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Summary:
In his hotel room, Kai is having a lot of trouble figuring out a metal links puzzle. Julia tells him that it’s pointless to use all of one’s strength and then tries to teach Kai a lesson about love and standing in someone else’s shoes. Lewis and David arrive with the news that Saya is safe and will be arriving the next day. For the time being, Kai, David, and Lewis go out to do some investigating at the house of Ted A. Adams, a scholar of blood who researched Delta 67 during Vietnam, but then defected to Russia. Kai notices that David has George’s gun, but David refuses to give it to him for now. When they arrive, Kai is forced to stay in the car while the other two go in. The house is empty, but David finds parts of a shredded letter from a Phillip Rosenberg, a man who had defected along with Ted, but had disappeared ten years ago.
From the address on the envelope, the group locates the bedridden Phillip. The old man opens his eyes and says a cryptic apology to an Andrei and that if he waits, he’ll definitely see the moon someday. He then mutters something about a promise and the moon before he falls asleep again. On the wall, David sees a photograph similar to one in Ted’s house, except this one isn’t marred. Lewis recognizes the writing in the background of the photograph to say “Sverdlovsk 51” – a nuclear facility. Ted is actually already there, and pulls a lever that lowers a concrete block with a Chiropteran – Andre – embedded inside. The Red Shield group arrives shortly after and goes inside to find the place empty but running on gasoline power. There’s an elevator shaft that leads lower into the facility, but Kai is once again left behind. This time however, David gives him George’s gun and tells him that if they’re not back in an hour, to go back to the hotel and tell Julia.
Getting off the elevator, the two notice that the place has been wired with explosives. They continue down to a cavernous room where they find Ted lying in a pool of his own blood and the Chiropteran to slowly drinking it. With Lewis playing the decoy, David tries to get Ted, but the monster notices and slashes David’s back. The concrete block goes flying backwards after one of the supports break, giving David the room he needs to take Ted and make their escape. In the elevator, Ted identifies the Chiropteran as his son, and he recounts that he was doing special blood research (Delta 67) in Vietnam. The roar of the Chiropteran is heard below, and it quickly climbs up to the rising elevator. David and Lewis are unable to get it off, but as the elevator nears the top, Kai starts firing. Since the bullets are of no use, Kai throws one of the nearby gasoline containers at it, which David lights it up with his last bullet. The burning Chiropteran is able to see the moon, but then goes falling down the elevator shaft. With the threat gone, Ted tells of the beautiful girl who possesses Delta 67 and poses the most danger to mankind: Diva. But it all disappeared during the bombings in 1972. Ted’s last words before he dies are an apology to his son. The group sets off the explosives and destroys the plant, burying the Chiropteran in tons of concrete. When David falls over from his wound, Kai notices the numerous scars on his back. Lewis explains that David encountered Chiropterans on the battlefield and is the only survivor of his unit. He keeps fighting because he survived – a fate that he is burdened with. Meanwhile, Saya, Riku, and Hagi are traveling on a train with the still disguised Elizabeth.
Time for another history lesson: In December 1972, Nixon ordered heavy bombings of North Vietnamese cities. When Ted here is talking about everything disappearing, we should remember that the number on Diva’s container is 721226, or as many people have already speculated, December 26th, 1972 – the day of some of the most intense bombings. Read the Wikipedia article or search Google for more information (yes, I’m a bit of a history buff). Actually, I’m surprised by how much history Blood+ works into each episode. They even mentioned Chernobyl in relation to the Sverdlovsk 51 facility.
As for the episode itself, I think that David is slowly becoming the father/mentor figure for Kai. Both get a bit of character development this episode and David even allows Kai to use George’s gun. I don’t know why they bother with the guns though. They should just carry pouches of Saya’s blood with them to use against the Chiropteran. Still, the gasoline was effective enough at burning the monster until they could blow the place up.
There was a minor detail that bothered me this episode. How come the steering wheel in the car they were driving was on the right side? Aren’t Russian cars like western ones and have it on the left side? They were driving on the right side of the road too, which make the right side steering wheel even weirder.
Next week, the focus switches back to Saya and company. I think it’s the last episode of the Russia arc before we move on to the France arc.
Finally, an new Blood+ episode! Looks like it’s focused around Kai.
Yeah, but he sucks as alwyas. He was way cooler beating up street bullies back home.
Here though, he should leave the work to the experts. A gun won’t change a thing.
Unless you are Rambo of course.
I like the idea of Kai getting training from David to become qualified enough to at least help Saya a little … but this episode was a dud IMHO when compared to everything else since Diva’s song ….
Poor Julia. Are David and Julia doomed because David could die in any mission? 🙁
Doesn’t seem fair for David to die in the series. Maybe Kai will stop complaining around him.
Didn’t the OVA Last Vampire movie also have a David???
Ah, useless Kai. Kai at the beginning of the series seems like a big lie. He won’t be scoring any girls with his uselessness.
oh wow.. seems like a pretty exciting ep
and i thought it was just going to be some kai-feeling-sorry-for-himself ep
alas he’s still useless….
“he’s still useless…”
Umm, he’s human. Most of the humans in this series have been useless in a fight. Aside from serving as devices to reveal more of the plot, most of these guys can’t beat a Chiropteran. I’ve got a feeling that this is leading towards the Soviets and US were experimenting with Chiropterans against each other.
in every series there is a guy, who at the beggining seems like “yes that’s a good one” but then it just falls apart in the later part of the show, now this is another example and I’m kinda getting tired of this, why can’t they just make something new :-/
“Umm, he’s human. Most of the humans in this series have been useless in a fight. Aside from serving as devices to reveal more of the plot, most of these guys can’t beat a Chiropteran. I’ve got a feeling that this is leading towards the Soviets and US were experimenting with Chiropterans against each other.”
David and Lewis are humans too. Other humans in fights were mostly women, children, elders and a camera man, of course they’d be useless. Kai on the other hand, is a young man who can beat up several thugs. Yet he got owned completely by David in combat and got owned like a child by Julia with the mental puzzle.
Better episode than I expected, Kai finally did something useful (although he’s still useless), and I loved the insert music they played during the last few minutes of the episode, as it matched the scene perfectly. It’s starting to get interesting 😀
David bought a Japanese right-wheel car along. Red shield agents like to travel heavy and take the scenic road rather than flying from Okinawa, to Tokyo, to Moscow, to Ekaterinburg.
I once watched a documentary on the BBC about the Russian city of Vladivostok which, as you know, lies on the Sea of Japan. In the documentary, they said that most cars in the city are actually Japanese cars since it’s cheaper to ship cars from Japan to the city than to transport Russian manufactured cars to the city from the far western regions of Russia. The Russian arc in Blood+ started in Vladivostok. If David and company didn’t travel that far from Vladivostok during their trip on the Trans Siberian Railway then I guess it would be safe to assume that most of the cars in the region where they are now are also Japanese and Japanese cars have their driving wheel on the right side. That’s the only explanation I can think of.
David and company are in Ekaterinberg. That’s well in the western half of Russia… It didn’t seem like they were transporting a car on the train either (though I could be wrong).
They should just carry pouches of Saya’s blood with them to use against the Chiropteran
You might have just said this in jest, but otherwise, it’s been stated that simply using stock of Saya’s blood won’t work at all. The phenomenon only occurs in Saya’s blood when she is placed in a situation where it would be needed. This explanation didn’t really sit with me, but we have to assume that it simply wouldn’t work.
Episode 16, Liza said she had arranged vehicles, food, munition to be loaded on the train. That’s why Lewis is driving a right-wheel car in the Urals. It seems that only Saya’s fresh blood bled when she is in “red-eyes” mode will work. This suggests that the active ingredient is some kind of neuro-endorine factor that decays rapidly. The Red Shield hasn’t yet developped the technology to replicate and preserve such blood factor.
That’s the best explanation so far why Saya’s blood can’t be stored into bullets.
There’s also actually a real Red Shield of David, equivalent of the Red Cross in Israel.
saya going red eyes isn’t directly related to her blood working or not. remember back in the research facility when saya, hagi, and david were trying to rescue george? the first chiro saya killed was aided by george who rammed himself at the chiro for saya’s sword to penetrate deeper into the chiro.
at that time, saya was a)unwilling to fight and b)didn’t go red eyes. therefore, saya’s blood not working for bullets must be something to do with the degradation of some active chemical in saya’s blood. of course, there might be a simplier answer to this, but wouldn’t blood+ be a boring show if everyone just fired rounds of blood covered bullets?
wikipedia actually has some spoiler information regarding the next few episodes.
please i love blood + !
Although this is an old entry and the likelihood that it’ll be viewed is rare at best I felt that I should respond to those who are “disappointed” with Kai’s performance in this series.
Kai may have beaten a few typical thugs at home but think rationally and realistically about this for a second… Blood+ has strove to retain its realism despite the revelations that goes with it so even though Kai may have beaten up a few normal citizens that doesn’t necessarily mean he can take on a professional Red Shield soldier like David. Also take note that Kai is still young and David is a lot older as well. I wouldn’t say Kai is useless, if anything he is admirable that despite the crazy situation he is currently in, he still holds the determination and focus to carry on. I can honestly say that if I were to face a demonic monster like a Chiropteran, I’m not sure I could face up to it like he does. It isn’t really out of stupidity on Kai’s behalf either, he simply has a remarkable amount of self-belief and motivation to help those he cares for.
In reality many people will scream at the sight of a Chiropteran, especially those who have never confronted such creatures of that magnitude, nor having to use weaponry like a gun as well. This isn’t your typical fantasy-like title where the characters will overcome all odds by superseding their capabilities, this is about reality. Think about it.