Black Blood Brothers

Summary: >

Ten years ago, a special district was set up for vampires to live in Hong Kong. Overrun by a sect known as Kowloon Children who spread like a disease, Hong Kong barely contained the infestation before being razed in the fight. Since then a new special zone was constructed in Japan, and brothers Jiro and Kotaro have crossed the ocean to live there. What they find is an area full of secrets, hostility and old grudges. As Kowloon Children turn up again, it appears the incident in Hong Kong may repeat. Jiro and Kotaro just want a new home, but may have to fight for it first.

Thoughts: >

I guess we've reached the point where an anime about vampires isn't automatically popular. Proof? You've probably never heard of Black Blood Brothers; an anime which slipped under the radar, and isn't remarkable enough to be remembered by those who did see it. It looks nice, has a great dub, and it's about vampires, so how can this be?

It starts slow, little stands out, and lacks compelling characters. Within the first few episodes a sense of how dull this would be set in. I'm sure most would drop this anime at this point, but things do pick up. The brothers past and their relationship turns out quite interesting as its revealed - the highlight of the show for me. There's a brewing plot surrounding the special zone, additional mysteries sprinkled in, and plenty of vampire lore. Any one of these points wouldn't be enough to carry the show, but combined it makes a better showing.

Although it manages to brute force itself out of a snore, it falls down hard with the lack of conclusion, and there's enough built up to where that feels unfulfilling. It's also the kind of anime afraid to kill characters (which I find annoying). They talk big and fight serious, but all major players are still alive by the end.

Unremarkable, but improves mid way through... then doesn't go anywhere. A few good points at it's core, so it still scrapes by as average.

Screen Caps: >