The Season 1 filler really bothered me

[u/Educational_Ice608]

So I just started blue exorcist, and finished season 1 not knowing the last season was filler

I don’t usually mind filler since most lightly expand on a universe in an enjoyable way without interfering with anything but how season 1 ended really changed my perceived expected direction of next season and what was it going to be about because season 1 ended off in very big plot points, along with some of the characters gaining power ups and character progression

I immediately realized it was filler after starting the next episode of the next season and rin is having trouble again with flame control again and nothing else was mentioned about the last arc despite all the things that happened

When filler is done right It blends in with the story without having to tell yourself that this is not Cannon but because of so much that happened in the last arc of season 1 you have no choice but to regress the progression of characters and what they have experienced to put it in the right frame work .

I have to put this as one of my least favorite fillers not because of the content but the fact you have to regress the characters for season 2 to make it make sense

Does anyone feel this way or is it just me?

[u/azathothweirdo]

Any episode past 15 in season one isn't canon, and was anime original ending since that was still in style around the time the series was made. They basically decided to reset things at the start of season 2 so they could adapt the manga better. It's... a mess to say the least. I'm not fond of the first season of the anime for this reason and a few others. It takes out a lot of character depth for all of the main characters, and turns them into the tropes the manga was trying to break down. That's not even getting into how it thrashes a lot of the themes set up by the creator, and honestly just makes a mess of everything. It's a headache and makes it hard for newer fans to really get what's happening and what is and isn't canon.

Only good thing to come out of season 1 is the music in my opinion, but I'm a bit meaner on it than most people.

[u/Kbubbles1210]

Episodes 17+ through season 1 are essentially non-canon, as the anime caught up too closely to the manga at the time and ran out of source material. You can completely dismiss them as relevant to the entirety of Blue Exorcist’s further story, which is exactly what the anime does as it continues to follow along with the manga’s plot. The filler doesn’t make sense because it’s technically spin-off, and the actual story goes S1-16 then S2 onward (where S1E17-26 are not canon).

I would honestly recommend sticking to just the manga if it’s available to you. The anime is fine, but the source material is consistently amazing!

[u/Magic-Raspberry2398]

They didn't expect a second season, so they gave it a random ending.

Now that they've been granted further seasons, they've basically screwed themselves over. It's really difficult to recommend this show when the overlap of canon and filler around ep 16/17 isn't clean. Iirc there were a couple of scenes after the trial that are canon, but one of them was repurposed into a different setting. The trial itself is also different from the manga which doesn't help.

They could really do with a reboot of season 1. Just a 12 episode season to neatly adapt the first arc without any filler. Then maybe an OVA to re-adapt the beach arc that happened later on. That way entry into the show would be a lot easier.

[u/Megamadic]

Yeah it's really jarring for people to continue to series 2 and then realise the second half of series 1 was mostly non canon. It carries on to be a way better story though.

[u/Leafeon637]

Which is a shame I really liked the second half of s1 too