Strike the Blood - Reviews

Right, it's confession time for me. If you have been reading my reviews than you may have noticed that I tend to rip the anime a new one. There is a reason for this though and it has to do with the fact that I can't turn my brain off when watching anime. I can't ignore the stupid shown in the anime and this is a problem as most anime are very stupid indeed.

In this case I'm not talking about a 90 pound girl catching a multi-ton cruise missile and throwing it back. Yes, it is stupid but it is a stupid that I'll allow. It's anime. Things like this are normal here and I'm pretty much fine with it. It annoys me to be sure but I will not rant about it.

So, having explained this lets rip into this anime shall we? Just a heads up: There will most probably be spoilers. The more I hate an anime the more spoilers there will be.

ART: The art is pretty good but that is very hard to screw up these days. Character design was fine as I was never lost about who was who.

SOUND: Again no complaints from me. I can no longer remember any of the music used but this is how I prefer it. Voice acting was decent to good.

CHARACTERS: Main character is Kojou. Until recently he was a normal human but then a powerful vampire transferred her power to him, making him the Fourth Progenitor. He has a strong sense for right and wrong and will rush to help those in need.

Himeragi is a shaman from the Lion-King organisation and tasked with keeping an eye on Kojou. If he becomes to dangerous she must step in and stop him, killing him if neccessary.

STORY: In a world were monsters live among men there are 3 Progeninators, beings so powerful that they can't be killed. Then a fourth one appears and people fear that this may upset the balance of the world power. As powerful forces stir, Kojou, tries to continue his life as he always has but school is a lot harder when you are an all-powerful vampire. Ever since the previous Fourth Proginator transferred her power to him he is trying to get by but things change when Himeragi comes into his life. She is tasked with watching him and kill him if he becomes a danger to the world. Meanwhile there is trouble brewing as forces converge on Kojou and threaten the city he lives in.

RANT: This anime had a great premise as I'm partial to vampire stories and this grabbed my attention. Sadly this anime sucked and what sucked the most is that could have been good. I don't know what the writers were snorting but they screwed up badly.

I don't mind the harem part, that is sadly a given with most anime these days. Fan service I can also life with, so long as it doesn't completely take over the series *couchSamuraiBridecough*. There is some nudity and quite a few panty shots but it is within reason. What does piss me off are the many 'misunderstandings' that pop up. It is always a situation that the guy can do nothing about and the female protaginist will punish him for it at some point. Once or twice I can deal with but it is almost every episode and sometimes multiple times per episode.

This anime lost me completely in the first arc. A foreign member of a Church comes to town and starts killing demons. At first you think that he only kills bad demons as you see him kill a couple of bastards that Kojou stopped from messing with Himeragi but nope, he kills seemingly at random. As he steals their magical power I assume that he searches out strong demons to suck dry but that leads into the second problem.

These fights are pretty bad with lots of collateral damage yet Kojou knows nothing about this. Rumours should have gone flying across school after the first, certainly the second and police would have been on high alert after number five but nope. Well, they are on alert but that doesn't really mean much as they never show up.

Meanwhile Kojou does notice the massive explosions and building being destroyed and goes to investigate these minor disturbances. Here he runs into the villain on the day, or arc as most arcs last about 4 episodes. They fight a bit and the villain fucks off after getting what he wanted so....good job?

It doesn't take long for them to run into the villain again and this time he kicks their asses. He even cuts off Kojou's head and at this point I stopped caring about his wellbeing. You see him lose his head and Himeragi looses her shit as the episode ends. Next episode begins with Kojou being fine and Himeragi stating that he simply healed soon after he lost his head. This tells be that there are no stakes with Kojou losing his life and I shouldn't care.

Kojou getting hurt happens quite a few times and it is always brought as something dramatic but it gets resolved within seconds after it happening. Every. Single. Time. In fact none of the main characters can die, or it doesn't stick in any case. At least one of the side characters dies and this gets resolved before Kojou has stopped his scream of rage and pain. There are no stakes and I do not care about anyone because of it.

The best part of this arc was that they learn about the villains plans and it is golious. We learn about the city that Kojou lives in and it is an artificial island build on powerful ley lines. To contain the power of the ley lines they needed an artifact to channel it and they stole one from the villains church. He wants it back and is rampageing through the city to do so. Kojou then states that he sympathises with the villain. Kojou is one amazing asshole.

Let me state it as simply as possible: The city is build on the artifact. Remove it and the city sinks into the ocean with everyone in the city with it. That is 560.000 people in case you are wondering. So our 'hero' is fine with the villain retrieving his holy artifact and thereby killing thousands of civilians.

What is the artifact you ask? It is the right arm of a saint. To become a saint you have to be dead first as one of the conditions is having miracles attributed to you after you have died. Once all conditions have been met the Pope will declare you a Saint.

To be sure I have no problems with the motivations of the villain, his are very clear. He is a religious zealot who was sworn to guard something precious for his sect. It got stolen and he wants it back. I expect him to show no reason and a willingness to kill thousands of innocent humans to complete his mission. I did not expect the hero I'm rooting for to agree with this bullshit. In the end Kojou only does the right thing because Himeragi tells him that he is being stupid and he agrees. What a hero!

A fantasy anime that was chewed up and spit out several times, like the cud.

I am convinced that the creators were on shrooms while thinking this anime up. 

It is a rare case in which the anime manages to be scattered and confusing, but at the same time slow and boring.

It is a perfect example of what happens when there are no limitations to the fantasy with an already poorly thought-out plot.

I dropped it early. It was a clear 1/10 overall. Skip it.

This anime has a really epic action scenes. The way the creators made their powers or magic were very creative! Eventhough there are some parts of the story that doesn't made sense, this anime is worth of watching. Recomended for 13+.

"Strike the Blood" - A Mixture of Vampires and Action

Story (6/10): "Strike the Blood" presents an interesting premise in a world where vampires, witches, and supernatural creatures exist. The story follows Kojou Akatsuki, a high school student turned Fourth Primogenitor, one of the most powerful vampires. With this newfound power, he must navigate the complexities of his supernatural life while protecting the city from various threats.

The narrative offers a blend of action, supernatural elements, and a touch of harem. While the story has its moments of excitement and intrigue, it occasionally falls into the trappings of typical supernatural anime tropes. Character development and world-building could be more robust, as some aspects of the plot feel underdeveloped.

Animation (6/10): The animation quality in "Strike the Blood" is decent but not exceptional. The character designs are distinct, and the action scenes are adequately choreographed. However, there are moments when animation shortcuts become noticeable, particularly in non-action sequences. While it doesn't reach the visual heights of some other anime in its genre, it's still watchable.

Sound (6/10): The soundtrack and sound effects in "Strike the Blood" complement the action sequences effectively. The music sets the tone during intense battles and quieter moments. Voice acting performances are solid, and the characters' voices match their personalities. However, the sound design doesn't stand out as particularly memorable compared to other anime in the same genre.

Characters (5/10): The characters in "Strike the Blood" are a mixed bag. Kojou Akatsuki, as the protagonist, goes through some development, but some aspects of his character arc feel rushed. The harem of girls around him represents various supernatural factions, each with their motivations, but character depth is lacking for most of them. The relationships and interactions between characters often follow predictable patterns seen in many harem anime.

Overall (5/10): "Strike the Blood" is an anime that falls somewhere in the middle of the supernatural action genre. While it offers a unique premise and some exciting moments, it struggles with character development and occasionally falls into genre clichés. If you're a fan of supernatural action and don't mind a harem element, it might be worth a watch. However, if you're looking for a more tightly woven narrative and deeper character exploration, you might find it lacking.

An anime that trolls their viewers, and it goes over most viewer's heads. But if we exclude that hilarious fact, the anime cannot be anything more than 3/5 stars. I mean, I literally am being as generous as I can be with my rating of this anime, because I do appreciate the fact how self-aware the animators/writer were with this anime.

But sadly, outside of the comedy and the never-ending pattern in anime, of that comedy being repeated over and over, there is nothing of value to say about it. I feel a bit bad saying this but you could compare this anime to anime like "Rave Master".

If you haven't watched the masterpiece that "Rave Master" is, please do so!