Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

Blood: The Last Vampire Blu-ray Movie Review

Another good Anime release from Starz/Manga.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 29, 2009

You're lucky. I can't kill 'humans.'

Ghost in the Shell might be a standard-bearer for the Anime genre, but as a film that's perhaps more accessible to newcomers to the genre -- particularly those that hail from the West -- and for a myriad of reasons, 2000's Blood: The Last Vampire might fit the bill better than the aforementioned action-oriented yet philosophically-profound classic. Short, to the point, presented natively in English, and with a plot that's fun and not overly complex, Blood: The Last Vampire features hallmark Anime style but in a package that's easier to absorb the first time through than some its more famous -- yet decidedly more complex -- brethren.

'Prease go' buy this movie!

Young vampire Saya (voiced by Youki Kudoh), the last of her kind, has just been assigned the task of infiltrating a U.S. school located on a military base in Japan. It is believed several nasty creatures have set up shop in the hallowed halls, and it's Saya's job to flush them out and clear the infestation. At school, and dressed in a classic Japanese school uniform, Saya doesn't seem to fit in, but she doesn't have to. She's got a dirty job to do, and once she identifies a couple of the "chiropterans," or bat-like creatures, she unleashes her fury (in front of an innocent and terrified school nurse, no less), spills blood, and faces off against several of the nastiest beasties the Land of the Rising Sun has ever seen.

Blood: The Last Vampire, having recently been remade as a live-action film of the same name, proves itself far superior to its counterpart. Viewers coming into this Anime version fresh off a screening of the Chris Nahon-directed picture will find the animated outing to offer the same basic story, but trimmed of all the excess fat. At 48 minutes in length, the animated Blood: The Last Vampire is lean and mean; it's a film that gets to its point, doesn't beat around the bush, and delivers almost nonstop action throughout. Those few expository scenes serve only to provide a basic context around which to frame the action, and the film foregoes numerous side stories and superfluous characters that drag down the pace. Where the live action film delivered several segments with only a few differences from the animated edition, it also created a backstory for Saya (as seen in numerous flashbacks) and provided her a counterpart in her quest to slay a particular beast in the name of revenge. In contrast, the animated version serves up a far more basic -- but also superior -- nuts-and-bolts experience that proves that less is sometimes more.

Visually, Blood: The Last Vampire doesn't differ all that much -- at least at-a-glance -- from Ghost in the Shell. It features a similar style that allows for very nicely detailed backgrounds and it retains that aura that lends to the image a rather bright tone, even though the color palette is generally muted throughout. Despite copious amounts of blood, there's not much explicit and graphic violence to be seen in the film. Blood drips from corpses and sprays to and fro, but the actual wounds are rarely the center of attention. Though the voice acting is mediocre -- actors often sound like they are dryly reading lines -- the voices fit the characters' personalities well. Saya is nicely represented both aurally and visually; dark and mysterious, her character's toughness and skill with the blade seem reinforced by her no-nonsense attitude. The school nurse serves as something of comic relief to the film, but she's also more: she's the audience, scared out of her wits, trying to come to terms with the mayhem unfolding before her eyes. Though she cannot understand what's happening -- she verbalizes as much at one point -- the audience actually comes to better understand the story through her perspective. She's a great character.

Blood: The Last Vampire Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Blood: The Last Vampire debuts on Blu-ray with a strong 1080p. 1.85:1-framed transfer. Though it features that same bugaboo that plagued Ghost in the Shell -- moderate banding throughout -- it nevertheless looks quite nice, all things considered. As alluded to earlier, colors take on a slightly drab tone and look somewhat muted; whether background details in the school or Saya's red scarf, the color palette never sparkles, at least until the film's final minutes where it livens up considerably, featuring bright, cheerful visuals that play in stark contrast to the dark and bloody tone of the film prior. Fine detail is nicely reproduced, too; grime on the walls in the subway station in one early scene or smudges, dents, and dings on various surfaces as seen in several cityscapes are nicely rendered. Black levels, too, impress. All said, Blood: The Last Vampire isn't the sort of film that's going to sparkle and pop off the screen on Blu-ray, but as it is seen here, it looks very good in context.

Blood: The Last Vampire Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Blood: The Last Vampire gushes on Blu-ray with a robust DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Loud, aggressive, and a lot of fun, this lossless soundtrack puts the sound system through its paces all through its condensed 48-minute runtime. The film's opening subway sequence sets a tone that remains throughout; the car shoots down the track and, seemingly, straight through the listening area. The rumbling and rattling is accompanied by an ominous piece of music that's accompanied by a hefty low end. The aggressive rear-channel presentation remains throughout; not only do action scenes shine, but quieter but no less important ambience -- for instance the noise of a bustling school hallway -- create a lifelike atmosphere in several scenes. Gunshots sound fantastic, too; bullets clank of metal surfaces and ricochet nicely in one scene with pinpoint accuracy. Likewise, a few explosions deliver the appropriately boomy low end. Dialogue reproduction is distortion-free throughout. Note that while there are no optional subtitles to turn on or off, various scenes of Japanese-language dialogue are accompanied by forced English subtitles.

Blood: The Last Vampire Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Unfortunately, Blood: The Last Vampire contains only three extras. Making of 'Blood: The Last Vampire' (480p, 20:52) is a Japanese language feature (with forced English subtitles) that takes a rather choppy look behind the scenes of the making of the picture, featuring interviews with the crew that span various aspects that chronicle the work that went into creating the film. Also included is an "Alternate Digital Data Version" of the film and the Blood: The Last Vampire trailer (480p, 1:36).

Blood: The Last Vampire Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Blood: The Last Vampire might not be Anime at its absolute best, but as an introductory piece to the genre, it's hard to find better. Simple, short, visually captivating, exciting, and lacking any needless side stories to muddle the plot, the film is the sort that's easy to digest and good for anytime viewing. This Blu-ray release from Starz subsidiary Manga Home Entertainment delivers superior video and audio presentations, but it sadly lacks a more comprehensive supplemental package. Regardless, longtime fans and newcomers alike will be hard-pressed to find the film looking or sounding any better, and on the strength of the film and its technical presentation, Blood: The Last Vampire earns a recommendation.