Blood+ ep. 1-50 (2005)

Let's get this party started!

Yello my friends! I finally did it. After about a month of dedication, I was able to complete the epic episode watching adventure known as "Blood+". Or as I like to call it, John's personal 100 year war. This battle began in 2005 and finally reached its end in July 2014. Alright so it wasn't quite 100 yrs, but man it felt like it at times. Let me explain. You see back in 2005 I was working part time at a Suncoast Video store, remember those? Life was swell then. Anyways at that time I was only able to see a few episodes of the "new" vampire series from "Blood the Last Vampire." After the first views I was sold, I mean who couldn't use more Saya in their life? Well as life does so often, it threw me a few curve balls and I had to put Saya in the corner for awhile. Then a few months back I noticed that my friends at Netflix had "Blood+" just sitting in my queue waiting for me to revisit Saya once again.  Several hours and 50 episodes later we danced our last dance or so I thought. More on this later, for now let us get to the review of "Blood+"

Synopsis - Inspired by "Blood the Last Vampire," "Blood+" is its own entity. While there are a few basic elements from the original movie "Blood+" should be looked at completely differently. For one the main character Saya has the name of the character but is far different from the original Saya. The basics of this story are pretty simple really. Saya, the main character of the series, is a seemingly normal 16 yr old girl. Living with her adoptive family and suffering from amnesia she slowly starts to get bits and pieces of her memory back. After an attack on her by a chiropteran Saya learns she is the only one that can stop these creatures. Armed with her special/badass katana, Saya sets out to find the truth about her past and these creatures.

While the series is set in 2005, her story starts many years before. Through her visions and memories we get to see the whole story unfold.

Can I get some theme music Haji?

Review - The thing with a series as lengthy as "Blood +" is you have to assume there will be many filler episodes. Truth be told I never really got that vibe here. I think there is so much story within the main story going on that it was easy for the writers to actual be able to stay the course and put out a quality product. With the original source material leaving a lot of people wanting more here in "Blood +" we are given 50 episodes or 2 seasons to really have the story come together. With that I feel like it was ultimately a solid piece of orchestrated goodness. I can walk away with a satisfaction that the story is complete and my love affair with Saya has come to an end.

On to the animation/ artwork, in a word: beautiful! 50 solid looking episodes with crisp colors and lots of blood shed. The action scenes are top of the line and with so much of the series being action it was good not to grow tired of it. I feel that the choreography is better than a lot of things done nowadays it definitely stands the test of time. Or at least 9 years worth.

Now for the characters. With a series this size and the depth of the story, character development is a must in my opinion. For me this is one thing that really hits home, it can make or break a series. Usually with a shorter anime series I tend to be a little more forgiving in this area. Thankfully with "Blood +" I didn't have to worry about this. Character development is one of the strongest things going for it.
From the main character to every side character, each person was given their due. In my humble opinion this is one of the most complete series that I have had the pleasure of viewing. It is truly amazing to see how the relationships are formed and the connections the chevaliers have with their masters. Devotion at its fullest.

One last dance

 Final thoughts - It took one hell of a journey for me to finally complete my mission with Saya. Now what? I know that there is another series out called "Blood C" and truth be told I will wait on it. It was a fun, blood splattering good time with "Blood +" and I really want to savor the series for awhile. I don't need no rebound series! I can honestly say this is a solid fun adventure filled with a great story and characters. If you do not fall in love with the characters from this series well I would be surprised.  Don't hesitate to check it out on Netflix or buy a copy below. With that said I will give "Blood +" an outstanding:

 Written By John Price