Welcome back to Anime Rants. The next two episodes of Blue Exorcist‘s third season were intense and emotional. I think these events were very well-written by the mangaka and also well-executed by the anime’s creators. I have always liked Izumo Kamiki, and these two episodes show the conclusion of her dramatic character arc thus far. I hope you enjoy my notes and responses for episodes 9 and 10.
Episode 9: Help Me
The ninth episode was another intense one, at least compared to what you typically see in a Blue Exorcist arc. Though the conclusion was somewhat predictable – the strong character breaking down and asking for help – I consider it “classic” and have no objections.
The episode begins with Gedoin addressing Rin and his group through the speaker system inthe underground labratory. He explains that the zombies and fleshy monsters they’ve been fighting were once innocent humans kidnapped from the town of Shimane. Rin suspected as much, but he’s still appalled to hear the truth confirmed.
When Rin asks if Gedoin is a demon, the ugly man replies that he’s a human, but that he hates humanity. He then explains that humans are disgusting for experimenting on other creatures. To choose to experiment on humans instead is “justice,” according to Gedoin. Humans who claim to be righteous and good are just hypocrites – especially when they also kill their fellow humans in a pinch.
I don’t doubt that this is genuinely how Gedoin feels, and it shows that his sense of justice is extremely warped. But in addition, this speech was definitely an attempt to manipulate Rin into feeling guilty and doubtful. Unfortunately, it worked. Rin’s thoughts became clouded.
It got even worse for him when he tried to rescue Izumo. She was being transported to the experimentation site, guarded by Shima. Bitterly, Izumo told Rin that she never asked for his help. She doesn’t need to be saved.
Shima, who still seems to be entirely on the bad side, begins to attack Rin. He won’t stop no matter how Rin tries to talk him back to his senses. After a brief fight, Shima stabs Rin through the chest with the black flames, sucking away his energy.
“This is the real me, you know,” Shima states.
He then watches as Rin gets absorbed into the body of a monster.
Trapped and half-crushed inside hot flesh, hearing the agonized cries of the zombified humans, Rin begins to despair. What is he supposed to do? He doesn’t want to keep killing former humans. He doesn’t know if it’s right to try to save Izumo. And he can’t convince Shima to return to the good side. The situation is dire.
Before we go on, let’s take a moment to point out what Izumo is thinking. Her plan is to master Kyuubi, the Nine Tail fox demon, and still keep her life and her sanity. Then she can destroy Gedoin and everyone else in the underground lab. Izumo is extremely determined to succeed in this plan, but there’s also another piece of the puzzle to mention. At this point, Izumo doesn’t believe anybody can save her. Everyone who has tried to help her has died or been taken away. She’s hopeless.
Additionally, Izumo also doesn’t want to be like her pathetic mother, who always begs for help. So, even if someone could save her, Izumo would refuse to ask for it.
Clad in a priestess kimono, she begins the ceremonial dance to lure out Kyuubi. Instead of wearing the usual fox mask, though, she’s wearing a device invented by Gedoin. Its purpose is to force possession from one body to another even if their compatibility is extremely low. In other words, Izumo will be possessed by Kyuubi regardless of what she does.
Despite her fierce determination, Izumo is no match for the power of Kyuubi. As the spirit takes over her body and turns her into a fox demon, it causes immense pain and suffering. Izumo cries and screams as her flesh is burned by the necrotic effects of the elixir. The agony is so intense it will most likely kill Izumo’s consciousness, leaving only Kyuubi behind.
In her supposed last moments, Izumo realizes how much she actually loved her friends and family despite acting bitter and angry so much of the time. Now that she understands this, and faced with her impending death, she finally whimpers, “Someone, help me.”
At that moment, Rin breaks out of the body of the monster from the floor above and comes crashing down into the lab. He punches Gedoin into the wall and then turns to help Izumo.
Gedoin’s supporters run away, leaving the ugly little man to fend for himself. He summons a hoard of zombies that start raining down from above. Rin must now protect Izumo and her mother. It’s clearly painful for him, but he readies himself to slay the creatures around him who were once innocent humans. To be continued.
Episode 10: Friends
Rin and all his friends fought the zombies, protecting Izumo and her mother, but the damage had already been done. Izumo was fully possessed by Kyuubi and unable to control herself. She started rampaging. The one who saved the day, surprisingly, was Tamamo. She danced with Kyuubi and redirected the demon into her own body. Izumo was freed.
Sadly, after confining Kyuubi to her body, Tamamo died. On the bright side, this meant Kyuubi was sealed to the demon realm again and now lacks any corporal form. Tamamo did not die unhappy. She saved Izumo, hugged her, and called her “My treasure.” She died telling Izumo that everything would be okay now.
As Izumo cried, she was keenly aware that her “pathetic” mother had finally saved her. She thought nobody could save her. Izumo wept and realized she was wrong for hating her mother for so long. I shed a few tears during this scene because it was so powerful.
Gedoin, still lurking around in the background, put on the helmet that forces possession. He believed he would become Kyuubi’s new host. In reality, he became an extremely ugly flesh-eating demon. Izumo quietly wished for the help of her mother and the supposedly dead fox gods. Much to her surprise, this utterance summoned Uke and Mike to her side once again.
The fox familiars explained that they weren’t killed by Shima, but only rendered immobile for a while. They also told Izumo that she would now be able to summon more power than before. So, Izumo humbled herself and asked Rin and the others to protect her from the zombies while she began chanting an exorcism prayer.
Izumo, Mike, and Uke did a lot of damage to Gedoin, but Shima rescued him at the last moment and escaped. Reinforcements from other branches of the True Cross Order showed up to help Rin and his friends. Finally, the long battle was over.
The next day, Nemu Takara gives Izumo a transportation key that will take her to a certain house anytime she wants to go. It’s the house where Tsukumo lives with her adoptive parents. They are kind people related to the Takara family and given constant protection by the True Cross Order.
Izumo approaches Tsukumo while she’s alone outside. Now eight years old, Tsukumo is a sweet and polite little girl. But unfortunately, she doesn’t remember Izumo at all. Rather than try to force her to remember, Izumo gives back the fox doll and returns to True Cross Academy. She’s extremely relieved that Tsukumo is safe and happy … but she’s also heartbroken that her little sister forgot about her.
Shiemi happens to be in the same room recovering from the exhaustion and soreness of the previous day. Izumo has a breakdown, and Shiemi listens. Even when Izumo yells mean things at her, Shiemi stays kind and understanding. She says she’s happy that Izumo can freely express emotions like sadness and anger. Paku had been worried about Izumo’s lack of honesty with her emotions. She told Shiemi about it at the train station.
As Izumo and Shiemi both cry together, I was thinking that this is an important scene for both of them. The girls are truly bonding now. Izumo will probably always have a tendency to lash out, but at least she’s improving in some ways. She knows deep down that she cares about Shiemi, Rin, and the others.
The breakdown scene was necessary, but soon after, the atmosphere changes. A happy montage begins. Rin and the other Exwires come to visit the girls. Later, Izumo reunites with Paku and hugs her closely. She also visits her mother’s grave. The episode ends with Izumo walking home with her friends. It was a very wholesome conclusion.
~Thanks for reading~
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