Release Date: 18/03/2009
Audio tracks: ENGLISH 2.0, JAPANESE 2.0
Languages: ENGLISH & JAPANESE
Genre: Action/Adventure, Anime, Horror
Subtitles: ENGLISH subtitles
Number of Discs: 3
Runtime: 300.0 mins

Vampires. Pointy teeth. Suck your blood to survive. I’m very picky when it comes to watching anything that has vampires in them. Buffy was given a bit of a run – she got old pretty quick though. Then there was Angel, and I couldn’t say no to him – until it started getting weird. Before I go completely off-topic, I need to tell you I normally don’t like vampires in my Anime. However, I was surprised by how much I liked this series.

Black Blood Brothers starts off in the middle of a war in Hong Kong. The main character, Jiro, fights off a breed of vicious vampires called Kowloon (pronounced “Cool-awn”) Children. 10 years later, Jiro and his little brother Kotaro stow away on a boat that is headed for Japan.

They are travelling to The Special Zone, an area designated for friendly vampires to co-exist with humans (unbeknownst to them). The only requirement is that they must be invited by a member of the Order Coffin Company, and organisation of humans who monitor and control The Special Zone.

Kotaro doesn’t feel like sleeping the entire journey, and being a small vampire, he is curious about everything. So when his brother won’t get up and keep him occupied somehow, Kotaro goes for a bit of a wander. When he gets to the top deck of the boat, a showdown is taking place between the OCC and some rogue vampires.

When some bullets stray Kotaro’s way, he panics thinking the boat crew has discovered him and Jiro. However, Jiro is no longer asleep, having been woken by the fight upstairs. He makes a grand entrance in the middle of it all, alerting the locals to his presence.

After a few fighting words are shared between Jiro and the OCC, then Jiro and Kotaro, and then the two brothers end up taking a swim. They wash up on a beach the next morning where they are greeted by Mimiko, a negotiator for the OCC. Here we find out two important things: Jiro doesn’t exactly fare well in water, and he also can’t handle the sun.

When the two brothers have recovered enough to continue on their way to The Special Zone, Jiro informs Mimiko that he is an Old Blood which means he is over 100 years old. Black Blood is another term which is used to differentiate younger vampires from humans (who are known as Red Bloods).

Jiro (above, who is also known as Silver Blade) has come to Japan to help eradicate the existing Kowloon Children. Apparently he is the only one feasible for the job considering he had slain the Kowloon King in the war at Hong Kong. His old friend Cassa betrayed him by becoming a Kowloon Child, and is now trying to build a new clan to attack Japan and The Special Zone in particular.

As their time in The Special Zone progresses, Jiro and Kotaro (along with Mimiko) obtain more allies from within Black Blood groups and the OCC. They all come together to help Jiro in his goal to get rid of Cassa and the Kowloons, as well as to protect Kotaro and the Japanese.

Special Features include:

• Commentary from the Japanese Cast Members – Mikako Takahashi (Hibari), Kana Ueda (Swan/Alice), Ryoko Nagaota (Mimiko) and Hiroki Yasumoto (Cain) – and the original creator, Kouhei Azano.
• TV Spots – Japanese Versions
• Textless versions of the opening song “Ashita no Kioku” and the closing song “Shinkirou”.
• Trailers – Other Madman animated releases

Again, for a person who isn’t really interested in Anime with vampire content, I loved this. The humour, in particular, surprised me but that only made me like it more. The animation wasn’t overly graphic (and no sparkly vampires – shock!). I would definitely recommend that you give this a look. Funnily enough, I was disappointed to see the end! See you in a few weeks – I’m going to go watch it again!

© 2006 Kouhei Azano ? Yuuya Kusaka/Fujimishobo/BBB Partners. Licensed by FUNimation® Productions, Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

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