Blood The Last Vampire Review

story 6/10

Let's be honest -- even though Blood the Last Vampire might be a great thing to watch, it isn't exactly swimming in plot. The little we know is that a young woman named Saya is one of the last original vampires, and works for the police department hunting down rogue demons and vampires alike. Her newest assignment places her at a local high school, where mysterious murders have been taking place. Unfortunately, that's about it. Throw in some additional vampires, a school nurse, and some neat chase scenes/fights, and you have the entirety of Blood.

Luckily, even though the plot might be weak, the 45 minute movie still ended up being very entertaining. Admittedly, this is something you'd watch for the visuals, but still ends up playing out like a good episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, sans the comic relief. If you are looking for a beautiful hack n' slash vampire viewing, the story won't fail to impress, but to most, the main disappointment stems from the incomplete feeling you have once you finish watching. The movie really feels like the first part to a series, or an unfinished movie, though it does have sort of a conclusion. Fans definitely will want to see more, and I think this ends up hurting the credibility of the viewing for many people, including myself, to some extent.

animation 9.5/10

There can be no denying that Blood the Last Vampire has absolutely stunning graphics. It's a Production IG work, so you'll recognize the character designs from such things as Ghost in the Shell. Quite frankly, the character designs were the only thing I *disliked* to some extent, because the outlined lips/gritty faces didn't seem to fit well with the beautiful surroundings. Backgrounds and details were superb, with rich lavish colors used all the time, especially for sunsets. The detail was the most prevalent, I think, during the school dance, where people in whimsical costumes mingled in a highly decorated auditorium.

One of the best things about Blood was the virtually seamless blend of CG and regular animation. Other good points about the animation include things like the monster designs and transformations, the fight scenes, and the light and shading which deserves a special note. Blood definitely is a winner in the visuals category, and probably should be watched just for that even if you don't like the idea of the story.

sound 9/10

The blend of electronic music really reminded me of the feeling I got from watching the original Resident Evil movie, which I also really enjoyed as far as the musical selections. Blood contains mostly synthesized beats that fit VERY well with the mood and feel of the movie, including fight scenes or suspenseful bits. The voices were brooding and interesting, and the monsters sounded definitely sinister.

characters 6.5/10

Characters, like the story, definitely weren't a strong point in Blood. This is surely because the nature of the movie was to be a beautiful piece of eye candy, not an intense epic storytelling adventure. Saya is the only character that is somewhat developed, but only because we know a few facts about her. In general, she is very mysterious and dark, and seems to be jaded to everything. The school nurse is the only other character who shows up throughout the entire movie, but we know zero about her except that she unfortunately keeps getting the shaft as far as demons attacking her, and that she gets scared a lot (for good reasons). We also are introduced to a few high school girls, some military folk, members of the government agency Saya works for, and some random expendable people, but none of them are more than a brief blip on the radar as far as development goes.

overall 8/10

Overall, though story and characters are not a strong point of Blood, it still ends up being very entertaining and watchable. The animation is stunning and worth seeing no matter what, the topic is interesting and engaging (demon killing, etc), and the tone and feel is very dark and moody -- perfect for someone like me. If you haven't seen Blood, now is a good time to check it out!