Blood+ Review by GaoAsaurusG
NAME: Blood+
GENRE: Horror/mystery
DIRECTOR: Junuchi Fujisaku
MUSIC: Mark Mancina
PLOT: Ep. one opens with a taste of what we may expect in fututre episodes, unfortunately it is a long,long,time b/4 we see such raw/fast paced action again. Instead, we must wade thru slice of life moments,spy-like investigations and lots of melodrama.
The human race is threatened by the exsistence of blood drinking monsters called Chiroptera. Red Shield is a secret organization that seeks to rid the world of this danger and clean the blood from their hands at unleashing it in the first place. The only true weapon that Red Shield has is a young girl named,Saya. Her blood can kill the Chiroptera. She has a special katana w/ a “blood groove” and she wields it with skill, although she is often reluctant to do so… and often pays dearly for it.
Saya, it seems cannot remember her past. We get a hints of just what kind of past it was, but the whole story ins’t revaled until around Ep. 22; where we are told of Hagi’s origins. Hagi is the Tall, slender,deadly creature who protects and obeys Saya without question or hesitation; her chevalier.
After a bit of a slow take off, the series quickly get up off it’s feet and starts down the road. It also begins to fragment into a number of side plots. Saya,Hagi and the member’s of Red Shield go after Chiroptera,Cinq Fleches and Diva. Kia and Riku go after Saya. Mao and the reporter go after Kai and Cinq Fleches. The Sif go after Saya’s blood. And Diva, well, Diva is after her own warped sense of happiness.
CHARACTERS: While there are a plethora of minor characters, There are only two main characters; Saya and Hagi.
Saya is a young girl with a tragic and blood past. She seeks to reclaim her memories, defeat Diva and the chiroptera and fine peace.
Hagi is Saya’s chevalier(knight). He has a blind devotion to her, although you get the feeling he follows some of her orders against his personal opinions.
GENRE: As a mystery, Blood+ pays off well in the end. It manages to bring together and tie all its threads into a great big bow. Lewis would be the only loose thread in the weave, as everyone seems to have a backstory except for him.
THEMES: Determination and not losing one’s sense of direction are major themes in Blood+. We see the tragic consequences befall both our heroine and several minor characters as well.
STYLE: The use of light is astounding in the begining of the series. This artistic flair seems to come and go, though as the series progresses. The music inside this anime remains constant in its thematic patterns. The opening and closing change in both music and artist rendering.
CONCLUSION: I enjoyed watching Saya travel thru this rich and wonderful world,even if it was quite dark at times. I will admit to wanting to slap her on more than one occasion, crying at the end, but walking away with a smile on my face.