A lot to say but it’ll get really drawn out just like this show so I’ll try to keep it concise, unlike the show.
Yeah first few episodes were banger, first 10 episodes or even 20 I really enjoyed. After that we got the dragon spot filler stuff and the plot just got really convoluted as if they were pulling their BS script out of their ass. We switched between three different main baddies for what seems to be the main purpose of shock value. I don’t mind a lot of talking in shounen- we mainly come for the action I guess but if the dialogue is compelling then please, converse away. Problem is that there is so much, especially toward the last 10 or so episodes, so much exposition, explaining, and just telling us the audience stuff instead of showing it. Sure they have to explain how everything came to be, but they just do it so much because they have quite the number of lackluster plot twists. Just makes you cease to become really invested anymore. There’s this whole thing about our two main heroes wanting to become STRONGER, they mention what seems to be literally a hundred times, but in the end it doesn’t seem to matter because they basically get their power from everyone around them. Maybe that’s the point, that true strength comes from being with each other, like our twin stars resonance, and then receiving power from all the people that they’ve crossed paths with and helped during their walk of life? Idk you tell me if this shounen actually had a good message to present. Maybe it’s just me but I didn’t get yuto’s motivation at all, maybe it’s because he’s a clone or something and he’s fighting Rokoru for dominance, it can’t be his newfound purpose of awakening the cataclysm king, that’s what abe wanted, I mean what drove yuto personally? He just randomly wants to fight rokoru because he went back on his assumed promise to become the strongest exorcists together? Idk I was so bewildered I couldn’t get behind their fight. Nice and flashy, but lacking true weight. The other baddie that kinda just died, kuranashi, was basic villain stuff I thought he really was going to be our main villain till the end until they did some bs and switched over to yuto for awhile to be main baddie. Shame, actually thought he was more compelling, surprisingly. And then we get the guy at the end with basically thanos-like intentions. That’s really where random shit starts spraying everywhere; at that point I was just waiting for our main duo to confess their love and be done with this show.
Can’t give all negative thoughts though, if this were shorter, perhaps half the length, cut out all the unnecessary aspects and made a more cohesive narrative, this would’ve been an 8 or even a 9 for me. Again I loved the start of the show. What a great set up to draw you in. Haven’t read the manga, didn’t really intend to, but now kind of want to to see how they apparently did it much better. Seems like the anime didn’t do it justice; they supposedly changed a lot from the manga which I hear is supposed to be actually fire. What else did I like... episode 24 was another filler, it’s own story, but I loved it. Any redemption story will usually get me. The first basara, kaumi was it? He was cool af and I thought they completely forgot about him until he randomly showed up at the end. Wish we could’ve gotten more of him and also tenma the strongest exorcist who really only got to show his OPness, like once. Seigen of course is a plus, despite getting brutally injured early on and losing an arm and fighting capability, was still a compelling character for me and a commanding presence on screen.
At its core their really is romance mixed in with its typical shounen type traits, and while it’s not handled perfectly, I was totally onboard our main duos relationship. Really it was wanting to see them finally be together was what drove me to continue this show. I mean if you have 50 episodes you better make me start caring about what the show is cemeteries around, and it did. I did feel pain when rokoru rejected her to protect her, and joy when she went to save him, and then when he I turn saved her. There was a point, I forget which episode, when they begin to accept each other after straight up loathing each other, when they make their promise to get stronger together, yeah, STRONGER, which is kind of the tipping point and the beginning of their feelings. But another than that their love for each other kind of sneaks up on you and builds up so that by the end when they to profess their love for each other it makes sense and feels impactful. It may be the result of just a culmination of small moments that add up, which gets the job done but come on it’s not really development, but it gets the job done for me. When everything was going haywire (on screen and in the script) at the end, their kiss(es) made it for me and made the whole journey worthwhile. Barely.
Whoops I failed and made this actually drawn out... oopsie. Well I guess I’ll just say that from the dragon spot filler onward the show really really declined for me, seeing the same stuff over and over and really not doing anything new. I get it’s shounen and it’s alright for it to be like that but come on, you can be better. That said, the last episode was for me a satisfactory conclusion; not amazing, but it gets a pass for getting the job done and not making me fill up entirely with regret for spending 50 episodes on this. Still, did not get that post anime depression I feel when the thought comes that I’m never going to see these characters again- kind of wanted that for me masochist self. Anyhow, I did sit though all this so I would be lying if I didn’t enjoy this to an extent. Had some pretty epic highs and some pretty long lows stretching over several episodes and some dumb recaps in there. Overall though, I can safely say that I do not regret watching twin star exorcists, but sadly it’s only by a slim margin that I can say that.
I don’t write reviews, I just put down my thoughts here in the forums because their messy, like this show. Still had fun though. I hope you enjoyed it more than I did. 6/10 |