If you’re looking for an interesting and gripping series about vampires, then this is one series that you shouldn't miss. Based on the hit OVA Blood: The Last Vampire, Blood+ spins a totally new story on the vampire hunting teenage school girl Saya and her samurai sword escapades.

The series opens in the Vietnam War. Soldiers are fighting furiously in a little village in the countryside against a katana wielding girl with blood-colored eyes and dark monsters. Killing humans and monsters in a frenzy, the flashback ends at a scene in which the girl and numerous monsters are all that the lone solider can see and their ominous glowing red-eyes. Moving into present day, we find out that the girl’s name is Saya and she has no memories or recollection of the past except for that of the previous year and is living a normal, happy life with her adoptive family. A mere day before an important track meet, her ‘normal’ life is about to become a whole lot more complicated, more than she could have ever imagined.

She finds out about the existence of Chiropterans, creatures that live on human blood, the little fact that she’s far, far older than her looks show and that she’s the only one who can kill these creatures. With the handsome and mysterious cello-player Hagi by her side, along with her brothers and a secretive organization by the name of ‘Red Shield’, Saya embarks on an incredible journey while searching for her past and a true family that she never knew she had.

In the beginning, the story is very slow moving, to the point that you just might mistake its consistency with molasses or perhaps boiling oatmeal. It is after the 16th episode that the story truly becomes interesting and will have you truly pondering at all the questions that are dangling before you. The whole idea of the series is quite interesting and quite honestly, that is the very reason why this reviewer stuck through the first part of this series. Some of the developments of the story will leave you speechless and your jaw will not only drop but it might even smash right through the floor. While the pacing is bad in the beginning, it beconmes fairly steady in the latter half of the series. A point to be noted is that this anime falls in the serious, fantasy genre so don’t watch it in the hopes of a light hearted experiance that has a good deal of humour. As a matter of fact, there is little or no humor in the whole series. But that's not exactly a bad thing. The final bits of the series are especially serious and the climax is really something. The ending is heart warming and very effecting, and it would be wise to keep some tissues at hand as a mere precaution!

I have to admit, I love the character designs of this show. I find all of the characters to be terribly attractive, especially Hagi, Saya, Diva and Solomon. Their hair, eyes, clothing etc. are all very well done and every aspect of their design reflects their persona. And every aspect also includes the voices. Two thumbs up to the person in charge of casting for picking voices that perfectly reflect the characters, they truly were the characters. The animation is terribly well done, especially in the fight sequences. Smooth and fast moving, you truly don’t watch to miss a moment of it. The movement and gestures of the characters is again very smooth and without a fault. Coming over to the background, again they are done quite well. The vivid and breath taking colors of the Zoo, the white and sepia tones of Russia and the dark and terrifying scenes in the Red Shield raid, are all very attention grabbing.

While you may not necessarily fall in love with the characters, you will at the very least, develop a keen interest in them. Some of the characters may seem terribly annoying in the start, such as Kia, but as the series progresses, your dislike definitely goes down a few notches. The interaction between the characters is really something, especially Diva’s Chevaliars. Those five really have an interesting relationship between them. It is truly sad that we couldn’t get to see more interaction between Hagi and Riku, who share a lovely older brother-younger brother relationship. Diva, now that’s an evil villainess who you can’t help but like if you're a fan of evil villains. Her relationship with Saya, her childish attitude and how she came to be how she is, is all very well done. Another interesting villain is Solomon and he's not very noteworthy in the beginning, I begrudgingly admit that he grew on me. All in all, the characters are terribly interesting and they do end up catching your attention and liking one way or another.

I was more than surprised to find out that the music of Blood + has been composed by Hans Zimmer. THE Hans Zimmer. That was more than enough reason for me to go find the sound track and it is quite the enjoyable soundtrack. Dark, moody and melancholic – it suits the show, right down to the last note. However, almost all of the tracks are like that and there is a severe lack of some less dark tracks. Honorable mentions from the two soundtracks include “Saya’s Joy” – a lovely little track which is mostly flute, lovely for easy listening and “Diva”, I would recommend the instrumental that comes in the second OST . Here I would also recommend fans to find the full tune that Hagi plays on the cello. I would recommend “Prelude” or “Sarabande”.

While there are some pacing problems with the show, at times too fast and at the start too slow, this can be overlooked as the series is still a highly enjoyable show with an excellent story line. The characters are interesting and the unfolding of Saya’s history is very well done. It isn’t done in a flash, rather its done slowly and carefully and we only find out her whole story until a good part of the series is done with. The characters are a joy to watch and a thrill to listen too; except for maybe Karl. Some of the plot revelations do leave you gaping at the screen in shock and others will leave you in a state of perplexed inquisitiveness.

This series gets a nod of approval and a B+ grading for great story line, excellent characters and art. Definitely a must watch for any anime fan who likes vampire stories.


~Reviewed By Sumeiia