Charming and brutal

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Could be a better show with about 1/2 as many episodes. Plot took too long to develop. Intro to episodes are very long too. Vampirish characters who have been used for genetic studies. An adopted family who instantly bond better than most biological ones. Nearly everyone important to Saya dies. And it all takes way too long to happen....It is like it tries to be serious like "Witch Hunter Robin" without ever getting as dark. There are enough elements to make it interesting but it also has a soap opera feel that drags it out. If I had not been watching this on Netflix, and actually had to wait from week-to-week, I would have surely given up on the series. It was OK but not good enough for me to recommend the time commitment, unless you are stuck at home sick for several days.

High production values and ample servings of blood-splattering violence won't completely counteract the cliché story progression for the seasoned anime-watcher, though fans of darker action horror series, vampires, or shape-shifting monsters will easily find something to appreciate. Blood+ carries on the style of the original movie and can readily be enjoyed by those seeking the visceral aspect of anime, but those familiar with the genre will undoubtedly be able to discern the plentiful recycling of several of its brethren.Blood+ follows the horrific exploits of unwitting vampire exterminator and amnesiac Saya as she struggles to recover her past and escape her future. A mysterious organization has been experimenting with Chiropterans (vicious, mutating, blood-sucking monstrosities) and several have been unleashed upon the city. Saya is the only one capable of bringing death to the vile creatures and must assume her purpose as killer and savior. With the aid of her family (one older brother and one younger), her protector (a quiet, violin-toting assassin adept in carnage), and The Red Shield (the forces determined to eradicate Chiropterans once and for all), Saya must continually confront the demonic creations while drawing ever closer to the secrets of her past and the identities of those determined to destroy her.While the seamless blend of computer and hand drawn animation is truly breathtaking at times, the avid anime viewer knows characters and story come first. Especially with a longer series such as this, every individual introduced must retain their intrigue and demand the viewer's attention. The characters in Blood+ accomplish this feat more often than not, though sadly the most disappointing progression lies within main protagonist Saya. She never seems capable of mustering the courage required to slay the beastly Chiropterans (except when her blood rage takes over - and then she's not consciously kicking ass), and her unwillingness to fight becomes downright excruciating at times. Her potential is realized too slowly and we're left trying to root for others with more impressive skills. Luckily, the supporting characters range from "badass" to "freakin' awesome" which helps to balance out any lull in Saya's development. Most notable are David and Haji, two stern, commanding warriors each with completely different origins but a common goal.As with many anime series, the packaging is aesthetically pleasing, and the Blood+ Part One Box Set is no exception. 25 episodes on 6 discs are housed in a sturdy black box and packaged with an exclusive T-shirt and Manga Sampler Comic Book. With anime sets typically being slim on bonus features, Blood+ doesn't break the mold, but does provide a comprehensive set of five extensive interviews with the various creators of the show. Since this is only Series One, let's hope subsequent sets match in both appearance and substance.Despite many elements feeling borrowed from other anime productions, Blood+ retains enough unique scenarios and a plethora of characters and twisting subplots to keep the series from slowing down. Utilizing the intricacies of Saya's amnesia to allow the audience to discover reasons and motives at about the same pace as the protagonists results in a constant state of anxious attentiveness or annoying chagrin. The majority of the time the former outweighs the latter, and combined with brilliant cliffhanger episode endings, each succeeding disc becomes infinitely more appealing than the last. Blood+ parallels the violence of Elfen Lied, the mystery of Noir, and the action of Gungrave, and also remarkably includes elements of horror, adventure, comedy, and romance. And this is just Part One.Joel Massie

This is a series based on an anime movie called "Blood: the Last Vampire". The animation is good, without being great, the music is above average up until the middle of the series when some meaningless teen pop music is added as the final track. The story is interesting, but it makes no sense in the long run, but what's really annoying is the personalities of the characters.Basically you have a good vampire queen with a vampire servant and a whole bunch of human friends fighting the evil vampire queen with a whole bunch of vampire servants and a whole bunch of human employees. The good always seem to win because the bad are either bored or completely distracted by other things, while the few situations that could be exploited in the advantage of the main character end in emotional outbursts and impotent tears.What makes it even more ridiculous is that these vampires can only be killed by the blood of the other kind of vampire. Still there are always humans ready to shoot their little guns and (sometimes) shotguns or SMGs. Can anyone guess what happens to them?I watched all the 50 episodes in order to get to the bottom of the story. It was a complete mess, but now it's over, I can move on. Bottom line: there are a lot of worse animes out there, but there are a lot of them that are better, as well.

Episode 34 hit this week. I've been watching the show pretty religiously up to this point just because it was sandwiched between Bleach and Ghost in the Shell 2nd Gig repeats (amazing show). Both shows were considerably better than blood. Blood would get better, then get worse again, repeatedly. They seem to be unable to maintain the level of quality they occasionally reach.A few episodes ago a major character died and I couldn't care less- this really cemented the realization that this show is all style and cliché's with no real heart.Don't get me wrong, I've seen plenty of bad mindless anime, and this isn't a bad show. But when I started watching adult swim we had such shows on as Ghost in the Shell, Samurai Champlo, Full Metal Alchemist, FLCL. All of which were really, really exceptional shows that managed to draw me in despite my not being a huge fan of anime.Blood + just isn't of that caliber and now that Bleach has apparently been canceled and Ghost in the Shell repeats have wrapped up, the show just isn't strong enough to keep watching just to see what happens.