Blood+

[jamesesz]

Blood+

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Story – 7

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you lost all the memories of your past? Without any clue to who you are (and in this case what you are), would you be willing to seek your identity? Would the truth make you happier?

Blood + has much to offer in terms of originality, and storyline.

Blood + follows the journeys of Saya, a vampire who seeks her true identity and her place in the world of humanity. Saya is suddenly taken away from her common life as a school girl and thrown into a world where she is forced to kill or be killed. Like a newborn child, she finds comfort and protection in a mysterious cellist, Haji that acts as her guardian and protector.

The most distinctive aspect of Blood + was that the anime started with the viewer having a very limited perspective towards to the events unfolding in front of their eyes. Personally, I was left to ponder and make alot of guesses on the underlying reasons to what was happening in beginning of the story. In the first ten episodes, the level of ambiguity was almost as severe as Ergo Proxy!

It surely would have helped to have clearly defined the relationship between Saya, David, and the Red Shield early in the series, rather than keeping viewers in the dark far so long.

Luckily, the originality of the storyline in Blood + was a huge bonus for the story’s rating. Instead of the normal blood-sucking, super strong and seemingly undefeatable vampire, like Alucard in Hellsing and Abel Nightroad in Trinity Blood, Blood + focuses instead on the various challenges and response of a vampire trying to lead a normal life in a human world.


Animation – 8

The animation quality of Blood + was generally good from my point of view. Battle scenes like those between Haji and the Schiff went on with smooth transitions and more importantly with the realistic effects of collateral damage. The view of cities and the countryside were pleasing to the eye and had quite a good level of detail in them.

They were however, some distortion in the faces of the characters when seen from different angles. But these were minor problems and would mostly pass unnoticed. Worth mentioning was the flashback scenes that were most beautifully done with the manipulation of static sceneries (like those when Saya ran along a hallway to a secret door on top of a tower)

The designs of the chiropterans were the reason why I could not give this anime a higher rating. Some of them were designed rather crudely and did not look as harmful as they should be. Furthermore, the differences between one species of chiropteran and another species made them look unrelated to each other. Take for example how the skinny bat-like chiropterans differed greatly from their wingless and gorilla-like cousins.

Sound – 9

Blood + managed to garner a high score for sound. The intro songs was very fitting for the entire theme of the show with a tinge of sorrow, and yet a gleam of hope. Generally all the music in Blood + derives from orchestra based music that blends in with the surrounding and the mood. We have notable composers Mark Mancina and Hans Zimmer to thank for that!

Both of them composed music pieces that were suitable to the general pace and mood of the story. They also manipulated variations of the same pieces to portray different parts of the story. The music that was played during the character’s daily life was also of excellent quality and compatible with the occasion.

Also present were cello classics composed by Johann Sebastian Bach played by Haji throughout the show that I felt reflected the general expression that the anime was trying to bring out. The major flaw in the audio of Blood + was the performance of the voice actor for Kai that pulled down the rating I have given for sound (more of that later).

Characters – 7

There were a lot of character development in Blood +. Flashbacks and minor conflicts between characters in the story provided a good and general basis to evaluate their personalities and the challenges they were facing in the show.

The protagonist’s character was particularly well developed compared to most of the supporting characters. The character Kai in the story was particularly nerve-wracking as it reminded me of Emiya Shirou in Fate/Stay Night and also Raki in Claymore. All three characters had the most annoying voices and personalities (not to mention how all of them stubbornly survived throughout the series).

Luckily, Kai ages faster than both Emiya and Raki, thus becoming less of a nuisance later on in the story when his vocal cords changed. Another notable mention would be the character development of Haji that was comparable to Kuchiki Byakuya in Bleach. Both characters had a cold personality on the outside and a softer more caring personality within themselves. I would say that the character Haji was essential to the entire plot as it provides the link between Saya’s past and future.

Similarly, there were only a small number of characters that exists only for the continuation of the story. Expect some character development for all characters even minor ones like the Schiff as the storyline matures.

Overall – 7

The reason Blood + could not be given a higher rating was generally because of its poor storytelling style that did not create enough suspense and anticipation on my part. This was extremely evident in the beginning of the story whereby the snail-paced storytelling would put a human in hibernation mode!

While both animation and audio greatly helped the general impression of Blood +, both elements were unable to totally offset the adverse effects of poor storytelling. I felt very disappointed that the combination of a good storyline, high quality animation and elegant music would be ruined solely by the terrible pacing and execution of its story.

In my opinion, more details of Saya’s unique characteristics should be revealed in the beginning of the story. Furthermore, the reason for the existence of the Red Shield organization should be presented with clarity before Saya went for the mission in Hanoi. Both informative revelations would have kept viewers more acutely aware as to what is actually going on.

To be fair, Blood + should still be given a chance. People who want to watch this anime would have to be prepared to endure until the later part of the story (the second season) where things would start to shift into high gear.

[Gallarn]

Nicely written review,almost the same as i feel.However i think "story" part would deserve a 8 instead of a 7.Heck The Sif story alone deserves a 9 tbh.

[VivisQueen]

Hello there. I hear you’re looking for some feedback on your reviews to improve. I’m not an expert, and frankly, I’ve only just started reviewing to a decent level myself, so I hope you don’t mind me offering a few points.

Things you do well:
- I notice that, as well as describe what is going on, you make a solid effort to analyse what you think and why. I generally understood what you meant and where you were coming from.
- You seem to me, overall, quite a balanced reviewer who takes into account both good and bad points
- Your vocabulary is not bad at all
- You’re generally on the right track in terms of tone of reviewing

Things that you might want to improve:
- Your grammar, spelling, and punctuation still need some work
- Look again at the flow of some of your sentences to make sure they make sense
- Reconsider the ratings you’ve given this anime, because they seem slightly inconsistent with what you say - or, alternatively, change what you've said to match your ratings

Specific things I picked up on:

I think paragraphs four and five (where you summarise the plot) should be shortened and condensed into one paragraph. A synopsis in a review is fine, but it’s important that it forms a minimal part of your review, so you allow more space for the analytical parts.

But what Blood + lacks the pace and clarity of its storyline is compensated through its excellence in other areas. ‘Blood+ lacks in pace…’ This is a really good way to summarise what you think are the main problems with Blood+. However, you don’t go on to explain what ‘other areas’ you mean, which makes me think you you’re referring to ANIMATION and SOUND (you give them a 9 and 10 respectively). What I would like to know, is how these other sections in themselves are able to compensate for lack of clarity and poor pacing. Because story and characters are generally more important than the other two aspects. EXAMPLE: Maybe you mean the anime is action-oriented and targeting hardcore fans of the original movie who will easily forgive plotting errors just because of the nice wrapping? Something like that would make it clearer how the other areas are able to compensate.

Furthermore, as the story goes on, this feeling of being lost disappears and Blood + starts to shine. What feeling of being lost? I didn’t know you felt lost when watching Blood+. You might want to make this point clearer beforehand (maybe with an example?)

The designs of the chiropterans were average at best. Some of them were too crude and did not look like functional living creatures at all. Honestly, their dead and crystallized form look way better than when they were living, and breathing (some were flying). Reading this made me wonder again about the 9 rating. 9 is pretty close to perfect, and to score that highly, you’d at least expect the character designs to seem functional and believable. Because if the designs detract from believability, then the animation is not doing its job very well. You mention other problems such as inconsistent facial features, but you do make an attempt to excuse them by saying they don’t detract from the overall effect. I think you will need a similar good excuse here, or else lower your rating.

Regarding the 10 score for SOUND: What about the voice acting? You actually mention in the CHARACTERS section that they had annoying voices. There is no way SOUND can be perfect and yet be annoying at times.

There were a lot of character development in Blood +. However, these efforts more often than not miss their mark and in the end become more of an informative revelation rather than being centered on the various emotions and challenges the characters are currently facing. The first sentence should read: ‘There was a lot of character… etc’. However, the entire sentence doesn't seem as meaningful as it could be. Maybe you could change it to something like: ‘The characters developed a lot from beginning to end.’ I also have a problem with the second sentence. It doesn’t link very well with the first; since you don’t mention any specific efforts beforehand, you saying ‘these efforts’ was a bit confusing.

All three characters had the most annoying voice and personality to contend with. I’d cut the ‘to contend with’. It doesn’t make sense. Also: ‘annoying voices and personalities’ (plural).

thus becoming less of a nuisance in the later part of the story. ‘latter part of the story’ or ‘thus becoming less of a nuisance later on in the story’

Another notable mention would be the character development of Haji that was comparable to Kuchiki Byakuya in Bleach. Both are cold, calculative, intelligent, yet lovable characters. Try to be consistent with your tenses. Generally, I have got used to writing in present tense whenever I’m making general points or talking about features of the anime e.g. ‘Ninja Scroll is’ and ‘the characters are’ and ‘Jubei fights’ etc. I switch to past tense only when it becomes important to describe what I was thinking or feeling at the time I was watching the anime e.g. ‘All the while, I was thinking that…’ Your review seems to be mostly past tense; if that’s your preferred tense, then I would smooth out all the sentences to be past tense.

In terms of overall flavor and impression, Blood + gets a solid 8. The reason Blood + could not be given higher points is generally caused by its poor storytelling style that did not create enough suspense and anticipation in its viewers. You don’t really need to repeat what rating you’re giving, since we can see it already, so you might want to amend the first sentence. Maybe, as an example: ‘Blood+ deserves a high score because of the overall impression it leaves. [Summarise here all its good points]. The reason it could not be given a perfect score is because of its poor storytelling, which did not create enough suspense or a sense of anticipation on my part etc’. However, specifics aside, I’m very sceptical of the rating. All the faults you mention make me think the rating should be much, much lower. How can animation and sound compensate realistically for what sounds like really poor storytelling? In a movie, maybe it really can, because it’s a short space of time and expectations of character development etc are less. But in a 26-episode series, anyone would get bored enough of flashy animation that it could no longer compensate for the flaws. Maybe you don't actually mean it to sound as bad as it does, so you could just amend the language to match the high ratings instead.

On a smaller note, notice I changed ‘in its viewers’ to ‘on my part’. Simply because I think it’s a bit of a risky policy to speak objectively for all viewers like that. If you say that it failed to create a sense of anticipation on your part, then at least, readers will get the idea that it’s your personal opinion.

Watch this anime if you are looking for self-reflection, meditation, and to kill time. I don’t get the meaning of the first two ‘reasons’. Maybe you mean: ‘Watch Blood+ if you are looking for a self-reflective anime’. The second reason makes no sense at all. I don’t remember meditation being a big part of Blood+, and I doubt it’s the kind of anime that induces a meditative state (considering it’s about vampire-hunting, military agents, and gory action). Lastly, you say it’s an anime to watch just to kill time – that doesn’t sound like an 8 to me. An 8 would surely be an anime that’s worth watching in its own right, rather than just to kill time.

Anyway, that’s it from me. I hope all of the above is helpful. I like the fact that you’re analytical and you have good potential – just keep practising by writing more reviews, and especially try to perfect your grammar and punctuation, since these are fundamental skills. If you have any further questions or anything, don’t hesitate to PM me.

[jamesesz]

I knew my weakness in language would catch up with me someday....

I am from Malaysia (the education system is horrible over here). Currently, I am studying banking and finance (my interest is in economics) and watching anime is a newly acquired hobby.

Honestly, I am very VERY embarrass by the mistakes you pointed out (they were all fair and true). Nevertheless, no pain no gain right?

I would edit the review again and submit it again. But more than anything else, I would like to thank you for reviewing my review! I bet it took as much work as I did to write it.

>.<

I promise to submit better quality reviews in the future. Thanks a million!

James Ee

[VivisQueen]

While I acknowledge your revised review in the other thread, it should be posted in here. You should just click 'edit' at the bottom of your post and amend the original review. As it is, your new thread is an unnecessary duplicate, and is likely to get removed by the mods. Anyway, in response to your edit:

That's pretty awesome improvement. Technically speaking, there are far fewer errors. But there are bigger aesthetic issues that you will need to improve just by practising more (these aren't things that can just be taught just like that).

What I like about the new version:
1) The tone of your review seems pretty spot on.
2) Your analysis reads even better than before (I can tell you bulked up your reasoning a bit better)
3) Your ratings all seem to match better what it is you're saying

What you still need to improve:
1) Your flow is still not quite there, but I think you should practice writing at this level for a while and see how far you can improve yourself
2) Your punctuation still isn't quite there yet. A couple of commas missing, I think.
3) You might want to think a bit about bringing in more detail when giving your reasoning. At the moment your reasons tend to be very generalised. For example, you state that Blood+ starts off vague and abstract and confusing, a lot like Ergo Proxy (which I think is a great start to an analogy), but you need to be more precise about what gave you this feeling and why e.g. do they cut randomly from scene to scene without explaining anything, or maybe there is a specific scene where the characters keep talking about events without explaining what the hell is going on? Considering you are talking about the beginning part of the story, you don't have to worry as much about spoilers (although, be mindful not to give away twists!).

Overall, I would say your new version is about five times better than your previous one. You definitely took on board advice really well. But now it's a matter of practising until these improvements are second nature. :)

EDIT: A couple of specifics, which you need to be aware of:

The anime follows the journeys of Saya who seeks her true identity and to find her place in the world of humanity. It might read better as something a bit like this: 'Blood + follows the journeys of Saya, a vampire who seeks her true identity and thus her place in the world of humanity.' Advice that was given to me is that it's usually better to put the anime's name than constantly say 'the anime', 'the story', 'the plot' etc. Also, note the insertion of a comma after 'Saya' and the other details added e.g. that she's a vampire, which make it clearer where the conflict of the story lies.

While I do like the originality of the storyline... You didn't explain how the story is original. You'll have to explain what about Blood+ makes it stand out before you can make any claims about originality.

Both were cold, calculative, intelligent 'Calculative' is definitely correct here, but you might find that 'calculating' is the more usual version used in everyday language (you are free, of course, to leave it as it is - that could just be my vocabulary talking). However, when you say 'cold' and 'calculative', you will have to qualify why they are 'loveable' despite that. Perhaps you mean they were still admirable, rather than loveable? Because loveable means you warmed to them like you warm to a child or a really sweet friend. But someone who is cold and calculating is usually someone you can maybe relate to or sympathise with, but they're highly unlikely to be loveable.

I felt very disappointed that such a good storyline coupled with good animation and music would be ruin solely by the pacing and execution of its story. 'I felt very disappointed that such a good storyline (maybe: premise?) coupled with good animation and music was ruined solely by the poor/bad/terrible/clumsy/etc pacing and execution'

Hope that's helpful.

[VivisQueen]

You took some of the changes on board (you still missed a typo of 'would be ruined'). To be fair, your written English in this current version is better than that of a lot of native English speakers. Lol. And flow is not really your problem so much as the issue you have with your tenses, and your descriptions are still not very clear ('cold, intelligent, and admirable characters'). Basically, from now on, I suggest continuing to write at this level and show that you can consistently do this without much input. So keep posting more reviews in the forum. Sothis and the site reviewers regularly read the stuff in here, so just get proficient with it and you'll get noticed.

If you need any more general advice, just PM me.