Sunday, January 5, 2014

Review: Blood Lad (2013)

https://amzn.to/2GzwT3sBlood Lad is a Japanese supernatural anime. It contains ten episodes + one special episode.

Staz is a vampire who suffers from an affliction common to those with wealth and power: apathy and boredom. While he controls his own territory in the demon world, he longs for something he can't easily obtain—-Japanese anime (especially Otaku culture) and the human world. And when average human teenage girl Fuyumi stumbles into the demon world and is killed by a monster and turned into a ghost, he decides to resurrect her and add her to his collection. The disappointed Staz promises to help Fuyumi regain her humanity by bringing her back to life, as it means that he would be able to visit the human world. Over the course of their adventure, they encounter tons of colorful characters-—vampires, werewolves, teleporters, demons, and other shapeshifters. Along his journey, he also learns a dark family secret--one that could forever change his relationship with his estranged family members.

Blood Lad was a fun, yet too short, anime on the adventures of Staz and Fuyumi. Although there is a bit of fan service, the pacing and action are very well-done. Before I could really get into the story, the TV show abrutly ended in ten episodes. This is a major disappointment when it ended on a huge cliffhanger about Staz' family secret. I don't know if there will be a sequel (I would definitely look forward to it). Another criticism about the show is the lack of chemistry between Staz and Fuyumi. In the first episode, he felt attracted by Fuyumi's humanity. Once she became a ghost, Staz lost interest in her and the relationship became forced. He only sticks around her because his promise to restore her humanity. Only in the special episode (OAV) did it seem that he really cared for Fuyumi, going to such lengths to disable his enemies so that he could hold her in his arms again. Again, it is hard to tell what is Staz' motives with Fuyumi since their relationship doesn't seem romantic or natural. I will update this post when the DVD becomes available.



Opening Theme: "ViViD" by May'n

Ending Theme: "BLOODY HOLIC" by Yuuka Nanri

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