BlackBlood Brothers Series Profile - All About The Black Blood Brothers Anime

The Story:

Not so long ago, a new breed of vampires arose. Known as the Kowloon Children, these vamps declared war on humans and the result was a brutal showdown. Today, vampires and humans are trying to put the past behind them but there are some who just can't let it go. As an "old blood" Jiro hopes to make it to the Special Zone with his younger brother, Kotaro. But before he can cross the bridge to safety, he must face some painful reminders of a very ugly past.

The Gist:

Jiro is a vampire as is his younger brother, Kotaro. They're on their way to the Special Zone, a small island-like community where vampires and humans live peacefully among each other. Unfortunately, the trip takes Jiro and Kotaro right into the middle of a tense battle between the Suppression Team, human soldiers intent on striking down any vampire without the proper paperwork and a group of vampire refugees who aren't Kowloon, but can't prove their heritage. He soon meets Mimiko, a negotiator for the Company behind both the Special Zone and the Suppression Team.

And if that isn't bad enough...:

The Kowloon Children aren't dead at all. Quite the contrary, they're regrouping and gaining power every day and it isn't long before Jiro must once again wield the Silver Blade that put his name in the history books.

Rating:

TV-MA. This one has some violence and language that isn't suitable for younger audiences.

Genres:

Supernatural, horror, comedy, action

Distributor:

FUNimation

Release Date:

DVD 1 released in North America on February 26, 2008.

The Review:

Black Blood Brothers is a fun supernatural anime with a comedic twist. Jiro and Kotaro act just like any "normal" brothers would, with Kotaro getting into things and Jiro complaining that his little brother is a pain.

That said, there is some pretty brutal violence right from the get go and a few choice words that shouldn't be heard by little ears - thus the TV-MA rating is appropriately earned.

The nice thing about Black Blood Brothers is that its not your usual vampire story which as we all know has been done, done and done again in anime. Even so, who doesn't like a good vampy story and all the better if its got a plot you haven't seen before, right?

Interestingly, Jiro has some amazing powers, apparently more than most vampires yet he's quickly affected by sunlight and flowing water. Kotaro on the other hand doesn't seem to have much strength at all yet but sunlight and water don't bother him at all.

Unfortunately, Black Blood Brothers is only a 12-episode series (each DVD contains 4 eps) which makes it difficult to cram all the background and history that this story obviously has into the episodes without losing its "action" quality. Nevertheless, FUNimation does a good job of balancing the two, giving you tidbits of the mysterious past while plunging forward with the storyline.

Overall, I like this one and give it two thumbs (or fangs as the case may be) up :)