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| Overall | Art | Animation | Character Design | Music | Series Story | Episode Story | Reviewer | |
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| Rent | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 |
 Ggultra2764
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[series:1037#1552] |
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Blood+ offers up an alternate take of the events from Blood: The Last Vampire featuring Saya's hunt of the Chiropteran creature threat. Being at 50 episodes of length, this gives the series plenty of time to build up on events with its plot and explore the causes that led to the Chiropteran threat being as serious as it did. It also expands on Saya's character and the mysterious organization (Red Shield) aiding her in thwarting the Chiropteran threat. In terms of characterization, the series does enough to flesh out prominent characters that influence Saya's decisions from those who serve to allow her to retain the normalcy she seeks with her adoptive brothers Kai and Riku to those in Red Shield in need of her to those who remind her of her Chiropteran roots in the form of Hagi. The series does enough to have you believe that she cherishes said relationships and even those that she comes to newly establish as she learns more of her origins and the nature of the Chiropteran threat. It also does a decent job at exploring the inner conflict that Saya's character experiences as she comes to grips with her origins as a Chiroptera and determining what she desires despite being different from her adoptive human family. In terms of the plot, Blood+ does get fairly complex as it introduces several factions with differing motivations concerning the Chiropteran threat that involve its dominance, elimination or using the threat for personal gain. The first half is focused on slowly unveiling these factions and their motivations, as well as elements to Saya's past that she finds herself having to come to terms with. The unveiling of these elements lead to some foreign locales outside of Japan such as Vietnam and New York City. The second half is where events begin to build up where some prominent characters are killed off and characters gradually change as a result of the Chiropteran. This becomes prominent in a time skip which features some of the major characters having changed in personality and personal beliefs as a result of the events that took place from earlier episodes in the series. Blood+ does some from some major issues which keep me from wanting to give it a Buy. While enough is fleshed out with Saya and some prominent characters on her side, I felt that anything involving Diva and her Chevaliers were quite underdeveloped as we don't get much dimension or depth about their motivations with some of the Chevaliers seemingly being around just to serve as obstacles in Saya's hunt for Diva and to expand the cast. It also got in the habit of going into some sub-plots that did little to develop major elements of the series; particularly Mao and the reporter's quest to catch up with Kai, Saya and the Red Shield agents. In terms of visual presentation, Blood+ does sport clean details with its settings and character designs with a subdued color palette that do well at painting the show's dark mood. The series does well at visually depicting a variety of different settings thanks to the different locations that Saya and others travel to from the beaches of Okinawa to the barren tropical forests of Vietnam to the vast city landscape of New York City. The designs for the Chiropterans are diverse and make for a great treat to see on the screen. However for a series seemingly hyping itself on its monster-slaughtering action, Blood+ is hit-or-miss in animation. The series does have its moments in depicting some good scenes such as some aerial battles and close combat confrontations, but I did spot some prominent shortcuts with animation which include still-shots within moving backgrounds to simulate movement and the use of blur effects to depict fast movements coming from the Chiropteran characters. For the show's soundtrack, Blood+ often makes use of piano and classical musical pieces for insert music to depict its dramatic situations which fit perfectly with the drama seen frequently throughout the show. The show's various OP and ED sequences tended to be hit-or-miss for me with how I enjoyed them and quite often being either too gentle or intense in fitting with Blood+'s mood. The only one that caught my interest was the 2nd OP from Hyde's "Season's Call" which fit well with the mood in which the series was conveying. Overall, Blood+ was a decent supernatural action/ drama that did enough at slowly fleshing out elements to its series and exploring how the prominent characters come to grips with knowing more about the Chiropteran, especially as Saya comes to grips with her own connections to it. However, the lack of fleshing out on many prominent characters among the antagonists does make it tough to connect with them without such developments and the focus on some irrelevant sub-plots does hamper the quality of the show's plotting. Still, the series does make for a decent watch and it beats the original movie in terms of delivering a quality plot and fleshed-out characters with its supernatural action. Last updated Saturday, October 29 2011. Created Saturday, October 29 2011. | ||||||||
| Buy | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
 Dreamer
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[series:1037#2279] |
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This one is one of the better anime I've seen to date. The plot was very well done and just have you hooked doing episode marathons late to the night. Art, Animation & Character Designs Artwork and animation was exceptional. Some the the background and foregrounds were almost breathtaking and vibrant with colors. Animation was just top-notch with high frame rates. Character designs were all excellent and well done. All the characters were distinctly drawn and didn't suffer from the clone syndrome (where they look alike but with different hair colors). Some of the monster artwork was really good. Music The OP wasn't too bad. It was a rockish piece with female vocals. It sorta grew on me after a few times around. The 2nd OP (about half way through the series), was even better. It was a rock piece with male vocals. The ED was equally was good. As for the soundtrack, some good pieces here and there which made this series pleasant to the ears. Series and Episode Story Right from the beginning the series caught my attention with the fast action, disturbing fight scenes and almost "scary" cut scenes and audio. The first thing I love about this series is the awesome and almost believable plot. Not a single episode is wasted but are fully used to explain nearly every detail about the plot, the primary characters and various factions, the Schiffs, Chiropterans, etc. This is what made this series really engaging and had me glued to each episode non-stop. Most of the characters had excellent roles and actually added more depth to the series as a whole. Even the "bad guys" had their backgrounds explored to some extent. What made it even better was how some the "bad guys" actually had a bit of humanity.... and frankly weren't all that bad as bad guys. "Solomon" was a fine example. The plot itself was full of intrigue, tense moments and plenty of subplots and surprises... especially nearing the end. By the end of the series, you realize it's quite bittersweet but still ends up with a gratifying conclusion. The only gripe I had was how Saya suddenly wanted Diva to live as Diva was dying. Had to roll my eyes on that one. Overall, this was a fantastic series in not only music, art and animation but also the story and plot. Some reviewers and commented that it was "dragged" out way too long. Actually, in my opinion, the whole 50 episodes worked well. I didn't see any wasted episode or any episodes that didn't fit into the whole of the story. Awesome series! Last updated Thursday, February 18 2010. Created Thursday, February 18 2010. | ||||||||
| Rent | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 6 |
 Marcus
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[series:1037#679] |
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The best way to describe Blood+ is to say that it would have made a REALLY GOOD 24 episode series. Pity the creators had to drag it out into a 50-episode "epic". It's a shame really, because overall the anime is very good. The series is well animated, especially the battle scenes. The main story- involving Saya being inducted into Red Shield and their subsequent quest against Chiroptera- is interesting enough. And the characters are both well drawn and well developed. I was particularly taken with Saya: for once an anime high school heroine who isn't an obnoxious snot or a fan-servicey bimbo. Some of the antagonists- such as Solomon- are also well developed as real people with understandable motives, rather than just 'bad guys'. All good enough so far. The problem is the story begins moving away from these aspects, and delving into different side plots involving new groups of people interested in the Chiroptera. The story begins skipping around from place to place, moving the action back and forth between countries, and introducing a host of new characters, which makes it increasingly difficult to follow exactly what is going on. Since very few of the characters are essential to the main plot, and none of them are as interesting as the main cast, all these side-plots end up feeling like filler. The sub-plot involving Kai's girlfriend and the journalist is a good example: it's not that they're poor characters or haven't got legitimate motives for what they do....they just don't end up adding much of value to the story. Likewise some of the antagonists are not that well developed, and seem to be there purely to widen the range of people for Saya to fight. In all, whenever the series focussed on Saya, Red Shield, and the central story, I loved it. Had the series as a whole kept that focus, it could have been one of my favourite anime. Whenever it began wandering off into the side plots I began losing interest. I'd still give it a rent, because when it's good, it's really good. But give me a tight, fast-paced, short series over a bloated, rambling epic any day. Last updated Friday, January 18 2008. Created Friday, January 18 2008. | ||||||||
| Watch | 7 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 6 |
 Big Fire
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[series:1037#2441] | |
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ok so i have only watched like 15 or so episodes, but i don't really get
this. Is this your typical person who fights evil but needs to drink blood
to do so? I dunno...i wanted to watch this show cuz i like vampires and i did like devil may cry...alot...but i am not getting into this at all...so my ratings are preliminary, until i decide to revisit this show and watch more episodes...
Last updated Wednesday, January 02 2008. Created Wednesday, January 02 2008. | ||||||||
| Watch | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 6 |
 DisFunctional
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[series:1037#863] |
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You can relate to me if you like anims like Naruto, Cowboy Bebop, Mononoke Hime, Samurai Champloo, Spirited Away, Whisper of the Heart etc... bitem_e pretty much sums it up for me. The Animation, music and character design are excellent but the down fall is the story line. They tried to create curiosity around something that's so "simple"... if that makes sense. Unlike Naruto, you never know what’s around the corner and it keeps you guessing, whereas Blood + you can tell what’s around the corner but they give you the confirmation 30 eps later. It just dragged on a bit. Overall, I did enjoy watching Blood plus regardless of parts where they dragged it on. I did enjoy the fighting scenes, the cool custom designs, the music and most of all the relationship between Haji and Saya. That made it worth while. **Spoiler coming up. Do not read the following if you dont want know******* Since only Saya's blood can kill these monsters why not coat bullets with her blood and kill them that way? Saves swinging a sword. Last updated Sunday, September 16 2007. Created Friday, August 31 2007. | ||||||||
| Buy | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
 Violet D
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[series:1037#1393] |
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I started watching this a couple Saturdays ago. I would say a definite yes to watch. I watched it on Adult Swim and kept thinking Saya needed to know her brothers had been kidnapped from the people who were making monsters by experimenting with kids they kidnapped. On this episode Saya can't kill anyof them because she keeps hearing this song from a Diva. I kept thinking come on Saya do something. A definite watch. Rent it or buy it you will like the storyline and the animation is excellent. This is another animation that has got me hooked. I watched it again on AdultSWim and Saya does snap out of it. Her brothers tell her they are a family and they will stick by her no matter what. There were some tense moments there when the children started to turn into little monsters and all I wanted was Sayas brothers to make it. As I said before this is excellent and if you are into more of a blood, fights and not all flowers and happy endings. This is a good one to watch. Last weekend Saya found out that she is one of the monsters she kills. She has disappeared leaving a note that reads liar. But are they. She wants to know about her past and who is Diva and this woman she is traveling with tells her it is her sister. That is how this episode ends and the young man with the cello may have been killed by this woman who was from Russia. I hope not. But anyway the plot of this anime keeps you guessing and wanting to watch it to find out what happens to Saya. I watched this episode on Adult Swim early Sunday Morning and Saya was finding out where she came from and now Riku the younger brother heard the Diva singing and Saya found him and that is how they ended that episode. But to give you a heads up Solomon was telling Saya she is the same as them and the monsters the red shield want her to kill. But I hope Riku is ok and nothing has happened to him. I will just have to watch it next week to find out. This is another good one and one you should watch if you like anime and manga. Another twist in the life of Saya. She was rescued and taken when she was fighting Diva. Her only wish is to kill Diva. She is told though Diva is pregnant with Rekus children. Can she go ahead and kill Diva knowing this and the fact Diva killed Reku. The episode ends with Saya getting this information and now she is faced with a difficult decision. There is a twist and James has told the older brother he can have the babies when they are born, but he wants Diva. I don't know what is going to happen next and the episode left me hanging. Questioning what will Saya do?
Last updated Sunday, February 03 2008. Created Sunday, June 10 2007. | ||||||||
| Watch | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 5 |
 aoneish
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[series:1037#1615] |
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I'm not sure if this is just a watch, it's above an avoid at least. don't get me wrong, the animation is great, the story is indeed, satisfyingly violent and bloody. the character design is great, the OST i don't notice so much, but i am in love with the opening song. the thing that upsets me is the pacing of this story. the first two episodes were FANTASTIC, all the complexity laid out for you, all the fluid violence, and mysterious evil characters and potential romances and what not. it was very promising and hooked me instantly. and then...then it died down...and dragged on...and on...and on...and although episode 12 was a nice break from tedium i was so bored by then i didn't care. yea, more evil heinous things, more angst from saya, more dead good sacrificing good guys. blah blah. i mean all the other episodes, there's a little bit of fighting here and there, but NOTHING compared to the first episodes. i know she's just growing into herself and finding out about herself, but damn that's a long time to do it. it's great that she has angst and everything, but really it's annoying to be honest. a single intense and melodramatic episode where she loses everything because she won't fight would have done it. how long can you drag out mystery and angst? it's tiresome. at this point i'm not sure if i want to continue, which is why i'm reviewing. and why i can't say for sure how it'll go. who knows,there ARE 52 episodes maybe once she finally accepts her past and what not the fluid and kick ass fighting scenes will come back instead of lame cheesy cut scene fighting where there's hardly any motion at all. NOIR was just as complex as this series but it was never so boring. yea, i'll hope for the best. i'm at 15 and it's died down again, i wanna go another ten in hopes it'll pick up. but honestly at this point i just don't care. Last updated Thursday, September 28 2006. Created Thursday, September 07 2006. | ||||||||
| Buy |
 Jan-Chan
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[series:1037#967] | ||||||
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Shinsen has released episode 32 of this very intense, very complex and very bloody story. While I am hooked, I do have to admit that this is not a nice story. With about 15 main characters and some 20 other minor characters between the two or three different factions, the plot is very complex. I will even not attempt to offer anything other a simple summary (or else I could go on for pages.) But the animation and story-line of this series are very good. So if you enjoy complex and bloody anime series, you should really enjoy this series................ I posted some snapshots of episode one, if you interested. Last updated Saturday, June 17 2006. Created Saturday, June 17 2006. | ||||||||
Other Sites
| Name | URL |
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| Japanese Series Web Site | http://www.blood.tv/ |
| Blood | |
