Also, I the first paragraph under each section was based on 3/12 episodes seen. The second paragraph will be an update based on having seen the series in it's entirety. I'm just too lazy to actually write something brand new lol. Anyways, On to the review...
Story: 3
The story has been weak for me and falls far short of expectations. I was expecting something dark and similar to Blood+ in many ways but perhaps with a fresh twist, however, what I have seen thus far is basically a high school slice-of-life drama with about 5 minutes at the end of every episode that give a slight nod to this series' predecessor, Blood+. I understand this a new series with an alternate take on the story but this pales in comparison to the previous version. There has been little progression in the story other than through character development (the little that there has been anyways) and there hasn't been an explanation offered for these "monsters" that Saya keeps fighting despite already having seen 1/4 of the season. The story just isn't entertaining and is convoluted and obscure.
This hold true for about half of the season. Then after episode 5 the series begins to become a little bit more action oriented but offers even less character development and zero plot progression as a result. Then an entire seasons worth of plot, build-up and all, is dumped on the viewer in the final two episodes with the last being a gore-fest. I understand what the story was aiming for and I even understand the approach that as attempted, but I felt the story was just crammed into two episodes at the end thus it rushed to me and failed on it's delivery. SPOILER: Also,if this matters to you at all, even knowing there is going to be a movie next year, the series ends with information but no resolution.
Art: 7
As far as the art design goes it's not bad and on par with other anime. The animation itself is nothing spectacular with the exception of Saya's fight scenes. Though a little too dark at times, the animation instantly improves and I will say that I am happy to see fluid sword movements in some scenes without excessive repetition. Other than that, however, it is basic. Not bad but not great. The character designs are ok, though I must admit I am not that much of a fan of Saya. The hair is just ridiculous for someone who has the responsibilities that she does. Again, the previous Saya from Blood+ was far superior in this respect again. Also, for supposedly being a high schooler, Yuuka Amino sure has the design of someone who just stepped out of the russian mafia. I feel like she is drawn far older than her character is intended to be.
As the series finished, I pretty much retained the feelings I had after episode three. Bad character designs and great actions scenes. Actually the latter became even better. Especially in the last episode when Saya fights "Thundercat". You'll knw who this is when it happens. And the ensuing fight scene is probably one of the best I've seen in an anime in a very very long time. The action is fast, almost "what just happened" fast, yet still clear. The sword movements are swift and non-repetitive. Overall, the action is the saving grace of this series from an artistic point and I can only hope the action style is incorporated into other anime in the future.
Sound:6
I am not an audiophile so for me I look for basic clarity and voices. I can hear things clearly, so it passes my clarity test lol. As far as the voice choices, I haven't adored any of them other than Misato Fukuen. The voice actors are alright and don't take away from the story.
This held true throughout the series. An average score for average voice acting.
Character: 3
Here is the big one for me. What. The. Hell. Is. Wrong. With. Saya. She is beyond lacking common sense. She is beyond ditzy even. She is a whole new level of clueless that is shocking to even have to witness. She has ZERO awareness as to what's going on around her unless it has to do with that dog, Tokizane, her father, or fighting. It's painful to see a main protagonist be so absentminded she doesn't even realize that her friends, who are but five feet away from her, talk about her to her face, and then snap into battle mode in the remaining few minutes. Also, I think that her adoration for her father is kind of odd. It's a little too much daddy's girl for me. Not that the show ever hints that the relationship is odd, which I think makes it even more odd since it was probably unintended. The other characters fall flat and seem bland. The saving grace to this show are the twins. They are cute and funny.
This is about the most interesting part of the series since so much happens in the last two episodes to either change perceptions or reaffirm suspicions. Saya remains beyond ditzy and clueless till the last episode and everything else would spoil surprises so I will simply say that character development is still extremely slow and uninteresting. It's hard to relate to characters and care about them when their personalities are so generic and underdeveloped. However, the last two episodes change this. For better or for worse is up to you. For me,it made it interesting. Most will probably just rage.
Enjoyment: 4
At least the fight scenes are entertaining, despite the fact I have no clue what she is fighting or why. Still, as stated above, this is where the animation picks up a bit.
This hold true thought an explanation is given at some point. The animation still remains the biggest plus for this series. The fight scenes are good, even if they are a little sparse in the beginning. I actually kind of like the "twist" at the end. The deliver was a complete failure and thus this series will be rated very low on average but I like the attempt. Again I understand the why, but it doesn't change the fact it failed.
Overall: 4
Explained above.
