Blue Exorcist: Shimane Illuminati Saga

Episode 12

Man, “Hidden Feelings” is a weird episode of Blue Exorcist. I get that we're still in the middle of setting things up for future acts in this storyline. However, based on all of the drama from last week, with Renzo returning and the hinting that we got of Yukio's questionable allegiance, I figured that the next logical step would be to put some pressure on those ideas and deal with the interesting messiness that comes from all of this double- and triple-crossing that the Illuminati have introduced into the story. This episode…kind of does that, I guess? I mean, it technically has scenes where Renzo acts shady, Yukio has the seeds of doubt planted by Lucifer's words, and the rest of the gang all spend plenty of time openly questioning who they can trust. But I don't know, y'all. It just doesn't come together in a way that feels cohesive.

Once again, I have to lay some of the blame on the middling direction that has been dogging this season a lot. A scene like a flashback to Yukio's encounter with Lucifer back at the Illuminati base is a perfect example of this. For one, its placement in the episode is awkward as heck — the whole “cliffhanger” from last week was just there to set up this measly little scene where Lucifer pops up to make Yukio feel insecure and paranoid. This alone wouldn't be so bad, since I know we're still playing the long game, but the flashback itself is just…dull. There's no other way to put it. The editing, the camera angles, the flat colors, and the washed-out lighting; all of it together makes a scene that should be filled with ominous portent into something that could damn near put you to sleep.

Then, Yukio's not-so-compelling inner conflict gets one single scene with Shura to percolate over the whole “deceiving your family” idea before the episode switches gears entirely to become about the gang blowing off some steam at an indoor pool, where they get pestered by these weird little monkey demons that force Rin to scream about his true feelings for Shiemi. It is somehow a downgrade from a filler beach party episode because at least we'd get one whole episode to goof off and maybe have some fun, instead of trying to cram all of the shenanigans into just a dozen minutes or so. Again, I wouldn't even mind the sitcom nonsense with the Sanzaru spirits if it was well put together, but all of the animation with the kids messing around at the pool looks so awkward and half-baked that you can't help but check out entirely before it's done.

I'll give “Hidden Feelings” one compliment, at least: I am a big fan of Izumo finally warming up to Shiemi and letting her into the Girl Friend Group. The bit where Izumo tries to nonchalantly remind Shiemi that there will be more girls' nights for them in the future is adorable, and the smile it plastered on my face was the one emotional reaction of any kind I got from Blue Exorcist from this whole endeavor.

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Blue Exorcist: Shimane Illuminati Saga is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

James is a writer with many thoughts and feelings about anime and other pop-culture, which can also be found on Twitter, his blog, and his podcast.