Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.5

Trinity Blood: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie Review

If only there was a single word that conveyed the act of shrugging one's shoulders...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown April 4, 2010

Long before angst-ridden teenage girls and lovelorn housewives banded together to transform vampires into a multi-billion-dollar Hollywood commodity, Japanese animation helped make the nocturnal nightmares a fan-favorite mainstay. But while Twilight and its ilk have diluted, perhaps even sullied the domestic genre waters, Vampire Hunter D and its brethren have never tried to separate vampires from their base nature, even when embracing their humanity or romanticizing their existence. Trinity Blood, Gonzo's 24-episode anime adaptation of Sunao Yoshida's popular light novels, doesn't just retain their essence, it revels in their darkest desires and blood-thirsty appetites. Though by no means a stock-shock horror series, it rarely shies away from its fanged protagonist's shady past or its villains' malevolent motives. If only that were enough. As much as I wanted to enjoy director Tomohiro Hirata's grim tale, as much as I wanted to rummage through Yoshida's admittedly fascinating mythos, the series' at-times listless pace, derivative subplots, and hit-or-miss storylines left me wanting.

You wouldn't like Abel when he's angry...

In the distant future, centuries after a devastating conflict between humans and vampires takes a heavy toll on both races, the war continues to rage on. Amidst the endless bloodshed, it seems the Roman Catholic Church has emerged as Earth's foremost political, religious, and military superpower -- no, seriously -- and the Vatican has sworn its most skilled soldiers to humanity's cause. Enter Abel Nightroad (voiced by Hiroki Tôchi and Troy Baker): deadly Vatican gunman, chummy priest, holy warrior and, oh yeah, genetically engineered vampire. But Abel doesn't feast on humans. As a Crusnik, he only feeds on other vampires, a fact he loves to reveal just before sucking the evil life out of each of his arrogant victims. So it is that when a mysterious force begins to manipulate the geopolitical landscape, Abel and his fellow freedom-fighting Vatican legionnaires -- straight-lacer Father Tres Iqus (Kazuya Nakai and Christopher Sabat), lost soul Esther Blanchett (Mamiko Noto and Colleen Clinkenbeard), fearsome force-of-one Father Hugue de Watteau (Shinya Kitade and John Burgmeier), penitent Father Leon Garcia de Asturias (Tsuyoshi Koyama and Phil Parsons), empath Noélle Bor (Sayaka Ohara and Christine Auten), and many, many others -- rise to meet its attacks, only to discover Abel isn't the only surviving Crusnik. Of course, little about the series is that simple, particularly since dense political intrigue often takes precedence over bullet-on-fang action. But isn't that the fun of an anime series? Unraveling a ridiculously complex story and all the eclectic characters that go with it?

In this case, the answer is no. Viewers aren't merely thrust into Nightroad's political sphere, they're tossed to the expositional wolves with a juicy ham strapped to their backs. Everything from the history of the world to the origins of the characters, from Vatican back-stabbing to vampiric rebellion, from secret societies to shifty advisors are tossed into the fray, sometimes with little to no regard for narrative cohesion or plot clarity. I felt as if I was constantly racing to catch up, even when the series was advancing at a crawl. Even then, the repetition that initially struck me as a godsend -- Abel tracks down vampire at Vatican's urging, Abel clashes with vampire before hulking out, vampire is shocked as Abel begins snacking... lather, rinse, repeat -- soon became a debilitating hindrance. Once I found enough footholds to stage a descent ascent up Trinity Blood's craggly surface, once its intricacies began to crystallize in my mind, the series' chatty political dust-ups began to grow quite dull and predictable. Stale even. Much like The Phantom Menace (a flawed film that popped into my brain again and again while wading through the set's first and second discs), long-winded banter, inaccessible history lessons, and unnecessarily crowded, sometimes competing mythologies sap the episodes of their momentum and soul. Don't misunderstand: I don't need a break-neck actioner devoid of story to get my blood pumping, but I also don't have a lot of patience for a series that's 95% buildup and 5% payoff. Even Hirata's full 24-episode arc ends with an arguably anticlimactic closer that fizzles within five minutes.

It isn't a complete wash though. Trinity Blood's heroes are an engaging lot, so much so that their individual plights will pull many an anime enthusiast through the most dreary episodes with ease. As much as I loathed the soap opera that began slowly seeping out of the Vatican's chambers, I found I was genuinely invested in Abel's struggles, Esther's induction into the ranks, and the priesthood's clash with the vampires. Likewise, the battle sequences, few and far between as they tend to be, are fast, frantic, frenzied affairs that should stir even the most glassy eyed viewer out of his mental slumber. Despite some of the characters' cliche trappings, Yoshida and Hirata's vampires are legitimately menacing foes, and the Fathers, armed to the teeth with plenty of mettle to match, make for an intriguing brotherhood. Their fights are swift and bloody, their quips are barbed and playful, and their personalities are kept at the forefront of every tussle. I would even wager that those who are able to ignore the series' prevailing plot holes and inconsistent tone might readily sink into everything Trinity Blood has to offer, endless first-act exposition and all. For me though, constant comparisons to stronger anime series made it difficult to sit back and soak up Hirata's more plodding episodes and stagnant story developments. I wish I could say it ultimately makes a valiant stand, but it doesn't have the heart, horror, intrigue, or animated prowess necessary to best the best. Unless you're already a fan, I would suggest renting this one before adding it to your cart.

Trinity Blood: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Sadly, the Blu-ray edition of Trinity Blood features a problematic 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer that will strike newcomers and diehards as underwhelming. Granted, director Tomohiro Hirata and Gonzo's rather simplistic animation is meant to be softer than most -- a heavy, fog-born haze has been purposefully draped over every episode to evoke an otherworldly atmosphere -- but too many technical issues crop up for this one to earn a pass. Artifacting and banding are frequent offenders, contrast is both inconsistent and weak in the knees (particularly during Abel's moonlit excursions), and the integrity of the series' lineart is undermined by faint mosquito noise and intermittent aliasing. Notice the stair-stepped edges of the Fathers' guns, the slight pixelation that plagues the delicate curves of every female character's face, and the unkempt strands of hair that spill down from the twins' wind-swept manes. As it stands, the Blu-ray edition simply doesn't look that much better than its standard DVD counterpart. Colors are more vibrant and stable, blacks are inkier, and the image is noticeably cleaner, but only by a moderate, arguably minor margin. There were even several instances where I had a difficult time distinguishing between the two versions. That's not to say the high definition transfer is a complete disappointment (it's still the clear winner overall), but true-blood Trinity fans should adjust their expectations accordingly.

Trinity Blood: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

In a perfect world, every anime release would arrive with two lossless audio tracks: a fierce and faithful original language mix and an equally impressive English dub. Alas, this is not the world in which we live, as anyone in FUNimation's fold will attest. Like the majority of the studio's releases, Trinity Blood: The Complete Seriessplits the difference with a bombastic English-language Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround track and a fairly decent Japanese Dolby Digital stereo mix (640kbps). Comparing the two is as pointless as comparing the Nightroads to an old married couple, but the TrueHD dub handily bests the disc's flat-n-fickle alternative nonetheless. Not only does the LFE channel lend the lossless mix some much needed kick, it serves up an endless assortment of terribly satisfying roars, room-shaking energy blasts, deafening thooms, and thunder-crack explosions. Likewise, the rear speakers, though not entirely aggressive, bless action scenes and Vatican battles with notable intensity and numerous immersive properties. Both tracks handle dialogue nicely -- voices are crisp, clear, and intelligible, prioritization is proficient, and lines are rarely lost beneath the fang-baring chaos -- but little else aids the fledgling stereo mix in its plight. Ah well. Perhaps FUNimation will one day have a large enough consumer base and enough resources to justify the expense of two lossless beasties. Until then, purists and American otakus will just have to bide their time and settle for releases with jaw-dropping English surround tracks and adequate Japanese stereo mixes.

Trinity Blood: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The 3-disc Blu-ray release of Trinity Blood only includes three special features: a short text-based overview of historical figures and events alluded to in the series, textless versions of the opening and closing songs (HD, 3 minutes), and a collection of standard definition FUNimation trailers.

Trinity Blood: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I really wanted to love Trinity Blood, I truly did. But every time its characters would start to draw me into its world, the story would slow to a crawl, grow redundant, cling to formulas established by better anime series, and struggle to solidify its tone. While I've certainly plowed through far, far worse, I couldn't help but feel Hirata and Gonzo were occasionally squandering some serious potential. I know Trinity Blood has a respectable fanbase -- not to mention plenty of glowing reviews -- I just can't consider myself a part of it. Unfortunately, FUNimation's Blu-ray release isn't going to impress diehards or fresh faces. Its transfer is beset by several technical issues, its haphazard audio package rises with a strong lossless English dub but falls with a flat Japanese stereo mix, and its special features amount to a few blurbs of text, two songs, and a collection of trailers. DVD owners may be satisfied with the meager upgrade the video transfer and English audio affords them, but most will be disappointed to find this isn't the definitive release they've been hoping for.