(CR) Blue Exorcist - Shimane Illuminati Saga

[Frontier]

Well, it sucks that they weren't able to bring Shima back...but maybe it worked out because he's a DOUBLE-AGENT !?

Why am I not surprised some hot lady from the Illuminati tried to recruit Shima? Especially because he had Yamanataka and a connection to the Knights of the True Cross, so he had a lot of value as a member...and the Order needed someone to get into the core Illuminati group, and Shima was happy to offer his services. Anyone who can slip in undetected from Mephisto and his own family might be the perfect choice !

The Illuminati have a cool airship! And Gedoin finally gets his just desserts as Lucifer acknowledges much time they wasted on his experiments and how deep down he was as much a rotten human as anyone, and Lucifer just bursts him into light. Being killed by your idol after they call you out...leaving nothing behind but your wig...take that Gedoin !

I get where Rin is coming from but playing Shima in class is a bit much...especially when the ACTUAL Shima shows up like nothing ever happened. And Yukio just rolls with it. Shiemi's the only one acting genuinely confused .

Welp, Shima's back, and everyone has some choice words for him, but before that...time to deliver a proper beatdown! Even stripping him! I almost felt bad for him that Shiemi was the only one trying to get everyone to lay off and she bonked him over the head the moment she saw him naked. Guess he did have all that coming .

Oh hey, Lightning! We haven't seen you since, like, episode 4-5! And he's there because the Order trusts Shima as much as they trust Mephisto...which is not that much .

But Rin's right, Mephisto is probably the least trustworthy person in there, especially when the Exewire's put together how much Mephisto has been manipulating everyone and been responsible for a lot of the trouble they've gone through. He might even have been able to stop the Kyoto arc from happening !

Mephisto is a player and all the Exewires, especially Rin, are his precious pawns in this game against the Illuminati, and all of them and their development is valuable in this fight. But even if they don't like it, Mephisto might be their best bet for defeating Lucifer .

But hey, at least Shima's friends still believe in him despite everything! He may be a scumbag, but he's THEIR scumbag. And that's enough for Lightning too !

Wait, Yukio met with Lucifer? What, when, how !?

[FlareKnight]

Oh give me a break arc! Of course he has to be a spy. Can't even look forward to some satisfaction of having him punched in the jaw for the crap he's been pulling this arc. Because now it's all fine because he's a double agent!

Really says something about the trust level Mephisto has going for him that someone that literally stabbed people in the back has more trust than him. Admittedly I think he's actually got a better head on his shoulders than everyone else in that room. Honestly Rin and the others are better off being used like chess pieces by Mephisto. Not much point letting any of that group actually think for themselves...

Alls well that ends well I guess. Honestly I'm not really sure what anyone is thinking at this point. Letting Shima go back is just plain ridiculous. It's having both sides openly admitting that they know he's a spy. So at that point...why not just email each other their intel instead of using Shima!?

Stinger at the end of the episode with Yukio. I guess we'll see where that goes.

Either way...this chaotic mess of a season is just about over.

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by FlareKnight

Oh give me a break arc! Of course he has to be a spy. Can't even look forward to some satisfaction of having him punched in the jaw for the crap he's been pulling this arc. Because now it's all fine because he's a double agent!

I mean, they still beat him up and stripped him naked .

Really says something about the trust level Mephisto has going for him that someone that literally stabbed people in the back has more trust than him. Admittedly I think he's actually got a better head on his shoulders than everyone else in that room. Honestly Rin and the others are better off being used like chess pieces by Mephisto. Not much point letting any of that group actually think for themselves...

Smart enough at least to finally realize how much they're being used .

Alls well that ends well I guess. Honestly I'm not really sure what anyone is thinking at this point. Letting Shima go back is just plain ridiculous. It's having both sides openly admitting that they know he's a spy. So at that point...why not just email each other their intel instead of using Shima!?

He has gotten an "in" with the Illuminati inner circle, so really it seems like a matter of playing both sides to see how much he can get out of either of them. His position did end up helping them save Izumo, in the end.

[Twi]

Basically, he's a spy but you don't know where his real loyalties lie. Sure, he states he's on the True Cross' side, but he might just be on the Illuminati's side as well. Mind you, he's playing with fire because eventually someone is going to decide he ain't worth it and pull the trigger.

Lightning wasn't kidding. They really would torture him if they thought he wasn't a pawn in their favor, we see that in Episode 4 when he brings in a guy's family for his interrogation when they know they don't know anything. And the Illuminati would murder him if he wasn't useful to them. He's gambling with his life on both sides, but considering how hard it is for each one to get someone close to both ends, he's a valuable pawn they can use in their 4D game of chess to outplay one another.

Edit: This episode covers the events of Chapter 66 of the manga, of currently 148.

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by Twi

Basically, he's a spy but you don't know where his real loyalties lie. Sure, he states he's on the True Cross' side, but he might just be on the Illuminati's side as well. Mind you, he's playing with fire because eventually someone is going to decide he ain't worth it and pull the trigger.

Lightning wasn't kidding. They really would torture him if they thought he wasn't a pawn in their favor, we see that in Episode 4 when he brings in a guy's family for his interrogation when they know they don't know anything. And the Illuminati would murder him if he wasn't useful to them. He's gambling with his life on both sides, but considering how hard it is for each one to get someone close to both ends, he's a valuable pawn they can use in their 4D game of chess to outplay one another.

Edit: This episode covers the events of Chapter 66 of the manga, of currently 148.

I wonder if they'll properly announce the next cour next week ?

[Twi]

If only. Those arcs are great for Shura and Yukio.

[Frontier]

Well, Rin could probably yell about Mephisto all evening, but the Exewires still have to reconcile properly with Shima one way or another now that they're stuck with him .

Yukio on some level wishes he had his brothers' flames, and resents Rin's naivety, and that makes it the perfect opportunity for Lucifer to appear during the time the team were being held captive, bolster those feelings, and offer Yukio a place with the Illuminati...and Yukio is really falling apart emotionally .

It takes a lot of exercise to be a spy, especially when you're juggling two different organizations! But at least Shima's enjoying himself and feels free...which, as his childhood friend, Suguro might just have to accept. Still kind of complicated .

Shura! I'd been missing her this season! And while Yukio doesn't feel like he can unburden all his feelings to her, she's at least there to press his face against her boobs and force him take a vacation with the other Exewires !

Tropical resort! Complete with Izumo showing how far she's come now that she's willing to change with Shiemi! And we get to see all the girls looking fantastic in their swimsuits, especially Shura in that bikini !

Konekomaru has a good point. If Shima went to the trouble of coming back to save him during the Kyoto arc, even after expressing how much he hates all the responsibility he'd been saddled with, doesn't that show that you can always rely on him in a pinch ?

The Three Wise Monkey's get Rin and Shima's libido acting up and make them have an epic anime fight over who gets to slide down with the girls...which means no one gets to slide down and Shura has to punish them. But hey, respect to Rin for his loyalty to Shiemi !

Rin is Yuki's big brother and can see he's struggling but Yukio sees it as just pity or a sign of weakness and refuses to accept Rin's help...and he continues to nurse that resentment, even when Mephisto tries to give him an outlet. Though he seems fascinated by the result all the same !

[Stark700]

Split cour confirmed, next saga airs in October 2024

[Twi]

Poor Yukio. Strange guys keep getting into his face and trying to tempt him to the dark side.

Shura Arc next season! Yes!

[FlareKnight]

While the reasons would differ...I probably wouldn't confide in Rin either. The guy is an idiot and wouldn't have much help to offer in a complicated situation like this anyways. Although any outlet is better than none at all. Or at least that should be the case. This would test that theory though.

Puts an end to this one until the Fall. While I was glad to get an arc that delved into Izumo's situation, there was a lot of bad stuff mixed into this one. Easily the worst rescue arc I've ever seen in my life. And Shima is an unbelievable pain in the rear. Could have him killed off by either side while playing his spy game and I wouldn't care in the slightest. The worst part with Shima is that the cast can't outright ignore him since he's already proven willing to literally stab them in the back.

Probably the worst season of the series for me. There were ups and downs in the series overall, but this one felt more of a down than up. At least it's done for the time being and will see if there's any interest to keep up with it in the fall.

Originally Posted by Frontier

He has gotten an "in" with the Illuminati inner circle, so really it seems like a matter of playing both sides to see how much he can get out of either of them. His position did end up helping them save Izumo, in the end.

That's an interesting way to look at it. I'd say he caused the problem in the first place without any plan or intention to resolve it. Things just happened to work out despite Shima, not in thanks to him.

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by Twi

Poor Yukio. Strange guys keep getting into his face and trying to tempt him to the dark side.

Shura Arc next season! Yes!

Can't wait for the stuff coming next season .

Originally Posted by FlareKnight

While the reasons would differ...I probably wouldn't confide in Rin either. The guy is an idiot and wouldn't have much help to offer in a complicated situation like this anyways. Although any outlet is better than none at all. Or at least that should be the case. This would test that theory though.

Rin's an idiot but he's also honest and sincere and cuts through BS, while Yukio overthinks everything and is too self-involved in his own problems. Rin's just a caring big brother .

Puts an end to this one until the Fall. While I was glad to get an arc that delved into Izumo's situation, there was a lot of bad stuff mixed into this one. Easily the worst rescue arc I've ever seen in my life. And Shima is an unbelievable pain in the rear. Could have him killed off by either side while playing his spy game and I wouldn't care in the slightest. The worst part with Shima is that the cast can't outright ignore him since he's already proven willing to literally stab them in the back.

Probably the worst season of the series for me. There were ups and downs in the series overall, but this one felt more of a down than up. At least it's done for the time being and will see if there's any interest to keep up with it in the fall.

I think all the Izumo stuff was good .

That's an interesting way to look at it. I'd say he caused the problem in the first place without any plan or intention to resolve it. Things just happened to work out despite Shima, not in thanks to him.

Thanks to keeping Uke and Mike alive Izumo was able to defeat Gedoin.