Blue Seed

Title:Blue Seed
Overall:Buy
Keywords: , , , , ,
Notables: Animation - Production I.G.
HAYASHIBARA Megumi
HIKAMI Kyoko
INOUE Kazuhiko
MITSUISHI Kotono
ORIKASA Ai
Original Concept - TAKADA Yuuzou
R1 License - ADV (Renamed)
SAKAKIBARA Yoshiko
TACHIKI Fumihiko
TAMAGAWA Sakiko
UEDA Yuuji
Implanted with a "blue seed", the unborn form of a malevolent entity called the Aragami, young Momiji Fujiyama has found herself the recipient of bizarre powers that allow her to pinpoint the location of an impending Aragami attack. Now recruited by the TAC, a special government agency whose purpose is to combat the Aragami, she is the first line of defense for a nation under siege. But the TAC is badly outgunned and outnumbered. When the Aragami show up, it turns the city into a war zone and the Aragami monsters seem unstoppable! Momiji's only hope is the mysterious Mamoru. But this strong (but cute) looking human may still be bound to carry out the will of his inhuman masters!
24 Episodes
See also: Blue Seed Beyond
R1 By ADV Films
Episode Details 
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 99
OverallArtAnimationCharacter Design MusicSeries StoryEpisode StoryReviewer
Rent 7 6 7 7 8 7 Ggultra2764 [series:202#1552]
Blue Seed makes for a decent series, though it does have some bumps one has to get past before getting to much of the show's better stuff in later episodes. While the early episodes do their part in introducing the characters and the show's premise with Momiji being targeted by the Aragami, many of the episodes tend to follow a "monster of the day" style plot where a random Aragami is killing off parts of the human populace with Momiji, Kusanagi and the members of TAC tasked with killing off said threat. Some of the episodes do feature focus on one of the TAC members. But otherwise, the "monster of the day" setup tends to get repetitive after a while. The show's implementation of comedy also came across as a bit hit or miss for me. For instance, I did enjoy some of Sawaguchi's destructive antics yet didn't get much enjoyment out of the show's running gag of Momiji's random panty shots and Kusanagi teasing her about it.

Looking past these flaws, the show's later episodes get into some surprising plot developments once Murakumo is introduced around the middle of the series. Some pretty shocking developments in Blue Seed's plot come along concerning the motivations surrounding Murakumo, the Aragami and an old acquaintance of TAC which I won't spoil here. These later developments did keep me hooked to the show for its final episodes and were more than enough to make up for the setup of Blue Seed's earlier episodes.

Outside of said later episodes, Blue Seed does offer a good amount of fleshing out on many of its characters, counting the individual members of TAC, as you get to learn more of their backgrounds, some of whom are a bit on the tragic side and connected to the Aragami threat. The series also does a solid job at setting up suspense with the various Aragami encounters, as well as exploring the past origins of the monsters and the different means in which they were dispatched. The anime was basically making its own loose take on elements of mythology commonplace in the Izumo prefecture of Japan and Shintoism, particularly the Eight-Headed Orochi and the water god Susanoo.

In terms of animation, Blue Seed is of standard quality for a mid-90s TV anime title with faded colors, washed-out backgrounds, normal use of animation shortcuts and character designs with a decent amount of detail applied to them.

Overall, Blue Seed does make for a solid 90s anime to check out thanks to its fleshed-out cast, supernatural elements and engaging second half. The anime does have some shortcomings from its "monster of the day" setup in its first half and its comedic elements. But otherwise, it is still worth checking out if you are looking for older anime titles to catch your interest.

Last updated Friday, July 20 2012. Created Friday, July 20 2012.
Buy Forbin [series:202#1573]
Drama : Med / High
Comedy : Med
Action : High
SciFi : High
Ecchi : Low

It's an old anime that I haven't been able to see all the way through. Thanks to Jan-Chan, I finally got to see it right to end. I loved it, too bad this is from 1995, the Animation really shows how old it is. Good storyline but don't blink or you will miss something important. It's very good.

Last updated Friday, November 04 2005. Created Friday, November 04 2005.
Buy 10 9 10 9 10 masami satomei [series:202#1839]
Excellent, excellent show thats way too unknown. This series has 'classic' written all over it. From beginning to end, I was hooked, and it was torture spacing the episodes out so I didnt finish the entire series in one weekend and have no new anime to watch.
I believe Best Buy just released a special edition of the series for around 40 bucks, so i recommend all of you reading this buy the show immediatly, or you will miss out on one of the greatest animes of ALL TIME!!
(the only reason music didnt get a 10 is because of the ridiculous english translation on the opening song. WORST TRANSLATION EVER!!! I dont even know what they're trying to say :o)
I love the end theme with a passion though
Buy it by the way
now

Last updated Friday, February 11 2005. Created Friday, February 11 2005.
Rent Stretch [series:202#628]
I became interested in Blue Seed after acquiring a used VHS tape of the first couple episodes. The unusual premise of an ancient myth which has turned out to be quite true, and demands the attention of a secret government agency, was intriguing. This show was described by Mariela Ortiz as "One of the most underrated anime series this reviewer has ever seen"--maybe that's why I was able to purchase a complete boxed DVD set for around $45. After my initial viewing, I may have been guilty of some underrating myself. I came away with the impression that somewhere around halfway through, the episodes become repetitive, with Kusanagi and Murakumo duking it out too often, and their fights always having more-or-less the same result. The final episode left me asking myself what the hell had just happened. Before rewatching the series, it was helpful to read a number of reviews, which pointed out the complex and sometimes paradoxical issues of man-vs-nature, materialism-vs-traditional beliefs, etc, (which had pretty much gone right over my head the first time). I kept an eye out for these issues as I re-watched, and the series made more sense. Things still get kind of confusing after a betrayal occurs in episode 23. Though I still couldn't tell you exactly why things worked out as they did, the reasons were clear enough to leave me feeling good at the end, unlike the way I felt after Evangelion. I also realised that my memory had been mistaken--Blue Seed never got particularly repetitive, and Kusanagi and Murakumo only fight three or four times in the entire 26 episodes. I doubt if I can think of another series in which I became as attached to the charachters--the short snippets at the end of the final episode, which give a hint of how their lives moved on afterwards, were precious. I think my favorite charachter was Sakura, the part-American "faith healer". Her outrageous what's-in-it-for-me attitude, coupled with her habit of showing up when you least expect it, are hilarious. As for the Omake Theater segments, I think the very first one will always be my favorite, perhaps because it came as such a surprise. Finally, I think this show has one of the coolest opening theme songs, "Carnival Babel". Pick me up foxy night game!

My favorite line: "Nap time!!"--Kusanagi

Catch Sawaguchi Kome's montage at the Cute Girls with Guns page!

Last updated Wednesday, December 08 2010. Created Saturday, December 06 2003.
Rent 5 6 7 6 7 8 poneru [series:202#638]
I wasn't too impressed with this anime.
Biggest complaint: It was too friggin long!!! I thaught it would only be a thirteen episode series, but i was horrified to find I'd have to sit through double that length.I mean, its a fine series in all, but they could have cut off 6 episodes and saved me my preciouse time. that ending was just wayyyyyy tooooo drawn out......
Enough about the length. the animation was okay...the music was okay...and the characters were just standerd. this series is just so average i wouldn't recomend people spend money on it.

Last updated Thursday, June 05 2003. Created Thursday, June 05 2003.
Buy 8 7 8 8 8 8 Sesen Kelader [series:202#471]
Part of the reason I like Blue Seed is because Hayashibara MEgui is one of the voice.
I like the main characters's personalities and the storyline. The plots are smooth and is fast-path. The entire story is basically a guy protects a girl from evil. But positive and negative human nature comes out from that. The ending is pretty good, full of hope.

Last updated Saturday, January 04 2003. Created Saturday, January 04 2003.
Buy 10 10 10 10 10 10 Tatsuya [series:202#431]
I've seen the first 8 episodes in this series, and I loved them! I am still searching for the other episodes. Most of the characters in this series are lovable like Tome, K. Mamoru and the other woman with the blue hair covering her left eye. Then, there are characters that you just can't stand, like the main character, Momiji, the rookie who doesn't know what she's doing and whines all the time. -_-' Besides that, the animation for all the characters are really nice. I like the monsters that they fight too. This is my favorite anime series I have seen, and if you're pleased with this series, I suggest you watch Evagelion too! ^_^

Last updated Sunday, November 24 2002. Created Sunday, November 24 2002.
Buy Atsumi_Yamaki [series:202#259]
I'de have to say blue seed is one of my favorites, The characters were awesome and even the dub voices matched the characters. The opening and ending songs are like the best.

Last updated Thursday, August 08 2002. Created Thursday, August 08 2002.
Rent 6 7 7 7 7 Courtney [series:202#80]
TOTAL GRADE: 68%
One thing to be said about BLUE SEED is they're certainly thinking outside the box on this one.
Ive FINALLY have seen the whole series and I have to say Im more impressed with it than I initially thought I would be. The first couple of DVDs have a bit of a repetitive quality to them that can become obnoxious to watch one after the other but once the series gets going it starts playing along some pretty deep lines. Morality, sacrifice, loyalty, and the simple question of whether or not man really deserves to be on Earth are all rather interesting and help keep the series from being typical.
Despite my praise, Im not going to pass BLUE SEED off as much more than your average anime with a little bit more time spent on the plot. Some episodes were interesting, some were dull, overall it was a series of moments, hit or miss. I liked the ending, much like the series itself it was almost like you half expected it to happen that way but they still managed to surprise you in a few ways. Ill leave my review at you could do a hell of a lot worse than BLUE SEED.
Other Animes not unlike BLUE SEED:
BUBBLEGUM CRISIS: TOKYO 2040
DEVIL HUNTER YOHKO
NEON GENESIS EVANGELION
X/1999

Last updated Monday, December 31 2001. Created Thursday, October 11 2001.
Buy 9 10 9 10 9 9 Anonymous #185 [series:202#185]
Oh my goodness, A combo of Evangelion + Devil Hunter Yohko (Great stuff). All the usual great voice talents from A.D.Vision (A big reason to buy from them) Amanda Winn's "Momiji Fujiyama" is back to here crazy let loose self like in "Devil Hunter" which is as it should be, enough of that careless Rei Ayanami.

Last updated Friday, May 25 2001. Created Friday, May 25 2001.
Buy 6 6 7 7 8 8 Kaitou Juliet [series:202#137]

The first couple of episodes are pretty dark, even with some sexual overtones like the way the plant which attacks Momiji's school strips her down to her underwear. Don't be scared off by this; once Momiji relocates to Tokyo and joins the TAC, the mood lightens considerably (although the fascination with her underwear remains). There's a veritable chain of unrequited love at the TAC, which will need to be worked out before the end of the series.

In the final story arc, the Aragami's intentions and allies are revealed. The TAC must race to find a way to defeat them without resorting to the sacrifice of the Kushinada. The climactic sequence is one of the most satisfying things I've ever seen, a very moving depiction of hope restored from despair. It could so easily have been cheesy, but they pulled it off beautifully—in part because the leisurely buildup allowed us to know and care about the characters.

Also worth mentioning are the short "Omake Theater" pieces which are inserted every two episodes. Some of them are humorous superdeformed parodies in the style of the "Welcome to Lodoss Island" shorts in Chronicles of the Heroic Knight. Others are surprisingly effective mood pieces, such as one in which Momiji simply hums while watching the rain fall. Still others give us insights into the characters, such as the one where brash Kome Sawaguchi remembers her first crush.

This series is heavily based on Japanese folklore. Most of it is explained within the show; however, a visit to one of the explanatory web sites linked below may also be helpful.

I loved this show!



Last updated Sunday, January 06 2002. Created Thursday, April 19 2001.
Buy 4 4 7 3 7 The Coyote [series:202#64]
holy cow this thing starts out soooo serious I thought I was in for a real drama serious this thing is more comedy than anything else but still very enjoyabe the dudes in this show are sorta jerks (if they treated my sister or friend like that I'd kill em) but other wise good show. As it gose on it tends to cary a pretty hevy ecolover theme to it but not enough to kill the story. Momiji has a bit of a Miaka irritateing thing going but that's ok. all in all worth seeing the drama between Momiji and her sister and Mamoru creates an interesting love triangle.

Last updated Tuesday, December 04 2001. Created Sunday, November 12 2000.
Buy 6 6 5 6 8 CatWoman [series:202#65]
This is a good anime! I liked it. It isn't the kind of anime that you "JUST CAN'T WAIT TO SEE!" It is more of a, "oh yeah I want to see what happends next when I have time" Anime It is full of action, has a nice romantic story, and is funny at points! If you have a BUNCH of anime on your list to see, don't make this your first, but somewere at the end don't forget to add it!

Last updated Tuesday, January 08 2002. Created Monday, October 30 2000.

Other Sites
NameURL
Blue Seed Analysis http://www.concentric.net/~Amagai/blueseed/
Includes a mythology guide and a list of the meanings of characters' names.
Imperfect Souls http://www.geocities.com/kusakumo/
Another good mythology guide, and a drinking game too!

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