![[NicoNico] Blood-C - 12 [640x360 H.264 AAC].mkv_snapshot_00.52_[2011.09.29_15.01.02]](http://lh5.ggpht.com/-pw49xW7bZuE/ToT2pms-hQI/AAAAAAAATtQ/XEKAFIb_0qI/s1600-h/%25255BNicoNico%25255D%252520Blood-C%252520-%25252012%252520%25255B640x360%252520H.264%252520AAC%25255D.mkv_snapshot_00.52_%25255B2011.09.29_15.01.02%25255D%25255B2%25255D.jpg "[NicoNico] Blood-C - 12 [640x360 H.264 AAC].mkv_snapshot_00.52_[2011.09.29_15.01.02]") |
![[NicoNico] Blood-C - 12 [640x360 H.264 AAC].mkv_snapshot_02.02_[2011.09.29_15.02.12]](http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Q2BemwG5mPo/ToT2uMeKEpI/AAAAAAAATtY/CaUTq-TrDbM/s1600-h/%25255BNicoNico%25255D%252520Blood-C%252520-%25252012%252520%25255B640x360%252520H.264%252520AAC%25255D.mkv_snapshot_02.02_%25255B2011.09.29_15.02.12%25255D%25255B2%25255D.jpg "[NicoNico] Blood-C - 12 [640x360 H.264 AAC].mkv_snapshot_02.02_[2011.09.29_15.02.12]") |
![[NicoNico] Blood-C - 12 [640x360 H.264 AAC].mkv_snapshot_02.04_[2011.09.29_15.02.14]](http://lh4.ggpht.com/-KqZ-MUkFaI8/ToT2wPn_cqI/AAAAAAAATtg/BLbOe7llNe0/s1600-h/%25255BNicoNico%25255D%252520Blood-C%252520-%25252012%252520%25255B640x360%252520H.264%252520AAC%25255D.mkv_snapshot_02.04_%25255B2011.09.29_15.02.14%25255D%25255B2%25255D.jpg "[NicoNico] Blood-C - 12 [640x360 H.264 AAC].mkv_snapshot_02.04_[2011.09.29_15.02.14]") |
Perhaps if CLAMP HQ is burned to the ground and the Earth is cleansed by fire, the Gods might forgive us as a species for producing this series.
Hard to believe fact of the day: the same animation studio produced both Seirei no Moribito and Blood-C. I’m not sure what I hated worse about the finale – the utter and complete lack of imagination or the dismaying predictability of every single aspect of the plot. Or perhaps it was the bogus and absurd attempts at emotion that were never earned? Or it might be the contemptuous belief that sheer volume of blood and finding new and grislier ways to cartoonishly kill people is a substitute for real horror. Oh well – in this, at least, there’s an embarrassment of riches for Blood-C – there’s plenty to hate for everybody.
So what actually happened in this finale? Well, God’s in his heaven and all’s right with the world – Fujiwara Keiji didn’t survive the series. Pretty much every prediction most of us made came true, including that the nature of the contract was that the elder bairns were allowed to eat a certain number of humans annually in exchange for not being persecuted by those nasty humans. Tadayoshi was an elder bairn (well, a half-breed) and Saya killed him – which was followed by one of the better laughs of the finale as the strings came in, telling us to be sad. The twins, Tokizane and sluttly-sensei were graphically killed (they were the appetizer) and Class Rep gave us the other hilariously false emotional moment by taking 22 bullets for Saya for no reason.
Mostly, though, it was a soul-crushing orgy of poorly animated action sequences and some of the most grotesque and silly gore you’ll ever see as Fumito unleashed the stupidest-looking elder bairns yet on his fictional town and they ate the cast. Though I freely admit I had some huge laughs once I stopped trying to see this as anything other than a glorious debacle, including in the finale, on the whole it would be hard to overstate how much I hate this show. I hate its bad writing, bad acting (by a good cast) sloppy animation and gratuitous CLAMP crossover. Most of all, though, I think I hate the fact that CLAMP actually wrote this shit with the idea that they were creating something of value. I hate the way they thought they could substitute fountains of blood for suspense and predictable cliché for plot. I hate that they thought anyone would be fooled by (or interested in) their utterly clumsy and telegraphed “misdirection”. I’m insulted as an anime fan and a member of the human race that someone paid money to allow this atrocity to be made.
Will the “Blood” franchise survive the damage Blood-C has done to it? Hard to say. Having left its bloated corpse lying in a roadside ditch, CLAMP and I.G. still have the chance to stomp on it with their upcoming movie (which, I proudly announce, I will be neither watching or blogging). I’m not a huge fan of the franchise to the point where I’d be mortified if this travesty did kill it, but I would be saddened – it has its interesting and worthwhile qualities, and for the most part I genuinely liked Blood+. If the possibility exists that this ugliness might be forgotten and someone deigns to make a try at reviving the franchise, I’d be happy as long as CLAMP were not involved – I certainly don’t think it deserves for this show to be its final epitaph.
The only good news about this finale is that it is the finale, and I can wash my hands of this ugliness. I have nothing against you, CLAMP, and Production I.G. – well, I’m still a fan even if I can’t say you’re the best studio in the business anymore. But both of you – hang your heads in shame. Go away somewhere, a Buddhist retreat perhaps, and think long and hard on what you’ve done and how you might repent. Myself, I’m going to watch a few eps of Usagi Drop and try and drive the memories out of my brain.
![[NicoNico] Blood-C - 12 [640x360 H.264 AAC].mkv_snapshot_15.03_[2011.09.29_15.15.13]](http://lh3.ggpht.com/-UgE7ONoPqGs/ToT2yRYhj5I/AAAAAAAATto/EM_gz-9h97c/s1600-h/%25255BNicoNico%25255D%252520Blood-C%252520-%25252012%252520%25255B640x360%252520H.264%252520AAC%25255D.mkv_snapshot_15.03_%25255B2011.09.29_15.15.13%25255D%25255B2%25255D.jpg "[NicoNico] Blood-C - 12 [640x360 H.264 AAC].mkv_snapshot_15.03_[2011.09.29_15.15.13]") |
![[NicoNico] Blood-C - 12 [640x360 H.264 AAC].mkv_snapshot_17.45_[2011.09.29_15.17.55]](http://lh4.ggpht.com/-BiCEVw3ovss/ToT2zvUdv9I/AAAAAAAATt0/H2yhINW9wmQ/s1600-h/%25255BNicoNico%25255D%252520Blood-C%252520-%25252012%252520%25255B640x360%252520H.264%252520AAC%25255D.mkv_snapshot_17.45_%25255B2011.09.29_15.17.55%25255D%25255B2%25255D.jpg "[NicoNico] Blood-C - 12 [640x360 H.264 AAC].mkv_snapshot_17.45_[2011.09.29_15.17.55]") |
![[NicoNico] Blood-C - 12 [640x360 H.264 AAC].mkv_snapshot_17.48_[2011.09.29_15.17.58]](http://lh3.ggpht.com/-8HsysfXjouM/ToT22Qu1SFI/AAAAAAAATt8/Q6qt6VhHezo/s1600-h/%25255BNicoNico%25255D%252520Blood-C%252520-%25252012%252520%25255B640x360%252520H.264%252520AAC%25255D.mkv_snapshot_17.48_%25255B2011.09.29_15.17.58%25255D%25255B2%25255D.jpg "[NicoNico] Blood-C - 12 [640x360 H.264 AAC].mkv_snapshot_17.48_[2011.09.29_15.17.58]") |
![[NicoNico] Blood-C - 12 [640x360 H.264 AAC].mkv_snapshot_18.52_[2011.09.29_15.19.03]](http://lh5.ggpht.com/-iCH1kNE0k-c/ToT23T9bUeI/AAAAAAAATuE/PqlxW-U3SJA/s1600-h/%25255BNicoNico%25255D%252520Blood-C%252520-%25252012%252520%25255B640x360%252520H.264%252520AAC%25255D.mkv_snapshot_18.52_%25255B2011.09.29_15.19.03%25255D%25255B2%25255D.jpg "[NicoNico] Blood-C - 12 [640x360 H.264 AAC].mkv_snapshot_18.52_[2011.09.29_15.19.03]") |
![[NicoNico] Blood-C - 12 [640x360 H.264 AAC].mkv_snapshot_20.26_[2011.09.29_15.20.36]](http://lh4.ggpht.com/-mL56zJvXKs8/ToT25JKbTqI/AAAAAAAATuM/_nD_qzfEA14/s1600-h/%25255BNicoNico%25255D%252520Blood-C%252520-%25252012%252520%25255B640x360%252520H.264%252520AAC%25255D.mkv_snapshot_20.26_%25255B2011.09.29_15.20.36%25255D%25255B2%25255D.jpg "[NicoNico] Blood-C - 12 [640x360 H.264 AAC].mkv_snapshot_20.26_[2011.09.29_15.20.36]") |
![[NicoNico] Blood-C - 12 [640x360 H.264 AAC].mkv_snapshot_22.03_[2011.09.29_15.22.13]](http://lh5.ggpht.com/-gu0OypAJXJU/ToT27_65RsI/AAAAAAAATuU/TTtUBbs1_a0/s1600-h/%25255BNicoNico%25255D%252520Blood-C%252520-%25252012%252520%25255B640x360%252520H.264%252520AAC%25255D.mkv_snapshot_22.03_%25255B2011.09.29_15.22.13%25255D%25255B2%25255D.jpg "[NicoNico] Blood-C - 12 [640x360 H.264 AAC].mkv_snapshot_22.03_[2011.09.29_15.22.13]") |
Seishun Otoko
September 29, 2011 at 11:53 pmI was very much looking forward to seeing how IG/Clamp would end this travesty and boy, I wasn't disappointed one bit. The finale was soooooooo bad that it's actually pretty good. Plenty of good LOL moments but if I had to choose, Class rep kun's valiant sacrifice would get the top prize. Best of all, the twins were slaughtered again and it happened in one of the silliest fashion I've ever seen. I'm on the fence with the movie. If it's as horrendous as the finale, I might actually enjoy it based on its unintended comedic value alone.
Arabesque
September 30, 2011 at 1:55 amI'm gathering my thoughts for a post on AS in the morning, but some quick thoughts:
-The score of this show is, IMO, the second best of the year, right after Kaminomi II and above Madoka's. This makes the fact that this is a fucking awful script all the more tragic …
-The animation, while it wasn't consistent throughout the series, had been pretty impressive. You can make the case for the designs being Clamp Noddles and what not, but Enzo, I think that you wont argue that at it's best, this was a good looking action show. The Saya Vs. Tadayoshi fight highlights this very well in my view, with well choreographed, nicely funded and produced action scene that doesn't cop out with speed lines or any cheap tricks you see in a lot of other action shows. This makes the fact that this script was pure shit all the more tragic …
-Like you said, this was a good cast, filled with many talented VA's who deserve better material, working with a horrendous script. This also adds to the tragedy …
Blood-C was a tragedy. It ended up being a mash up of a bunch of (bad) Clamp clichés, and an example of how extreme the Deva's liberal agenda is (thankfully, they sparred us from any further commentary on their views on abortion, what they consider free will, and suitable punishment), and I think the second case this summer of a fucking honest to god awful script getting a high budget and a talented line up of animating staff and cast working on it (the first is Sacred Seven, though to be honest that show was already set to be terrible when you get the guy who's only notable work on his resume was writing YGO! for a decade).
But the biggest tragedy (moreso than all of my pre-airing posts that make me look like and idiot, or all the money that went into making this show, or even the fact that the second best OST in the year being attached to this show) of all was the reputation damage to the director … Why Clamp? You wrote xxholic, Chobits, Magic Knight Rayearth … these were all stories that dealt with common ideas such as wish fulfillment, magical girls and the magical girl friend in a wonderfully fresh way, proposed interesting questions such as what makes a person a human (and handled them with care and maturity by the end of these stories) and even if their where hiccups in them, they still stood as solid works of not only entertainment, but literature.
So why, god why would you fuck up this bad here? Didn't they give you complete creative freedom? Didn't they make it so you can go all out?
Just … why?
deafvader
September 30, 2011 at 2:09 amWas fun reading your post. Gave me an understanding of the decline to rock bottom of this series. Thanks LiA for letting me have an understanding of Blood C without having to suffer watching it.
Kob264
September 30, 2011 at 2:10 amIt was a test to see whow much we as spectators can handle, like Haruhi's endless 8.
The "bunnys" were tooirrationaly sadistic and dorky inconsistent tht…nah
it doesn't deservs a longer comment.
BigFrank
September 30, 2011 at 2:31 ami still cant get over the friggin bunny blender. i guess this was a 'mixer' for the elder bairns. hehe. yeah i know that sounded bad but that's why we do it.
admin
September 30, 2011 at 3:26 amArabesque, I feel bad for Mizushima-sensei too, and I hope his reputation doesn't suffer too terribly because he is a good director. I've no doubt this is mostly CLAMP's fault and you can tell from his interviews that he's had little creative control, but he is the director and some of the responsibility is his.
I confess even from the premiers, the animation hasn't impressed me. I find the CGI poorly integrated and the movements in the combat scenes jumpy and awkward. Some of the fight scenes have been good, but generally, I'm not wowed. I do agree that the soundtrack is a good one.
DV – glad I could provide a laugh. This show has at least provided me a few ROFLs. Frank, the bunny blender was my biggest laugh of the finale – I was almost in tears.
Anonymous
September 30, 2011 at 4:17 amI dropped this series at 3, but I'm glad I did, but I watched #12, because seeing the twins get tore apart from there legs, seem kinky 🙂
BigFrank
September 30, 2011 at 6:03 ambtw, im not too familiar wit clamp but i here saya is now part of a long tradition of one-eyed characters. can anyone explain? is there a reason for this?
Znail
September 30, 2011 at 6:04 amI and everyone else who was saved from watching this series thank you for blogging this as a warning!
admin
September 30, 2011 at 6:26 amLOL – at last, I'm of some use and it's for the worst disappointment of the year!
Luxorcism
September 30, 2011 at 6:41 amLOL you actually counted the bullets? Was there nothing else to pay attention to?
admin
September 30, 2011 at 6:45 amGuesstimate…
vansonbee
September 30, 2011 at 8:36 amlol@kinky remark.
Thank Enzo, I'll avoid this for sure now, but damn, this feels like some sort of Gory Hentai >_>
Ulisses
September 30, 2011 at 6:59 pmWow…the gore on the last episode was very disturbing and uncomfortable to watch.
The show itself was a major waste of time. I couldn't feel absolutely any emotional attachment to the characters, to the point that not even their (multiple) deaths were enjoyable.
Anonymous
September 30, 2011 at 7:16 pmand we got a movie from this
Fencedude
September 30, 2011 at 10:51 pmThat was actually actively unpleasant. It felt like the sort of scene the regulars of Gurochan would come up with.
Absolutely every aspect of this series was a complete disaster, and will be a blot on the resume of everyone involved in the production.
I really think that this was the worst show I've ever seen. It has absolutely no redeeming features.
Murkel
September 30, 2011 at 11:49 pmI can't remember ever feeling so freaking disgusted and amused at the same time. It's like the last episode was trying to cover as many gruesome ways to kill human beings as possible, and even with sensors this was pretty hard to watch.
I always refrain from calling anything "crap" or "a waste of time" but this show really managed to test my limits. I have no doubt Blood-C will figure as the "biggest disappointment of the year".
And surprisingly, this show is getting really positive reviews on other sites.
admin
October 1, 2011 at 2:25 amWhich sites, Murkel? It sure isn't at MAL or Animeplanet.
Murkel
October 1, 2011 at 9:33 amI meant some blogs like psgels':
http://psgels.blogsome.com/category/finished-series/blood-c/
Anonymous
October 1, 2011 at 9:41 am@Enzo: try psgels's review on his blog ^^. Your review and his review are like night and day… it's interesting XD. I'm following both of your blogs, but I've found myself more aligned with your evaluations lately.
About Blood-C… I'm very grateful to have red your blog posts so that I can happily happily happily HAPPILY save myself the pain and devote precious hours of my life to other series. I do feel a bit sorry for you though :p. But I guess the unintentional comedy provided some little saving grace…
admin
October 1, 2011 at 3:15 pmBunny blender = big laughs.
I like psgels site, although I haven't been there much lately. I know he's loved Blood-C, and that's certainly his right. In this case, I certainly disagree with every fiber of my being.
Sirius
October 17, 2011 at 10:06 amok so i just finished watching this and i'm mad i sat though all 12 episodes. it was a mess of an anime, and i felt as thought there was no 'story' until about episode 9 bu yeah. the finale seemed a bit thrown together. but all in all i didn't like. even if i ignored the other blood related material as a stand alone, eh, it was pretty horrible.
Anonymous
January 11, 2012 at 10:31 amthe anime was sick……..can't say much about it really……I was hoping, after like 5 episodes that there would be developments but I am pretty dissapointed after watching the remaining 7 episodes straight. Don't think the movie would be good either….besides Saya slashing Fumito and we all give a cold laugh, I don't think we would get much out of it. Of course, I am just assuming. I think I will still go watch the movie and perhaps dissapoint myself again.
Anonymous
February 9, 2012 at 11:27 amEven it was Gory and Bloody, it's still a nice Anime.
don't know why i'm easily get used to the gore events, i'm just sit down and enjoy it so much. I like the human blending event, it reminds me to the mango juice did i made which spread out because i forgot to close the blending jar.
Anonymous
April 1, 2012 at 3:30 pmOh, my god. It was the worst anime I have ever seen. Truly. This anime is dabacle in every possible way.
Anonymous
May 21, 2012 at 2:12 amI love it! Waited till now to watch the uncensored version and it was worth it. Don't understand what people are complaining about. Who cares about bad plots, or that the oh-the-misdirection didn't work. It was gore fantastic worthy of Go Nagai. By far the best of Blood entries (not that it's hard to do). I laughed my head off at all the heads being bitten off. 5 and 1/2 stars out of 5.
Kairi Taylor
March 11, 2013 at 5:55 pmI always thought "Vampire Wars" was the worst anime I have ever seen.
Congratulations, CLAMP, you just made me believe otherwise!
Elia Notari
February 9, 2022 at 3:51 amI had to, Enzo, I had to read this after you mentioned recently on Twitter that it was your most hated show.
Quick question: does this show deserve the appellation of “so bad it’s good”? Or is it way too awful for that?
Guardian Enzo
February 9, 2022 at 7:10 amFor me in no way does it deserve that appendage. It’s just too bad to be too bad it”s good. There’s nothing redeeming about it – it’s just depressingly cynical and awful.
Vercingetorix
February 15, 2022 at 10:52 amHonestly would have been a better show as a pure comedy that was just ep 12 done 12 times, increasingly ridiculous ways to kill people.
Like Danganropa on steroids.
Just have the gantz mechanic of abducting random groups of assholes trying to make it to the end for prizes
The Bairns REALLY fucked up, instead of this moronic compromise they should have proposed a mass advertised death game for Karens and convicts and the narcissistic NEETs who think they could solo it.
There would be LEGIONS of idiots lining up to “play”
Guardian Enzo
February 15, 2022 at 12:56 pmIt certainly wouldn’t have been any worse!