Blood-C

Blood-C is a 2011 anime/manga series that is produced in collaboration by Studio Production I.G and Nanase Ohkawa of CLAMP. This is Production I.G's second anime series related to the Blood franchise, the first being Blood+, which aired in 2005â€"2006. Blood-C: The Last Dark, which acts as a sequel to the Blood-C series, was released in Japanese theaters on June 2, 2012.

Plot

Saya Kisaragi is a seemingly-normal girl who is overly clumsy and kind. She lives with her father, the head of her hometown's shrine, and learns the "art of the sword" from him. She has to fight against the Furukimono ("Ancient Ones," or "Elder Bairns" in the English dub), the monsters that menace her peaceful town, with a sword left by her missing mother. However, as she fights against them, she learns more things about who she really is and her real mission.

The series is set in the same world as the other installments of the Blood saga, but features a completely different story and setting.

Characters

Main Characters

Saya Kisaragi (更衣 小夜, Kisaragi Saya)

Voiced by: Nana Mizuki (Japanese), Alexis Tipton (English)

The main protagonist of the series, Saya, is an upbeat, cheerful, and kind girl who is overly polite, even with her closest friends. Despite being extremely athletic when it comes to sports, she is normally clumsy, always in a rush, and tends to be late to school. Saya trains under her father as a miko and is a very skilled sword fighter. Those outside of her family are oblivious to her duty as a hunter of Furukimono, or monsters that inhabit the town. During her fights with Furukimono, her eyes sometimes turn into an eerie, almost demonic-like, red. Throughout the series Saya is constantly attacked by Furukimono and she fights them with the understanding that she is doing what her mother had done before she died. However, as time passes Saya is no longer sure of her duties and even her identity. At one point she realizes that she cannot remember her mother's face, appearance, or even her name.

Fumito Nanahara (七原 文人, Nanahara Fumito)

Voiced by: Kenji Nojima (Japanese), Robert McCollum (English)

Saya's neighbor and the owner of Guimauve, a coffee shop near Saya's home. He is also a friend and junior of Tadayoshi back in their high school years, although he attended it much later than Tadayoshi. Fumito usually serves breakfast for Saya and makes bento lunches for her. He once stated to Saya that she is special to him, and that she is more important to him than anything else. After her battles, he expresses his concern towards Saya by bringing coffee and guimauve to her after her battles. Saya once questioned him about his guimauve asking if they were always pink in color â€" he mysteriously states it depends what is mixed in them. He is revealed to be the series main antagonist, being the one behind the experiment to see whether Saya would revert back to her previous personality. Unlike his persona in the experiment, Fumito demonstrates himself to be a sadistic and remorseless character who allows his defectors to die violent deaths while being obsessed with Saya and her abilities, but still maintaining a teasing and cordial demeanor towards her.

Supporting Characters

Tadayoshi Kisaragi (æ›´è¡£ å"¯èŠ³, Kisaragi Tadayoshi)

Voiced by: Keiji Fujiwara (Japanese), Bill Jenkins (English)

Saya's father and the priest at the shrine where he and Saya reside. While Saya is out fighting the Furukimono, he worries about her, though he is not inclined to show it. He cares deeply for Saya and helps with her training, often commenting on her clumsiness. Tadayoshi is actually a hybrid between a furukimono and human due to the mating between the two species. When he fights Saya at the finale, Saya kills him when she realizes that an over-excessive consumption of her blood has driven him berserk. In his final moments, he confesses that his paternal feelings for her were genuine and he cherished their time together. Saya grieves deeply over his death and recognizes him as her father.

Yūka Amino (網埜 優花, Amino Yūka)

Voiced by: Masumi Asano (Japanese), Martha Harms (English)

A classmate of Saya's that often has lunch with her. She presumably dies when she is killed by a Furukimono. In the penultimate episode, it is revealed she is part of the "main cast" who were given protection from furukimono and was more or less informed by what is happening in the town while the "extras" used were expendable. She and Itsuki have followed the rules of the experiment, confronting Kanako and the others when they attempt to defect. However, she proves to be as ruthless as Fumito and shows little value toward human life, doing whatever she needs to do achieve goals. Despite her youthful appearance, she is older than she appears and agreed to participate in Fumito's experiment in order to become the governor of Tokyo. She is the only remaining survivor of the town aside Fumito and the only survivor of the "main cast" in the end.

In the movie, her age is revealed to be 28 years old. She is a member of Seventh Heaven and does secretarial duties for Fumito while pursuing her political goals. At the end of the movie, she eventually became the governor of Tokyo and abolished the Youth Ordinance Bill.

Nono & Nene Motoe (求衛 のの&ねね, Motoe Nono & Nene)

Voiced by: Misato Fukuen (Japanese), Lindsay Seidel (English)

Twin sisters who are also Saya's schoolmates and tend to repeat one another. They admire Saya and enjoy playfully teasing her for her naivete. Both were presumably killed by Furukimonos. In the penultimate episode, they reveal themselves to be "main cast" actors in the experiment centered around Saya. Unlike their false personae, they are self-centered, cruel and extremely ruthless. It is implied that they have an unscrupulous past and they joined the experiment specifically to have their past records erased. Defecting from the rules of the experiment so that they can leave the town sooner and still reap the rewards for participating, they viciously mock Saya as she is breaking down and express their disgust at Saya's true nature. Both sisters are violently killed by the Cerberus furukimono in the series' conclusion, but not before one pushed the other in an attempt to escape, implying that not even their sisterly love was genuine.

Itsuki Tomofusa (鞘総 逸樹, Tomofusa Itsuki)

Voiced by: Atsushi Abe (Japanese), Chris Burnett (English)

The class president. He has a crush on Saya, to which she is completely oblivious, despite the evident comments of her friends that emphasize his interest on her. He is the presumably only remaining survivor on the attack of a Furukimono at Saya's school. Though a "main cast" member, he and Yuka do not defect from the experiment's rules and become suspicious of Tsutsutori, Tokizane, and the twins. Unlike most of the main cast, he develops genuine feelings for Saya, even though he knew what she was. In the conclusion, he attempts to shield Saya from being shot by one of Fumito's private soldiers, revealing his true feelings for her as he dies.

In the movie, it is revealed that Itsuki was a member of SIRRUT, who was tasked to infiltrate Fumito's experiment and provided information to the group.

Shinichirō Tokizane (時真 慎一郎, Tokizane Shin'ichirō)

Voiced by: Tatsuhisa Suzuki (Japanese), Scott Freeman (English)

A quiet classmate who harbors a secret interest in Saya. He is usually seen skipping lunch, as he stated once to Saya that he'd rather sleep than eat. Tokizane eventually discovers Saya's secret and confesses his feelings to her, but apparently dies after being killed by a Furukimono. In actuality, he did not die and is one of the "main cast" in the experiment centered around Saya. Tokizane apparently joined the experiment for money and defects to Tsutsutori when she promises a larger sum. In order to force Saya into recovering her memories sooner, he obtains a vial of Furukimono blood that Tsutsutori had Saya drink. Unlike his false persona, he is obnoxious, impatient, cold, and deeply disgusted with Saya's true nature. Tokizane, like the other defectors, are caught by Fumito, Yuka, and Itsuki shortly after they attempt to escape with Saya. Like all cast members, it is implied that he is using a pseudonym. He is the first to be killed by the furukimono Cerberus in the series' conclusion.

Kanako Tsutsutori (ç­'é³¥ 香奈子, Tsutsutori Kanako)

Voiced by: Miho Miyagawa (Japanese), Lydia Mackay (English)

Saya's homeroom teacher, an easy-going woman who used to be a folklore researcher. She joined the experiment to study Saya and witness the Shrovetide, the only time when demons are allowed to consume humans, and publish the results, but had grown impatient and angry that Fumito would constantly erase Saya's memories after every battle. As a result, she convinces Tokizane and the twins to join her and force Saya to recover her memories sooner, but is caught by Fumito. As the other defectors are killed, Fumito reveals he had been aware of Kanako's impending betrayal and had given her a fake talisman that would not protect her. Despite Saya being able to save her from being devoured by the Cerberus furukimono, Kanako becomes terrified of Saya and flees for her life, but is decapitated by Tadayoshi while seeking sanctuary in his temple.

Dog (犬, Inu)

Voiced by: Jun Fukuyama (Japanese), Todd Haberkorn (English)

An unusual puppy with strange marks on his body who is usually seen near Saya, who finds that it can actually speak and refers to itself as the owner of a shop that realize wishes for those who pay an according price, hinting that he might be Kimihiro Watanuki, a character from the CLAMP manga/anime xxxHolic (also played by Jun Fukuyama and Todd Haberkorn). He claims that the reason for him to get close to Saya is to make a wish of hers come true.

In the movie it is revealed that the dog was used by Watanuki to communicate with Saya, as he can talk through him. Because of this and the markings it can be suggested the Dog is in fact Watanuki's Kudagitsune. Both Watanuki and the shop make an appearance in the movie.

Movie Characters

Mana Hiiragi (柊 真奈, Hīragi Mana)

Voiced by: Ai Hashimoto (Japanese), Jad Saxton (English)

A 17-year old high school student and a member of SIRRUT. She joins the organization in order to search for her missing father, who is a reporter. She is a skilled hacker and helped her father provide information on Seventh Heaven for his job. However, after her father's disappearance, she refuses to hack again until the infiltration at Tsuji Private High School. Ever since Saya saved her from the furukimono at the Tokyo subway, she develops an interest in her and follows her around despite the warnings from her fellow SIRRUT members. At the movie's climax, it is revealed that her father is actually the furukimono that Saya killed at the beginning of the movie. She never learned the truth after Saya disappeared at the end of the movie.

Kuroto Mogari (殯 è"µäºº, Mogari Kuroto)

Voiced by: Hiroshi Kamiya (Japanese), Mike McFarland (English)

Representative of Sysnet, a popular IT venture company in Tokyo, and the financial backer of SIRRUT. He is Fumito's cousin and their families are protectors of Shrovetide, the covenant between the humans and the furukimono. The Mogari clan is responsible for overseeing the covenant while the Nanahara clan protects them. However, when Fumito is in charge, the entire Mogari clan was killed, leaving Kuroto as the only survivor. When Saya arrives at Tokyo, Kuroto requests her help to defeat Fumito. Later, it is revealed that he is actually working with him all along and used SIRRUT as his own means to support Fumito. In the end, he transformed into a gargantuan furukimono after he betrayed Fumito. He was killed by Saya.

Shun Fujimura (è—¤æ' 駿, Fujimura Shun)

Voiced by: YÅ«ki Kaji (Japanese), Josh Grelle (English)

A former classmate of Mana and a member of SIRRUT. He is 18 years old. He is shown to have a crush on Saya, stating how he thinks she is beautiful.

Iori Matsuo (松尾 伊ç¹", Matsuo Iori)

Voiced by: YÅ«ichi Nakamura (Japanese), Justin Cook (English)

A 19-year old college student and a member of SIRRUT. He does not trust Saya easily. He has a crush on Haruno and at the end of the movie, they got together.

Hiro Tsukiyama (月山 æ¯"å'‚, Tsukiyama Hiro)

Voiced by: Kana Hanazawa (Japanese), Tia Ballard (English)

The youngest member of SIRRUT and a skilled hacker. She is 13 years old.

Haruno Yanagi (矢薙 春乃, Yanagi Haruno)

Voiced by: Yuko Kaida (Japanese), Colleen Clinkenbeard (English)

Kuroto's secretary at Sysnet and the coordinator of SIRRUT. She is 24 years old. Matsuo has a crush on her and at the end of the movie, they got together.

Kutō (九頭, Kutō)

Voiced by: Junichi Suwabe (Japanese), J. Michael Tatum (English)

The head of Tower's task force. His family members served the Nanahara family for generations and were tasked to protect their interests from their opponents. Near the end of the movie, he transforms into a furukimino but is killed by Saya.

Movie

Blood-C: The Last Dark continued the story after Kisaragi Saya went back to Tokyo for revenge.

Saya met some members of an agency called SIRRUT. The headmaster of SIRRUT was the one who knew Fumito from the past and wanted to kill him just like Saya because Fumito had killed his family.

In the end, when Saya found Fumito, she realized she didn't want to kill him even after Fumito made her freeze a while. But Fumito was the one who took Saya's hand (which was holding sword) and killed himself. "The Last Dark" showed us the real face of Fumito that he liked Saya. And after Fumito's death, Saya said: "Alone again".

Media

Anime

The anime was announced in the May 2011 issue of Shōnen Ace magazine where it would be revealed as a collaboration between Studio Production I.G and the manga creator group CLAMP. CLAMP was in charge of creating the story and original character designs while Production I.G handled the animation. The anime is published by Aniplex and directed by Tsutomu Mizushima with Junichi Fujisaku, who previously worked on Blood: The Last Vampire and Blood+, as creative supervisor. Nanase Ohkawa also supervises the scripts and co-writing them with Fujisaku while Kazuchika Kise is adapting CLAMP's character designs for animation and Naoki Sato is composing the music. The opening theme is "spiral" performed by Dustz, while the ending theme is "Junketsu Paradox" (ç´"æ½"ãƒ'ラドックス, Junketsu Paradokkusu) performed by Nana Mizuki. Aniplex, Dentsu, Dwango, Kadokawa Shoten and MBS were also involved in the production of the series. The anime aired between July 8, 2011 and September 30, 2011 on MBS and TBS and was also simulcast in North America and the United Kingdom on Nico Nico. At Anime Expo 2012, Funimation Entertainment announced that they have licensed the anime series and The Last Dark film. Madman Entertainment has licensed the anime series and the film in Australia.

Episode list

Manga

A manga illustrated by Ranmaru Kotone began serialization in Monthly Shōnen Ace magazine on May 26, 2011. The first volume was released on July 22, 2011, and the series spawned 4 volumes. The manga tells the same story of the TV series and the The Last Dark movie.

Film

A 2012 anime film titled Blood-C: The Last Dark was made after the anime series. After the end of the final episode, a teaser of the film announced that it would be released on June 2, 2012. The film would also be funded by the Agency for Cultural Affairs with 50 million yen.

Yahoo! Japan's Movies website began streaming the first eight minutes from the movie four days before its premiere in Japan. The movie was also screened in the 2012 Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal from July 19 to August 7 and in the 16th Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival (PiFan 2012) in Puchon, Republic of Korea, from July 19 to 29, 2012

Reception

The TV series received mixed reviews on its first airing. Theron Martin of Anime News Network expressed that "the sharp use of color, especially involving the school uniforms, almost offsets the irritatingly disproportionate lankiness of CLAMP's character designs, and the opener's visuals are cool," but the viewers "need some substance" and "some elaboration on why Saya's eyes turn red or some hint of a bigger picture" which is "something that fans can sink their teeth into, at least." Zac Bertschy praises the production values and the animations but feels that the staff need "to set up any kind of overarching story". Gia Manry also praises the animation and character designs but feels that "it's too early to tell whether Production I.G and CLAMP will break Saya out of the sort of flawless-princess cage she's in". However, Carl Kimlinger thinks "Tsutomu Mizushima nails CLAMP's peculiar surrealism without half trying, and he takes to brutal horror-action as if to the manner born." Chris Beveridge from The Fandom Post criticized the TV series' ending for its focus on characters being murdered in an extreme way and the lack of closure.

The movie earned US$409,000 in Japan during its opening week and entered the Japanese box office at No. 10. It also won the jury L'Écran Fantastique Prize at the Montreal Fantasia Film Festival for its "horrifying Lovecraftian bestiary, as well as attention to textures and lighting." Bamboo Dong from Anime News Network found the film superior to the TV series for its simple story, visual quaility and audio. While praising its setting, Dong noted that viewers would need to watch the television series first to understand it which he saw as a con. On the other hand, Andy Hanley from UK Anime Network saw the film as inferior to the TV series as it "feels rather lifeless and ultimately turns in a distinctly average viewing experience."

In March 2015, the Chinese Ministry of Culture announced a crackdown on sites hosting overly-violent or sexual anime content, with Blood-C being singled out as an example due to a "particularly bloody" beheading scene that would allegedly cause "extreme discomfort".

References

External links

• Blood-C Official website (Japanese)
• Production I.G website (Japanese)
• Blood-C (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• Blood-C: The Last Dark (film) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• Blood-C at the Internet Movie Database
• Blood-C: The Last Dark at the Big Cartoon DataBase