Blood-C: The Last Dark

I used to enjoy Animes and Mangas quite a lot when I was younger, but haven't really watched a lot ever since I left my teenage and young adult years behind. But I do manage to squeeze in the occasional series or movie here and there.

From the synopsis to "Blood-C: The Last Dark" then it sounded like it would be rather interesting, or at the very least have some great potential.

And now having seen the movie, I must admit that I was a bit disappointed, because the movie turned out only to be mediocre. There was nowhere near as much gore and violence as people had made it out to contain, and the storyline started out in a great pace and was interesting, but it quickly took a turn, and not for the better. The movie quickly toned down in pace and sort of started to drag out with too many scenes with just dialogue and plot building, whereas the action, gore and mayhem were left in the side track.

Animation-wise, then "Blood-C: The Last Dark" was quite alright. Although I didn't really fully welcome or grasp the reason for why they had to make use of CGI animation alongside with ordinary Japanese style animation. It just didn't blend all that well; pick one style and stick with it.

I was so cursed to watch the English dubbed version, which was also sort of a moment of irritation, as I prefer to watch everything in its original language. Dubbing, despite it being in 2014, is still painful to witness, and it is rare that you come across dubbing work that is really done with such gusto, heart and soul that it is actually up to level with the original language.

I assume that you have to be a fan of the series to properly enjoy this. I must admit that I didn't even know that there was a series, not before after having read some IMDb reviews for this movie.

This movie is the ending to the Blood-C anime by CLAMP. IF you haven't seen the anime or are not familiar with other works by CLAMP then you may be disappointed to find that the movie is not all about action but is more focused on the fate and struggle of the protagonist. CLAMP likes making stories that leave you thinking so if you are looking for an exciting action movie then this might not be the movie for you.

Also, this movie can be appreciated better by those who have read/watched other works by CLAMP since there are aspects of the movie that are more clear to those who have watched/read xxxHolic than those who have not.

The movie corrected nearly all the flaws in the series, from the erratic and poor animation to the weak plot and lack of real character development, etc.

Overall flow of the movie was solid, better character building and growth that lead to actually empathizing or at least understanding the group.

Ending was "reasonable" but still a bit disappointing. Don't get me wrong it tied up many loose ends, but there was a chance for more growth in Saya's character and a resolution that was a little less predictable, if she had chosen the other path.

I give this movie 10 stars because of its amazing combination of CGI and tradigital animation. In places, it was seamless, combining camera moves with (apparently) hand-drawn animation. There were also scenes combining large CG crowds with CG & Painted backgrounds. While not a pro animator, I keep up with how effects are done, and while I THINK I know how thinks were done, it was still a jaw-dropping visual feast throughout.

The movie I saw was dubbed by Funimation, and I thought it was great. Maybe if I spoke and understood Japanese, I would feel differently, but in my experience, they always do a thoughtful and intelligent job. Funimation Channel was where I saw the movie, and their network also carried the series on which it was based.

If I were to offer any real critique, it was the choice to use the very elongated figure style, which was also done in the series. But this was an obvious creative decision.

I plan to buy the DVD, when released by Funimation.

I finished seeing this Blood-C sequel movie just now and I was sooo impressed by the gorgeous and realistic animation. They truly brought Saya to the "real world".

The detail on the mansions and houses and backgrounds was what you'd expect from a Production I. G movie!!

However the shoehorning of the idea that since internet was growing due to advent of smartphones in 2012, that the young kids need to be suppressed by government I found to be quite pretentious and farfetched.

The action and the detail on Saya's sexy body in fashionable dresses was appreciated, the highlight must be when Saya visits a certain shop in the film and we find out who exactly that puppy was from Blood-C's anime!! Brace yourself if you've seen xxxholic and know Todd Haberkorn!!!

But the 12 episode anime itself... was something really bizarre and "despicably" special. It was too much even for me, and I love Gantz and Elfen Lied!!!

Aside from the awesome and gorgeous action animation, sexy female characters, jump scenes and an insanely catchy and cool opening which make this anime maybe worth watching, the story is quite shallow and relies on shock value.

But only those who can handle extreme shifts in a shows themes. And I mean EXTREME are advised to watch it. I'm still not okay with its ending which just left me speechless and so empty inside...

Weird thing is I had previously seen the last episode's penultimate horrifying climax in Facebook video in 2020.... And i unwittingly ended up watching the anime itself so many years later. 8:19am 13.4.2025.