「わすれじの」 (Wasureji no)
“Forgotten”

All things considered, the conclusion to Blood-C wasn’t half-bad. Throughout my coverage of the series, I’ve purposely refrained from throwing both it and CLAMP under the bus prematurely and crying out about why Production I.G and Blood+ director Fujisaku Junichi (who served as a screenwriter) didn’t do something about it, so let’s take a look at the positives.

First off, I got to see the deaths of almost all the main “actors” like I had hoped, which may have sounded like a joke last time but reeaaally wasn’t. They spared no expense in giving them some of the most terrifying and gruesome deaths seen to date too, and even had one of the Motoe twins sell her sister out to try and save herself. I relished in that a bit, especially when the sellout twin (Nono or Nene I don’t really care) got torn in half by her legs. The writers had me going a bit too, thinking that Saya would finally save someone, but nope, Kanako winds up becoming food for the half-furukimono/half-human Tadayoshi. I’d imagine just about everyone saw that coming when she went crying to him for help. The same goes for Fumito killing everyone for betraying him.

It was definitely nice to see everyone get what they deserved for messing around with Saya, but the fighting choreography in this episode also deserves some praise. From Saya scaling Fumito’s dog-like Elder Bairn and climbing down its esophagus to puncture its heart, to the fast-paced, feverish, off-the-wall clash between her and Tadayoshi — I couldn’t help but be entranced by that awesome display. If nothing else, Blood-C does have some pretty exciting fight sequences going for it, and this one in particular seriously looked like Saya could’ve been killed at any moment. What’s more, the samurai-like finish was not only cool to see, but had an almost artistic aspect to it when watched in slow-motion. Very cool indeed. Given the story’s questionable execution, it’s really easy to lose sight about how good this series is in some technical areas. This includes how dark and grotesque the depiction is, like in town-wide slaughter where a ton of people got ground up by the Elder Bairn’s hand blender.

On paper, the story itself isn’t all that bad either. Talk about the shujikimen 「朱食免」, a.k.a. furukimono, and just about everything else that was revealed in this finale made me realize that there was a good amount of foreshadowing throughout the series. I always find a story much more engaging when I’m given an idea of where it may be headed, so when I look back on all the speculation I’ve had since the third episode, it’s easy to see that Blood-C had a direction in mind, dropping plenty of subtle hints if the viewer cared to pick up on them. It was back in the third episode that I started questioning the direction of the series and wondering what the overarching plot may be, given the repetitive “Elder Bairn of the week” type progression, after which there were a lot tidbits that I was able to pick up on. Everything’s obvious now since it’s been revealed, but back then a lot of this was purely speculation based on what’s been shown. I’ve quoted specific examples from my impressions from previous episodes below.

Episode 3:

It could very well be that the big twist in the series will involve Saya herself and that her good-willed nature shown thus far is intended to heavily contrast some upcoming change in her character. This latest furukimono hunt was the first time I recall seeing a very different side of her — one that was enjoying the bloodbath — so I’m even starting to wonder if she has some vampiric blood flowing through her veins. After all, we haven’t seen any chiropterans (i.e. bat-like creatures) yet, and this is supposed to be a remake of the Blood concept.

Episode 4:

Fumito on the other hand does all the narration in the show and talked about having to replacing hatred with an equally powerful emotion — such as the desire to protect people — suggesting he knows all about Saya’s true nature. I’m not entirely convinced that he’s as benevolent as he seems either. Assuming that Saya comes from a bloodline akin to the monsters she’s fighting, I can even picture him “nurturing” Saya for some personal cause.

Episode 5:

The question is whether this contract is actually between the entire village and the Elder Bairns, and entails something twisted, such as how they’re allowed to feast on certain villagers at night. Some people are obviously in the know, whereas the guys with catching nets last time clearly weren’t.

Deep-down inside, Saya probably knows the truth, hence why she collapsed when bit and pieces of it started coming back to her in a jumbled mess. Of course, this all merely speculation on my part, but the fact that the story is finally dropping enough hints to make me to do so is a good sign. Even Yuuka had me reading heavily into things when she told Saya, “That’s what I’m here for.”

Episode 7:

I’m still leaning towards the idea that she’s half Elder Bairn/half human and is being used to go against some twisted agreement between the town’s residents and the monsters that eat them. The demonic-like hilt on her Goshintou katana along with the Bairn’s wild laughter over Saya’s belief that it’s a sacred blade seemed to suggest as much, plus they raised suspicions about her “father” as well. There haven’t been any photos or flashbacks of Saya’s mother now that I think about it, so I’m somewhat skeptical of everything he’s told Saya about her and the Elder Bairns. As far as I’m concerned, everyone’s suspicious, especially Kanako who was waving the “I am evil” flag like no tomorrow with her manner of speech.

Episode 8:

Well that’s finally changed with the subtle implication that Tadayoshi drinks blood. That was more or less reaffirmed by Saya’s belief that some of her blood came off on her father, when it was pretty clear he already had some on him as she went to pick him up. I gather it’s no coincidence that he likes Fumito’s sweets either, seeing as the pink guimauve are probably made with blood.

Episode 9:

My prevailing hunch is that everything Saya’s been led to believe is a lie, so I kind of get the feeling that she may not even have a mother — not a human one anyway. The more I see the memories she’s on the verge of remembering, the more they seem to be about herself rather than her mother — possibly from a past life in Blood: Last Vampire — with the way they keep coming up during fights. i.e. Her mind may have forgotten who she really is, but her body has not.

Episode 10:

All the rhetorical questions the dog poses don’t help either, except maybe the idea that he was asked by Saya’s original self, who wanted someone to make sure that this so-called “experiment” is being carried out properly since she’ll have no recollection of it.

Episode 11:

The idea that Saya is an Elder Bairn in the form of a beautiful girl also works for me, because it confirms my suspicions that Fumito is interested in harnessing her powers for his own gain. At the same time, it takes that idea a step further by suggesting he’s taking her blood and experimenting with it to create a super soldier, as seen in the flashbacks where his men looked far from human.

Granted, I had plenty of speculations that were off, but this should go to show that 1.) I’m not completely crazy when talk about plot-related stuff, and more importantly, 2.) there was enough of an overarching plot to keep viewers engaged if they cared to pick up on it. Ultimately, I think the biggest problem with the execution was in the way that it kept beating around the bush with all these ideas until the final two episodes. Not once over the course of the previous ten did the story progress from Saya’s standpoint. If they had shown her catch onto something and start digging into the truth herself rather than having it all spelled out for her, I get the feeling that a lot of people’s patience wouldn’t have worn out. Obviously it’s easy to speak in hindsight, but that’s all I can really do at this point to try and explain why Blood-C didn’t live up to its potential nor its hype.

As for the open-ended conclusion where Saya got half her face blown off, I imagine it’s a setup for the movie that was announced at the same time as the TV series. Judging from the teaser, Saya’s left eye does eventually regenerate, as she pursues Fumito (and Yuuka) all the way to Tokyo. Safe to say, Itsuki’s throwaway death at the very end pretty much ensures that he wasn’t going to have any part in it (was it really necessary to shoot him that many more times on the ground? lol). In any case, I dare say I actually like this ending, mostly because I wasn’t expecting much of anything from it.

 

ED1.5 Sequence

ED: 「純潔パラドックス」 (Junketsu Paradox) by 水樹奈々 (Mizuki Nana)
Watch the ED!: Streaming ▼

Final Impressions:

I have no intention of ragging on Production I.G’s original series or CLAMP anymore than I have in my previous posts, as I still feel that Blood-C’s shortcomings came down to problems in its execution. If someone had presented me with CLAMP’s story three months ago, I probably would’ve thought it’d work. After all, it does have the whole conspiracy aspect going for it, plus it puts the heroine in a position for a shocking revelation.

Evidently, what I would’ve overlooked was the fact that that’s all it really had going for it. There were no other surprises in store, as the majority of the anime — a good ten of twelves episodes — was devoted to building toward this one plot device. It didn’t really help that all the support characters turned out to be nothing like we were led to believe, making the “big reveal” feel like they were mocking us more than anything else. Saya never got a chance to handle this “conflict” herself, so we were basically strung along with her and not given the satisfaction of seeing her make those responsible regret their actions. In short, there isn’t really a whole lot of “viewer satisfaction” to take away from watching this series, which is never a good thing because that’s what most shows will be remembered by.

Since a movie was planned from the very beginning, I think it’s only fair to see what it has in store before completely writing off CLAMP’s take on the Blood franchise. There’s no denying that the producers are on a very short leash at this point, but there’s always the possibility that they can redeem themselves to a certain degree by providing an extra dimension to the story and a fulfilling conclusion to it. If they’re able to do that, then it may even be possible to recommend this series to someone. Just be sure to tell them that they have to be very patient with the television series and give it the complete benefit of the doubt. Also, they’ll need to watch the Blu-ray releases so that they get to see all the uncensored gore.

 

Movie Preview

113 Comments

      1. I actually liked that bit. It showed that she wasn’t actually caring that humans were dieing so much. Every person in the show was wondering why she cared it wasn’t in her actual personality to care. Even the dog asked when she said she hurt if it was in her heart for her lost friends. She barely even responded to that. However she very much responded when he then said “or does it hurt in your head when you think”.

        Over all I really enjoyed this show and I am looking forward to the movie. However chances are the movie will not be censored and honestly this episode was hard to watch with censoring. I can only imagine what this show looks like without all the censorship and honestly I think for the first time in anime history I might prefer the censoring.

        I have to say that I feel betrayed by the character as much as saya and honestly that is great writing. I watched the first episodes praying that certain characters wouldn’t die. By the end of it I wanted pretty much everyone to die. (its funny yuuko was the character that caught my attention the most in the first episode) However maybe im too much of a humanitarian because while I wanted the twins to die I felt bad when it actually happened. They were horrible people quite likely murderers and rapists and yet I still wanted them to have a quick death.

        Also watching Saya really attempt to save someone was incredibly entertaining to watch. Every few seconds “oh shes dead! omg nice save! omg right back into the fire! Saved again!” Especially since I wanted the teacher to live. Since as soon as I saw the monsters the first person I figured would die would be the teacher. (And her reason for doing the experiment there is no way the government would allow her to publish a book with actual evidence)

        Overall I give this series a 7/10 it wasn’t the best show of the season and ill likely never watch it again(but will watch the movie) but I will never forget it.

        bijyu
    1. There’s just too much hate for this show. The fundamental purpose of the show is still to entertain & it did that to a T. I didn’t particularly love the sea of blood that was the last 2 episodes but if a bit of gore can cause this much uproar then it just turned a lackadaisical boring mess into gold – BRAVO!!!

      Megas
  1. This episode was actively unpleasant to watch. The slaughter at the end passed beyond shocking into just masturbatory. It was like the wet dream of the worst gurochan poster.

    The show was quite competent technically, but a complete failure on all other levels, and this may make it the worst show I’ve ever seen. Its an embarrassing outing by everyone involved, and I cannot make myself want to watch the movie.

    Fencedude
    1. As someone who was actively supporting the show up through last episode, I have to retract my previous praise, at least partway, and agree with you. The show is practically gleeful in showing how the remaining extras get taken apart in increasingly horrific ways. Torture porn comes to mind.

      My main hope for the movie is that with the town eliminated and Fumito’s evil properly established, there won’t be a need to have continual civilian deaths and it can be all about Saya progressively fighting her way to Fumito. The fights themselves were almost always brilliantly done, and a film composed of them would be quite epic. That, and I do really want to see Fumito die now.

    2. I’m with you and threeheadedmonkeys^. The first half was fine because the characters had it coming… but the end was just so tasteless and unnecessary. Really, where the hell did all those extras come from? It looked like there were maybe 40-50 people in town at most, then suddenly there are enough to make some crazy juicy people blender?

      I’ll probably end up watching the movie since by then I will have forgotten the bad taste this series has left me with, but I’m sure production values (read: fights) will be much better.

      And yes, CLAMP was all over the credits, so they get to take responsibility for this show.

      ren
    3. Same. I had to watch K-ON!, a few Hamtaro dubs, and then read some vanilla romance manga just to wash away the rancidness of being a witness to this episode.

      I’m a fan of the Blood series but Blood-C I’ll probably never touch after today.

      Avar
  2. I was deeming the series as totally FUBAR until realizing that it was all a prelude to the movie where we may finally behold Saya in all her GARiness. Let´s hope they don’t disappoint us AGAIN.

    Exukvera
  3. I can see what they were trying to do now… Liked I had guessed, the anime was only meant to jump-shoot the movie. They’ve probably focused too much on the movie that the anime failed in execution. The plot itself isn’t bad… But the way it’s executed is really bad. What happened was a very very slow start and a slightly rushed ending. This is rare, but I think it would have had a better outcome if the episodes were lesser.

    Also.. don’t give stuff bunnies to children anymore!

    MrRei
    1. You should read Gantz.. the latest “alien” enemies are even fine dining on humans (mixing them with pasta and seasoning after taking out the guts). They even have meat processing plants for captured humans! 😀

      MrRei
      1. +3 For the Gantz recommendation.

        I remember reading the chapter when they finally show the aliens eating the humans. Unfortunately I was actually eating a snack when I got there. Needless to say, I lost my appetite afterwards.

        Chisel
  4. I didn’t think it was possible for one episode to have as much of an effect on me as this one did. It turned an “eh” assessment of the series into total despisement. I suppose I might catch the movie if it streams legally somewhere since like a train wreck I probably won’t resist being able to watch it. But they certainly aren’t going to get me to buy anything.

    Zhiroc
  5. ugh. Just terrible. I’m trying to find a way to describe this mess of a show and I’ve settled on this. I feel like I just read a book where the first line is “a small town in the woods” and then 400 pages of blank pages followed by a single page at the end where a narrator flat out tells me what the book was about. There was just no logic to this show at all and seeing the trailer for the movie at the end has convinced me what I just watched was a twelve episode long trailer.

    Just answer me this, what was the point of the test? What could the test prove? The answer as far as I can tell is nothing, absolutely nothing. I think they just needed an excuses to confine Saya to one location so they spun some BS about a test and memory loss like it was soap opera. Everyone who wrote for this Anime should be ashamed of themselves, just terrible terrible writing.

    Sorry for the rant but this series just pissed me off. Just everything that could have been done wrong was done wrong. Coming from I.G. and CLAMP makes this failure even worse to me, someone should have pulled the plug on it.

    W.Wolf
  6. An amazing…train wreck.

    The fact that the movie was announced and worked on alongside the series practically doomed it from the start, but I think most viewers saw this coming. Maybe an OVA or two + film release would have been a better approach?

    This final episode and the previous one did succeed in bringing some much needed attention to the series at least (in Japan, anyway). What initially was complete disinterest is now replaced by indignation and curiosity for the film on 2ch and mixi. Anime features that are not the annual Pokemon/Doraemon/Shonen Jump material or the occasional Ghibli generally tank at the Japanese box office due to a severe lack of publicity, so Production I.G. will probably appreciate the current buzz the finale brought along.

    sigmasox
  7. See the dog is on Saya’s side so he can’t be an Elder Bairn. This episode was so disturbing to watch without kringing so much; I thought I was having a seizure or something. And the censors didn’t help much. This is why I usually don’t watch gore and horror, but I was taken in by CLAMP. I’m still going to wait for the movie and watch it. I can’t rate it IMO until it’s finished finish you know. Thanks Divine for the postings.

    Kenshin
    1. I can see why CLAMP was drawn to the Blood universe beings as use of gore and blood is almost a staple in their works. But Unlike there work it lacks the refined nature I’ve come to expect from them.

      The dog has got to be Watanuki’s avatar. Considering he can’t leave his shop it’s the only way to interact with Saya and only Saya so far.

      Ani_BEE
      1. Actually if you have read X/1999 or even RG Veda, both some of CLAMP’s earlier mangas, there is a lot of gore in there. We’re talking decapitation, cannibalism, exploding body parts kind of thing. CLAMP does do gore, just not all the time.

        Although as Ani_BEE stated, their way of depicting a character’s death isn’t usually quite so gory and in your face.

        K
  8. Previous episodes were already gruesome enough
    But for this one, I had to skip through some of them and even cover
    My eyes for some of them.
    Can anyone tell me if there are any relations between
    Plus and C at all?

    Oliviaven
  9. oh boy really what way to lead it movie til next year.

    1.coffee guy reveal alot that saya can’t eat human but eat monsters.
    2.coffee guy time to reveal “winners” & “losers” prize.
    3.”losers” get guy want money get pancake face & eaten while twins get one of them got hammered like a rag doll & eaten while other get legs pulled spilt eaten.
    4.female research get tonged wrap but saved by saya then saya enter the beast’s tummy to finish the beast.
    5.female research running but got hug with big bite drinken to death by saya’s “father” who is a half-human monster.
    6.saya vs “father” with saya had to kill him give “father” did care.
    7.saya chase coffee guy who summon rabbit monster but got squash so then gun here down but “class pres” tried to help but also get gun down reveal “class pres” did care for saya.
    8.bunny monster got many grab all “extra” bag them, eat them, pull heads, eat like a corn, shish kabob them, blend them all up big “coffee blood”, & gun them down yea leave no witness.
    9.coffee guy & female person getting away yet female is only in it so she get to be tokyo gov.
    10.saya kill the bunny monster chase coffee guy but boom eye shot.
    11..saya after all happen yea tears skirt make eye-patch now on revenge on coffey guy & oh dog reveal one of saya’s wishes.

    so yea really besides give i don’t had plan to watch first but wham keep coming then after ep.11 i’m all in & yet really oh boy this so wham to watch.

    really at movie to continue it & yea good luck to anyone in new york, texas, california, or canada to whoever going to license & dub you’re so going to need it.

    besides what you expect it made of clamp same people who did “abominaton” series aka geass.

    MR.KLAC
      1. Not to mention Code Geass is literally like my favorite anime of all time. But I love Clamps stuff. I love XXXHolic. I enjoyed this. When I was little I watched Card capture. It was a “train wreck of awesome”.

        bijyu
  10. Some people have no sense of humor. This show was hilarious. Well, at least once they started killing off the townspeople, which was episode six and on, if memory serves. So, if there’s one critique I have for this show in the context of the type of show I found it to be, it is that it was way too slow to shake off its early pretensions of being a serious show. Whew. I think I said ‘show’ way too much there.

    Not everything needs to be a clinic in award winning story-telling. There’s a place for mindless sensory overload through gratuitous violence you know!

    I can only imagine what fun some of you must be when sitting around with friends watching Army of Darkness for the 100th time while critiquing its literary merit. :/

    Blood C is certainly not a classic, but as long as you don’t take it as anything more than it is (mindless entertainment), then it can be quite fun to watch. I mean, c’mon. Who wasn’t laughing out loud (internally or otherwise) at all the ways people died, especially in this episode (human smoothies, yum)? If you can’t find the humor in most of this show (or at least, the second half of it), then I would suggest lightening up some. You’ll get wrinkles!

    Drew
    1. You’re analogy with Army of Darkness doesn’t work. For one thing that movie didn’t take itself seriously, whereas this anime tries too, especially with the graphic deaths and gore. Saya also doesn’t have a fraction of Bruce Campbell’s charisma on-screen.

      fragb85
  11. i just don’t like that we american fans are turning our backs on clamp just because they made one bad show. what about all their other shows? i can understand disappointment but don’t bash on them just because of this. Don’t expect perfection everytime. Even when this show dragged on I still watched it. why? because in my opinion anime is for entertainment not plot progression or character developement don’t get me wrong some anime needs these things but not all.

  12. This finale is AWESOME. Granted it might have been due to the fact that my expectations were really low. Afterall, when you have no more emotional attachment to anyone, you might as well pull the kill switch and go out with a bang. And it was, especially the fight with Tadayoshi which gets points for the best animated battle I’ve seen in awhile. Although I think they might have gone overboard with the graphic death.

    Overall, awesome finale for a really lame show.

    fragb85
  13. Finally something happened to Saya’s eye. I was starting to wonder “Is this really a CLAMP show?”…

    Jokes aside, I’ve only been utterly disappointed with this show but I’ve really enjoyed reading your entries about it!
    I hope the movie will turn this series around for the better. I know I’ll be watching the movie because this ending was unsatisfying. And I also want to see what -Watanuki- is going to do for Saya as he happens to be my favorite character of all time.

    Stereoman
  14. Nooooo, Itsuki!!! …I was seriously rooting for him, even though I thought the odds weren’t great…wish more about him was revealed though; we don’t even know why he took part in the first place.

    …Even though I knew the deaths were coming (having read this post first in anticipation), they still really shocked me; the twins, Shinichirou, and then all those townspeople…I don’t have the right words to describe the latter, as “disturbing” doesn’t even begin to cover it, with the cartoonish monsters slaughtering everyone in all those…disgusting ways…my jaw dropped the whole time. Just horrible! I honestly haven’t seen anything like it… I don’t I’ll be needing an uncencsored version of this episode.

    I do agree that the fight scenes with Tadayoshi were spectacular, and I was excited to see the re-awakened Saya…her expressions after the fight were just…wow.

    There’s still so much I don’t understand, but I remain very intrigued. While I’ve followed every post faithfully, I haven’t watched every episode, though I intend to sometime soon. Until I do I don’t think I can accurately comment on certain things…

    I’m pretty interested in the movie, I guess, though I’m not going to expect really great things.

    …By the way, was anybody else thrown off by Yuuka’s plans? Just seemed so random.

    anna
  15. blood-c was mediocre, but i dont think its a disaster as most of people say. The execution was terrible, but the fighting scenes, the animation and even the story were ok.
    And about this last episode, i really enjoyed it. It was far superior compared with the previous ones. The fighting scenes were amazing, fumito is a very scary vilain, Saya’s true personality seems also to be very interesting, so, even with all the serious problems that blood-c had, i’m gonna watch de movie.

    Hikaru
  16. The fighting scenes were epic! I completely enjoyes the episode, except the parts where nono or nene literally getting torn apart and the mass massacre of the townspeople. That was stunningly gory. They say be careful with what you wish for, because I did hope for their deaths but never expected it to be this painful to watch.
    I eat my words, and I can safely say I’m really looking forward to the movie. Finally saya can be a little badass. But Divine, from what the dog says in the end, I think your speculation about the one Saya promises to is herself, is right!
    But the motive behind the whole experiment still bugs me. What is actually the reason behind it and how are they going to use the result of the experiment? And Yuko claims about her wish to become the governor of Tokyo sounds like a foreshadow of smthg. Like it implies the statement about shrovetide is the true source of power. Maybe I’m just reading too deep into it.
    Anybody knows if this anime is doing well in Japan or not?? Just out of curiosity

    kgfj
  17. Wow .___. I shiver whenever I replay that blender-scene in my head…

    Like Divine said, not bad for an ending, but no one was expecting much if anything at all :T
    As for Itsuki running back to Saya, I felt it was sudden… kinda. I mean, after being hired to act as this girl’s friend, knowing that when she finds out the truth (assuming she does), it will ultimately break her heart. After learning they were all acting, I didn’t expect any of them to actually have a heart.
    Anyway, I expected Fumito to turn on Itsuki and Yuuka after they got away from the town and kill them off with his gun or something…

    *shrugs* Oh well, thank goodness this series is over~ :\
    (Still kinda excited for the movie though)

    Shiawase
  18. The blender scene didn’t effect me as much as the dying screams of the girl who got ripped in half… despite her being a despicable human being. Itsuki’s last action got a “huh” reaction from me. Not because I didn’t think he liked Saya but because she could take care of herself at that point. His sacrifice was pretty needless. Tokizane’s death was satisfying. Probably because he took my favorite kind of bishonen and completely trashed with his selfish and whiny attitude. Even now, the thing that stands out most from Blood C is all the gorn. Beware the pink marshmallow bunnies! Just look at all the bones!

    CTT
  19. I really really enjoyed this ending! I agree that the series was poorly executed but the story and the animation were really good. If this was a 3-5 episode OVA it would have been better. I’m looking forward to the movie let’s pray that it would be better! 😛

    mistress_kisara
  20. I so wanted this series to be great (I loved Blood+) and was crushed when week after week after week it appeared to be a school yard slice of life comedy with a gory monster fight and deaths in the last 1/3 of the episode. They cave us nothing for 10 episodes and then threw in alot of plot in the final two.

    Apparently someone in the creative end thought just throwing gore at us would satisfy us fans. Well most folks that really were looking forward to this series were turned off by how bad it was. I don’t think I have ever seen such a great potential for a series just thrown away or used as a setup for a movie? Even the villian at the end just rides off into the sunset in his helicopter and the heroine never lays a hand on him.

    After watching how this ended I was so disapointed. It was like being super hungry and ordering a pizza to be delivered, when the guy gets there with my pizza I pay the man and he leaves. Then I open the box and its empty.

    Karmafan
    1. They cave us nothing for 10 episodes and then threw in alot of plot in the final two.

      Aha, your comment made me realize what I really hated about this and the previous episode. It wasn’t really that they filled it with plot–they filled it with basically narrated exposition–a cop out that generally points to a failed telling of the story. And I think that furthered the completely passive characterization of Saya, which stands in stark contrast to her fighting. And it also outlined just how ineffective she’s been the entire series (faked outcomes or not). Sure, she beats the furukimono, usually a day late and a dollar short.

      Zhiroc
  21. Its hard to sum up this series without a comparison to Blood+. They came from the same source and I do feel this series was far closer to the original. As far as entertainment value I’d have to go with Blood+ as I never want to watch Blood-C again. This series devolved into a sort of violence porn like few things I’ve watched. It was slick, glossy and the fight scenes were great, but I never cared about a single character. I had to stick it out to the end…..and almost wish I hadn’t. Since its supposed to be the “set up” for a movie I suppose the studio is trying to create buzz and controversy with this bloodbath?
    In closing, if you want a long drawn out adventure, watch Blood+. I personally wouldn’t recommend Blood-C to anyone.

    Kalliente
  22. You can mess with the viewers ala Steins;Gate/Madoka or ala Blood-C. The first two did it correctly.

    Good art, animation, and even the gore scenes can be appreciated but bad plot, bad execution, and lame trolling: 5/10.

    Lectro Volpi
  23. The ending was pretty good with the entire series not half bad. It will never be rated great but its not a total bomb of unwatchability. Then again i had the luxury of marathoning it after everything was clear at ep 11 and the subtle hints were obvious in hindsight.

    Seriously if they had everyone in pastel colors (even if the uniform had a reason) doing K-ON slice of life things (but not so happily) had had Saya develop some sympathy (maybe a fake memory in AnoHana’s mold) the the series would have much much more impact

    That lightning slash x2 was very well done. for a little while the teacher looked like she was not going to die while the rest of the main cast died in interesting ways. The blender by the rabbits were very creative.

    Overall the main cast was still not fleshed out sufficiently other than the twins whose pathetic backtracks and attempted manipulations of Fumito was so balantly obvious it was funny. Really thought Itsuki was some undercover but it seems he was simply mixing fantasy with reality there.

    Zaku Fan
  24. One of the best shows of this season, which had the best finale. Everyone can pack their hate bags and go home. I’m personally extremely excited for this movie, and this show was excellent in terms of being experimental, taking huge risks and doing it well. Sorry if you got trolled in the process, but to be honest, I love how it all went.

    June 2nd can’t come fast enough!

    Snowolf
      1. LOL oh okay sorry if I’m a sociopath for loving it

        though to be honest I never said that I particularly enjoyed the blood fest

        but how nice to see that I am so quickly judged! The animanga community shows itself to be ~well made~ as usual

        Snowolf
  25. I don’t think without the excessive violence the show would have anything going for it really. And the level of gore here is something only certain viewers will enjoy. Even the best foreshadowing is worthless if the way to the end consists only of boredom and slaughter. The plot has not enough substance to keep you (or me at least) engaged on its own.

    To me this show fails on almost all levels. Another reason to stay away from CLAMP productions in the future.

    Zreon
  26. If I had to sum up the series in one word, it would be: Frustrating.
    The movie better be hella satisfying and give Fumito what’s coming to him, because his damn Deus Ex Machina/Plot Armor is the most frustrating thing of all.

    Free
    1. Actually i’m guessing this entire episode was one to build the hate for Fumito. The insane slaughter of the townsfolk and the revelation that there are machine guns shooting people at the town’s borders shows that it is Fumito’s idea is to leave no witnesses, showcasing his ruthlessness and intellect.

      I think the VA got his voice right, using a calm voice even while people are dying and his car is ramming into people. He truly has no conscience and is a monster worse than the monsters, is what the writers want you to feel. By the time Saya jumps for the helicopter, you are probably wishing she hits but by getting Fumito to shoot her stopping Saya’s revenge, the writers are building more dislike, irritation or hate for Fumito. Very classical villian building and is one of the things that works in Blood C

      Zaku Fan
    1. Perhaps the flow of the story wouldn’t have been that bland if it revolved around the “Main Actors”, instead on Saya alone.

      That way, they would’ve gained more of a background story: like why Tokizane needed the money (if not for greed) or how the twins became criminals.

      Thus more meaningful deaths at the end. 😀

      Kabayongtao
  27. I won’t be satisfied till I see Fumito’s head impaled on Saya’s blade (or even a stick or metal rod as anything she touches becomes +5 vorpal weapon…)
    Who is real monster here? furugimono, who just eat what they are usually eating? Saya who doesnt even touch human blood? Or that manipulative bastard who sacrifices dozens or hundreds of people to conduct his experiment? As terrible as furugimono are, they would not stand a chance against well aimed tank round or hellfire. And then there are high placed politicians to cover it up – and it seems Yuuka is aiming to become one of them.

    ewok40k
  28. Decent ending for an otherwise bad series, episodes 1 – 10 feel somewhat pointless, if not terrible. Ugh, CLAMP does it again… I have actually yet to like a single CLAMP piece be that anime or manga.

    This did not live up to the hype, thankfully I never fell for the hype and every season the most hyped show usually ends up being a disappointment…

    Like Fractale, Infinite Stratos, [C], Ao No Exorcist, they were all at least good but none lived up to the hype… let’s hope Guilty Crown won’t fall into this category

  29. All I can say is… ryona (or whater that word was) fans would sure love this series. Best thing about this episode is probably some of the ‘douche’ characters got some of what they deserved, oh and eye patch! Eye patches are cool… so that’s a plus…

    Azuma
  30. The action scene with Saya and Tadayoshi was so intense!!! I loved it. Even though it wasn’t the best series this season, I actually enjoyed it.

    Also, that BLENDER…ugh…

    InoriDisward
  31. I don’t know what really to say about Blood-C but for me this anime had 0 story, it was repetetive like no other anime out there and the worst thing was the senseless genocide.
    Those Elder Bairn didn’t even eat the humans they just killed them – which was plain gross and retarded. I mean I understand Zombies killing and infecting everything on their way but it’s a different story talking about “sentient beings” in this case.
    I wonder what the writer had in mind when he used the line “Why are you angry Saya?” like 5 times!?

    I knew from the beginning what was going on and that Fumito had been the mastermind behind the project and I don’t even understand any japanese so I couldn’t know that some names were used as hints.
    I was hoping that at least “a tiny bit something” I wasn’t expecting would happen at the end which was actually the only reason I watched the all episodes.

    azrayl
  32. I totally disagree with your review.
    The show was one of the best of the season.
    The build up was great in the way that it gives you pieces of the main story with a impressive action scene every ep.
    They make Saya the sweetest girl alive, her song was lovely.
    The ending was a mindf%ck.

    And dont forget the gore, whishing all the story was in BR to see that twins.

    BoozerX
  33. I really loved this show and the last episode was really the best.
    Yes, everyone saw it coming that Fumito was villain Nr. 1. So what?
    Yes, everyone saw it coming that there was something wrong with this peaceful town and its inhabitants. So what?
    And yes, everyone saw it coming that there was something wrong with Sayas personality. Again: So what?
    Because we never got to know WHY until this last episode and this was what made the series interesting.
    What I liked the best:
    We saw a glimpse of Sayas “real” personality and I LOVED it. Awsome voicing. And we also saw that Saya indeed did change – from somebody who didnt give a damn about humans (and wished to devour them!) to someone who actually shed tears when thinking about the peaceful time she spend with everyone. Even if it was a fake. For me it was a very strong charakter developement. And the fighting scenes were nothing but awesome. I’m really looking foreward seeing the movie. Saya, fight!

    Aozora
  34. For a series everyone seems to hate and refuse to watch with a sense of campy humor, it’s amazing how many views and comments it gets.

    I suppose many passionate negative responses are a success of sorts. 😀

    Drew
  35. I was one of those who was upset with the pace of the show and how things were executed but now with the movie coming out I believe this entire series was made just for the purpose of setting up he movie.

    To me it would seem this series would have worked more if the movie came out first and then they did the series to show what led up to Saya going after Fumito. I have to give the technicality and choreography of the fight scenes in this episode it was amazing. I think this is the first time seeing so many deaths in this series has turn me off. I think it had to do with the fact that those people seemed unaware of what was going while in this episode it seemed they knew and and to know they were betrayed just left a bad taste in my mouth.

    Vision_m
  36. Can somebody explain to me WTF with that dog??? I get the furukimono, the all act, and that blablabla the flash back hopefully from blood the last vampire, and all but…what’s up with the dog???? who was he, why try to help her and in name of who he was there??? PlEASE HELP ME TO UNDERSTAND!!! And overall…it was kind of nice, not perfect (to me) not epic but . . . watchable maybe! n_n

    Vivi
    1. The dog actually represents another character from a CLAMP series – Watanuki from xxxHolic. He is a guy that can grant wishes now and owns the wish shop. Wishes have a price. He can’t leave the shop now, but we’re left to assume he found a way around it by being a dog here in Blood-C.

      I guess his purpose here in Blood-C is to ensure Saya never “changed” since her wish was to remain the same. It sort of takes away from Saya’s agency, but it’s CLAMP.

      Teen
  37. I may be a minority here, but I have loved most of CLAMP’S works b/c of the innocence and overall lack of violence. If there were to be acutal violence it would be done tastefully. The bloodbath here reminds of those “western” halloween movies (that are coming out real soon) with the intention of scaring you and/or violently ill with disgust.

    LC
    1. Actually LC while I love CLAMP’s art I think most of their works are more fridge horror than innocent, though the anime adaptations usually tone things down somewhat.

      This? Distasteful, end to end. I appreciated Blood+ and The Last Vampire, and despite the gore you could actually develop some form of attachment to characters. Blood-C…. well, the guro fans will love it…

  38. It seems to me that the vast majority of the hate for this show is due solely to viewers watching the showing with the wrong expectations and feeling betrayed when those expectations were not met. Week after week I heard nothing but “the story is progressing to slowly” and “when is something finally going to happen.” Now that something has finally happened, everyone’s complaining that it was too gory and too violent (and yet, despite the complaints, you all apparently stuck around to watch it to the end).

    It’s like you all expected this to be a fun, fast paced action show. It wasn’t. It was a psychological thriller. That was my expectation from the very first episode – certainly from the third onward, once the hints started to drop.

    The pacing played out exactly like a good horror plot should, with the audience kept in suspense until the very end. The execution was a little off – the final two episodes were a touch rushed and probably should have been three, Itsuki’s death didn’t have the impact it should have coming when it did, and the series as a whole suffered a bit from “telling” rather than “showing” – but overall the show was well done.

    Jason
    1. “everyone’s complaining that it was too gory and too violent”

      I’ve only seen 1 complaint of that, and it’s the 2nd comment of a 100. If anything, majority of us, sees the gore and action as the only plus.

      Good horror plot? More like one of those dime a dozen, B rated horror movies. That I can’t help watching.

      rummy
  39. This show frustrated as much as it entertained me. I believe Noir was the last time I was this annoyed by a mystery. But in the end I can say it entertained me and that should be enough to call this a decent show.

    I gotta say, I was skeptical when I was being told that the ending would make up for all the frustration I received watching this show. They weren’t totally right, but it’s an ending I won’t easily forget. The funnest part was telling other people about the gore in this last episode. It was as fun telling them as it was watching.

  40. good anime to watch if you’re watching multiple animes per week after work / classes since you dont really give a damn on the story and just a 24 mins break. hopefully the movie will pick up from the ending and not another flashback arc. since i’ve known clamp for a long time i wont hate them that much since it’s just one of their misses among the hits.

    as for the gore part of the series, meh, once you learn to desensitize yourself everything becomes numb. it’s just anime anyways

    prinny
  41. 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.

  42. I hope Itsuki is still alive. He should still have one of those talismans for protection that the main cast talked about, right? If it can help someone survive being gutted and turned into a blood smear, maybe it could help him versus bullets.

    Teen
  43. Ok, Blood-C feels like some beta-timeline that split off from the original Blood movie or something.
    Alternate timeline instead of Blood+.
    Or some kind of reboot, replacing Chiropterans with the Aged Ones.

    The appearance of Watanuki does seem so important/necessary to me.
    Perhaps there will be more in the movie?
    But it seems as though as his job is done though.

    Fumito seems to employ some pretty oriental occult stuff, reminds me of the artifacts Yuko would use. Wonder will there be more on this ‘Fumito’ in the movie?

    The movie seems to shift back to the city, wonder how influential Fumito is there.

    Movie, I wonder how long is the movie.
    90 mins?

    iron2000
  44. I found this series enjoyable and totally found myself thrilled by the fine banquet of gore the final episode served up. Just too bad about all the censoring.

    Even earlier on in the series, I’ll admit that switching back and forth from slice of life to gory monster filled conflict was kinda’ confusing. Still, getting somewhat emotionally entangled with the characters did help to make scenes like the death of nene and nono have more fun gut-wrenching impact.

    It’s actually kinda’ disappointing to find out they were still alive and actually a couple of jackasses. Getting to see them killed again was pretty fun, but it lacked the impact of having a character you find mildly endearing die.

    One other thing that’s still bugging me about this show though, and it’s not even a complaint at the producers of this series. But yeah, why the hell did the fan-subbers decide on “Elder Bairne”?? I get the “Elder” part (for “furuki”) but “BAIRNE”? Did one of the subbers get drunk and decided to play the “pick an obscure/unrelated non-Japanese but still ethnic and weird word out of the hat” game!? Bairne means “youngster” and is Scottish in origin. What the heck does that have to do with anything? They might have well subbed them in as “Elder Mamacitas” or “Elder Baguettes”, sheesh!

    Brx
  45. I dropped this series back on ep 5 when it came out, but today I saw some screenshots of ep 9 I think? Anyways I got curious and started watching it again and just finished it. I was reading some of the comments & realized some people just don’t appreciate it. I mean I found the whole ordeal to be hilarious and entertaining. I mean a human blender really? I’m not hating on it, heck I loved it I’m glad I found something to distract me from all my stress in college. Now to wait for that movie 🙂

    Reaper

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