Blood: The Last Vampire – Review

Blood: The Last Vampire follows a mysterious girl named Saya, who hunts monstrous bat-like creatures called Chiroptera, which are evil beasts who can emulate humans and only live to drink human blood, for a secret organization known as the Red Sheild.  The actual content of the movie is solid and entertaining. It’s so frantic and fast-paced that it won’t give you much time to think until the credits begin to roll. Considering its run-time this was probably the only option the creators had, but they pulled it off very well.

Hearing the dialogue in both English and Japanese, seeing the melding of cultures on the American airbase, even the ultra realistic character designs which could arguably be labeled “American-inspired” due to the large full lips…. is a fascinating melting pot of cultures that one very rarely sees on film. Both native English speaking actors as well as bilingual Japanese voice actors were used, resulting in a flawless transition between languages. Linguistically, Blood is very interesting. The way the recording was handled may very well revolutionize anime as well.

Blood relied heavily on presentation, and the presentation was greatly enhanced by the visuals, which are nothing short of gorgeous. I particularly enjoyed it for its storyline. It takes the whole vampire genre into another level. I don’t believe I am alone in my assumptions because this movie branched off and started its own anime series (entitled Blood+) which continues on the story of this film. I do not review anime series but I can tell you that it is a very good continuation of the Blood chronicles.

Academy Award winning director James Cameron stated: “Digital imaging has entered a new era. The world will come to consider this work as the standard of top quality in digital animation.”  I couldn’t agree more. Although the plot and characters are 95% unknown, there are some aspects in Blood’s production that makes it interesting to watch. Style over substance is what really keeps this film from being truely great, however it is no fault of its own. Even if you’re not a fan of the various horror genres, you’ll still marvel at the unequaled artistic triumph of this production.  Slight Recommendation.