Exorcists are awesome. I pretended to be one at the Renessaince Festival and everyone thought I was crazy. Anyway…
The concept of exorcism, demons and spirits is fairly popular in anime today. Some anime don’t blatantly contain exorcism, but instead draw on some of the same general concepts and themes. (One key example is Bleach, in which the Hollows are sometimes real people requiring saving, much like demon possessed people.)
Real anime exorcists, though, are generally quite cool. Take Chrono Crusade‘s Rosette for example: She’s loyal, brave and a good role model, but is still realistic (and not a total skank.)
But, in my humble opinion, the exorcist series that pwns all others is D.Gray-man. For starters, their uniforms are totally sweet and symbolic at the same time. They’re sweet because they’re an example of the gothic tendencies of Hiromu Arakawa’s original art. Plus they just plain look good on the guys…
Black typically symbolizes evil and sin, and that’s symbolic of the evil that the exorcists face every day, even within their own organization. More symbolism exists in the fact that Komui, Lenalee’s older brother and researcher, designed the armor in the uniforms with the intention of keeping them safe. Even though he can’t fight as an exorcist himself, he works hard on the armored uniforms so that no one gets hurt. The uniforms, therefore, represent the luck wished upon the exorcists by all the researchers and Finders that back them up.
Another plus for D.Gray-man is the characters, but if I start talking about them too much, it’ll turn into a 500-word rant on Lavi. ;) Seriously, though, the characters and their own issues add so much to the story. Kanda’s stupid mysterious symbol on his chest (do we ever find out what that is?!) is an example from early on in the story; but in recent chapters of the manga, we find out that Lenalee has issues with some official dude at the Black Order. Throw in Allen’s possible connection with the bad guys, Komui’s desperate desire to win the exorcists’ war and Lavi’s past as a Bookman, and you have a recipie for multiple types of character drama.
The awesomest thing about D.Gray-man’s exorcists, though, is their Innocence-powered weapons. While the science behind the concept of ‘Innocence’ doesn’t always make sense, it’s easy to understand the basics behind Allen’s mutant arm/gun/sword, Lenalee’s boots (which eventually mutate themselves,) Kanda’s katana and Lavi’s extendable hammer. Granted, the concept of a single rare substance being able to eliminate evil forces is slightly overused. However, it becomes more original and believable when you throw in the deadly consequences that await abusers of Innocence.
I won’t say much more (for fear of serious spoilers,) but D.Gray-man shows that nothing is purely ‘good’ or ‘evil. Instead, more often than not, something is both holy and sinister or kind-hearted yet imperfect.
So in the ongoing ninja versus pirates battle… exorcists win. ^_____^ ‘Cept Lavi kinda looks like a pirate.
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