SpideyWrex
Completely Average High School Student
A girl who fights monsters. Basically Japanese Buffy, but with a katana instead of stakes.
But under the careful guidance of Production I.G, the simple premise and seemingly overused vampire setting of Blood+ is turned into something more thoughtful and satisfying. Originally a 2000 movie titled "Blood: The Last Vampire" by the same studio, Blood+ has a similar premise as Buffy in that it has a girl as the Chosen One destined to fight vampires, but that's where the similarities mostly end. Instead, the protagonist, "Saya Otonashi", goes on a more dramatic and epic journey that's not too different from your traditional Shakespearean protagonist, one that's larger than life and goes beyond the American formulas of "vampire hunter by night."
Also, it's sad. Like incredibly sad. Like "Buffy almost looks like a Disney sitcom compared to Blood+" sad. While the anime starts out like any typical shoujo or even shounen anime, where the main character has good times with her friends, just fooling around like there's no tomorrow, things become bleak pretty fast as people start dropping dead, and Saya becomes so numb that she curses her own existence and literally just wants to die. Try that for depression, Buffy fans.
When I first heard of this anime back then, I dismissed it as just another typical vampire fighting story. In many ways, Blood+'s plot is traditional like that, lacking that need to insert unexpected twists or self-parody elements you see in modern TV. What you see is what you get, which is a bit of surprise considering that Production I.G. was known for much more complex works like Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. When I saw the studio's name attached to such a seemingly generic work, I was naturally intrigued and gave it a shot, and you do see some elements of their style here, like the heavy use of political jargon (without being too excessive that the plot becomes confusing) and the unrelenting use of mature subjects. In fact, much of the morbidness found in their Tsubasa: Tokyo Revelation adaptation could be found here, with characters often questioning the worth of their own existence, and their morality and motivations are often blurred in grey, including the kind-hearted Saya herself.
But what stands out in Blood+ is its hope in all the doom and gloom. Most vampire anime tend to just emphasize on how brutal the world is, but here, the optimistic Okinawan idiom, "Nankurunaisa" ("everything is gonna be alright," as said by Bob Marley) is constantly repeated by the characters as a catchphrase to remind themselves that the sun would shine again tomorrow in the darkest of nights, no matter how many times the good guys lose (and boy, do they lose a lot).
Another distinctive element found in most of Production I.G.'s anime is its patient exploration of the side characters. Like literally, the anime can be very slow in "getting to the good part," but never was I bored by the story because it's always focused on something important, be it character development, character revelation, or just a reflection of a character's philosophy. Much like Buffy, there's usually a theme in each episode and a message to be learned by the characters.
Arguably, the best part of the show is its avoidance of romance as an easy way to attract the audience. Much like Buffy, there is a forbidden romance sub-plot in Blood+ too, but it's rarely focused on, which is good, because they are fighting a literal war where people die everyday. Kissy smoochy stuff like that just wouldn't make much sense, and it's befits Production I.G.'s nature to keep their worlds realistic and believable.
Overall, Blood+ has been a satisfying and solid experience worth giving a look. It's not Production I.G.'s best, and I do favor Hellsing Ultimate over this just because I like my action to be more fun and exaggerated, but this heart-rending story is well-crafted and emotional enough to be worth a look.
8.5/10
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I hope you get to experience this anime someday.
