Forum - View topicBlood-C (TV).
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Gatherum
 Posts: 773 Location: Aurora CO |
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*Exhale* Well then...! That was a ride, to say the least!
I suppose that I will begin by stating that I liked it. I liked it a lot. I was initially stubborn about it, especially considering how many other shows I'm partaking in from the current season, but I was only more enticed as things went on. In a certain way, it was something of an emotional roller-coaster, ironically succeeding as such because it opted not to lay the drama and monologuing too thickly--indeed, it almost feels deadpan and indifferent in some places. What has me stoked is how well most of the minor details come together and make sense by the end of it all. Before I get into that, I'll get this out of the way first: as a splatter gorefest, it certainly delivers. The actual level of detail in the blood notwithstanding, these are easily some of the most brutal kills I've witnessed in recent memory, and they only get more severe and depraved with time. While I have been desensitised enough not to feel sick over it, it did succeed in leaving me a tad uneasy. Perhaps it was because the level of indifference and remorselessness that accompanied these killings was on par with the aforementioned brutality of it all. The complete lack of regard for human life here is both breathtaking and sobering; I cannot recall too many other properties, much less in anime, that deliver on this so strongly, and for that, I certainly have to give it props. Nevertheless, while I have an odd affinity for violent horror, I am ultimately most appreciative not of the physical aspects, but of the psychological ones. With that established, I must say that this struck me as a tragedy as much as it did a thriller. The idea of spoiler[a simulated society built around a single, oblivious subject is not a new one, and in this case, the signs pointing towards it being as such are legion--enough that I was able to guess that it were the case even before the big reveal. I attribute this more to prior experience with this sort of plot device, but it still had me at the edge of my seat because the who and how were made to be ambiguous enough, given how many in the cast seemed "off".] This plot device intrigues me because it opens up a great many explorable avenues for the central character in regards to emotional development. spoiler[The invested viewer is forced to consider what it must be like to, first, watch everyone they hold dear be coldly murdered after failing to save them, and second, to realise that almost none of those people truly reciprocated those feelings in the first place. Unfortunately, a world like that, and its associated memories, do not need to be real in order for it to feel real, thus why Saya could ruminate on, and grieve for, people like Tsutsutori, Tokizane, and the Momoe twins even after bearing witness to how ruthless and dismissive they truly were. What's more, the creators did a phenomenal job in allowing for appropriate exposition of this without drawing it out and unnecessarily making a melodrama of it. Admittedly, I was starting to become cynical toward anime at large as far as striking an appropriate balance was concerned, and I am grateful to be shown that it is still more than feasible. In a stroke of nigh-immaculate irony, it makes Saya feel more human, despite having eschewed the cheerful, clumsy, slightly moe priestess persona in favour of the more traditionally cold, detached, and merciless badass woman.] Also, I'd like to take a moment to say that spoiler[Fumito was a splendid psychopathic scientist of a villain, what with his stoic, matter-of-fact demeanour, whether he be casually conversing or massacring hundreds of his own guinea pigs, haplessly misled and reeled in with a contract that promised a multitude of rewards, depending on the person]. I do share some misgivings with the rest of you, though. First, while most of the creatures were inspired and imaginative, some of them were just ridiculously campy, key examples being spoiler[the train monster, and the infinitely multiplying, cheap-looking rabbit creature that consumes the entire town. Raising further criticism at the latter, some of its abilities and eating habits utterly broke into the absurd. While live human shish kebabs and blenders are...creative, they don't do much except break the mood and shift things into the territory of black comedy. It felt horribly out-of-place. Admittedly, I am interested in very few actual horror properties, so maybe I just don't understand the necessity or appeal of a straight gorefest for its own sake. Because of it, the series' final act leaves me with rather mixed feelings.] I suppose a minor complaint that I retain would be the exposition of the twist, which was spoiler[essentially a very long information dump]. Honestly, I can't really think of a better way they could have done it, what with how they wrote the whole series (hence, why it is a minor complaint), but somewhat, I wish that spoiler[Saya had managed to make the key, memory-inducing discoveries on her own, and then have the details wrung out afterwards, as opposed to having it all explained to her plainly.] It saddens me that things were mucked up a bit at the end, but not enough to topple the more profound themes or the show's masterful employment of suspense, much less during the earlier episodes. As a whole, I gave it an 8, for its well-done animation, its versatile soundtrack that varies wonderfully in order to fit and enhance the given mood, and the sorrowful treatment of Saya, even if the latter was done completely by accident as a priority secondary to all of the gore. I will certainly seek to own it at first opportunity. ...Now if you'll excuse me, I believe I shall take a break and endeavour to view something a tad more light-hearted. 
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