Blue Exorcist Vol 2 by Kazue Kato

               

In volume 2, Rin continues to train as an exorcist and hide his parentage, which means no one can see his strange ears, his tail (which he keeps coiled around his body under his shirt), or his blue flame, the signature mark of Satan and his kin.  In this volume, Rin and his exorcism classmates must undergo the Exwire examination that will test their knowledge on getting rid of demons, their teamwork, and their combat skills.  We meet more characters as there are now more students at True Cross Academy.  We also find out there are different classes of exorcists: the Knight, who is a sword-fighter; the Dragoon, who uses guns; the Tamer, who can summon demons to fight with them; the Aria, who recites fatal versus from the Bible; and the Doctor, who treats wounds inflicted by demons.  Classes can be mixed and students can excel at multiple classes. Students in this volume choose specialties and start to explore those skills during the Exwire exam.

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This story in the first two volumes has really great pacing and keeps the pages turning without feeling overwhelming. I really like some of the new characters,including Ryuji, who wants to be an Aria and a Dragoon.  He has also sworn to defeat Satan because of the destruction wrought on his temple during the Blue Night, a catastrophic evening that coincided with Rin’s conception (the link is not currently clear). Because of this vow, he and Rin are competitors, but they also compliment each other’s skills. The detail of the art of the demons could be one of the reasons this has a higher reader rating, as they can be quite scary, but this is also a way for this title to stand out amongst so many other exorcism titles.

VIZ rates this for Teen Plus, and that is for the gory fantasy violence, some language, and a few suggestive themes, including, in this volume, hinting and sexual activities with girl students while all students are bathing (in their separate bathing areas, of course).

Right now, there are 23 volumes, with more planned, so there is a little bit of a purchase commitment for this series.  However, this is one of the most popular series in my library, so it is worth investing in the first few volumes to see how your students/patrons enjoy it.

​Sara's Rating: 8/10
Suitability Level: Grades 10-12

​Tags: Rating: 8/10, Suitability: High School, Manga, Demons, Horror