Blood+ / First Impressions

Summary:
Saya wakes up naked in an unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar room. Using the bed sheets as a cover, she walks over to the window and looks outside to see the city skyline. From behind her, Solomon switches on a light and tells her that he’s prepared a change of clothes for her in the closet. He also asks her to come to the living room upstairs when she’s done changing. At that time, Hagi is jumping from skyscraper to skyscraper looking for her. Meanwhile, Julia is at David’s side as he’s rushed to surgery for the bullet he took from Collins. Even though she tells him not to talk, David insists on telling her to return to them. These are his final words before he’s wheeled past the point that Julia can follow. Lewis and Kai run up soon after, and Julia tells them that David’s surgery has just started. Lewis tries to comfort her by saying that David is an invulnerable man. He then suggests that Kai return to New York, but Kai is concerned about Saya. Lewis tells him that his job is to wait for Saya – this is something that only he can do. Kai says that he understands and runs off, leaving David to Julia and Lewis.
At the North Carolina airbase, everything is still a mess from the Chiropteran attack. A group of regular soldiers are staring from the distance at the lined up Corpse Corps. In a nearby office, Amshel is asking an official what he thought of the demonstration. The official replies that it was wonderful, impressed most by the fact that the Corpse Corps went only after the Chiropterans without attacking the humans on the scene. The two happily shake hands in an agreement about the new weapons. Back in New York, Saya arrives in Solomon’s living room in a dress. Solomon reveals that he disposed of her old clothes because they were dirty. And as he thought, the dress suits her more than her sword. Saya says that she only changed because she didn’t want to be naked. Solomon then tries to walk closer to Saya, but she keeps her distance. He tells her that it really does suit her very well and that the lights of the skyscrapers are only decorations that beautifully color her. Saya doesn’t want to hear such words from him because they’re supposed to be enemies; they’re supposed to kill and hate each other.
Solomon explains to Saya that he has only her now because he’s no longer Diva’s Chevalier. He’s thrown everything away – his wealth, his power, his brother, and Diva. He did it all for the sake of living together with Saya for eternity. Solomon says that he wants to bring back her smile and starts walking towards her again. Saya responds by running out onto the rooftop and getting up on the ledge. Solomon tells her that as she is now, she can’t manage a jump to the next building. With his hand stretched out, he asks her why she won’t take it. She says that he’s only thinking about him and her and not about all the people she’d be leaving behind. To her surprise, however, Solomon is willing to embrace whatever family she loves and needs. Saya then asks him what his desire is – to trick her and take her to Diva? To kill her? Solomon replies by saying that he’s lived a long time and she’s the only one who has shaken his heart like this. He grabs Saya’s hand and pulls her off the ledge, right into his arms. After he puts her down, Solomon kneels to propose that she become his bride.
Late on this night, Kai returns to his apartment alone and finds Mao already there after she just washed up. As he leans on the sofa with his eyes closed, Kai explains the current situation – David in the hospital and Hagi searching for Saya – to Mao. She notices how he’s got such a depressed face again, which causes him to tell her to be quiet. She in turn comments on how he hasn’t grown up, so Kai apologizes for still being a kid. Much to Kai’s surprise, Mao leans over and kisses him. She claims to have seen a chance and that she could take him away from Saya. Mao hurriedly runs out of the room, wishing him good night, but then leans against the other side of the door with a pained expression on her face. Back at Solomon’s place, Saya is still recovering from the words “bride.” Solomon asks her if she knows that this world has a ground shining with rainbow colors. Does she know that there’s a sea dyed in red? There are a lot of beautiful things in this world that she’s never laid eyes on. These scenes, which he says are as beautiful as a miracle, are what he wants to show her. Solomon wants to release Saya from the chains of fate so that she can fly around freely.
Saya briefly gets caught up in the thought of visiting places around the world because it’s been her dream to do that. But these are dreams from long ago and it isn’t possible to return to those days. Solomon disagrees, saying that they can regain those dreams left behind through their eternal life together. For that purpose, Solomon is willing to devote everything to her. By now, he is holding Saya’s chin up as if he’s about to kiss her. He claims that more importantly than being Diva’s Chevalier, he is a man who loves Saya. He then tries to kiss her, but is met with a slap instead. Undiscouraged, Solomon pulls her close and hugs her. He explains that he chose her over living with Diva. That’s why he’s here – to protect her and to grant her wishes. Saya thinks about this and then pushes Solomon away because her only wish is to kill Diva. Meanwhile, Nathan is watching a recording of Diva’s performance when Amshel walks up to him. Nathan shocks Amshel by asking him to leave Diva once the babies are born. He implies that Amshel needs the babies more than Diva. Nathan gushes for a bit about how Diva’s music is beautiful and dignified, and how he wants to produce her songs. In the end, he uses his serious voice to tell Amshel not to get in the way, cracking Amshel’s wine glass in the process.
At the hospital, Julia – with hair untied – is still waiting anxiously with Lewis. She recalls how David had asked her to come back right before he entered surgery. Lewis feels that David would think he did well. Back at the rooftop apartment, Saya is asking if Solomon can fight with her and kill Diva when she suddenly feels dizzy. After Solomon catches her, Saya straightens herself up and says that she can stand on her own. Solomon realizes that Saya’s dormant period is near based on how she’s dizzy and sleepy, and on how her wound healing has slowed. Still, he says that if her wish is to kill Diva, then he’ll kill Diva. In fact, if it’s possible for him to live with Saya, he doesn’t care if he gets burned by the fires of hell. He puts his hand on her lips and asks her to order it. Saya closes her eyes and leans in, but then a hand comes flying out and smashes the ground where they were just standing. That hand belongs to none other than Hagi and he wants Solomon to hand over Saya. Solomon accuses Hagi of being unable to build a future with Saya – they only have a past. Hagi claims that he devotes every moment to Saya and that hasn’t changed from the past. Solomon says that he doesn’t want to fight Hagi if he doesn’t have to, but Hagi says that he’s going to take back Saya. Pulling out his sword arm, Solomon says that Saya is his bride. Hagi responds by readying his Chiropteran arm and saying that Saya is his everything. Solomon says that disobedient dogs need to be punished and attacks.
The fight goes back and forth on the rooftop as the two trade swings. Solomon kicks Hagi, making him let go of Saya’s sword; it falls to the ground right by Saya’s feet. Hagi jumps out of his fall toward a nearby rooftop and Solomon follows soon after. After he succeeds in knocking Hagi further down, Solomon follows it up by stabbing Hagi in the gut. Solomon asks if Hagi thought about Saya’s happiness, and says that he thinks the future Hagi can show Saya is filled with despair. As Solomon’s sword comes out of his gut, Hagi coughs up some blood, but then he throws Solomon over his shoulder and into a nearby building. Solomon appears to have disappeared after the fall, though in actuality he turned into his Chiropteran form. He grabs Hagi and lifts him into the air, saying that Hagi should disappear from their eternity. Hagi responds by saying that the future Solomon draws is not connected to Saya’s happiness. Solomon then drops Hagi from very high up, expecting him not to survive even if he’s a Chevalier.
As Hagi is falling down, he sees Saya getting up on the roof’s ledge. However, she has another one of her dizzy spells and slips off the side. Hagi dives through the air and manages to catch up to her. Holding her close, he tells Saya that he won’t allow her to die. As the ribbon in Hagi’s hair becomes untied, he sprouts a pair of wings and stops their fall. He asks Saya to forgive him, but she’s not sure what he’s talking about. Hagi recalls that on that day when they left the zoo, he tried to protect her. With his Chiropteran powers, he hurt all the people who tried to get her. However, her eyes when she looked at him were filled with fear and sadness. And so at that time, Hagi sealed off his Chiropteran power because he didn’t want to cause those feelings in her ever again. As they land on the ground, Solomon – who has returned to his human form – comments on how this is the appearance of Saya’s first Chevalier. Saya then tells Solomon that she doesn’t have time to see sweet dreams. Solomon protests, but Saya finishes by saying that his feelings make her happy. She turns around to leave even though Solomon still has things left to say. He claims that he’d kill Diva for her, but Saya knows that the only person who can kill Diva is herself. Solomon chooses this moment to reveal that Diva is going to be bearing Riku’s children. He asks if she can kill the children who shoulder the same fate as her and Diva. A shocked and pained Saya remains silent as Hagi flies off with her in his arms, leaving Solomon alone on the street.
Meanwhile, in a hospital room, Julia is watching over David. She takes off her glasses and leans in to kiss him. At their apartment, Mao is band-aiding Kai after he cut his finger cooking for Saya. Mao says that she chased him because she liked him, but yet his head is still filled with Saya. That’s why she stopped coming on to him yesterday. Mao also says that if he can reject her with all of his might, he can also keep trying with all his might. It’s at this point that Saya and Hagi return. Saya goes to change her clothes, but first Kai tells her about the meal he’s prepared for her. The two exchange smiles and then Saya goes into her room. Kai knows that after eating, he’ll need to tell Saya about Riku. However, Saya already knows and is thinking about Diva and Riku’s children.

Preview:

Wow, relationship development all over the place this episode. There was SayaXSolomon, SayaXHagi, KaiXMao, and even DavidXJulia. Most of that was coming for a long time, but I didn’t expect them to put it all into one episode. It’s like they decided to throw all the relationship stuff together to get it out of the way.
I’m glad that Solomon and Hagi didn’t kill each other this episode. Well, it was more of a fear that Solomon would die, but that didn’t happen. Still relations between the two are now pretty sour, making me wonder how well they’re going to be able to fight together against Diva for Saya’s sake (if it comes to that). What the two’s fighting did allows us to finally see was Hagi’s wings. Of course they kept his pretty-boy image by not having him turn full Chiropteran; having just the wings made him look even cooler. As for him having sealed off his powers, does this mean that he has now unsealed them and is now however-many-times more powerful?
There was previously not a doubt in my mind that Amshel was the one holding all the cards and that Nathan was just another pawn. But after this episode, I’m not quite as sure. I mean, Amshel didn’t look intimidated or anything, but that look and that voice from Nathan were still pretty powerful. Perhaps the twos agendas will conflict and they may not remain allies forever. Or that might just be wishful thinking on my part since Saya is so weak (she needs all the help she can get).
Next week, a Shifu-centric episode.

68 Comments

  3. HAGI AND SAYA FOREVER…………..DAMN I KNEW IT HEY MAYBE THERE WAS A LITTLE KISS GOING ON BEHIND HAGI WINGS XD damn it i need to know………i hope you can put the summary soon

    darkredeyes
    Reply

  6. I can’t believe how many times Saya has been the damsel-in-distress.
    It’s like she needs to be rescued, saved, and protected every episode.
    Diva should just die of jealousy.

    pinwheel
    Reply

  9. Wow, poor salomon! he gets rejected once again. I love this episode because of all the relationship develpment. I like how Mao is trying to move in on Kai and she tells him straight that he is always thinking about Saya. We finally find why Haji never transforms into his chiro form. Yes, David finally was honest with his feelings, it took a bullet to his stomach, but he finally asked Julia to come back.
    too bad that Devid needs to wait a while to get busy with Julia now :).

    golthin
    Reply

  11. I forgot, the end was very touching! Kai and Saya are finally going to talk about Riku, it was about time they talk about it. They have been just ignoring the subject all this time. Also, things are not that happy in Diva’s camp. Nethan wants to keep producing for Diva once she has the babies, so he tells Anshel not to get on his way.

    golthin
    Reply

  16. Nathan is not deranged on the contrary kurotsuki he is alongside james the only chevaliers who actually want diva to be happy amshel cares nothing for diva she is a another specimen for him like her children and once divas children are born diva outlived her usefulness and nathan suspects this. If diva is ever going to make new chevaliers she must from now on selct them carefully being men that she can trust her life too.

    francisco vampire warrior
    Reply

  20. maybe it’s me, but i liked the brooding badass Saya. after all that’s happened so far in this show so far, it just feels generic to have a story arc like this, and why wait til the final arc of all places to waste time with this stuff?

    v1cious
    Reply

  21. I really wanted Diva to be the bad@ss twin of saya but she turned out to something hilarious-then she did Riku which was a wreck. This Saya can’t hold a sword right and has to sleep for days (then years). She’s about to sleep for 30 years and she’s gotten nowhere—not to mention she had no incredible power besides becoming berserk which has nothing to do with her now.
    I kind of liked Hagi character but then he became a glorified tuxedo-kamen. Now he’s like the coolest thing that doesn’t make any sense. He’s indestructible and invulnerable while Saya is completely unworthy of her heroine status.
    How come Hagi has all these fantastic powers and all the other Chevaliers with Diva have even more greater powers while Saya can’t even do the super-fast dashing that the Schiffs?

    pinwheel
    Reply

  23. Hagi’s chiropteran form is very nice. But now we can at least understanmd why he was holding himself back. Didn’t you love the symbolism of the ribonm flying out of his hair

    Christy
    Reply

  24. Solomon is so sleazy in this episode leaving Saya without any clothes.
    He really doesn’t waste any time with Saya. Did anyone notice that Solomon can transform to his true form then change back to his human-self with his suit on?
    That means Solomon’s suit is part his chiropteran “skin” and that must mean the same for Hagi’s too.
    So all the chirpteran males walk around actually without “real” clothes. And Solomon just embraced Saya…gross.

    ChuChu
    Reply

  25. >ChuChu
    I just got some interesting hypothesis for solomen’s suit from a Japanese site (2chan)
    a, the suit is folded and stored in the wings.
    b, that’s a body painting (≧∀≦)
    c, by his chirpteran power, he can speed up so the time for taking off/putting on cloth is negligeable.

    kei
    Reply

  28. Haha. So Solomon and Amshel might be so quick that they can change in and out of their clothes faster than lightning. In Amshel’s case, it would be lightning speed drag followed by a sex-change into Liza. I’ll never think of Am-Liza the same way again.

    ChuChu
    Reply

  29. ROFL! xDD;; The comments are hilarious~~

    Anyway, the whole clothes-changing thing is still a mystery. As for Saya’s character…well, I’m glad that she’s finally decided to do her duty but her brooding over things and trying not to get attached to people (but end up involving them anyway) is getting really annoying. And if she’s going to reject Solomon, she should just reject him completely, because saying that she’s happy with his feelings for her would give him the wrong idea.

    Then again, maybe she’s just super sly and is using him to help her defeat Saya. :/

    It’s getting too dramatic. I think everything went downhill after Diva raped Riku. That was completely out of the blue.

    sweetcake
    Reply

  31. i still want Saya to be with both of them. they love each others, right? she can be with Solomon half of the day and the other half with Hagi. yes yes, that’s how it should be. who cares about what other people say? Listen to what your heart says not what other say behind you.
    beside solomon seems to be really rich, i’ve heard Girls love rich boyfriends. so more reason not to leave Solomon.

    Ben
    Reply

  33. Somehow I figure that the series will end with both Diva and Saya dead, but each child being tended to by their respective chiropterans. (Baby 1- Nathan+James, Baby 2-Hagi+Solomon) Just a theory.

    FunkyMunky
    Reply

  34. 2 stolen kisses (go girlz!!) and a beautiful pair of wings are really cool!! Blood+ really make my day! oh, n Solomon, did Saya ever call ur name when u were fighting Hagi? NO, She called Hagi 3 times : p

    decree
    Reply

  35. Yeh I think solomon realises that he can impregnate Saya, but from this episode looks to me that its going to be HagiXSaya.

    This gooey lovey dovey is getting annoying I want to see more blood and guts.

    Diva’s side si falling apart, Amschel is wanting all the powers to himself.

    And if the babies were born wont they be like ‘dormant’ like Saya and Diva?

    If Saya and Solomon Do the R18 will solomon die? As when Riku was used he died.

    Viki
    Reply

  38. Saya is one lucky gal!! So many handsome guys likes her!! Hagi, Solomon & Kai!!
    What diva got are one old man, one gay. hee..

    I hope solomon & hagi can fight alongside since saya team is so weak against Diva’s.

    Luna
    Reply

  39. Kai x Mao … interesting

    now every important character has found a pair … things have become really romantic … the series is heading for the “make love not war” kind of ending

    blackinque
    Reply

  40. Enough with the pansy-assed Saya! When’s she going to get her attitude back? She doesn’t stand a hope in hell of beating Diva as she is. If the reason she’s so weak is because she won’t drink human blood then she deserves to lose – you have to sacrifice a little for the greater good. I vote that Moa should volunteer her red stuff. I loath that girl…

    But hey, HAGI’S WINGS!!!!!

    penny4em
    Reply

  41. LOL, u know when i saw what happened in episode 43, i was screaming in my house….LOL I WAS JUMPING, AND SQEALING….ok im fine now, ive recovered, but still this is what ive been waiting for SOLOMON BEING REJECTED! woot! GO H X S! but it might jus end up she doesnt get with anyone, but still we can all hope right? LOL I love that the show has turned into all this romance drama with a lil bit of gore, haha^^ but the show has turned totally upside down since the whole Riku raping/Riku’s death episode.

    Haji_lova
    Reply

  42. HEY I hate Saya’s attitude blah she’s giving hopes to everyone I just imagine the talk Kai and her will have and then we have another fish (once again) in Saya’s net. blah Saya wake up! I mean Helloooooo how miuch will it cost 2 or 3 human dead and you save the world for it’s devasttation it’s that fair! Tsk of course it is! I hate her why can’t she be like in the movie?
    IT IS NOT that romance is WRONG it is just that SHE MAKES IT look WRONG choose already girl! if you want to be with the two of them then do it! I think that not even your beloved Hagi will complain after a while!
    *breathes deeply*
    I got over it now
    anyways as the things goes on I’m almost sure Hagiu will die and solomon too heh Kai too will die but all I want it for mao to be left dry by Saya heheh and I kno I’m not the only one who wants the same heheh

    RickaZ
    Reply

  43. things i saya does not have to kill to feed she take enough as she needs and let the human live. The first chiropterans in the original story did this a lot made sure they didn’t kill when they feed and Saya would be as healthy as a spring daisy

    Francisco vampire warrior
    Reply

  44. If I had a choice of re-doing Saya’s slap on Solomon, I’d have her slap Solomon repeatly with loud skin-breaking whipping sound effects. And Solomon fall over with crawl back under the rock he came from.

    But that aside, I know Saya’s not as powerful as Diva but she seriously under-qualified in main heroine standards. Are we supposed to dislike Saya for that?

    ChuChu
    Reply

  45. well, this time I can say this time solomon lost, hagi is getting stronger. Anybody remember the fight in episode 20- something at the zoo. Solomon won at that time, XD. , I wonder why he sealed all his freaking power. And considered Riku is a chevalier too, why he can’t do anything to fight diva at that ship.

    it just my speculation, but hagi will be forced to use his full chiropteran form, and he might not survive till the end.

    soujiro
    Reply

  46. One more thing, I guess hagi’s hand is pretty strong and solid, he can even defend himself from a razor sharp blade of solomon. Remember that solomon can even cut james chiropteran skin that is pretty tough and solid.

    And Hagi is good at counter attack, he always losing at the first glance and then his power suddenly boosted up. not mention if he is pissed he will be like many times stronger also, XD

    I have a feeling that solomon might die also. lol, blood+ is such a killer.

    I think also Nathan and Amshel have their own agenda about Diva and her children, they might ended up fight each other too. But I am not sure about that one.

    And if Hagi really can fly, why don’t he uses that power earlier, that could’ve been a very big difference to the whole series.

    anyway, I wonder why just some chevalier have wings and other don’t. is the saya’s and diva’s blood also reacting with the regular human blood that the individual have.

    So if they are handsome they will have wings, hahhaah, that’s one of my theory, XD.
    I think that saya says that she is happy with solomon feelings to draw him to her side.
    to help her fight and defeat Diva faster.

    And I don’t like solomon chiropteran mode at all, they should spend some time designing it
    or else, make it like hagi , don’t show your chiropteran mode….
    I think solomon with white wings will be uber cool, and hagi with black one.

    soujiro
    Reply

  47. Well you know, Saya didn’t make a choice yet. A complete rejection would have been along the lines of “sorry Solomon, I love Hagi.” She just told Solomon killing Diva is her priority. What’s more, she said his words made her happy.
    It’s rather obnoxious.

    Christy
    Reply

  48. “Hagi responds by readying his Chiropteran arm and saying that Saya is his everything.”

    While I may look stoic and thoughtful on the outside right now, my heart just jumped up and down and screamed “KYAAAA~!!” in girlish, shoujo glee. “Go Hagi!” it says, “Take back your woman!” *roots* I don’t know why, but against all other brooding, pretty-boy side kicks, Hagi is the coolest. Maybe because he gives off an air of being personally collected and reserved as oppose to dripping with emo-angst? I don’t know, but if they kill him off, I’m not sure I could finish the story. (I’m on the edge of my seat, waiting for a SayaxHagi kiss :D)

    Sanya
    Reply

  49. Diva going to have twins.
    Why i do have the feeling that at the end Saya will manage to kill Diva, but somehow her corpse will be lost in the apoteosic end mayhem… with an epilogue in which the corpse is found long years after, as a mummy that somebody will open to find two cocoons inside the mummy… and so the history repeats itself?

    lumbher
    Reply

  50. Regarding wings, i think all chevaliers have wings. About Carl, Solomon and Grigori before them it’s clear, we’ve seen them.
    About James and Nathan (i’m assuming Nathan is the long sharp blade arms in the opening), i think they have wings too, only just they “evolved” into different use.

    James, those spiked shields he had protecting his arms, i think those are his wings. With such a massive hulking body flying would have been a problem, so his wings took a more useful function accord with the rest of his body.

    Nathan, in the opening we see his arms have the right shape and length to be winged ones. Is his wings that form those sharp blades he has in his arms and is using to fight saya. So yes, they all have wings. Well, yet to see bother Amshel’s but i bet one way or another they’ll be there too.

    And another thing regarding wings. All whe wings we’ve seen so far, are part of the arms. No different “limbs”. Carl’s, Solomon’s, Grigori’s, they use their arms to fly, it’s in their arms where their wings are. If my theory regarding James and Nathan is right, their wings are in their arms too.
    But not for Hagi, his wings are absolutely independant froms his arms. Cool i will say, but such a big difference. Even if you remember the mummy that’s the mother of Saya and Diva, she also had the membrane of her wings on her arms. So good boy Hagi is the first ever known or heard of to have wings fully independant from arms.

    Why why why?

    lumbher
    Reply

  52. Solomon stripping Saya naked?

    Felt more like a clever ploy by the producers to give Saya new wardrobe change : )

    Solomon to Saya after shooting ends, “Saya, I *had* to strip you naked and throw away your old clothes …. the producers made me do it …. it’s not my fault!!”

    poor Saya

    Aftiel
    Reply

  53. I enjoyed this episode a lot~ In fact, the romance in it was just too too damn yummy.
    If only Kai would grow some balls and have his way with Mao. Damned obsessive guy. Saya will never grow old, so don’t think it’d be a good idea to hook up with her. GEEEZZZ

    JuliaXDavid made me giggle. Lewis is always giggling about this couple. Both are totally absorbed into their work. XD

    I was thinking.. Haji wouldn’t want to look as ugly as Solomon when in Chiropteran form, so he hardly ever transforms. Based on the intro, it’s obvious that they were going to show Haji’s Chiropteran form. Please tell me he’s going to be the prettiest one.

    It makes me sad that Saya is so week. I just want to slap her and steal her man. They should get Julia to hid a syringe(sp?) with Saya’s blood and inject it into Diva’s body during one of her frequent check ups. That would be so easy.

    Shousa
    Reply

  54. JH1stGen, thanks sooo mucho for the fanatr collections and scanlations. ::worships:: In my opinion, this is one of the most dramatic eps yet. =/ It was good and all, but I’m wondering why the animators decided to cram so much couple action into one episode.
    At least there’s an upcoming Schiff episode to look forward to.

    Shii
    Reply

  62. Did you knew,
    Hagi kissed Saya from beginning of the blood+ (ep.1-4) think…..
    Ich saw these scenes 500 times ^.*
    heeee ee i love HAAAAAAAGIIE, i wisch i could meet him……haa…

    HAAAAGIIIIIII LOVe
    Reply

  66. -spoiler- Actually I figured out around episode 20 after they showeed the flashback about Hagi’s promise to Saya. He promised to kill her after she’d killed Diva. So no in my opinion the emotional stuff her doubts about fighting and whether she should live after everything is said and done is actually crucial. It all set up the ending with Saya having a new fami;y to live for. Once a warrior like Saya has no war left to wage, what better reason to live but love?

    Maria T.F.
    Reply

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