Changes made to content

... EST. ⏎ How was the first episode? ⏎Lynzee Loveridge ⏎ Rating: 3.5 ⏎ Twin Star Exorcists is our companion shonen series to My Hero Academia. While MHA has the colorful feel-good action that comes with rooting for an underdog, Twin Star Exorcists is the opposite side of that coin, establishing its lead Rokuro as “destined for greatness,” whose only hang-up is being marred by a tragic backstory. His female counterpart Benio is also super-great at everything but undoubtedly won't be as great as he is, since this is a story targeting early teen boys. ⏎ The story is a well-worn one. What helps Twin Star Exorcists stand apart is interesting art direction and not letting itself get too bogged down in the details. Rokuro certainly doesn't look like most shonen male leads. His shark teeth and rounded out face looks more like something from a Jhonen Vasquez comic than Jump. The Maguro world and its evil Kegare inhabitants are given an interesting, otherworldly feel that separates them from the living. All the creatures have a soft-lined, almost fuzzy coloring to them that starkly contrasts with the sharp, thick lines used for Rokuro and Benio. The Kegare are pretty creepy looking, but the expected red-and-black color scheme keep them from being genuinely scary. ⏎ Character attacks take cues from video games, as when the action freeze frames and inverts the colors to blues and blacks. The text appears with the attack name onscreen before a cutaway of Benio performing it is shown. It's reminiscent of fighting game cutaways and finishing moves, adding a neat touch to the action. ⏎ I recommend Twin Star Exorcists more for spectacle than clever writing, nuanced characters, or an intricately woven plot. Thus far, it's more style over substance. It's a flashy train riding along well-worn tracks to a destination you've already been before, but the view is pleasant and you've got decent company. ⏎ Jacob Hope Chapman ⏎ Rating: 3.5 ⏎...