew the situation wasn't going to allow her personality to suddenly shift overnight...yeah I'm going to say that was a really dumb strategy on their part. Plus we saw the flashback. Their main motivation was because she wasn't their type. Hey, everyone has types. Some people like airheads that they can pamper. But that probably shouldn't contribute to life or death situations.

Really shows the downside to having summons as a main power. Absolutely depending on the whims of supernatural beings. Above zero odds that their shift at the end was because Izumo's mother was dead and they now fully accepted that it is Izumo or nothing. That and they could get revenge on the one responsible for her death.

Not completely serious there. But it'll be interesting to see what happens in the next fight. If they actually remain useful or if they go back to the status quo.

I got the sense that, at least in the present-day, a big part of it was Izumo closing herself off and channeling her feelings into a front that made her so aggressive and uncompromising towards others.

[Twi]

Originally Posted by FlareKnight

Well that worked out fine. Honestly it was a far easier situation to resolve than I expected. It wasn't without cost. But I suppose Izumo's mother was pretty much done for at that point anyways so it was just a question of how she'd use the remainder of her life.

In that sense I'm surprised no one thought about just doing that before. Obviously it's a pretty morally iffy call to have the Kyuubi possess someone and then kill that person. But...it doesn't feel off the table for this setting. I feel like someone would have said "yeah, let's do it."

This is speculation, but they probably made use of the fox for power to a degree.

Izumo in the first series stated to Rin that people having inhuman blood wasn't unnatural. In her case they had Kitsune blood, but at this point it had diluted. They were tasked with keeping the fox in check as a member of the branch family, and the ritual they performed was akin to letting the fox possess them to appease it. It's likely that in its appeased state they would gain greater power that was worth keeping it around so long as they could control it, which is basically the role of tamers to start with.

The issue is that since it was born from the Killing Stone, their mother ended up succumbing because their dad from the main family spurred her every time she tried to have him enter their lives until he gave her an ultimatum. At that point her control wavered and she killed him along with a bunch of others with the kids being next on the chopping block. Considering the Illuminate got involved pretty quick, it's safe to say they probably had some investment in that scenario playing out. The fact that she managed to come to her senses once she was freed from the possession showed that she realized what was happening and since she was already on death's door she figured she might as well take it with her since Izumo couldn't control it. But with the fox gone now, any duty she had to uphold to keep in check are gone as well.

Izumo lost everything, but she's free to do and be whatever she wants with no chains holding her back.

[Anh_Minh]

Originally Posted by FlareKnight

Well that worked out fine. Honestly it was a far easier situation to resolve than I expected. It wasn't without cost. But I suppose Izumo's mother was pretty much done for at that point anyways so it was just a question of how she'd use the remainder of her life.

In that sense I'm surprised no one thought about just doing that before. Obviously it's a pretty morally iffy call to have the Kyuubi possess someone and then kill that person. But...it doesn't feel off the table for this setting. I feel like someone would have said "yeah, let's do it."

I'm going to go with "it wasn't possible". Or rather, it was only possible with the active cooperation of a vessel as gifted as Tamamo.