Story: Not much to say here other than what most people probably already knew, that this series has the same concept only in different variation to that already found in the other Blood franchises which started from "Blood: The Last Vampire (2000)" and followed by "Blood+ (2005)." As an introductory episode, it left me some very good impressions that this anime is something I’ll definitely be looking forward watching week-after-week.
For the actual episode itself, it begins with some interesting discussion about the definition of a person then progress to the introduction of the main character and the people around her. All in all the events was pretty standard for first episodes. The highlight of the episode is in the later part concerning Saya's duty which immediately shifted the mood from lighthearted to serious and the fight in the end which have some good slasher moments.
Animation: The color tones used are a bit dull but it fits the overall theme of the series which is more on the darker side. Character designs is very CLAMP; the facial features in distant camera shots appears to be detailed so it is something noteworthy for me. The environmental detail is a bit lacking and doesn’t appear HD quality to me but it was offset by the grainy details that are observable in the animation. I like how the battle is animated in the final minutes, very well choreograph although the enemy lacks detail, it just look like a big piece of moving muddy rock, it could be better.
Sound: OP and ED themes are good but not something I’ll be listening every time I watch an episode of Blood-C. The soundtracks are however great specially in the fight scene; It composed mostly of tracks that sounds strangely familiar which I may have already heard from somewhere else, but the overall impact are great. The voice behind Saya did a very good job giving life to her character and charm (I like the scene of Saya singing, and I felt…Oh! It’s a wonderful voice), I could also recognize some very familiar voices which I’m excited to hear more as the series progresses.
Character: I’ll talk about Saya, so far I like how she transforms from a carefree individual into someone so BADASS (with that fiery-looking eyes); I’m a person with a natural inclination for female characters with strong personalities, granted she didn’t look like someone fitting that description from the outside, but after witnessing how calm she was battling her opponent, I’m convince that she has it inside her. As for the other characters, not much details are revealed so I it is something I will be looking forward next episodes.
Enjoyment: The episode did well and I felt that it did what any first episode should do —- give a good impression to its viewers that will make them look forward watching the series, obviously I have a very good enjoyment on it. Initially, I felt the character design is out of place but after quickly remembering that it is done by CLAMP, my impression quickly rebounded positively. I have watched this episode 3x already before this writing.
Updates:
ep.6: Massive while-lines across the screen, it somehow kills the enjoyment, had to watch the BD versions once it's out.
ep.7: Story is getting more interesting in exchange, the animation quality is dropping considerably compared to the first few episodes
ep.11: Am I suppose to laugh at these episode? It’s amusing and unbelievably funny, I was laughing from disbelief on all the revelations this episode, the way it’s executed, and the character reactions.
ep.12: I say the ending redeems the series for me as it reminded me again that feelings I have from watching episode 1 and other Blood franchises, the very feelings why I watched Blood-C in the first place.
I’m still gathering my thoughts on how to rate this series as it is shown to me, I like to write a proper final impression for Blood-C, it’s a wild ride, but it’s a worthy wild ride.
