Director: Naoyoshi Shirotani
Starring: Nana Mizuki, Alexis Tipton, Kenji Nojima, Robert McCollum, Ai Hashimoto, Jad Saxton, Atshusi Abe, Chris Burnett, Junichi Suwabe, J. Michael Tatum
Running Time: 107 minutes
Certificate: 15
One year after the events of the series, BLOOD C: THE LAST DARK picks up with our protagonist Saya, now in a world where a curfew prevents young people from being out after dark. This plot device, paired with the vampiric elements, obviously works well together as each longs to break the rules. Meanwhile, the suspicious acts of the government hint towards more sinister reasons for such conservatism.
Like the series it spins from, BLOOD C: THE LAST DARK is beautifully animated. In fact, it pushes the boundaries even further by creating a mixture of traditional anime and CG elements in order to create a versatile and vibrant world. The opening scenes have you questioning whether certain aspects, such as the locations, are animated at all, as great attention to detail and bold camera movements give a larger and more three dimensional scope.
The action and violence also translates well over to a cinematic running time, with plenty of fast and furious scenes that capture the joys and dangers of being a vampire. Unfortunately, the anime tradition of exposition overload also translates over. This is mostly due to the complicated and convoluted narrative that is so intent on creating a mystery, that it needs a good old monologue from the eventually revealed villains in order to catch us up.
As a final wrap up for the series, this is both good and bad. It hands out a self-contained story that gives some closure to the events depicted in the TV show, while at the same time sometimes tripping over its own references. Obviously this will be a delight for fans and a tad troublesome for those apathetic towards the previous incarnation. No matter what though, the film will be loved for its animation and rightly so.
[usr=3]BLOOD C: THE LAST DARK is released on DVD and Blu-ray via Manga Entertainment on 24th March.
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