Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Blue Exorcist: The Movie Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 2, 2014

While those who have followed the Blue Exorcist television series (released on Blu-ray as Blue Exorcist: Season 1 and Blue Exorcist: Season 2) will have the easiest time segueing into Blue Exorcist: The Movie, the good news is even newcomers shouldn’t have that hard of a time figuring out what’s going on, especially since the film has a kind of charming storybook opening sequence that sets up the main plot points while also introducing a flashback showing sibling exorcists Yukio and Rin being told a rather odd “bedtime story” by their adoptive father (see the reviews associated with the two releases linked above for a bit more information about all of this). The film deals with a number of simultaneously unfolding events, including a once every 11 years “festival” that keeps the city safe from demons, as well as Rin’s continuing efforts to actually make the ranks of full blown exorcists, plans that are thrown asunder by his impetuous nature as well as a certain strange beast he rescues during one of the film’s big set pieces.

Blue Exorcist: The Movie does a nice job of gently expanding the tenor of the series, with some considerably denser production values, while at the same time staying true to the relationships already developed in the anime series. The sibling rivalry between Rin and Yukio is especially well done here, with Yukio’s more measured approach often contrasting with Rin’s attempts to swing for the veritable exorcism bleachers. The film has a number of great looking demons as well, fancifully animated and boasting impeccable character design.

Blue Exorcist: The Movie Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Blue Exorcist: The Movie is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Aniplex with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. This is an often gorgeous looking animated film, one with incredibly detailed backgrounds (some of the urban settings are really spectacular looking in the film), as well as well done characters. Colors are very intense at times, running the gamut from bright, vivid primaries to more subdued pastels. Line detail is very sharp and consistent throughout this presentation.

Blue Exorcist: The Movie Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Blue Exorcist: The Movie boasts three audio options, a (new) English dub in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, and the Japanese language track in both DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0. Once again, this franchise's music deserves special mention, and it sounds great, with good surround placement, in the 5.1 mixes. Dialogue is also very cleanly presented. Those with the ability to listen in 5.1 should definitely choose that option for the added fun of extra LFE and smart immersion during several big action sequences.

Blue Exorcist: The Movie Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• 2 Audio Commentary Tracks by Production Staff and Japanese Cast

  #1: Nobuhiko Okamoto (Rin), Hidenobu Kiuchi (Liu), Atsushi Takahashi (Director) and Kenich Hayashi (Animation Producer)

  #2: Jun Fukuyama (Yukio), Rie Kugimiya (Usamaro), Atsushi Takahashi (Director) and Takamitsu Inoue (Producer)

• Promotional Trailers


• Bonus DVD: Exclusive Staff Interview with Atsushi Takahashi (Director), Kenich Hayashi (Animation Producer) and Takamitsu Inoue (Producer)


• Deluxe Booklet


• Exclusive Illustration Postcards


• Rigid Box illustrated by Kazue Kato (Manga Author)


• 2-sided BD Wraps

Blue Exorcist: The Movie Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Blue Exorcist: The Movie may not be a true standalone effort, as those with some background in the franchise are going to more readily grasp what's going on, but it does manage to stand on its own two legs without needing much support from extracurricular backstories and the like. The film is wonderfully animated and the character development is very smartly handled. Though this is yet another pretty pricey deluxe edition from Aniplex, for those with the cash to spare, this release comes Highly recommended.

Note: For those of you who like a little synchronicity, this review's word count was 666 before I added this note. Not wanting to tempt fate, what with Yukio and Rin's parentage and all, I decided to include this addendum.