Blood+ eps 1 to 3 review

Blood+ started airing on Adult Swim about 3 weeks ago. I had never seen the series before, and it sounded kind of interesting, so I decided to check it out. I’m not a big fan of vampire/extremely “dark” series’. I’ve seen the first few episodes of Hellsing and Trinity Blood, and it’s not that I disliked them, I just didn’t get into them enough to want to keep watching them. But after watching the first three episodes of Blood+, I’m happy to report that I like it a lot more.

Blood+ isn’t really a vampire anime, although it has some elements of one, such as the centering around blood and monsters that feed on it. But other than that, it seems like a pretty typical, but good, supernatural/fantasy/horror series that’s definitely aimed towards an older audience than most anime. Like a lot of series’, it starts off with a mystery for us to contemplate and doesn’t give answers right away. Instead, it slowly reveals them as the episodes progress. So far, Blood+ is pulling this off real well. In episode 1, we were shown the horrific incident that happened in the Vietnam War that’s continually referred to in the series, and also an introduction to the characters and Saya’s “dark side”. Then in episode 2, we’re given hints about Saya’s involvement in the past incident and that she is definitely not who she appears to be. Finally, in episode 3, we’re given the big revelation about her relationship with her family and where she came from, as well as an introduction to the Red Shield and the Chiropterans. But we still don’t know the exact details of what Saya is, nor other specific details about the Red Shield. This tactic of slowly revealing answers throughout the series helps keep the series interesting, without being too confusing at any one time.

Other good things about the series I’ve noticed so far is that there’s no out of place humor or “flashy” action. The seriousness and dark tone of the series is kept well intact. The opening song, “Aouzora no Namida” is great, and the ending song, “Kataritsugu Koto” is good too. As far as characters go, they seem good so far. Saya is a very sympathetic character. Even after just three episodes, you really get a good sense of the bewilderment and confusion she must feel about herself after everything that’s happened. The rest of her family members are well-developed and realistic too. But as of now, we’re still getting to know the rest of the cast. The animation is pretty nice too, as well as the handling and directing of certain intense scenes. Lots of blood and violence too, but it’s not over done too much.
The English dub seems okay, but not great. I believe the company behind the dub is Studiopolis Inc., and I don’t think I’ve ever watched a dub from them. I can tell it’s translated pretty well, but the acting in some places could use improvement. Once I get more into the series, I’ll see if I can find some fansubs of it.

Well anyway, that’s all I’ve got to say about Blood+ so far. With 50 episodes total, it’s a big commitment to watch the whole series, but I’ll try. By the way, I also heard that it’s somehow related to the movie Blood: the Last Vampire, which came out way back in 2000, though I don’t know how exactly they’re connected. I’ll have to look into that too.