Essence of Anime: Blood the Last Vampire
by Hiroyuki Kitakubo
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Youki KudohDirector: Hiroyuki Kitakubo
Brand: Fox
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Animated, Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 83 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-09-04
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Manga Video
Movie Reviews of Essence of Anime: Blood the Last Vampire
Movie Review: In the words of Claudia from Interview with the Vampire..."I want some more."
Summary: 5 Stars
Production I.G., for whatever reason, has created an interesting formula for "feature films": offer the same production and story quality of a big budget animation, but truncate the runtime to about half. Not sure how many other of their films fit this template, but so far I've watched "Blood" and "Kai Doh Maru" in succession of each other and they are almost exactly the same duration.
For the most part these Featurettes work. Especially for "Blood", where the story and animation are so incredible that I found myself wanting more. Not a bad thing, since I didn't feel as if I was left hanging at the end of the story.
Saya is a steel cold demon slayer whose stoic expression is loaded with backstory that we never learn about, with the exception of a tiny photographic hint of just how old she really is. In appearance only, she is deceptively young. She is assisted by two humans, one of whom know more about her history, but doesn't say much about it. This is actually one of the strongest parts of the story: there is virtually no exposition. In fact, the movie begins in near silence; only the backgrounds noise of an underground transit system make up the audio in the first 5 minutes. It sets up an incredibly tense poetic ambiance that is never abandoned - not even during the action scenes.
Like "Kai Doh Maru", the film will feel as if ends somewhere in the middle of what could have been a complete story. But this again is something I find very interesting and a successful departure from the 3 Act story structure in the Western Tradition. Instead, Production I.G. have rightly pinpointed the 2nd Act as being the most interesting. With the "bookends" of the 1st and 3rd acts removed, you'll find yourself asking questions about what came before the characters and after. In the words of Claudia from Interview with the Vampire..."I want some more."
Summary of Essence of Anime: Blood the Last Vampire
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