Blood+ is a 50-episode action drama. It follows the battle between
two vampire-like girls: Saya and Diva. It’s a rather epic tale, Diva is
almost the equal of a killing machine, and Saya made it her life-goal to
kill her once and for all. They both have their own allies, Saya has
the friends she spent happy times with, while Diva turned a number of
people in monsters, making them completely devoted to each her.
This anime definitely is worth watching. The episodes 26-36 are so
incredibly good. They even had me crying at times, which does not happen
often. The first half of the series, or episodes 1 to 25 are
interesting to watch, though they might be a pain to get through due to
their huge length. They do, however, build up perfectly for the sheer
awesomeness that follows afterwards.
Though I’m afraid I have to say it, but after episode 36, the overall
quality of the anime gradually drops. From that point, it’s like a
straight line to the finish. There are some entertaining moments, but
it’s clear that the creators already played all of their trump cards in
episodes 26-36. Still, it does remain enjoyable. My complaint, however,
is the last two episodes, in which the series ends. They really work
anticlimactic, as they somehow manage to destroy everything the series
has been building up for.
The characters are very enjoyable to watch. As this anime has 50
episodes, there are lots of opportunities to really flesh out each of
the characters, and the creators gave a very good attempt in doing so.
The character development in this anime really worked out. The
characters are also very interesting to watch in all of their struggles.
Whenever an important character dies, (that does happen at certain
points in this anime) the effects this has are great to see. Except,
perhaps, when the ending comes near. By that time, these deaths become
rather predictable.
As this is an action-series, be sure to expect lots of battles. The
creators also made sure that our heroine Saya stayed alive through all
this by giving her the ability to regenerate her wounds, so that if
she’s slashed once, she isn’t really killed. Even though I can see why
the creators chose to do this, I find it also a bit weak. The battles
themselves also don’t really try to be original, or something. While
they are exciting, they’re nothing special. Still, the normal humans do
not have the ability to regenerate. The battles in which humans play a
role are mostly the most creative ones.
In terms of music, this anime also tries to be epic. At some times,
it really works, but when you compare it to other anime, then the
soundtrack of Blood+ isn’t really anything special. It doesn’t really
try to stand out. Same with the graphics. They’re good, they really
work, but they don’t try to stand out. Only Lewis and the Schiff ended
up with memorable character designs.
Overall, Blood+ really is a series with its ups and downs. It’s got
some totally amazing moments, but at the same time, some elements are
doomed for mediocrity. Still, the awesome moments were definitely worth
it.