It’s a fair bet that something’s worth bothering with if James Cameron’s stamped it with his seal of approval.
The crabby auteur had nothing but praise for Blood: The Last Vampire upon its release in 2000, such was the impact its striking visuals had on him. Since then, Blood’s had two anime series, a live action film a computer game and some cuddly toys. Probably.
Blood C (the second anime series after the well received Blood +) sees protagonist Saya, who looks a bit like Bayonetta, bumble clumsily about school during the day time and hang about in a cafe, her idyllic town a relatively sunny paradise, but by night she becomes a fearsome huntress of Lovecraftian creatures and other monstrosities.
She’s also got a dark secret, something hinted at through visions and her occasional red glowing eyes. It’s a bit like Buffy really, but with the horrifying gore and violence scaled up to 11.
Actually let’s talk about that. Blood C doesn’t recoil at all from showing people being skewered, decapitated, pulled apart like wishbones or consumed like shish kebabs. It’s a hell of a counterpoint to the school-time comedy scenes, and makes no bones about decimating sweet, cutesy characters. It’s doubly effective, considering how slow some of the less fraught parts of the series can be.
Blood C takes a while to really get going, but by the end of the series everything has gone completely insane, and it’s enjoyably schlocky, stylish ultraviolence with huge monsters. Fight scenes are beautifully choreographed, and it’s clear the animators and writers are more at home when Saya’s getting chop happy with her katana.
It didn’t get the best reception, but Blood C is a lot of fun at times, knows its audience and can be pretty clever too.
