THE BLUE FLAME PURIFIES THE HINOKI KING'S MISERY. THE SIGHT OF THE BLUE FLAMES BURNING DOWN THE NIGHT SKY WAS REMINISCENT OF "BLUE NIGHT", BUT IT HAD A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT RESULT. PEOPLE WHO WERE SHAKEN VARIOUSLY BY THE INCIDENT INVOLVING THE UNCLEAN KING ENTER A NEW PHASE WHEN THE UPROAR WAS SOLVED. PHOSPHORUS IS THE FALL OF THE GENIE, AND IT STILL AIMS TO BE AN EXORCIST. RIN AND YUKIO ALSO HAVE TIME TO FACE FACTS THAT THEIR BROTHERS CAN'T ESCAPE. As of November 2016, Blue Exorcist had over 15 million copies in circulation.[45] The manga has been popular in Japan with the seventh volume receiving first print run of one million copies becoming the first Jump Square manga to reach such milestone. The release of the anime also drastically increased the manga's sales to the point that Shueisha decided to increase the print run for the seventh volume. Critics have praised the Blue Exorcist manga, with Comic Book Bin reviewer Leroy Douresseaux feeling the first volume had potential, enjoying the comedy in the work and the characters and their interactions, recommending it to teen readers.[46] Danica Davidson from Otaku USA felt that while the series employs disturbing storytelling, Rin's heroic traits despite being Satan's son make the plot more appealing to the readers.Kato's artwork has been praised by Anime News Network's Carlo Santos for the way each character has distinct traits while background images are well designed. Deb Aoki of About.com praised Kato's art and the series' "multi-dimensional world that melds European architecture, Japanese culture, modern technology and Tim Burton-esque whimsy", also stating that it is a "multicultural mishmash" of Harry Potter, Cirque du Soleil, Blade Runner and Alice in Wonderland, but she called the action scenes "a bit chaotic, and sometimes hard to follow." Despite noting that the story uses several clichés, Carl Kimlinger from Anime News Network emphasized how the execution was well-performed, resulting in entertaining episodes, especially its fight scenes, which were noted to be one of the anime's strongest points.Sandra Scholes of active Anime noted similarities to other series like Trinity Blood, Fullmetal Alchemist and Bleach, but wrote that the story and characters have "plenty of their own to tantalize us to watch" and wrote that it is "a truly shonen series, but there is room for some emotional scenes". An anime adaption for the manga was announced on November 27, 2010, on Shueisha's Jump Square official website.[23] The anime was produced by A-1 Pictures with Hitoshi Okamura as the producer. Originally, the series was scheduled to air on April 10, 2011, on MBS, replacing Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto; however, due to the March 11, 2011, Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami the series' broadcast was delayed until April 17, 2011.[24] The anime ended on October 2, 2011. The opening theme for the first 12 episodes is "Core Pride" by Japanese rock band Uverworld,[25] while the opening theme from episode 13 onwards is "In My World" by Japanese rock band ROOKiEZ is PUNK'D. The ending theme for the first 12 episodes is "Take Off" by South Korean boy band 2PM,[26] while the ending theme from episode 13 through episode 25 is "Wired Life" by Japanese singer Meisa Kuroki. Aniplex announced they would simulcast the series in North America through video sites Hulu, Crunchyroll, Anime News Network and Netflix starting on April 20, 2011.[27] Aniplex of America released Blue Exorcist on DVD in four sets, starting by releasing the first DVD on October 18, 2011.[28] An OVA was released in 2011, called Ao No Exorcist: Kuro no Iede. The series began broadcasting in the United States and Canada on Viz Media's online network, Neon Alley, on October 2, 2012.[29] The series began airing on Adult Swim's Toonami block on February 23, 2014, and finished airing on August 10, 2014.[30]