Blue Exorcist Vol 9 by Kazue Kato

Rin finally learns some control on his flame, and it come when his friends are in danger the most from the Impure King. He uses his power to burn all the spores of the Impure King from their skin, and leaves all his friends untouched.  Finally, the battle with the Impure King is over. After wrapping up some details with Bon’s family and the Myodha camp, it’s off to the beach for a little “vacation” - except they’re there to help kill a kraken demon that has already destroyed one deep sea finishing boat. Rin charges in head first again and Shiemi and Yukio get caught up trying to stop him. They find shelter from the impenetrable kraken on an island, home to a forgotten sea god.

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If we hadn't had so much filler a few volumes ago, the end of the Impure King might have landed at the end of a collected volume, and then Kuzo could have developed this arc of the Sea God a little more.  It's an interesting little side story, and could have been a place where Rin and Yukio have some much-needed brother time, but that was not what happened here.  Hopefully that will come in some later volumes. 

There is some talk in this volume about girls in swimsuits, as is to be expected with a beach trip, but some of the comments are continuing to keep this volume in the older teen category.

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

Reviews of previous volumes in this series: vol 1, vol 2, vol 3, vol 4, vol 5, vol 6, vol 7, vol 8

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