Blood Reign: Curse of the Yoma

SEGHE Sep 16, 2023

6

"Blood Reign: Curse of the Yoma" may not be the most well-known anime out there, but it's a hidden gem for fans of dark fantasy and supernatural themes. Story (7/10): The story is one of the strongest aspects of this OVA. It's set in a feudal Japanese era where demons called Yoma terrorize the land. The narrative follows a group of elite warriors tasked with hunting down these supernatural threats. While the premise isn't groundbreaking, the storytelling and world-building are engaging. The OVA does a good job of exploring the psychological toll on the warriors who must confront these otherworldly horrors. However, it can feel somewhat episodic, which may leave some viewers wanting more continuity. Animation (6/10): Considering its release in the late '80s, "Blood Reign" boasts respectable animation. The character designs are detailed, and the Yoma transformations are suitably grotesque and eerie. However, some action sequences could have been more fluid, and occasional scenes suffer from the limitations of the time. Sound (6/10): The sound design is effective in building tension and atmosphere. The eerie and haunting background music enhances the dark fantasy elements. While the voice acting in the Japanese version is solid, the English dub can be hit or miss. Characters (6/10): The characters in "Blood Reign" are intriguing but somewhat underdeveloped due to its short length. The protagonist, Amon, is a compelling figure, torn between his loyalty to the human world and his Yoma heritage. The supporting cast adds depth to the story, but their backstories and motivations could have been explored further. Overall (6/10): "Blood Reign: Curse of the Yoma" is a dark fantasy OVA that deserves more recognition. While it has its shortcomings, such as occasional animation limitations and episodic storytelling, it excels in creating a haunting atmosphere and delving into the psychological aspects of its characters. If you're a fan of classic dark fantasy and supernatural tales, this is worth a watch. In comparison to the manga (if available), "Blood Reign" may provide a condensed yet satisfying adaptation of the source material. However, manga enthusiasts might still want to explore the original work for more in-depth character development and world-building. Overall, "Blood Reign: Curse of the Yoma" stands as a testament to the creativity of '80s anime.

bunda6662 Aug 15, 2022

5.5

This is a tough one. The story is by no means good, but can't be said to be bad either, it is no fun by any means but on the other hand keeps you slight engaged that you keep watching until the end. To make things worse, the story only starts to make sense by the second half of the first episode, barely. The animation is average at best but gets better doing fights, transformations and gore parts. Funnily enough, on part 2 it stays average throughout. The art is good but nothing spectacular. The sound, especially during battles reminds of rpg music (for me ff7). The characters are equally not fun or interesting. All in all, this is not a must see, far from it, I also would not recommend it to anyone. That being said there is no harm in watching it once.

Varagauzer Oct 1, 2016

7.5

Pros The artwork is really good especially backgrounds. Cool fight scenes Great music especially the songs Demons are actually pretty firece Lots of gore It has a really heavy and dark atmosphere feeling to it Cons Story is very basic (although is it relatively good) Everything gets resolved too quickly Some characters are a bit forced ( the romance was kinda forced in) This does have a very basic story, dont expect much in the way of plot, there are also a few questions that you may have after this (not everything is explained well). The characters themselves are good, the main character was likeable, the villan was cliched(which kinda sucks, he was going on and on about yoma being better than humans...blah blah blah, you know the usual thing you've heard many times before). One thing this show does really well is its graphic nature, the demons look really freaky and there is a lot of messed up stuff in it, so looking for gore? Try this one out, its not going to be the most violent thing you see but its pretty good. The soundtrack is damn good, (I dont know is the english dub is any good because I haven't seen that one) but the subs are good. There are a few noises that are a bit out of place( the weapons sound really weird).  Overall, If you're looking for ninjas vs demons with some gore and not much of a story this is worth it, so grab a bag of popcorn and have fun!!