4 STARS | Blue Exorcist Volume 4 by Kazue Kato

Title: Blue Exorcist, Volume 4
Series: Blue Exorcist #4
Author: Kazue Kato
Age Group: Young Adult
Genres: Japanese Manga, Fantasy, Paranormal, Graphic Novels
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC
Format: Paperback
ISBN-13: 978-1421540474
Published: October 4th, 2011
Source: Library
Rating: ★★★★
Series Reviews: Volume 1 | Volume 2 | Volume 3

While most of the students at True Cross Academy head home for the summer break, Rin and his classmates are sent to a training camp in the forest district, and the right to go on a real mission is riding on their performance. Locating and recovering their objectives in the woods is tough and will require teamwork, skill and more than a little magic--and Rin will have to learn to rely on his friends. But is Mephisto masterminding something behind the scenes?!

Rin has finally made friends with those in his class, but Mephisto comes along and ruins everything for Rin. Mephisto sets his brother, Amaimon, after Rin again, but Rin's friends are threatened and in order to protect them, his true identity is revealed. Now friendless once again, Rin must work to control his blue flame and pass the Exorcist exam in six months to prove to everyone--but most importantly, himself--that he's not a monster.

I really liked the moment when Rin is caught by the big moth and tells everyone to go on ahead--because he plans on using his flame to get free and doesn't want them to see--but Suguro insists on helping Rin escape and tells him the he doesn't need to do everything alone because he has friends to help him. The only sad thing about that moment is when Rin questions how they would feel if they ever found out that he is a child of Satan.

The big question that Mephisto presents in this volume while Rin is fighting Amaimon is:

"While demons are pleasure-seekers who can only destroy, humans are weak because they walk the middle path. So which will it be for you?"

It'll be interesting to see what path Rin will take. Will he become the demon he was born to be? Or will he walk the middle path? I'd like to see Rin take a path that would not only make Father Fujimoto proud, but one that also leads him to follow his beliefs and what he thinks is right.

I think my favorite part of the whole volume was when Rin was undergoing questioning in front of the Grigori and Mephisto is going on and on about how he asked Father Fujimoto to save Rin so that they could use him as a weapon against Satan. Rin's had enough and explodes declaring:

"I'm not a weapon or a demon lord or a savior!!! I'm Rin Okumura!!!! Someday I'm going to be the strongest Exorcist!! All of you remember that!!"

Rin always gives the best declarations and you can tell that he's going to d everything to prove his words correct.

This volume ends with the beginning of a new story arc, so I'm excited to see what happens next!

Website | Goodreads

Kazue Katō (加藤和恵, Katō Kazue), born on July 20th, 1980 in the district of Shinjuku, in Tokyo, is a Japanese mangaka, author of shōnen manga. She is mainly known to be author of Blue Exorcist. She also created Robot to Usakichi ( ロボとうさ吉 ), for which she received the price Osamu Tezuka Award.







Disclaimer: This review was originally posted in 2012 to my book blogs, Zodiac Book Reviews and A Bibliophiles Thoughts on Books.