THE REINCARNATION OF THE STRONGEST EXORCIST IN ANOTHER WORLD — FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Hello friends. Although it’s been an exceptionally warm winter so far, the gloomy weather and the sky shrouded with clouds dampen my already-low mood. It’s no fun! Grateful for all the seasonal series that help me lift my spirit though. Particularly looking at you, my sweet, clumsy babies. The highlight of my week, no cap.

Regretfully, I’m not here to talk about them, but another isekai LN + manga combo. The light novel is a collaboration between Kosuzu Kiichi and Sisoe. The manga adaptation is handled by Toshinori Okazaki. Studio Blanc is behind the anime, which some of you with a better memory for names remember from Life Lessons With Uramichi Oniisan.

Did I know this series beforehand? As I always do, I went into it without knowing anything.

What is it about? Haruyoshi Kuga was an exorcist who cared for power and did his absolute best to achieve it. What did he get in return? Betrayal of the Imperial Court and destruction. Before his death, he swore to be happy in his next life, reincarnating himself.

Now with his new name Seika, he’s an illegitimate child in a noble family household with two older brothers. The current country he’s in is a place with magic. Although he doesn’t possess any magical power, he is not entirely powerless either, and is once again ready to work towards achieving what he desires.

What to look out for? No warnings.

What do I think? I was a little hasty judging this series, guys. Because I didn’t understand reincarnation was Haruyoshi’s own doing initially, and I wasn’t very fond of the idea of an Eastern-Asian person ‘bettering’ his life by being reborn in a Western country. It was soon proven to serve a different purpose.

This is another 2-episode review because I really liked it and ended up watching the second episode right after. While Seika has no magical power, he does have something else, ki, which is translated as “life force”. You may have come across martial artists shouting (kiai), it’s the energy you let out through breath and voice. That strong ki and the papers he uses, make up for the magical power others have. It was very pleasant to see some differences between spiritual strength versus the way Western magic uses and builds upon the four elements which also include light and dark. Yokai and fantasy lovers alike will definitely enjoy this series because Seika has an abundance of yokai at his call, and he summons them for any plan that he’s devising at the moment.

Because he’s an illegitimate son, he’s looked down upon or ignored by the family. He doesn’t want to be blinded by power, yet he knows that he won’t be taken seriously or won’t be able to survive without it. In this sense, his reincarnation and his previous life knowledge have purpose and make sense in the grand scheme. A lot of the isekai series would still work with some tweaking around even if there was no transmigration so seeing a series that makes use of it is surely refreshing.

I haven’t noted anything down about quality, I wasn’t really impressed with the character designs, backgrounds, or the animation of magic. One thing that stood out to me, however, was the yokai and monster designs. The first spirit Seika summoned turned out to look like a cute girl, no surprises there. However, the second episode proved more variety in that regard.

Will I continue watching? I already am!

Have you seen The Reincarnation of the Strongest Exorcist in Another World? Or did you pass it because you’ve already had enough with 2750845 other isekais crowding the seasonal lineup? Eager to hear your thoughts as always, and see you tomorrow!