Blood Lad Review
Warning: The following review may contain spoilers. If you wish not to know some events in the story, or simply don't wish to find out what happens in the series, please leave the page, since I don't want to damage a watching experience for you.
With that said, thank you and onto the review:
To this day, I still have no clear idea into why I got interested in this show. I didn't really pay attention to it back when it aired last summer, so that's out. I manage to see afterward though, and I was thinking "Is this a creepy show or something?" But when I found the English cast for this show, and even found it linked in "You Might Also Like" section on Hulu for The Devil Is A Part Timer or Cuticle Detective Inaba (I can't remember which) I kind of figured I had to watch it next.
Do I regret watching this series?
I found this series to be better than a series I watch alongside it (It wasn't HORRIBLE, but this was more entertaining) I enjoyed taking the ring in this series 10 episode story, and I liked learning more about the characters.
Do I regret watching this series?
I found this series to be better than a series I watch alongside it (It wasn't HORRIBLE, but this was more entertaining) I enjoyed taking the ring in this series 10 episode story, and I liked learning more about the characters.
Although, like other shows before this, I feel like it's missing something special. Like *twitches* a second season perhaps?
But moving aside from that:
But moving aside from that:
Story
The story, like pretty much every single anime story that I've seen (but not every), is pretty unique.
Staz Charlie Blood is the head of the East Demon World, and is a vampire. However, he doesn't normally go out searching for blood, he mainly is concerned about what he should collect in the vast world of anime. You might be confused by this, but simply put, Staz is an otaku.
One day, when a group of demons from another side of the vastly large world come to attack, a human girl pops out of a portal. A HUMAN GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE TERROR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This girl's name is Fuyumi, and Staz instantly wants to spend more time with her, and maybe falling head over heels in bloodlust. When they had to deal with an invading troop of demons, one of there carnivorous plants goes up to Staz's room, and eats Fyumui, leaving her only with her bones and skull. Once she gets resurrected as a ghost, Staz's new mission is for her to get her human body back, and get her successfully home. Of course, some of this is delayed with some fun comical adventures.
The story of this anime, along with some of the adventures of the characters makes the story enjoyable to discover as well as to watch. Though it isn't always the main focus in some episodes, it doesn't completely get over-burdened (like Ikki Tousen), and manages to still have a focus in all of this 10 episode series.
Though I would have liked some side characters getting fleshed out more, the story still connects pretty well.
Speaking of.....
Characters
Each character in Blood Lad has some qualities to each of them, which makes a lot of them easily likable, and each have enough depth to them that you wouldn't be able to find a lot of serious flaws.
Let's start off with Staz:
Staz isn't like typical vampires that are portrayed in several instances of fiction (such as Edward Culllen) He actually has some personality in him than the typical badass bad boy who the main girl falls in love with, and also sparkles in the sunlight. Because if that happened:
Yeah, Miya would come. And to say she's a little intimidating is a understatement.
Staz doesn't always take his leadership duties seriously, as he is mainly focused on his anime collection. That doesn't mean he has no powers of his own, he actually does in fact. He has a un-developed power that his older brother Braz sealed when he was young. He also uses some of the power later on in the series, which somewhat makes him look even more bad-ass.
Staz also likes to collect anime goods, A LOT. His room is filled with collectibles, such as manga, DVD'S, and figures. He isn't the type to go charging on into a battle, which many would point fingers to and shout "FLAW!" at the type of their lungs. However, some people in his territory do realize that he is useful, and they'd pretty much just die without him.
This is why Staz is such a unique character. He isn't that stupid typical male protagonist that's in almost every anime these days, he isn't dumb, and he isn't shallow. He's pretty smart, and he also has some interesting depth to his childhood. This is the main character that some animes just happen to miss.
Now, let's move onto the ghost girl, Fuyumi:
Fuyumi was originally human who went through a portal that mysteriously opened up in her bedroom. After stumbling into the demon world, it doesn't take long before she is killed and put into a body of a ghost.
Fuyumi kind of has some personality traits, and is very optimistic to be resurrected. I kind of wished that the creators of the show explored with her a bit more, because I felt that she didn't really mature through-out the series, and while she did play a min part of the story, I felt that her character development kind of skimmed a little. She does have an interesting plot later on though, but that's it.
I did like Fuyumi, but I didn't feel that she was the most memorable part of the show for me. Moving on...
Now onto Hydra Bell:
I find Bell probably the most entertaining character in the show. With her get-up, her personality, and how many funny moments she gets in the show, it's obvious that she sticks to me.
Bell is a treasure hunter that can travel the dimensions using picture frames. She is a very high level magic user of spatial, as well as teleportation. Oh, and did I forget to mention, the Black Curtain that got Fuyumi into the Demon World in the first place? It's one of her uses of transportation, to look for treasure.
I wouldn't say pirate treasure, but gold would work. oh, and collector's items. Can't forget those.
Well, this Black Curtain got stolen, so it's not like it mystically appeared in Fuyumi's bedroom. Or did it? *dramatic music*
Bell's main goal is life is to find out who the hell stole her Black Curtain, and him her husband. Yeah, I know that sounds twisted, but it's a relief at the same time because it turns out that this magic user is dead.
If this marriage worked out, and he was like a billion years older than Bell, we'd have another Doug Hutchison marriage. While he's 50, the girl's 16. And that idea makes me:
Now onto the biggest plot twist through-out the series: we later find out that Fuyumi and Bell are actually sisters.
This was my reaction, as this is probably my favorite plot twist that I've seen since Black Butler and Karneval (which I purposely forgot to mention, as it's a HUGE spoiler).
You see, Fyumui's mother, including Bell's Neyn, explains that they're were two versions of her, basically doppleganors. When the two met one day, they fused together, causing both of them to be one in the same.
This was such an interesting plot twist, and I loved how it was carried out. Books normally have bad or okay plot twist, but sometimes they can come around. Anime plot twist are someones non existent, or are just okay that don;'t really help with the story. This one is very shocking, yet pleasing, and forms a new bond to both Fuyumi and Bell.
Now, onto the bad-ass, Wolf:
I think Wolf is an interesting character, but he's slightly suffering from SFPAC disorder.
Some of you might be confused on what that means, but I like to call it Similarities From Prior Anime Character Disorder. As Wolf reminds me of another badass who can't turn into a wolf, but still kicks butt with other powers:
Yeah, I personally think that Wolf reminds me of Toshiro Hitsugaya from Bleach. Though, Toshiro is done slightly better than Wolf, but I'll explain later, because right now....
Okay, I'm good. Breathe, Dazz, breathe. Okay, I'm good. Sorry, my favorite anime characters have a habit of doing that to me. Back to Wolf:
Wolf is a wolf hybrid (get it?), who once has enough magical energy can turn into a wolf (which mind you, looks pretty damn cool). He is the leader who controls the West Demon World, and is Staz's rival. The reason being for this is because after Staz ran away after his powers were sealed by his brother, and encountered him on the street. When they run into each other in episode, they box each other (though a side character was told it was bowling), in which they fought for the safety of Fuyumi. And in more or less, Wold develops a slight crush on her, but is too shy to admit it to himself.
While we're talking about crushes, Staz has had a crush on Fuyumi even since well, she showed up. And Bell eventually develops feeling for Staz. Now let's hop off the romance boat, and talk about my main problem with Wolf:
He's a main character, yet only appears for 4 episodes in a row before being almost NEVER touched on again. This is extremely frustrating for me, because if he's a man character, you could at least divulge in his past a bit more, but they only give 1 more detail before the series ends.
Yes Rarity, it is frustrating.
I like Wolf, but the way he's developed in the 10 episode time space isn't well done. The only other detail we find out is that Wolf Daddy is his father. And, that's it.
Seriously, Staz's older brother Braz seems like a more major character than Wolf is.
Other characters include Staz's older brother and sister, Staz's right hand man, a mimic, Mameejirou, one of my personal favorite sides, Wolf's friends, a scientist, one of his escaped experiments, two police officers, Bell's younger brother, and the parents.
Some of these, such as Braz and Liz, get a lot more development than some of the sides. As this is a 10 episode series, some characters might not attach as others from various series.
The studio responsible for the animation of this series was Brain's Base, who also worked on Kamigami No Asobi, Amnesia, D-Frag, and Sengoku Collection. Once again, their animation is pretty fantastic.
All of the characters remain very close to the original manga, as of what I've seen, they only changed Wolf's hair. The backgrounds look very vivid, and overall, it's very pretty to look at.
So, once again, I don't have many complaints.
Let's start off with Staz:
Staz isn't like typical vampires that are portrayed in several instances of fiction (such as Edward Culllen) He actually has some personality in him than the typical badass bad boy who the main girl falls in love with, and also sparkles in the sunlight. Because if that happened:
Staz doesn't always take his leadership duties seriously, as he is mainly focused on his anime collection. That doesn't mean he has no powers of his own, he actually does in fact. He has a un-developed power that his older brother Braz sealed when he was young. He also uses some of the power later on in the series, which somewhat makes him look even more bad-ass.
Staz also likes to collect anime goods, A LOT. His room is filled with collectibles, such as manga, DVD'S, and figures. He isn't the type to go charging on into a battle, which many would point fingers to and shout "FLAW!" at the type of their lungs. However, some people in his territory do realize that he is useful, and they'd pretty much just die without him.
This is why Staz is such a unique character. He isn't that stupid typical male protagonist that's in almost every anime these days, he isn't dumb, and he isn't shallow. He's pretty smart, and he also has some interesting depth to his childhood. This is the main character that some animes just happen to miss.
Now, let's move onto the ghost girl, Fuyumi:
Fuyumi was originally human who went through a portal that mysteriously opened up in her bedroom. After stumbling into the demon world, it doesn't take long before she is killed and put into a body of a ghost.
Fuyumi kind of has some personality traits, and is very optimistic to be resurrected. I kind of wished that the creators of the show explored with her a bit more, because I felt that she didn't really mature through-out the series, and while she did play a min part of the story, I felt that her character development kind of skimmed a little. She does have an interesting plot later on though, but that's it.
I did like Fuyumi, but I didn't feel that she was the most memorable part of the show for me. Moving on...
Now onto Hydra Bell:
I find Bell probably the most entertaining character in the show. With her get-up, her personality, and how many funny moments she gets in the show, it's obvious that she sticks to me.
Bell is a treasure hunter that can travel the dimensions using picture frames. She is a very high level magic user of spatial, as well as teleportation. Oh, and did I forget to mention, the Black Curtain that got Fuyumi into the Demon World in the first place? It's one of her uses of transportation, to look for treasure.
I wouldn't say pirate treasure, but gold would work. oh, and collector's items. Can't forget those.
Well, this Black Curtain got stolen, so it's not like it mystically appeared in Fuyumi's bedroom. Or did it? *dramatic music*
Bell's main goal is life is to find out who the hell stole her Black Curtain, and him her husband. Yeah, I know that sounds twisted, but it's a relief at the same time because it turns out that this magic user is dead.
If this marriage worked out, and he was like a billion years older than Bell, we'd have another Doug Hutchison marriage. While he's 50, the girl's 16. And that idea makes me:
Now onto the biggest plot twist through-out the series: we later find out that Fuyumi and Bell are actually sisters.
This was my reaction, as this is probably my favorite plot twist that I've seen since Black Butler and Karneval (which I purposely forgot to mention, as it's a HUGE spoiler).
You see, Fyumui's mother, including Bell's Neyn, explains that they're were two versions of her, basically doppleganors. When the two met one day, they fused together, causing both of them to be one in the same.
This was such an interesting plot twist, and I loved how it was carried out. Books normally have bad or okay plot twist, but sometimes they can come around. Anime plot twist are someones non existent, or are just okay that don;'t really help with the story. This one is very shocking, yet pleasing, and forms a new bond to both Fuyumi and Bell.
Now, onto the bad-ass, Wolf:
Some of you might be confused on what that means, but I like to call it Similarities From Prior Anime Character Disorder. As Wolf reminds me of another badass who can't turn into a wolf, but still kicks butt with other powers:
Yeah, we need a clean-up in Aisle 12. Yeah, it's a case of the fangirl that just passed out, and the nose is leaking blood everywhere. Everyone else, proceed with caution.
TOSHIRO MAKES ME FANGIRL SO HARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wolf is a wolf hybrid (get it?), who once has enough magical energy can turn into a wolf (which mind you, looks pretty damn cool). He is the leader who controls the West Demon World, and is Staz's rival. The reason being for this is because after Staz ran away after his powers were sealed by his brother, and encountered him on the street. When they run into each other in episode, they box each other (though a side character was told it was bowling), in which they fought for the safety of Fuyumi. And in more or less, Wold develops a slight crush on her, but is too shy to admit it to himself.
While we're talking about crushes, Staz has had a crush on Fuyumi even since well, she showed up. And Bell eventually develops feeling for Staz. Now let's hop off the romance boat, and talk about my main problem with Wolf:
He's a main character, yet only appears for 4 episodes in a row before being almost NEVER touched on again. This is extremely frustrating for me, because if he's a man character, you could at least divulge in his past a bit more, but they only give 1 more detail before the series ends.
I like Wolf, but the way he's developed in the 10 episode time space isn't well done. The only other detail we find out is that Wolf Daddy is his father. And, that's it.
Seriously, Staz's older brother Braz seems like a more major character than Wolf is.
Other characters include Staz's older brother and sister, Staz's right hand man, a mimic, Mameejirou, one of my personal favorite sides, Wolf's friends, a scientist, one of his escaped experiments, two police officers, Bell's younger brother, and the parents.
Some of these, such as Braz and Liz, get a lot more development than some of the sides. As this is a 10 episode series, some characters might not attach as others from various series.
Animation
All of the characters remain very close to the original manga, as of what I've seen, they only changed Wolf's hair. The backgrounds look very vivid, and overall, it's very pretty to look at.
So, once again, I don't have many complaints.
Sound
The score for this series was composed by Yuuki Hayashi, who would later do the scores from DRAMAtical Muder (based on a BL game), and Diabolik Lovers. (Based on a otome game, I see coincidence territory)
The score for Blood Lad has some pretty cool stuff, such as a guitar driven track, that later adds some hip hop beats. And also had a track that is dramatically done with some guitar and trumpet. The musical score is very unique, and refreshing.
However, nothing beats this guy's stuff in DRAMAtical Murder, because there's a fight......IN............DUBSTEP!
Because it sounds like those beats in the awesome Norway's Next Top Model opening, it could be dubstep, nee?
The show's opening is AMAZING, then again it's May'n so.......... you know it has to slay. The show's ending, while sung by the seiyuu of Liz, lacks the extra oomph.
Japanese audio wise was great listening to, as each character was given a very good template to work with. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the English dub, as I've only seen a little bit of it from Hulu.
Highlights of the original Japanese include Ryota Osaka, Iori Nomizu, Sarah Emi Bridcutt, Takuma Terashima, Chiwa Saito, Ryohei Kimura, Yuuka Nanri, Masumi Asano, Kotono Mitsuishi, Yuki Kaji, and Koji Yusa.
Highlights so far in the English dub are Bryce Papenbrook, Ben Diskin, Jason Baker, Cristina Vee, Johnny Young Bosch, and Todd Haberkorn.
Verdict
Karneval needs a second season due to personal enjoyment and to answer questions that are left off by the end. But Blood Lad seems to lean toward the second reason for Karneval. I feel as if some questions haven't been fully answered, and that some characters aren't that much developed.
That doesn't mean that Blood Lad isn't an amazing show, I had fun while watching it, but I do think that it isn't perfect. it does have some key stand points, but also some noticeable weaknesses.
I recommend this show to people who want to watch a short anime, or who look for a good comedy.
Score: 8/10
Positives:
Great set of characters
Interesting music
Good pacing
Negatives:
Wolf's status as a "main character"
Some sides are more developed than others
Fuyumi isn't as interesting
Needs to explain questions left at the end of the series
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