• Movies

by Withouta3 on 05.16.10

First, I would like to say I am very happy to see American production companies are finally taking notice of the wonderful wealth of potential for stories such as those in anime. It is about time Americans realize what the Japanese have known for nearly a century: Just because it is animated does not mean it is for kids.

 Last year, we saw the release of Dragonball Evolution in all its mediocre glory, an experiment that proved two things: The technology exists to produce high-quality films based on the over-the-top action in most anime, and a live-action anime can make a profit. The upcoming movie The Last Airbender promises to do much better both in the box office and in actual quality. 

 Rumors persist of even more anime-to-live-action projects. Supposedly Spielberg is working on Ghost in the Shell, Zemeckis is collaborating on the next Dragonball (word is Vegeta is the villain), and James Cameron is considering Battle Angle Alita for his next project after Avatar 2. Perhaps the doors have opened for some potentially excellent motion pictures adapted from some of the most intriguing and exciting stories anime has to offer.

With that said, I am actually surprised that Blood: the Last Vampire saw only a limited release in American theaters last July. If I had known of it playing in theaters, I would have loved to see it on the big screen. I am not saying it would have been a box office smash, but it probably would have bested the previously mentioned mediocrity. 

It would have been easy, too; Blood was primarily filmed in English, just as the original animated movie, so they would just have to add subtitles in a handful of places. The version I watched did not have any subtitles, and I did not feel I missed all that much, just a few conversations between Saya (the protagonist, played by Gianna Jun) and her master or between the villain and her henchmen. It does not take much insight to figure out what the conversations are about, though. The master tells Saya it is her job to defeat the enemy, and the villain tells her henchmen to destroy Saya. 

The movie takes place in the 1970s, during the height of the Vietnam War, which is nice because it gives a look into Saya's past. There is no dealing with lost memories; Saya knows what to do and how to do it. She receives her assignments and accepts support from a clandestine American government group of men in black. They clean the messes she makes while cutting down vampire-like monsters and then gather the monsters' blood, which Saya uses for sustenance.

Her assignment was to infiltrate the high school on an American base, causing her to don the iconic school-girl uniform. There, she saves the general’s daughter, Alice (played by Allison Miller) from the monsters posing as students and a teacher. The incident not only encourages a friendship between Saya and Alice, but also exposes conflicts between the U.S. military and Saya's support group and amongst members of that support group. Before long, Alice and Saya find themselves alone facing the most powerful demon in the world, Saya's mother. 

Both the plot and the action stay true to Blood's anime heritage. Saya keeps her katana in an art case on her back. She draws the sword by kicking the case and popping up the sword into the air. With her katana and clever use of the environment, she easily dispatches dozens of enemies at a time. She removes limbs left and right and generally leaves a blood bath in her wake wherever she goes. Sometimes, combat goes a bit overboard and can end up a bit cheesy, but it is always exciting and fun to watch.

If you are a fan of the series or action anime in general, or if you just like a good action flick, I suggest you give Blood: The Last Vampire a chance. It has everything I look for in a movie: dangerous monsters, mysterious government agents, over-the-top action, and hot chicks that kick butt. All that, and I did not have to put up with annoying comic relief.