The unknown never ceases to terrify humans, and it's something that we can't deny. However, despite the terror we felt, we can't help but be curious about what will happen next and also hope for something nice to come out of it. Yesterday was our clearance signing and honestly, it drained the hell out of me. The waiting especially was the nastiest part because there's that unknown chance if you'll be part of the people whose clearance will be signed or people that will be told to come back tomorrow and experience another hell in waiting. I'd waited for almost five hours in line, so I didn't want to experience another dose of it and fortunately, after the long hours of fighting for my place in line, I finally got interviewed and got my clearance signed!
Apparently, this experience is somehow similar to the ones that the MC of the anime series I rewatched yesterday. He also got stuck—voluntarily got stuck in a nasty situation. Like me, who didn't anticipate that it would be really tough just getting my clearance signed, he also didn't expect that something really bad would happen at that moment. But we always find hope in every situation—and to quote my favorite character there—"as long as you face the light and take even one step, the human soul can never truly be defeated". So now join me as we enter the unpredictable and chaotic life of our MC in Blood Blockade Battlefront.
About the Anime
Blood Blockade Battlefront (Kekkai Sensen) is a shounen anime that first premiered in the spring of 2015 while its second season—Blood Blockade Battlefront & Beyond (Kekkai Sensen & Beyond) premiered in the fall of 2017. Its first season aired from April 5, 2015, to October 4, 2015, while its second season aired from October 8, 2017, to December 24, 2017. It's an action fantasy series that was animated by Bones. The main themes of this series are superpowers, urban fantasy, and vampires and it was based on manga that was written and illustrated by Yasuhiro Nightow.
After the fall and restoration of New York, a new city had risen—a city that's now filled with both humans and creatures from the otherworld, and that city is now known as Hellsalem's Lot. Brimming with monsters, magic and madness, there was never a peaceful day in it. Despite the chaos and unpredictability, this city was now filled with strange things—things that were once called miracles, and that's the reason why Leonardo Watch decided to go into it. He was once a young photographer who was living a normal life, but after unwillingly obtaining the "All-seeing eyes of the gods", everything changed. His sister became blind at the expense of those eyes, so he decided to find something that would help her regain her eyesight. Unfortunately, he runs into trouble—a mishap that forever changes his life.
He soon finds himself taken in by Libra, an organization that maintains the fragile balance and order in Hellsalem's Lot. He soon faced strange comrades, bad days, otherworldly foes, and persistent personal battles, but like a turtle, he would never go back in his steps. Slowly he will move forward to uncover the extent of his power, to discover things that would help his sister, and to help in maintaining the peace and order among all creatures that thrive in Hellsalem's Lot. This isn't just his story, but it is also the story of all those who brought hope to his life.
So it's my second time watching it and up until now I still find it enjoyable. The concept of place with both humans and otherworld creatures interacting was really fascinating, and looking back on the first time I watched it, its theme was one of the things that convinced me to watch it. Their power system is quite diverse because it depends on what species the characters are. Although it wasn't complexly explained, the powers that the characters wield didn't cease to amaze me.
Season one was particular with the story on the development of the MC—with the events that mostly focus on him. The plot in season one was good, though there are things that weren't resolved there (especially the stuff about her sister). I expected that the season would immediately go straight with that issue, but I guess they have other goals. The second season wasn't bad but honestly, in terms of the solidness of the plot, I'll go with the first season. Season two was kind of backstory for all the supporting characters that weren't introduced and explored well in season one. The really serious villain just appeared in the last episodes, so it kinda felt off with me because unlike season one the villain in season two was for me, underdeveloped. Like he just appeared out of nowhere and it made no sense to me at all.
I couldn't help myself comparing because I somehow did really expect that there would be an improvement on how they developed villains, but I guess the effort in improving and adding depth to the characters was all spent in the MC and supporting characters. So much with my disappointment with villains, I on the other hand did really like the MC and supporting characters—especially the ones in Libra (except Zapp?). I really like how diverse and unique they are. The interactions between them were really entertaining and funny. Although not all of them are likable, the good thing is they aren't bland.
As for its art style, I really like it! The characters' designs were nice (as expected from the mangaka of Trigun) and the action scenes did not cease to enthrall me. The fight scenes were well-choreographed and animated. The comedic gags were also animated funnily, and it made me laugh a lot of times. The art style and animation were cool, but what's more cool is their soundtrack. It was really nice hearing a lot of songs and astoundingly most of them are English. I'm really used to hearing anime soundtracks that were Japanese and the songs in there were not that many. Also, the songs that were used in climatic scenes were often from the opening or ending songs, but theirs is different.
It seems that their songs really vary each episode and each of them really matches and enhances well the emotions that those scenes wanted to portray. Also, the opening song in season one and season two and ending song in season one and season two were something you can't really miss because of their catchy and memorable beat. They're really bangers, and I just can't help myself memorizing them and singing with them when the opening and ending come!
Overall my rating for this anime is 9/10. It's really a perfect anime for those who seek anime with blood-pumping action scenes. For me, this anime has no boring episodes because each episode is something that you'll really look forward to. Although the villains weren't that developed, they somehow did contribute to the character development of the other characters—especially the MC. Other than that, I have no qualms about this anime and genuinely this is I guess the anime that I enjoyed watching the most this January. So if you're looking for an action fantasy anime series that has fascinating lore, diverse characters, gripping action scenes, and entertaining yet not overdone comedy then you definitely need to watch Blood Blockade Battlefront.
Before I end this review, I'll share with you its quirky opening song, so—
Have you watched this anime already? Or is this your first time seeing it? Feel free to share your thoughts, and yep—that's all for now, minna-san! I hope you enjoyed reading my review.
Arigatou and tanoshinde ne~
The pictures that didn't have source were screenshots from the anime while the first and last picture was edited in Canva.