"Blood: The Last Vampire," a Japanese anime with computer digitalized images (e.g. hand drawn images were later scanned and digitalized), is absolutely stunning to behold, a bit too short for normal theatrical exhibition (at a scant 45 minutes), and much too anemic in story telling and character development. The film will perhaps remind American viewers of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," albeit revamped as a Japanese anime. The story concerns a young girl named Saya who works together with the police to track down and kill vampires (she kills them the old-fashioned way: by slashing them in half with a samurai sword). She's sent undercover to a high school where it's suspected that vampires supposedly are responsible for its recent string of massacres. "Blood" features fairly typical (but well done) action scenes involving swords, guns, lots of explosions, and lots of...blood. The film, the first fully digitalized anime film, is a definite must see for fans of the genre, but those who have no particular interest in anime might wonder what all the fuss is about.
Review of Blood: The Last Vampire
Blood: The Last Vampire
(2000)
Stunning visuals, but bloody anemic character development.
8 September 2001