"Blue Exorcist", or known by its Japanese title, "Ao No Exorcist", by Kazue Kato is by far one of my all-time favorite manga. That's saying a lot, considering how much manga is out there. I like it so much, I'm likely to list it among my top ten favorite books. I usually don't write reviews on manga, but what better way to start than with my favorite?

For starters, the series falls into the genre of supernatural action. I love stories with a supernatural twist, so that's enough to get me interested right away. Normally, it takes me a bit longer to get interested in a plot that has generic demons being the evil force, but "Blue Exorcist" established it in a way that made it click. It sets itself up to be very stereotypical, but it's still so original and fun! Demons aren't just a generic title for the bad guys but classify a species that is typically evil. Yet, there are also demons that work alongside exorcists, and exorcists with demon blood.

This introduces a bit more of the moral gray-area nature of demons. It helps that the story follows a teenager named Rin, who happens to not only be a half-demon but the half-demon son of Satan. The stigma of having demon blood is amplified with the main character having to hide his true nature in fear of being prosecuted, while he also harbors an intense desire to train as an exorcist to defeat Satan.

The idea of having an intricate school dedicated to training young exorcists and the moral dilemma with Rin already sets the series up to go in many different ways. Kazue Kato does a fantastic job at introducing interested arcs and storylines that develop the characters in the best way possible. Not a single one of the side characters get left out as the story develops.

This series has been out since 2011, and I've been happy to watch it grow over the past six years. I encourage you to give it a try, even if you don't usually pick up manga, and see if you like it! "Blue Exorcist" is still an ongoing series, so you don't have to worry about it ending anytime soon.