Director: Tsutomu Mizushima,
Starring: Nana Mizuki, Alexis Tipton, Keiji Fujiwara, Bill Jenkins, Kenji Nojima, Bill Jenkins, Atsushi Abe, Chris Burnett, Jun Fukuyama, Todd Haberkorn,
Running Time: 300 minutes
Certificate: 15
BLOOD C takes the familiar tale of a teenager forced to fight evil spirits and demons and although the plot sounds the same, the approach is vastly different. Saya (Mizuki/Tipton) has to juggle her life as both a high-school student and a slayer of evil, only, for the first handful of episodes, there isn’t much cohesion between the two. Saya goes to school and chats with her friends before walking home. If it sounds banal and uninvolving that’s because it kind of is, but it also offers a stark contrast to the end of each episode where fights with demonic beings take place. This clear division is refreshing, as we see Saya in complete control over her responsibilities and how she manages her life so well. Despite singing a cheery tune and being distracted by cute dogs, she is very much a powerful and respectable young woman.
The fights are beautifully constructed and lack dialogue for the most part. This is something many animes struggle with, as the audience is usually bombarded with exposition as to the use of new powers or the monster’s motive. BLOOD C does away with such verbal techniques. The fights speak for themselves and are brought to life with stunning sound design and artistic violence. The lack of talk speaks volumes, as there is no negotiation, no begging, and no manipulation. Saya has a job to do and she does it well. Music is also kept to a minimum in these early fight sequences, which keeps the focus on the action on screen.
Halfway through the series it all changes and BLOOD C turns into one of the most blood drenched shows out there. But it isn’t just the violence that is shocking and grotesque, it’s the emotional weight each act of violence contains and the sense of utter hopelessness. You can feel the pain as characters are dispatched in the most sudden and cruel ways. There is no warning and no guarantee that a certain character is safe. Unlike so many films or TV shows, Saya is unable to save everyone as she fights the monsters. Her primary mission is to destroy the beasts that wreak havoc, and this means innocents die. Even when antagonists bite the dust, you feel their excruciating last moment which results in an unpleasant but addictive viewing experience.
The final act of the show offers a twist which may split viewers, as it changes what the show is about in some ways, but those that are accepting will feel as though they have had the air sucked from them. The animation is very fluent, especially in the animated scenes, even if the gangly design of the characters makes them look awkward during simple shots of the characters walking.
BLOOD C is an anime that rewards patience and an open mind. No doubt many detractors will criticise the sudden mood changes and mixture of soft high-school relationships and sudden Earth shattering violence, whereas others will love the show for that exact reason. Strong and calm vocal performances from both the Japanese and English language cast means that overall BLOOD C is a memorable, shocking, and exhausting show.
BLOOD C is released on DVD and Blu-ray on 10th June via Manga Entertainment.
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