Blood+ Discussion
 

Plot Summary
This series is a sequel to the OAV "Blood: The Last Vampire" which was based on a manga by Mamoru Oshii and Benkyo Tamaoki (who did the story and artwork for the manga Blood: The Last Vampire 2002). It's rumored that Blood+ may be direct sequel to this manga (in fact, I think this was confirmed).

And for no reason at all, from the second OP:
http://img335.imageshack.us/img335/1...14315621vt.gif

The anime starts off slowly and actually doesn't build up a steady flow until around episode 12. For it's emphasis on character and plot development, Blood+ is one the more ridiculed anime for being "boring." I suppose it helped that I was a fan of the OAV and manga, since I've even gone so far as to download RAWs of the series. I'm an action nut and I must say that anime without shit blowing up is a major turn-off for me. Fortunately, Blood+ has some decent fight scenes that get better and evolve (slowly, unfortunately).

The anime's fairly dark, with gore (although not on level with Elfen Lied) and characters getting the axe. There are few moments of humor, but they're so often kept in the realm of "realism" that it feels more natural than the stuff you'd see in most other series'. If you're going to check this series out, I again give warning that it's a slow show ... but it's worth it.

The anime is scheduled for around 52 episodes.

Fansubbers
Shinsen-Subs
Bakakozou Subs

I've been steadily following this series and it's alright. Saya is a pretty enjoyable character that doesn't have many annoying quirks, but sometimes I find her a bit too much on the "nice" side. Perhaps when she finally "wakes up" to her full potential as how she was in the Vietnam War, then she'll go nuts.

Also, with the last episode, 19, I believe:

I watched the raw of episode 21 earlier this morning. Very, VERY good episode action-wise.

Episode 21

very good series i've been on it since day one

i loved it soo much im considering picking up all the blood manga soon ~nods~

rofl at gif
you just had to make a gif the most retarded part of the 2nd op didn't you Emmanuel Lewis :p

I have to admit, I stopped watching the show after the first few episodes, since it wasn't nearly as good as I expected it to be, until a friend showed me fragments from episode 12 I believe, the one with the little kids turning into bloodthristy monsters. It was pretty shocking, but it got me interested enough to watch it again. It's still only an above average show, with flat characters and rather boring fights, but the blood, the music and the overall story make it worth the time.

I have a few eps of this that I haven't gotten around to watching, but I'm rather curious. Originally I was mostly interested in this because the BGM is of such high quality, and a little because the OVA pissed me off by its complete lack of real story.

Also, the man with the cello...intrigues me. Anybody in anime/manga that plays a string instrument intrigues me, even if it's not the focus of the series.

Hagi is his name. He plays an enormous role in the story and is deeply involved with Saya's history. They recently revealed most of it in episode 22. Although it was a RAW and I didn't understand a word of what they were saying, the visuals provide an interesting look into who Hagi was and his behavior.

I watched episode 20 recently, released by Bakakozou subs. It was a decent episode with Karl Solomon (that his name right? The one that danced with Saya back at the girls' academy) showing some skills. I TELL YOU! HE'S DANGEROUS.

This is a much slower paced anime than most I've seen so far. It doesn't really feel that Red Shield has done much, lately. Perhaps they're uncovering clues here and there, but so far I haven't experienced any real "tension" in the series so far, save for a few encounters with the Chevalier.

ALSO: That "gay" Chevalier freaks me out. Getting it up with the military men.

I'm looking forward to seeing what Diva's all about.

His name is Solomon. Karl is the long-haired one with dual personalities, also known as ...



It was nice to see him kick ass, and I really can't wait to see what all they're capable of later. If the Chevaliers and Schiff are this strong and fast, I can't wait to see Saya actually awaken to her full potential.

As for Red Shield...



Where this will lead the "siblings" Kai and Saya, I don't know.

Episode 23 RAW


Best cliffhanger of the series so far.

For some reason the sword doesn't look like it'd fit in the scabbard.

You are correct. But then the way Saya treats her sword isn't exactly friendly either. Did her sword get fixed yet? Perhaps this is why in episode 21:

The end of episode 23 has me excited though. She has no weapon but...

Wow, finally got up to episode 24 and I must say things are developing quite well. It was also nice to see in episode 22, I think, the long history of Hagi and Saya.

Oooh Episode 25.

umm hey there

i was just wondering if anyone knows what the name of the song Hagi plays with his cello. i'd appreciate any name, been searching for a while now and had no success. :doh:

thanks.

(sorry if i posted in the wrong section..)

I checked out the new 3rd season OP theme opening and absolutely love it! I'm not too much of a fan of the animation sequence though, although it is very pretty to look at.

BLOOD+ is one awesome show. I started watching around Christmas time, and I have to say that it's totally worth my time. The story is deep, there are believable characters, good music, and great action, you can't really ask for more!

Episode 26:

Episode 27: I can say that I've finally gained some respect for Kai, growing from what little there were (if any).

Episode 28:

Well, episode 32 RAW was released. ...Pretty fucking shocking.



I love me some Diva, but damn that was just wrong. Shinsen is catching up with the raws. The last episode they did was #30, so 31 and 32 shouldn't be too far behind. They released four episodes one week two weeks ago, I think.

Shinsen has released up until 32 today, and I have to agree with Kurada that it was pretty shocking. Even though Diva is one of the coolest characters on the show, she went a little overboard there. From the preview it looks like it'll be some sort of new beginning, I'm curious to see what happened after the events on the ship, and how the show will move on now.

What a great series. The big surprise in episode 32 was great. Episode 33 takes place a whole year later. Can't wait to see what is in store for the characters.

Just a quick question, do you have to watch the OVA before the series? This looks pretty good and since most of you guys like it, it probably is.

are you talking about the movie?

no i dont think you have to. :)

No, you don't need to have seen the movie to understand what is going on. Everything is explained in detail throughout the episodes. The movie is quite different from the series as well.

It's been awhile since the last subs were released. Hope they get them out soon. I really want to see what the characters have become and look like a whole year later.

I've just been watching the raws because I can't wait for the subs anymore. I don't know what the hell's going on, or why Diva...



I'll have to redownload the eps once they're subbed by Shinsen or Bakazo...something.

Dammit, I'm soooo tempted to watch the raws now. But I feel I'd just be waiting more eagerly for the subs if I watch it >_<



Would anyone have a translated script of episodes 33,34?

Blood+ is great, probably the best show of 2006. Its fresh and it has more or less realistic characters. If you are tired of anime stereotypes, give this one a try.

Episodes 33 through 37 have been released in the last week. Characters have changed in appearance but not in attitude. Seems Diva has taken Riku's body or something like that. She looks a lot like him now. Saya is shutting herself out from the others. Kai is more mature and is still in love with her.

Anybody else still following this series? Things are moving along pretty nicely and the fight scenes are getting the sexy treatment they deserve. I believe the anime's on episode 43 or so, but the sub-groups are taking their sweet time subbing the goodness. A few of the raws are available on youtube for your viewing pleasure~

I'm still following it, mainly just because it's the "another anime under my belt" reason, but it's still enjoyable. Quite slow, but still nice. I don't like Saya's new "I'm a tough bad ass motherfucker" attitude, it's just not her, I don't think. Haji is still the same old Haji. I think I'm up to 37 or 38 with Shinsen subs, I think.

Yeah, I'm watching the raws also. It's not that difficult to figure out what's going on and you can always check out anime blogs for summaries if you're a little confused.

By the way, does anyone know where I can download any of the three Blood+ mangas? I don't mind if they're raws or scanlations, just want to check out the quality of the art and all. Fifty episodes is a rather large investment for me in DVDs, so I'm thinking about picking up the manga instead.

I've been looking for the three manga too, since I hear they're actually pretty good. I read the first three chapters of one and the artwork looked nice. The story's different, taking a direction the anime clearly isn't. There's new characters that show up early on who start shit and force Saya to mature a little bit faster.

Production IG released the first chapters from all three manga on their website.

They're in PDF format (bleh) but still viewable. I haven't downloaded them yet.

Also, on Saya's strength in the anime.

Whao, just watched episode 42.

I've watched up to episode 43 so far. This is by far one of the best Anime series that I've seen. Back when people were giving up on the earlier episodes, because it was "boring" to them, I kept going and found myself continuously intrigued. The development is excellent, both character-wise and story-wise.

Yeah hands down blood+ is a very nice show. I like how everything turns out at the moment (episode 43).

I don't think the first few episodes are boring, just the opposite, they are great.

I just got done reading the first three chapters of the manga and reading spoilers regarding the manga. It's pretty different from the anime (well, sort of). For one there's a new character that screws with Saya near the beginning. He might be a Chevalier of some kind, but he seems to be pretty strong.

Other than that, the manga's very good. I wish the guy scanlating them would continue, but he can't seem to find any more RAWs and pretty much stopped after chapter 4 (I believe). You can find the first few chapters scanlated here.

Holy fuck man, how many OP themes does Blood need to have. Just when I'm getting settled on the "new theme" a new OP replaces it. I'm at 40 and I really don't like it, but at least I can fast forward :tpg:. I personally like the first and third one the best. For a 50 episode series, I expected it to have maybe 2 or 3 OP themes max, but whatever. I guess this is the same with Eureka 7.

OMG OSAKA.

But yeah, I hear you man. I actually found Season's Call to be my absolute favorite, with the UVerworld one my second. The 4th OP absolutely sucks, though.

YOUR EX-WIFE IS NOW HITLERETTE, AND MY RIGHT-HAND (WO)MAN.

The 4th op thats in episode 39 plus? Terrible vocals man. It's been a while since I heard the first OP.

青空のナミダ (Aozora no NAMIDA) by Hitomi Takahashi(1-13), damn, gotta get that song, same with Colors of the Heart. I forgot what the 2nd one sounds like now =/ (Too lazy to take out that dusty DVD to just listen to it)

Season's Call - Hyde

There's the 2nd OP. The first one wasn't memorable, IMO. Sounded pretty generic. But here it is anyway: First OP.

I'm the opposite. Perhaps I prefer faster tempo Jpop rather than the Jrock/alternative. It's not bad by any means, but it's not
I generally prefer OP themes such as this to have a more of a variety of chances in the melodic intervals as well as if it's in the minor key.

EDIT: Nevermind, it's in the major key, just my lack of remembering what it sounded like, plus it's rock. :tpg:

I can't say that I'm too surprised that there seems to be a lot of complaints about the fourth opening since the vocals aren't exactly what most would normally listen to. That's not to say that I listen to these kinds of "weird" vocals everyday, but I personally didn't really find any problems with the song myself when I first heard it on episode 39, and actual do listen to it on occasions here and there now. I never gave the third opening a chance, but I do like the first and second one. I wouldn't exactly call the second one "rock" myself.

Well, after watching the raw for episode 46 and reading a summary of what happened, I can kind of see the series ending at episode 50 now, especially once you figure out what the promise was between Haji and Saya roughly a century ago.

Though with so many Chevaliers still alive, I am a little bit concerned.



Saya needs to drink a shitload of blood to make a difference in the next four episodes. I can't see any other way for her to even stand toe-to-toe with Diva now.

Honestly though, I'm somewhat disappointed that Saya hasn't fully wakened up yet. She still seems quite lacking in real combat skills and finds most of Diva's minions still difficult to fight.

In the manga raws I've been reading (or staring at, since I can't read Japanese), Saya actually gets her arm cut off in a fight. She's able to heal the wound/reattach it, but it was still something I haven't seen her do in the anime yet. We might see glimpses of the extent of Saya and Diva's powers in the manga before we do in the anime.



I imagine Saya will have to suck somebody dry just to stand a chance. I don't want any of this "I'll never give in to being a monster!" bullshit and she beats Diva on determination or some crappy 'fluke.' I want to see them both got at it full strength, no-holds barred, in gravy sauce (but only if Diva's not a shota).

I'd hate to say it, but with most traditional anime and Japanese script writing, it's usually when the good guy, or in this case, girl is getting wasted like no joke that when s/hes about to die or be defeated, some deus ex machina type method of resolution comes about to grant the protagonist some sacred power to deal a single coup d'grace towards the bad guy probably Saya will say something along the lines of:



I hate those endings too, but meh. It doesn't have to absolutely be an unseen or unpredicted force that will help conclude the final battle, but I won't be surprised that one of the fallen alies may come back again, some how, and grant Saya some life force to revive her. We'll just have to wait and see.

Diva killing everyone would be splendid.

Spatula...

About Diva?

Needs more psycho-cute Diva.

Ah alrighty then.



Kurado, that is basically the awesomest thing.

Let me see if I can find that Saya/Kusanagi picture...

http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i6...76A/nishio.jpg

HOT <3

I recently found out about this anime and had a marathon so I’m all caught up for the weekly raws. I just finished watching episode 46.. Finally we find out Haji and Saya's promise, but with that promise I'm afraid this is going to turn out to be a depressing ending.



How's the manga series? Does it follow the same story?

Watched episode 47 raw...

Wow. I just watched episode 47 (RAW), too.

Watched 48 raw...



I downloaded the PDF sample of the manga from the Japanese website and it looks good. Anyone know of an online store that carries the manga?

Also has anyone played either of the video games? They’re out for PS2 and PSP.

Raw 49.. Wow, I can't believe it...



Ok the explanation was in the episode...

I watched the first minute of episode one, and I've basically watched up to six now. One thing I noticed is that the makers of this anime LOVES bashing the United States and its military. They don't blatantly say things like U.S. military sucks, but it keeps with a good number of passing remarks regarding U.S. policy and how we desire to occupy parts of the world. The pot calls the kettle black.

Well, even you can't call the current treatment of Okinawa fair, and the American military is a real problem for the citizens. The Japanese make more passing remarks against that, and they don't blatantly oppose the US imperialism (for lack of a better word). Anyway, this is not something to discuss in an anime thread.

I think it is very pertinent to the anime because they keeping spewing this disguised propaganda despite it having almost no relevance in the anime as far as I can tell. Obviously the makers of the anime just can't resist taking political jabs in an anime that should focus on school girl monster slaughter.

About the screen shot...


Episode 50

Spoilers just to be on the safe side...

... runs off to watch berserk. ---->

There were too many ups and downs in this series. Some episodes were just perfect while others lagged.

Yay, I just started watching the series up to the 12 episode, and so far it's very interesting. The story is quite unusual for a vampire-themed anime, and I like Aya's character, she's far from the cliched, typical heroine in most shoujo-anime.