I wasn't entirely sure what show I wanted to cover next. This season has some pretty decent offerings, but after seeing the first episode of this show, I knew it had to be covered.
Generally speaking, I try not to spoil myself prior to watching a show. Most times, I love going in blind, and I think in this case it probably served me very well.
I'm going to just come right out and say it now: TSE surprised the hell out of me. The images I saw portrayed it as a somewhat edgy, yet utterly mundane, shonen show about kids fighting monsters. So I picked it up because sometimes that kind of thing is okay.
What I got was instead the same feeling I had after the first episode of Ushio & Tora, only instead of laughing constantly, I found myself immediately invested in the lead protagonist.
Personally I feel there are a lot of parallels to be drawn between TSE and Ushitora, but this one is definitely way more serious. Which I don't mind at all. If anything, I think it really suits this show so far.
Overall, the animation is above what I consider to be acceptable. The movements are all fluid, they don't rely heavily on 3D assets, and the direction is very snappy. In the first episode, they managed to convey a lot of information in a short amount of time, and also introduced us to plenty of memorable characters who, even if we didn't catch the names of, we'll be sure to recognize in the coming episodes.
Also, the designs are really well done. There's a lot of thought put into the talisman work, which is something I appreciate. All of the magic the exorcists use have rules they adhere to, even if it doesn't seem immediately apparent what those rules are. Plus they look pretty awesome, and I love that all of the monsters have a giant star design appear over them just before they explode. It's a design motif that I think will serve the show well.
Most likely, this is all thanks to the manga itself being relatively popular - I wouldn't know, since I haven't read any of it. I'd definitely be willing to keep an open mind if I get a chance to read it though, based on how well this show is handled so far.
All of this pales in comparison to the thing that surprised me the most however: The handling of the main protagonist, and the fact that he is actually a somewhat complex character with several layers. Rokuro is a very interesting guy, who clearly wants to do good, but has issues when having to deal with being an Exorcist - a place where he could do some real good. Their handling of how he came to be like this was handled excellently, and there's still a great deal of mystery surrounding it all - something I'm sure will play a major part in his character growth.
Furthermore, the foil for him, Benio, is an excellent choice, and I feel handled superbly. She is quiet, but not overly mysterious, and in fact fills the role of your typical shonen hero - the one who is super good and talented and everyone is talking about, who wants to right all the wrongs in the world and nothing will ever get in her way.
I think maybe the thing I like most about this show is that the stereotypical roles of the lead and support are reversed, and it just feels right for this.
The second episode is out by now, but I wanted to give my impressions based upon the first episode alone.
I expected something generic, and instead was pleasantly surprised to find a show that I will definitely be following the rest of the season.
So far, spring has enough offerings to keep me entertained, and meeting my relatively demanding expectations. Not to say every show I'm watching is incredible... but that's a tale for another post.
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