Y’know, it’s kinda funny, really. I took the time to track down and re-read the Blood 2002 manga in preparation to continue this series…figured I’d brush up on just exactly how things went there, expecting this series to actually factor in those events. And then I get to episode two, and suddenly any chance of the manga actually being involved? Gone. Seriously, after this episode there’s literally no chance that the manga—probably not even the movie—will factor into the plot whatsoever. Is this a setback? Yes, a considerable one. However, I think there is a bright side, too. The show has already proven that it has the chance to tell one helluva story well past my initially low expectations, and now not having a source to adhere to, it has more freedom to tell a really spiffy alternate rendition. There’s even still a chance for my knowledge of prior incarnations to come in handy, as it’s not impossible for the series to take elements from both movie and manga and tie them in, in some new and different fashion. So, let’s see if it can pull that off, shall we?
Psst! Pretty pictures inside! 
Continue reading ‘Blood+ Episode 2′
A few weeks late, but I figure I might as well start from the beginning. While Negs currently has his hands full covering Mai-ZHiME (don’t worry, you’ll hear my take on the series as well, but he’s the primary commentator on that one), I’ve decided to take on a similar role for one of the other big titles this season, Blood+. Production I.G.’s latest, the show’s actually come as a bit of a surprise to me. Wanting more development on what we were given in the short Blood movie that debuted a few years ago, the initial presentation of the series prior to its debut left me disappointed, and the advertised timeslot left me expecting some toned down, generic shounen remake of the story instead of any sort of legitimate continuation. Needless to say, when I actually got around to watching the first episode, I was pleasantly surprised. While it does retain some shounen adventure anime clichés, it still doesn’t pull very many punches, and leaves numerous openings for potential tie-ins to the previous Blood installments. So, with a newer, more positive outlook on the series, I’ve decided to take on the task of covering it here, episode by episode. And yes, I know I’m about three episodes behind, but by all accounts I have about 48 more weeks to catch up. No problem, right?
Oh, by the way, if you don’t want to be spoiled on the Blood short movie or Blood 2002 manga, I suggest you either watch and read them respectively right now, or avoid reading any further. Many of my theories heavily involve major plot points presented in both, and I won’t be making any attempt to hide them behind any sort of spoiler tags or anything. You’ve been fairly warned. Well now, let’s get to it, shall we?
Continue reading ‘Blood+ episode 1′