Kojou Akatsuki's days as an ordinary high school student in the Demon District of Itogami Island come to an abrupt end after a fateful encounter leaves him with the remarkable abilities of a vampire.
It isn't long before he is thrust into the center of attention when it is discovered that he is the fourth primogenitor, an immensely powerful vampire whom most consider to be merely a legend. Fearing Kojou's destructive potential, the Lion King Organization sends in an apprentice sword-shaman, Yukina Himeragi, to monitor, and should he become a threat, kill the boy deemed the world's most powerful vampire. Forced together by circumstance, the two form an unlikely alliance as Kojou comes to terms with his abilities and they both struggle to protect the city from various emerging chaotic forces.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
afterwards
The tags "Action, Ecchi, Fantasy, School, Shounen, Vampire, Supernatural" actually summarize the show pretty well, with the exception of "school" perhaps. If you want to watch a normal guy who stumbles upon ridiculous powers and then proceeds to save the world and get a lot of female attention; then here you go. One of the things to appreciate here is that what you see is what you get. It's a straightforward anime you can get some escapism/ good sequences out of (be them of the girls or of the action). I also think that the first few episodes are quite representative of the series asa whole; so your interest should be fairly easy to gauge early on.
-Story
7/10 - as expected, the story isn't outstanding, it simply does its job here. Strike the blood's strong point is not going to be its plot. The story works in arcs, with new villains/ girls being added or focused on in each arc. There are some overall trends and developments but its nothing special. I'd call it overly simplistic - however actually for a show that I watched to just distract myself for an hour or so I found this to be a positive. I'm not sure if some of the satire or irony that came across was intended, but if it was then I tip my hat to the writers.
The story does work for the genre(s) in mind here - pretty much the plot will be bent to better accommodate scenes where Kojou can be a hero or save the girl or can get into a better fight. But that's fine because that's why people will watch the show in the first place.
Without wanting to give too much away, I think certain plot devices were quite clever. Overall I think the plot serves its function quite well, but because the plot is obviously going to be side-lined in such a series there is a limit to how good it is.
-Art
9/10 - Probably the anime's best point is the art. The characters designs, as well as the background and effects for fights, etc. are well done and ultimately are very effective. The art style is certainly easy on the eyes, and the sequences often fit the anime well.
I can't really think of many negatives here - perhaps some money was saved on certain designs but in my opinion the art here almost makes the show.
-Sound
7/10 - Like most modern animes, there really isn't much to comment on here as its just simply decent. I thought the OPs were fine, as were the endings. They are not something I'd personally want to listen to outside of the show, alongside the background music, but they contribute pretty much as you'd expect them too.
The voice acting here is good as far as I can tell. Kojou isn't meant to be super charismatic so it fits the plot, but its nothing to write home about.
-Character
6/10 - The characters are ok, given that the pretense of the show is to break character models and focus on action and harem.
Kojou is (axiomatically) fairly likable and for most people easy to relate to. This is no surprise given the escapism theme (/self insert theme). I don't particularly like Kojou, and I found him a bit overly simplistic. But the fact that I have an opinion is evidence for him actually having a character (which is more than can be said for certain animes in similar genres).
The girls are all quite distinct and well developed, apart from their at times inexplicable devotion to Kojou (but then again, harem). I think Himeragi Yukina probably has the best developed character, and she actually has some development/ perspective added, although this is also stunted because of the harem nature of the show.
The villains are, in general, awful and almost completely one dimensional. But it doesn't really matter because most of the time they are on screen they just get destroyed by Kojou.
Tl;dr - it's harem, don't expect interesting or insightful characters. For a harem, the characters are ok.
-Enjoyment
8/10 - Although the show has its flaws, its quite good fun to watch, and I found it a nice contrast to studying. Because of the art and arc-type plot, it's something that could quite easily be re-watched or returned to, which is a positive IMO.
I would say that your enjoyment of this anime is very dependent on how much you enjoy action and/or harem and/or supernatural genres. The Kojou/Yukina relationship is ok to follow, but this is not a romance anime, and it's something I'd recommend watching when you want to have a break rather than something to stimulate your brain.
-Overall
7/10. Again, the art, the escapism and the straightforward nature of this show are its strong points. It's generic, but I'd say it beats most other shows in similar genres. Why? There's nothing that groundbreaking, just a few subtle nuances that go unnoticed individually but actually contribute to making this show quite enjoyable. Unfortunately the show does fall flat on its face at times for taking itself too seriously and shoe-horning itself into arcing episodes, where it probably had potential to be a better overall show if it avoided this. As is, it remains something lighthearted that most young guys will probably enjoy once or twice (if you enjoy the first few episodes, you'll enjoy the rest. Despite the flaws, there is something to be appreciated here.)
Stark700
It’s not hard to figure out what Strike the Blood might be about at first even if you’re coming into the show completely fresh. The key words are ‘blood’ and ‘strike’ where the latter is when our main male protagonist Akatsuki Kojo does his mojo to satisfy his blood lust. There’s hardly anything too original related this series. After all, we get the typical mysterious guy meets young girl in a city on an ordinary day. Then, a not-so-normal event happens and the duo gets caught in events they didn’t think could get both involved. But if we add everything together, Strike the Blood comestogether as a little more than a show to induce nosebleeds.
Strike the Blood is an animated series based off the light novel of the same name written by Gakuto Mikumo. This is not his first work as he has previously been involved with series such as Dantalian no Shoka, the Zettai Karen novels, and Asura Cryin’. What he brings into Strike the Blood has a little taste of all of those elements in his previous works but transform it into a meat package – a series with a main protagonist that feeds off of others to control its users’ familiars.
An anime series involving with vampires. That’s hardly original in any sense either with its generics. There’s plenty of anime that followed similar ideas such as Vampire Knight, Karin, or Blood+. Strike the Blood takes our main male protagonist Akatsuki Kojo and makes him into a big name in a big city. For instance, most people who knows about his origins and status as the Fourth Progenitor, the world’s strongest vampire. As the title strikes both a bit of fear and respect, it’s no surprise that he is a man to take notice of especially for his observer, Yukina Himeragi. For the duo, their relationship begins kicks off with a rocky start loaded with misunderstandings, confusion, and animosity. Given the fact that Yukina’s job is to observe Akatsuki makes their relationship seem even more awkward as the former would be labeled as a stalker in some ways. At the same time, Akatsuki becomes annoyed by her presence. It’s also not exactly the best combination with Yukina’s anti-progenitor spear always on hand. It seems to serve as a warning sign should Akatsuki goes out of control. Over time however, the duo gets along better with Yukina even developing a seemingly crush on the young man. Outcomes like this should not be taken as a surprise however. While the duo lacks strong chemistry, they share a similar feeling towards those they encounter and the city they live in. It’s through their willingness to help others that ties them together to make the duo stronger.
Based off a light novel series, the series divides itself in arc format with a certain set of episodes focusing on a specific event/character/conflict that requires a solution. In total, there are 7 arcs covering the light novels. More importantly is the fact that each arc focuses on a different character with a different otherworldly conflict. It brings out the diversity that the audience can get accustomed to. There’s all types of otherworldly beings that the show focuses on whether it’s vampires, werewolves, angels, or witches. Along with that, each arc also progresses Akatsuki’s relationships with others as he gets stronger. Unfortunately, his lack of characterization doesn’t shine with his past being left in unexplored territories. This falls under a similar case for Yukina as the audience hardly knows about them beyond their purpose on the surface. Other characters of course also plays their roles in each arc, some more than others with a particular few getting veritable moments. But because each arc changes its tone, audience should be ready to adjust themselves to match the mood with its themes. There might also be some sort of hidden moral that progresses the story although most of it is obscure and seems cliched . Unfortunately for Akatsuki, there’s little focus on his goals or morals as the show itself doesn’t give an impression as if it he had one at all in the first place. With the way he is dressed. Akatsuki is more of the lone wolf and he only gets into situations because of his status.
While the word ‘diverse’ can be used to describe a favorable stance to adapt an anime’s character cast, there is also generics that makes up the other half. The majority of the main characters are female that falls under some sort of characteristic that comes off as generic as it can be. We have Yukina, the girl that observes Kojo 24/7 as her role. There’s the typical classmate Asagi Aiba with an obvious crush on Kojo. Nagisa Akatsuki plays the role of the little sister with her chatty mouth but lack of understanding of the supernatural world. Then, there’s the tsundere Sayaka Kirasaka whom often says things that means the opposite way around. Each arc also features a prominent character that is the focus of its story. Most of them are always female and shouldn’t be a surprise with a show like Strike the Blood. It’s predictable with most endings of each arc with Akatsuki doing the striking and blood spilled for authentic reasons.
The action of Strike the Blood can be described as thrilling but not anything that blows itself out of the water. If I had to describe it, it would fall under the line of dangerous but also hectic. Each arc features a different conflict so the action tends to diverse itself a bit in terms of presentation. However, one key factor always strikes at heart with Akatsuki’s blood lust. The earlier stages plays it off as a necessity but later on ventures into a more erotic allurement. It shouldn’t be surprising at all with hints given already featuring its fan service moments. There’s the pantsu, honey trap, and misunderstandings all over the place that brings out Strike the Blood’s generics to its core. Surprisingly enough, the show omits the traditional onsen/beach episode. Perhaps it was too busy focusing on its conflicts in each arc to given our characters a vacation or it wanted to go beyond its setting. Who knows? What it’s known is the fact that Akatsuki always gets his fun (not the way he sees it though) in each and every single arc. Fun itself can also give the audience different impression. The show sometimes likes to make fun of itself with little gags. Even the organization Yukina belongs to is hard to take serious at first with a name like “Lion King”. We also can’t forget about some of the dialogues that comes out in the wrong way with most coming out as cheesy. Finally, there’s also bits of romance. Unfortunately, that territory is something Akatsuki seems to have the least interest in. Despite obvious advances, Akatsuki doesn’t seem to show actual interest in any of the girls that approaches him besides satisfying his blood lust. Every meal means he gets a little satisfaction but not in a romantic sense. If you’re looking for a developing romantic story, Strike the Blood is the wrong place to be. Akatsuki is just not a bachelor for his candidates.
Silver Link animated Strike the Blood. On a technical level, the style of the series fits well with its supernatural themes. The Demon District, Itogami City also gives off an impression of aspects with its advancing arts. Most otherworldly beings are depicted accurately with credibility. Unfortunately, some of the character designs lacks a bit with any unique features. The school uniforms looks generic and hardly stands out. Akatsuki’s design makes him look like a loner with his hood covering his head that viewers will feel less attached to. Other characters such as Nagisa Minamiya has appearances that contrasts their age. Supporting main characters are also hardly noticeable despite some of their status. On the other hand, the background art of its city gives an impression of a luxurious display with its aquatic-like attributes.
Soundtrack can come off as a mixed bag. On the surface, it is consistent to match its style. But at the same time, it can come off as just being there with nothing to focus directly on. The OP and ED songs offers a montage of the main characters as well as possible foreshadowing. With a show like Strike the Blood though, the arcs can be predictable already anyways. But for what’s worth, most of the characters’ voice acting is remarkable. The only sting is the dialogues themselves that comes off as cheesy and lacks distinguishing moments. However, I do give praise to their voice mannerism especially for Yukina (Risa Taneda). Even though she just began recently with animated voice acting, there’s promising potential for her with a role of a main character.
In the end, Strike the Blood is another typical series with nothing stellar that strikes hard at home. It has its harem vibes, the fan service, the gimmicky gags, and predictable arc conclusions. However, it does bring out a diverse cast of characters that offers attention. Not only that but Akatsuki isn’t your typical wimpy main lead. He often takes charge despite not like being part a conflict. If only the show focused on him more rather than adding a girl to his harem every arc would bring out much more potential. On the other hand, each arc does have potential with its diversity. While some of it is colored with gags, it does progress the story’s overall themes. It could take a bit of patience to get used to this show overall in the end but that’s how it is really.
MachinaEm
My expectations for Strike the Blood were simple: I wanted lots of action with some romance thrown in. Instead, I feel like I got the opposite. Overall, I was disappointed in some areas and pleasantly surprised in others. Though I don't regret watching it, I wish the show had only 12 episodes instead of 24. Story: 6 To put it simply, the story for this show is mediocre. It isn't outstanding, but nor is it bad. It simply fulfills its duty to carry along the main premise of the show, which focuses more on the relationships between characters (primarily, of course, between the leading hero Koujo andthe ladies). The show is divided into several arcs, which range from 2-5 episodes long. After the first few arcs, a general pattern of events begins to emerge and repeat itself. Though this has no real severe implication on the show, it does make it a bit predictable.
The only significant issue I have with the plot is that it never addresses the circumstances in which Kojou becomes the Fourth Progenitor. Though it is mentioned several times in the show and there are a few short flashbacks, the questions surrounding Kojou's mysterious transformation are left unanswered--though I suppose that if there's a possibility for a second season they could be answered then.
Art: 10
By far the best thing about this show was the art. Very crisp, exciting animation, with exciting colors and fantastic fight choreography totally fulfilled my expectations. Character designs were spectacular, the magic was interesting, and the scenery was beautiful.
Sound: 7
The sound was not particularly memorable. It, like the plot, fulfilled its purpose, though unless you're paying attention, it's not very noticeable. The OPs and endings were fine, but not anything out of the ordinary.
Character: 5
The characters in a romantic show, especially a harem, are its driving force, and I feel like this is where Strike The Blood's mediocrity prevails.
I found the main character, Kojou a bit two-dimensional and simplistic. He was likeable, handsome, decent, heroic, and pretty much everything a good (but not particularly interesting) protagonist should be. He had only a few minor flaws, leaving little room for character development or improvement.
The girls in the show, however, are a different story. Their personalities are more clearly defined and more developed than Kojou's, and they don't really follow archetypes, so they're certainly more interesting. Himeragi, the female lead, is the most developed, and she undergoes the most noticeable character development in the whole show.
The one thing that bugged me most about the girls, however, is that no matter how smitten they were with the main character, they constantly berated him, calling him an indecent pervert even in situations that are totally out of his control (this is especially true of the main female character, Himeragi.) Though I can understand that this was meant to be comedic relief, hearing "HENTAI" screamed in various high pitched girly voices episode after episode starts to grate on one's nerves.
Supporting/side characters were incredibly bland. For example, Kojou's male friend with headphones was so underdeveloped that those are the only two things I can remember about him. A few side characters, like the First Progenitor, could have been really interesting, but they were sort of put on the back burner to all of the romance going on.
Enjoyment: 6
This is the sort of show I'd recommend to someone who wanted to shut off their brain for a while, watch some cool magic, and see a couple panty shots. It certainly wasn't bad, and I can't say I disliked it, but overall, it fell straight into the mediocre category.
Smugdear
Based off the light novel was written by Gakuto Mikumo, The story tells us a boy named Akatsuki Kojou, that turns out to be The Fourth Progenitor, the world's strongest vampires in the world. He was followed by a girl named Yukina Himeragi, who came from the Lion King organization to observe the Fourth Progenitor. I found out the two lines above really offers me a unique set-up of an anime, and the genres "Action+Ecchi" really offers us a combination of a real action and a desirable fan service. But not the story.The plot is divided into several simplistic arcs, that actually works with theentire series. The problem of Strike the Blood is the poor story execution that turns out to be a dull for someone who doesn't really into Action or Ecchi genres.And to make things worst, there are some plot holes about how Kojou become the Fourth Progenitor too. Besides that, some people may think Strike the Blood is cool, and some people maybe think it's one of those typical Harem that ruins their senses, but in the reality, it has a decent story indeed.
The most precious diamond that lies in the anime is the Animation , like almost every modern anime in this era, they all offers us a great animation. We have a catchy and clear art, with an amazing visual effects and fighting scenes. It's really the main attraction of the anime itself.
There is not much to talk about in the sound section, but I found my heart racing when hearing the 1st opening song "STRIKE THE BLOOD" which sung by Kishida Kyoudan & The Akeboshi Rockets. Meanwhile, the 2nd opening song, & the endings is decent. The seiyuu did fairly well when bringing such character to the screen.
Well, most anime have a serious problem on the character section, Strike the Blood is the perfect example of it. In the early episode of the series, Strike the Blood really promising us a meaningful development.
But the reality didn't accept that wish, there is no meaningful development that grows. The only thing we have is a simple division character.In the main character, we have our male lead Akatsuki Kojou, the Fourth Progenitor. And since the Fourth Progenitor is the strongest vampire in the world, of course there is no trouble when Kojou faces the enemies by himself (Notes: He sometimes really weak and then get helped by his own harem). Then, beside our male lead we have a collection of girls that fell in love with our male lead, the male lead gain strength by drinking the virgins blood. With that combination ahead of us, the characters became a real messy. And besides that, most of the enemy is doesn't get a development because they all defeated by Kojou in the end of the arc.
Although Strike the Blood has some mistakes in the execution, I found the title itself memorable in my brain. Since this is a Shounen anime, women may not found this anime interesting. It is recommended to those who prefer action than story and prefer fan service than development. Overall, it is decent and fairly enjoyable....
paoya
"This is my fight!" "No, this is our fight!" - Akatsuki Kojou & Himeragi Yukina, respectively; dialogue from perhaps every episode of the entire anime. And by the end of the series, I have realized that it was my fight as well - I had to fight the urge to drop the series as a whole. The story begins with the main character, Akatsuki Kojou, who is the epitome of the standard harem protagonist. He is forced to accept his new found vampire powers and the misunderstandings that come with it, misunderstandings meaning a flock of girls including the main heroine, Himeragi Yukina. It is thestandard harem/ecchi/supernatural anime. And yet the anime leaves so much to be desired.
Story: 5/10
The story teeters between explaining too much and answering too little - the anime quite frequently drops embellished familiar names one after the other, while shying away from actual plot background. At the end of the anime, we are left with snippets of Kojou's vampiric origins, an uneasy plot device, and a flimsily assembled "conclusion" that abruptly ends the show.
Art: 7/10
The saving grace of this show. The fights were appropriately coordinated, well drawn, and were exciting to watch. The characters looked pretty in all but the budget scenes (which were sporadic but easy to point out).
Sound: 6/10
The soundtrack was decent, despite the fact that it seemed like the entire show had only maybe three or four OSTs not including the OP and ED. It did its job and did not detract from the show.
Characters: 5/10
Every character fell flat and did not stir a sense of personality. Kojou's interaction with every single girl can only be described as irritatingly futile. From the span of 24 episodes, not once did Kojou feel like he was developing as a character. With perspective to the main antagonist, his main reason for being is that he was adequately bored enough to become a villain. I found myself only drawn to liking one character, Astarte, if only because she was purposefully written as one dimensional and not an irritating mess of a character.
Enjoyment: 6/10
By the end, I was left with more questions than I had when I started the anime, a puzzling sense of confusion, and slight relief that I don't have to watch Strike the Blood anymore. The fight scenes were pleasant to watch but I cannot say the same for the rest of the show. The comedy was bland, the fan service was blatant and mediocre, and the potential harem/romance was forced at best.
Overall: 5/10
A good anime to watch when you have more free time than you wish you had. A must-see if you're a fanatic of exceedingly mediocre anime with fan service, jumbled fantasy plots, and underdeveloped characters.
GodspeedK
Sometimes you just want to turn off your mind and watch a typical ecchi harem anime. You don’t expect too much of it and just want enough fanservice to get you through your rough day. So when you start watching and see the number of episodes you think “Hmm 24 episodes, isn’t it usually 12? Well then this must have some kind of good plot to be this long.” Then you start it, finish it and wonder why the fuck this was made?! Story 2/10 I want to say this is just a typical ecchi harem show with some action, but it isn’t. Aside from the largecast of girls to fit different fetishes and the plain main character that everyone falls for along with the occasional panty shot and the mc getting hit for walking in on them or doing something indecent which isn’t even their fault, it isn’t really like your typical ecchi harem show.
The plot of the show is well… there is no plot. It starts off with our bland OP protagonist who is one of the strongest beings in the world, so they have a little girl oversee him to see if he should be disposed of or not. Initially I thought the organization sending her had some underlying goal in mind, since there is no way they would send a 14(?) year old to handle one of the 4 strongest beings in the world with one of their strongest weapons, but yeah no they actually did that…
3 months prior to the show MC was just a normal guy, but got vampiric powers from the previous strongest vampire. They add a little mystery to that, by not telling us exactly what happened. But they never tell us anything about it because fuck you go read the light novel. In 24 episodes they tell you nothing about the only plot line in this show. The whole show is basically just some episodic arcs with one arc having an event from another arc that the show doesn’t cover so it ends with having some loose ends.
The story has a lot of supernatural beings in it, since the location of where the story takes place is a city full of supernatural creatures that have been “tamed” as in they have a collar, look like humans and the collar goes off when they transform and use magic, but the show never does anything with this.
Since it’s an ecchi, school harem show, you expect it to have that as the main vocal point. But while watching it, I didn’t really feel like that was the main focus of the story. I didn’t really feel like it was just trying to be an ecchi show with a stupid plot put into it. It had quite a few moments where it felt like it wanted to be taken seriously which made me question what they wanted to convey in this story. Did it try to convey that humans are the actual monsters instead of the supernatural creatures? Nope that was never mentioned like I said they didn’t really do anything with it. Well then does it try to show how monsters and humans can live together? Well they do live side by side, but the show doesn’t really make it 100% clear if everyone is aware of that. Even if they are tamed there are so many explosions in the city and shit happening that I wouldn’t know why anyone would want to live here. Well maybe it was about the mc’s friends accepting him as a supernatural creature. Although he mentions telling his friends and it’s frequently asked what is really happening there is always something happening just so he won’t have to tell them for the convenience of the plot. Actually not even convenience, since the story would probably work better if he just tells them. There really is no need to hide this especially for 24 episodes. Same thing for the romance in his harem. Every time there was some progression it’s immediately stopped by having something random happening. For example one of the characters say “I’ll explain what this kiss means on Saturday”. Saturday comes, now I’m stuck on this inhabited island and we’ll never talk about this plot line again. Aside from the fact that it’s stupid that this needs to be explained, it has some real flip the table moments for this. If it wasn’t already obvious for everyone in the beginning, the last episode already tells you who the mc will end up with.
Speaking of the last episode, well it just kind of ended. It was not a bad ending or anything it was just, well, there is more, but you need to read the source material.
The only thing I really enjoyed about the show were the ecchi moments and the occasional good comedy that made me chuckle.
Characters 3/10
Oh boy, well if you thought the story was bad, the characters are also quite bad. Not as bad as the story, but still pretty bad.
Kojou (mc): He is your typical nice guy, he says the typical nice things which instantly makes the girls uncontrollably wet, shaking their legs and drooling with lust because which girl wouldn’t if you tell her she looks good in that piece of clothing. Though seriously they all just fall for him for reasons I’ll list in a few moment. Like I previously mentioned he’s an op vampire, although he’s only op at the very last moment of every fight. It basically goes like this they fight the villain, Kojou is useless, Himeragi (the other mc) is holding her own, but they can’t defeat the villain so Kojou needs to get a power up, but he can’t get the power up because his familiars don’t see him as their master yet, because he hasn’t drank any blood. So obviously instead of just cutting the hand of the girl and drinking the blood, he needs to get excited, so the girls OBVIOUSLY need to undress, make out and then he can drink their blood (note that although I’m saying this very sarcastically these were the only real moments I enjoyed). He then gets his power up and defeats the villain. Now note that his power up becomes completely useless against the next villain because every fucking familiar only works on the specific villain that he needs to face at that time, because you know plot convenience.
On to the other characters we have:
Himeragi: The girl who will beat up Kojou for perverted things that weren’t even his fault. She’s also a good fighter who can hold her own. Initially she seemed to be one of the only 2 characters who weren’t bland, but her personality basically stays the same throughout the show just like all the other characters and besides holding her own in a fight, I don’t really see any real personality traits.
Asagi: The blond (Best) girl who’s the only one with a sort of personality and actually tries to further her romance, which makes you root for her, but because of plot convenience that progression comes to a halt and we all know that the best girl never ends up with MC (so fuck!!!!!).
Little sister: She is in there because we need a cute sister. She has a “tragic” backstory for one scene, but this is never really expanded upon, so you can forget about it since her being in the show wouldn’t have made any difference. Also one of the very few girls that don’t want to fuck Kojou. (No incestual she’s actually not blood related moments here. Surprising honestly).
Loli teacher: Because we need a loli teacher. She’s competent in fighting whenever the plot needs her to be and is very serious. She is also not interested in Kojou (as far as I can tell).
Tsundere girl: The ponytail girl who likes Kojou, but can’t admit it. She has some cute moments and surprisingly doesn’t come in between the relationship of the other (on purpose).
Nice princess(?) girl: Who just wants to make advances on Kojou because???
Childhood friend: because we need a childhood friend and she likes Kojou because he’s her childhood friend. I know that doesn’t make any sense, but just go with it.
There are 4 other sort of important side characters, but we don’t care about them. To sum it up, there is a maid girl with no personality, the sort of oni-chan girl, the gay OP guy who only fights when it’s convenient for the plot and that other male character that seemed important, but wasn’t really.
The villains were your typical villain of the week spread out over 3-4 episodes. They weren’t memorable in the least. Sure they had some motives, but they were all really forgettable, hell they weren’t even threatening. There was not one time I felt like any of the characters where in any real danger, I don’t mean in a plot armor kind of way, but there was just no tension in the fights. Sure there were some close calls, but you always knew it wasn’t the end for them.
Overall none of the characters where really interesting or had any real development except for the best girl, Asagi. But at least all the girls were really cute and none of them were annoying well except for Himeragi when she hits Kojou for no reason. Especially when it’s not even a misunderstanding…
Animation 6/10
The animation was pretty solid overall, especially the fight scenes even though the fight’s became pretty repetitive over time, but that doesn’t have anything to do with the animation which they did a pretty good job on. Like I mentioned before the girls were also really cute so ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) I mean uhm the art style is really nice, though girls tend to look a bit similar apart from hair style.
Sound 6/10
I honestly don’t recall any ost aside from the song at the end of a fight and I can’t be bothered to listen to the ost, so I’ll just judge it mostly on the opening and ending which were both pretty good. The 2nd opening actually made the series seem better than it was.
Enjoyment 4/10
As you could probably tell, I did not enjoy this anime very much. I went into this expecting this to be just a popcorn ecchi flick that would be 12 episodes, but instead I got THIS thing that for some reason exists and recently even got 2 ova’s. That actually had the ecchiness I was searching for.
Overall 4/10
I feel like this series just lacks a plot, it could have been something more if it actually used its plot elements, expanded on the world and actually tried to do something original with it. The best thing about this show is the stereotypes and ecchi scenes which is obviously not a good thing. It’s definatly not the worst thing I’ve seen, but it could’ve been a lot better. I wouldn’t really recommend this show to anyone you’re better of watching dxd or testament.
ShionxChan
"This is my review," "No senpai, this is our review!~" Okay, okay, Yukina. I get it, I get it. This is OUR review. -COUGH- Ahem. Anyway, let's get down to business. How do I describe Strike The Blood? I feel Strike The Blood was one of the best animes this winter. While other people found it quite mediocre, or annoying at times. Which, yes, I do agree that line did get annoying but I was able to ignore it because the plot drilled me into the series. I've enjoyed the character growth within the show. Some characters are unfortunately hated, but I'll give a summary of why I enjoyedthis series.
You have Kojou Akatsuki, the male protagonist. Who is a vampire, he struggles every day life whether it is selfish or not to keep living a normal life then he gets wrapped up in dangerous things. I felt like his character grew with Yukina, while a lot of people may hate her but the reasons for her behavior is quite reasonable in my opinion; considering she didn't know how to socialize or know how to act like a normal human being. She was able to understand more being around Kojou.
I also enjoy the fact that this series didn't just FOCUS on Kojou and Yukina. I found the other cast got a decent amount of screen time as well. There wasn't many characters that annoyed me except for one, but I liked the consistency of the show; while the show has been done many times and isn't completely original. I loved the fact that Yukina wasn't in the same school as Kojou just to observe him, she was in another school. I would go into more, but I don't want to spoil for those who haven't gave it ago. This was just a fun series to experience this year; that made me want more and more.
So for the story, I will give an 8. Only because, I feel like there is a lot of things missing that need to be answered. This score will change if there is a second season.
And characters I will give a 7, their personalities meshed very well with the series and I loved how they all interacted with each other. It's like you can feel part of their group. I also enjoy the fact all of them got a good amount of screen time, though I wish Motoki got a little bit more than he had. He was amazing, and I can't stop thinking about Alvin from Tales of Xillia when I look at Motoki. I swear, those two look alike. OKAY, OKAY, back on topic. XD. I just hope if we get a second season, we'll get into more details about everyone's past lives since with the series being rather short and with so much going on, they didn't have time to fill in gaps about their pasts. This way I can really understand the characters at their full potential.
The art was crisp and clean, it was pretty to look at. However, they could've done without the green outlining or bright colors that may hurt the eyes at times. I think that was my only beef with the art other than it looking pretty. So I will give the animation a 8. Only because the animation sort of looked blurred at times which I hope they fix in the next season if there is one. I don't know how well the sales have been for this series, but I do plan to buy so it can work its way into a second series.
I found the sound tracks amazing, mainly the opening and endings. The sound track itself wasn't really memorable except when shit was about to go down. I only liked some of the soundtracks; so the sound I will give a 7.
Enjoyment? Well, what can I say? It was a fun ride while it lasted. It was sad to see this series end. I've written a review about this show before but unfortunately my comment had gotten removed so I am rewriting this. My overall enjoyment was 9.
I've already gave a review how I felt about the characters and another thing I like to add. I like how there wasn't TOO much fighting over the main male; and that Yukina didn't beat him up all the time, she scolded him yes a couple of times but she didn't take it too far like most tsunderes do. So I give Yukina quite a lot of props. I enjoyed that she didn't question much of Kojou and instead, trusted the guy. So despite what people may say about Yukina, I give her quite a bit of respect than most main females. Although, my main favorites were Sayaka and La Folia. : D OKAY,BEFORE I GET TOO RAMBLING ABOUT THIS ANIME.
Overall, I give it a 9 out of 10.
-v-
Forgive me, I suck at reviews. :'D
mercury1980
"This is our fight" - Yukina Himeragi Now, we're down to the last 2-cour fall anime I watched "Strike the Blood". This anime is produced by Silver Link who produced the comedy "Baka & test" which I enjoyed a lot. This anime is directed by Hideyo Yamamoto. STORY (5): The story follows Akatsuki Kojou, who became the 4th primogenitor, 3 months ago, after the original spirit of the 4th primogenitor come into Kojou's body. The 4th primogenitor is said to be the strongest vampire in the world and is accompanied by 12 familiars. When the government and Lion King organization received news on the 4th primogenitor, they ordereda Sword Shaman known as Yukina Himeragi, to find the 4th primogenitor and take the 4th primogenitor down.
That's basically the intro of the story, and what you're going to expect from there on are a bunch of misunderstandings, action scenes and wacky situations in soon.
The story covers 7 chapters of the light novel. In fact, I researched that the light novel has 10 chapters.
The story starts off as interesting but as each chapter goes by, it keeps going more downhill. It is due to the fact that too many characters are introduced. I will get to the characters section later.
ART (6):
The character designs are good and the animation is good. In fact, the action scenes are cool.
SOUND (6):
I liked the 1st and 2nd opening. The 1st opening is the name of the title itself. It was sang by Kishida Kyodan. The 2nd opening is "Fight 4 Real" by Altima. the 2nd opening is very energetic and lively. I also liked the 1st ending "Strike my soul" by Yuka Iguchi especially the 2nd ending "Signal" by Kanon Wakeshima. The 2nd ending "Signal" has a more relaxing and smooth tone than compared to the other songs.
CHARACTER (4):
The biggest downfall with the show is the characters. The characters are real but they did not have enough depth to them. The problem with the anime is that every chapter, they introduce many characters. Because of that, the value of the character diminishes. It is just like in a workplace, if there are too many people in the workplace, the work and productivity gets less and less.
Most girls like to bang on Akatsuki Kojou like Yuuma, la Folia and even Sayaka.
Asagi Aiba & La Folia are the most interesting characters but sadly, they didn't have enough material for them to work on.
Dimitri Vatler was an interesting character but sadly he didn't have much time for his development.
When Nina possesses Asagi, Asagi manages to become a better character.
Yukina Himeragi is jealous when Akatsuki Kojou is around with different girls. Yukina Himeragi says "Senpai" just like Mirai Kuriyama from Beyond the Boundary. The difference is that Yukina Himeragi's tone of voice is more serious. Both characters are voiced by Risa Taneda.
Sayaka Kirasaka is your typical tsundere. Normally when Akatsuki Kojou does something nasty, she gets angry and hits him.
Are you serious? Why do I see this in most harem anime? When a guy does something wrong, a girl beats him up.
Sayaka is the most annoying girl out of the bunch. Normally, tsunderes are my least favorite girls in anime. In fact, tsunderes are the most overused characters in anime.
This is why I said that the problem with this anime is that it introduces a lot of girls and that these girls have not enough material to work with.
CONCLUSION (5):
Silver Link made a great comedy Baka & Test. But after making "Strike the blood", I am starting to worry about Silver Link because they run out of interesting ideas from there.
Strike the Blood unfortunately suffers from the same problem as Sword Art Online in the sense that Sword Art Online introduces too many characters that the value of characters diminish.
If you want me to care about the characters, you need to work on their relationships rather than introduce too many characters.
This anime had interesting opening and ending theme. It had great animation. However, the animation and the opening and ending theme didn't save the show.
The story was cliched especially the characters.
Unfortunately, I didn't come in with a 4 in mind. So, I give this anime a 5 out of 10.
trustnoone
So this anime is a typical sort of harem (romancey) action, magic futurey type anime, which sort of reminds me of things like a certain magical index and even rosario + vampire. So the good: Its fun to watch, if you enjoy anime like raildex, or harem action it has the typical funny ecchi scenes you see when the character accidentally does something pervy. It has awesome action with cool magic effects, and its proper action where people bleed and get hurt. I found the characters quite fun to watch, with varying personalities that you see on a typical harem. The story line had quite a fewarcs, a lot of which are done quite well explaining everything thats going on compared to other anime which either breezes through the story line for the action, or screws up the action doing nothing but story and text. The action scenes also feel really interesting and fun to watch and character development although a little low is quite good.
The not as good:
The biggest problem with the anime is how typical it is to others, the action harem ecchi plot is the exact same as you would see in any other harem ecchi action. The character personalities are the exact same as normal anime of that genre and the biggest problem is it doesn't do much different, they attack difficult enemies, theres a few romancey like themes, and its all really the same.
Conclusion:
Honestly even though the anime doesn't deviate to others of that particular genre I friggen loved it, it felt fresh and new considering the character personalities are used so much. I was engaged more so in this anime then a lot of others I've seen. The arcs I felt was done really well in the anime, with none of them feeling like they ended too quickly or too slowly except the last one. And its something I really wanted to watch, something where I felt on the edge of my seat, I enjoyed my whole time and nothing too huge happened on the plot that would put me off from watching it.
TLDR
If you enjoy typical harem, action romancey, ecchi anime with magic, and demons and stuff, you will probably love this anime. If you don't though this anime probably won't be on the top of your list of anime to watch.
DatDamnPR
This series has become one of my all-time faves! It's not just about the lead male who happens to be a vampire, though it does seem to lean towards the harem side at times. It is centered around the entire cast of characters. Though it's not the most original, the storyline is pretty great, and it flows smoothly. The way it is portrayed and developed is very unique. Even though it gets side tracked at times due to romance. Each and every episode continued to draw me in, and were entertaining! The development of the characters is very well done, and the relationships between thosecharacters are well defined! The series has a ton of action, but has its fair share of fan service as most series do. The art in this series is excellent, and there are very well placed comedic scenes that don't interrupt the flow. Overall, it's a very well rounded series. Though I secretly hope for more episodes....
Dai_Kina
I rarely say that easily but that anime is epic and full of quality ! I've watched the 24 episodes one shot ,eating in front of it ,skipping sleeping hours because each episode end made me have the urge to watch the next one.I've rarely been so much into an anime ,this one is definitely one of my favorite one ! Let's examine it : Story (8) : The story can sound classical for some peoples ,but for my own I find it original and really interesting.It's about a guy ,the MC ,which inherits the power of an ancient vampire ,a really powerful one.At the beginningthe MC was just a normal guy with a normal life ,but that incident totally changed his life.Now he's a vampire with incredible latent powers...and a strong tendency for nose bleeding every time he's a little aroused :3 .Than came a girl who'll change his already not-so-normal life and turn it into an even-more-not-so-normal life...So nice of her...And so it's with that nice duo that the story begin.I'm not gonna tell you everything about the plot of course ,but for me it was a really interesting one.The world itself is interesting with all of those not-human peoples ,that city full of "monsters" living more or less together ,the story is interesting ,the MC progression is nice to follow.Nah really ,that story is excellent.
Art (9) : Perfect.I can't say anything else.The characters are awesomely made ,it's really colored ,actions are really well made and fast paced ,the ecchi scene are...*nosebleed*...Emmm sorry for that.The only little thing which is ,for me ,the little black spot on this pure white canvas (And there is nothing racist in that !) is that the main girl and the MC's little sister really look like the sames.I've spent so much time asking myself "Is she he sister or the other one?" and had so much hard time for differencing them.That's the only thing I can reprove about the chara design.
Sound (8) : Two fucking awesome opening ! If you like rock-like japanese songs than you'll love those opening.The OST of the anime is really great too and feat perfectly with each kind of situation in it.
Characters (8) : A MC that I'm so jealous about because he's a vampire and is surrounded by so cute girls.But he have a lot of style so I half pardon him.The girl MC which look totally like the MC's sister but stay really cute...Even if she often ruin the epicness of some battle with her punchline "No senpai..It's OUR fight !".Oh god ,how many time have I said to myself "Shut up please and let him fight alone this time !".Of course with that duo you will find ,the kind-of childhood friend (which remind me a lot Lucy from fairy tail sometimes) secretly in love for the MC (Aaaah classical ,why are you classical) ,the tsundere (*-*) who often help the MC even if she doesn't do that for him ,it's just a coincidence ,it's clearly not because she like him or something like that ! (How much I love tsun-tsun when they say that with a red blushing face *-*).You'll find a goth-loli sensei too (so cute *-*) who look really close to the MC for some obscur reasons.so yea the characters are many and a lot of them are interesting or touching.
Conclusion : That anime have everything I like.It have action ,it have ecchi ,it have love triangle/harem style love ,it have a strong and interesting plot ,some mysteries ,it have a lot of great combats with flashy powerful attack ,it have vampire and others creatures of all kind.You like those kind of thing? You really like all of those things?...Then why are you still reading me?! Go watch that anime right know and enjoy ,you baka ! >:3
ZinxSter
*THIS REVIEW FREE OF SPOILERS* I'm a beginner here so don't expect much from me. I just find this anime by messing with the search function and interested to watch it. Since all of the aspect is awesome, I don't hold it back now. Story 9/10 I like the story but some part are make me disappointed, really disappointed. But I like the fight part, it like written very good. And I also didn't really bothered by fanservices, I just enjoy all of it. Not many complains from me for the story but I hope they write the story more better if they want to make second season. Art10/10
The art is so nice, I never seen any art like this before, it just like very colourful and the character is nice, even some scene the character hands, or legs, or maybe head is ugly, no complain from me anyway.
Sound 10/10
OP and ED of this anime isn't very bad, I ever saw more worst OP and ED anime. The character voice is nice too, the fight scene sound is nice too, well no complain from me either.
Character 10/10
Character development is very important here, but I not very bothered to score it though. But I didn't have any complain so let's move on.
Enjoyment 10/10
Yeah, you can say I really enjoyed this show. When I watch some episodes last day, I just thought "Am I force myself to watch this?" and after I completed this, I got the answer, it was no. I didn't force myself anyway, I just enjoyed the show.
Overall 10/10
Not much I gonna say here but I really like almost all aspect of this anime, so I think this will be enough, so see you later.
ErenxMikasa
I'm not sure why MAL didn't tag this also as harem, but it probably deserves that tag too. So I guess I'll start off with the part that I enjoyed the most from this anime, and it was the art style. Since I'm not an art person, I'm not sure if I'm even using that terminology correctly, but I liked the character designs and how everything else is drawn in general and that was the biggest reason I kept watching. The OST was good, there's one track off the top of my head that I really like, but in general while watching I never thought to myselfthat I disliked the OST.
My one main gripe was that the main character kept getting his limelight stolen from him. I don't need the main character to save the day all by himself all the time, but it'd be nice if he would beat at least one bad guy by himself.
TheangryRogue
Strike the Blood seems your typical Vampire story. Plenty of female to bite on. Plenty of fights and even more romance that no one seems to realize is there. Seriously though. It is obvious to us, but none of the characters progress beyond a "I like you a bit" point. What Strike the Blood does have that sets it a bit apart is it's own little world. Many animes have combined Technology and magic, but it's usually left in 2 separate worlds that interact with each other on an occasional basis. STB split that and threw it all into a nutshell the side of aman-made island.
Current summary based on the released season:
Pros- Animation and art are definitely current. Crisp images and clear battles make you understand the flow of the show. Aerial images clearly define what you are viewing without leaving a blob of grey in the corner to make up for time. The soundtrack wasn't half bad. Some re-used themes in the music from other animes of a similar genre, but not so much that you get bored with them.
Cons- Romance. It's there, but not enough. How can you expect a "Harem" anime to get away without any true romance? Not going to happen. Visual cues tell us some, but are not enough for a majority of the audience. There is no true background. Similar shows have had this issue with "Something bad happened to our main hero but we won't tell you what it was." Bakemonogatari is an example of this. With any luck they will work with this and make a second season that explains a bit more and introduces the Romance aspect into the anime more.
Cons - (Possible spoilers) Spoilers are against the rules, but some of my cons have to do with particular aspects of the anime. Please stop reading at this point if you have not watched the show yet: As stated before, there is plenty of room for advancement into a second season, but out ending (Post episode 24 credits) kind of kills that by giving too much away. The primary battle catchphrase. It took me a while, but it became part of the show. At some point she needed to butt out and let him do something without her.
(Possible spoiler cont.)
Final Con - Lack of character backgrounds on several of the primary females. It becomes well obvious in the last half of the show that Asagi is something special and non-human. Art choices to have a characters eyes glow or change color is an indication of this, but we are never told what it was. Kanase was completely ignored after her arcs expect for the casual pop in in random episodes. This happens for every character. We are given a 30 second explanation of who they are and then we dive into the story. A bit more would be helpful in this and could have expanded the arcs across more than just 3 or 4 episodes.
Overall - I liked the show for what it is and for what it lacks. I see room for improvement in a second season and wish the company the best of luck. Let's hope they review sites like these to see what it is that people want and need.
Kaou
I found the strong point in this series being the story. In the first few episodes, it was intriguing, and the story was progressing well. It presents a great deal of mystery and potential. The way the characters are introduced is clever, and each episode masterfully presents a captivating theme throughout, and ends with you desperately wanting to know what happens next. Sadly, as it moves on, and the harem aspect becomes more apparent, the story slowly dies. Instead of the action, fights, and moving moments, fan service becomes commonplace. As for character background, the only character with a fleshed out back story wouldbe Kojou. The flashbacks and pieces of his memories seem to evidently hide huge secrets and momentous events, yet the series keeps a veil of secrecy over his past the entire while. As for the other characters, most lacked a back story entirely. Despite being liable to having an enthralling past, the anime seemed to be hesitant to touch on any of it, and when it does, it usually ends with one scene, and never progresses whatsoever. The animation, however, is very good. The movements of the characters don't seem clumsy or unnatural and action is generally fluid. The varying BGM is played at appropriate scenes, and enhances the overall feeling of the scene. Overall, a good series.
RealityEater
This is going to be my first review in a long time and sorry for the gramatical mistackes i make. So a while ago when the anime was not still out i read the first couple of chapters of the manga.I think it was 6.I liked it soo much and when i heard that a anime is being made i stopped reading in order not to spoil it later.So lets begin: Story 4/10 The story starts interesting its about a boy called Akatsuki Kojou who 3 months ago became the 4th Progenitor the strongest vampire accompanied by 12 familliars.Well i expected a overpowered badass main character but itdidnt turn that way.So if you are looking for a such character this is not a show for you.I'm not saying he is weak or wimpy like some other characters but whenever there is a fight that woman (the main heroine) says ,,It's not only your fight its ours".So we never actualy see him going full power.As the story goes you will find your self more and more bored.One of the problems in the story is that after one arc finishes the second begins right away not leaving any space for the character development.
Art 7/10
The characters are well desinged and the battles are really well done.Thats about it.
Sound 5/10
The opening and the ending didnt really leave much impresion on me.I guess they were average.
Character 4/10
The problem with the characters is that they are intruduced quickly.I dont even remember the names of anyone of them exept the main guy.The villans were just evil for the sake of it and there wasnt much background for the characters.To put it simply they were there just for Kojou to take blood from them.
Enjoyment 6/10
The show wasnt entirely bad.If they made a little more efort in the plot and at least made it so that i could at least remember the character names it would have been one of the better animes i have watched.
Overall 5,2/10
Well if you have nothing to watch or a lot of free time i would reccomend this anime
Potaato
Coming into this anime, I had hopes to see something new or at least spectacular. I was, however, disappointed. Strike the Blood was one of those standard harem, action animes, but it was good in many aspects. Story: 7 Strike the Blood doesn't really have an overarching story line. It is very episodic with every arc ending with the famous phrase, "No senpai, this is our fight!" It is episodic in a sense that each arc doesn't really correlate that well with the other arcs, however, it is not episodic in the sense that each episode is a standalone. Most arcs are 4 episodes long, with afew exceptions. Each arc also ends with the introduction of more girls into our beloved main character's harem, and our MC gets even stronger. There is also the occasional blood sucking... but I'll get into that later.
Art: 8
Strike the Blood's art wasn't the best, but it wasn't bad either. Nice background stuff, the characters looked different, sort of, battle scenes looked cool, but a little repetitive towards the end. Overall good art, but not extraordinary.
Sound: 6
The OPs and the endings were not to my liking... at all. The other sounds were just fine, with one exception. The blood sucking scenes were just too much for me. The girls made an excessive amount of... weird? noises. I hope you guys know what I'm talking about because I'm not going into it any further.
Character: 7
The characters were likeable for the most part. The main character is cool as are the girls in his harem. This anime has most of the archetypes filled as well, including the middle school friend, the tsundere, and the outgoing girl. However, there was little character development for most of the characters, except for, of course, all of the girls developing feelings for the MC.
Enjoyment: 7
This was one of those animes where once the arc starts, you just want to finish it, but then you think to yourself that arcs aren't that long and so you watch another one and this goes on and on and on... Each individual arc is enjoyable, a little predictable but nonetheless enjoyable. Seeing the MC's power level go up through the series in also cool, but he does suffer from the "god-mode syndrome." Where, if he can't beat an antagonist, he powers up and beats him and this cycle repeats forever and ever and ever. It was good humored though and plenty of awkward/embarrassing scenes, as well as the funny scenes.
Overall: 7
This anime is like many, where you have to go in without a plan in mind and just go with the flow. I would recommend this anime is you don't want anything too serious and want to see the same sequence repeated over and over and over again. Barring the bad parts, this anime showed a good harem, with comedy and the occasional action scene.
RyokiJurushi
Strike the Blood is not the typical vampire anime, its not the apocalyptic universe of Hellsing and neither a unity like in vampire knight - it is another mixed approach on the almost untouched franchise. My Name is Ryoki and Welcome to my Review of the Anime Strike the Blood. This Review may contain minor, not plot relevant spoilers. If you dont like spoilers at all, then please scroll away. The Story has you follow the young highschooler Akatsuki Kojou, in the first minutes it appears like everything is normal right? wrong. Akatsuki lives on an island where magical beings from werewolf over vampires towitches exist. In this World there exist 3 uber-vampires which are called Progenitors, naturally as you can take from it - those are incredibly strong and warlords for the vampires. Akatsuki, though still denying it, is the fourth of them and thus also seen a threat for the human world. The Lion-Organisation, a council of specialiced magician, then decides to send her Disciple Yukina to watch him and is allowed to take actions against him should he try something stupid or become a too big threat. The story has an extremely good premise , unfortunately it is very predictible and doesnt have much clever twists - it shines though in emotional situations and fights - so it is very much up to your self to decide if you like it or not. I personally feel that Strike the Blood has about 5 main plotpoints that repeat in each arc:
-Kojou goes to school
-Kojou gets scolded by his teacher/friend
-Yukina tells him that she will always oversee him
-Kojou gets beaten down and drinks blood from a woman beside him and awakens a new familiar
-Kojou says his touching speach and Yukina her catchphrase in harmony with him and they defeat the enemy
Akatsuki Kojou personally is the typical failing highschooler that you know from other animes like Tokyo Ravens' Harutora for example. Beside his powers, that he had mysteriously obtained by the last progenitor - he is one that protects his friends.
Yukina on the other hand is our tsundere lead, sent by the lion organisation to observe Kojou. She keeps trail on him , searches for him when he's in danger and she is a sword shaman. A sword shaman is a shaman that not really supports many spirits but one and naturally she or he uses a bladed weapon like for Yukinas case ,,Schneewalzer'' the magical spear that cuts through all magic. You unfortunately dont get much background in the whole 24 episodes, there are really just a few scenes of kojous and yukinas past while much more things are explained about his friend Aiba and others. If you want to know more about them, you will certainly have to read the wiki.
The Art in Strike the blood gives you a wild ride, certainly. I loved the amazing fights and also the use of magic.My most favorite part is the angel transformation itself it is scary and also impressive - just as it would need to be. While I'd wish that the sound would be as good as the artstyle, it unfortunately lacked a lot behind , there was just a few times where there was real tension while the others just seemed to be simplistic.The first opening did its job well but the second one didnt seem a good choice to me, i wished it would have been a much more epic one.
Based on my opinion on story, art , sound , character and overall enjoyment -i issue Strike the blood a solid 7.
Better Stream it and wait before buying it , until you know that you really like the anime.I hope this review could you help with your choice a little.
Zaku88
Kojou, an ordinary human, is mysteriously transformed into one of the four strongest beings on the planet; it only makes sense for him to get a half dozen instant girlfriends right? Strike the Blood is an ecchi-based action/fantasy/harem that borders on something between Campione and Toaru Majutsu no Index. The underlying premise and harem aspects are similar to Campione and the protagonist and magic/technology-based setting is similar to that in Index. Unlike many other typical action harems, this show strikes a good balance between ecchi and action. Add in some chain-inducing cliffhangers with good overall plot cohesion and this starts to stand out from thepack. Despite some repetitively shonen aspects and countless ecchi accidents, the show still comes across as enjoyable. If you're looking for an ecchi-based harem with a bit of action, this is one of the better ones.
Animation:
The animation is well done. The show takes place on a floating island, a unique setting with a strange mix of technology, magic, and demons. The lighting creates a nice tense atmosphere when appropriate. Backgrounds are above average as are effects; I only noticed a few instances of CGI. The character styling is likewise very good. The show presents a wide range of female archetypes, though the tsundere personality is present in various flavors. Emotional details aren't as good as you'd expect from a full-on romance, but are present enough to give the characters greater depth than competing shows such as Aria the Scarlet Ammo and Maken-ki. Some of the girls are quite well endowed, especially considering their age. They also have a fairly good variety in their wardrobe, something nice given the duration of the show. There are certain drawing inconsistencies, though, where clothing mysteriously changes color. Minor faults aside, I was pleased at the variety and attention given to the many heroines.
This show has a substantial amount of action as well as ecchi. Kojou is an immortal vampire, but that doesn't mean the numerous antagonists won't try to take him down. Expect a lot of blood (fair game given the series' title) and a bit of gore as Kojou is hacked, impaled, and otherwise "killed". As the series progresses, he gains control over various familiars, which are powerful summoned beings. The ability is very similar to that of the protagonist in Campione, though the actual familiars remind me quite a bit of the personas in Persona 4. Expect a lot of action with decent choreography and lots of effects. Some of the attacks do get a bit old given that the heroines all only have one signature move. Speaking of the heroines, expect them to be constantly abused by Kojou. Whether it is an accidental fondling or unintentional cleavage glance, he is constantly getting in trouble with various girls. What sets this series apart is the level of physical confirmation in the character relationships. Expect a fair amount of skin rubbing, suggestive positions, kissing, and neck biting (with expected hentai-level utterances). Whether you're looking for a thriller or an ecchi show with some actual romance, this has you covered.
Sound:
The show has 2 OPs and 2 EDs. The first rock based OP is a fitting, fast paced work with a fair melody. It blends very well with the slightly slower, rock based ED. The vocal melody is only average, but the intro guitar melody is catchy. The second pair of OP/ED is slightly darker in tonality. The OP is very distinctively Altima; it really reminds me of Accel World. The ED is the only slow piece you'll find in the entire series; it works really well as a cool down from the action in the show. The show's BGM is supportive but only fair overall, with only a few memorable tracks.
The VA work is well done in the show. Large props to Yoshimasa Hosoya for creating a more proactive yet still lazy version of Touma from Index. Many of the female VAs also do a really great job. Risa Taneda, Asami Seto, Ikumi Hayama, and Hisako Kanemoto all do an outstanding job in their respective roles. All the gals feel distinct despite sharing some tsundere elements. If I had any complaints in this category, it would be against the script rather than the VAs. The extremely long attack-prepping names are quite annoying and reminiscent of Code Breaker. Likewise, certain lines are repeated to the extent that my ears wanted to bleed.
Story:
This is where things get a bit complicated. As in Campione, it follows a "rising star" who, with the assistance of his ever-growing harem, manages to fight off successive arcs of forgettable villains. And like Toaru, the main story progresses while giving hints that larger, unknown, forces are at work. So yes, this is a harem. But it is one that also integrates a relatively deep and intricate story.
The show is broken down into consecutive arcs that build upon each other. Though some arcs are clearly better than others, expect a lot of action and cliffhangers in all of them. Each arc has its own rising action, climax, and resolution. Typically, the resolution includes a nice dosage of ecchi to round out the action. The arcs don't feel like they get any more important as the story progresses, so don't expect the importance of the arcs to increase. If anything, the final arc is in itself a conclusion, giving a sneak peak of the future. It's a really good way to end the series on a positive note.
This show borrows a lot of themes and concepts found in other shows. However, it integrates them well into a uniform, mostly-cohesive plot line that is well executed. Never did I feel that the ecchi was overkill, and likewise the action was never overwhelmingly dominant. Yes, there are definitely plot holes. Yes there are definitely incredulous moments where Kojou is miraculously saved by mysterious forces. Despite these, the show still resonates positively for me.
There is definitely some chatter about whether there will be a sequel. The fact that there are so many unanswered questions and the feeling that Kojou is just a pawn in a greater scheme do seem to lend well to a second season. However, it's going to be hard to top what they did in the last arc for a conclusion.
Character:
Kojou stands out positively among harem protagonists. Despite his god status, he never feels quite as all-powerful or dominant as the protagonist in Campione. Yet he is forced to fight for the island and what he believes is right, finally accepting his power with the help of the guiding Yukina. I will admit that he still is a bit slow when it comes to romance.
As for the girls, they have a wide range of personalities but all develop feelings for Kojou. Some of the girls are well developed, Yukina in particular. Others could have used a bit more exposition. The slow descent towards infatuation felt very natural with Yukina. With some of the other girls, they somehow went from "I hate you" to "Please feast on my blood" within a span of a few minutes. This is partly negated by the fact that the girls are often involved in conflict over Kojou, often in a subtle way; complicated no doubt by their relationships with each other. This depth of relationships was pretty fun to explore.
I typically don't like shows that involve a large number of supporting characters. This show is one of the few exceptions; supporting characters are well utilized and often play key roles in various arcs. Some of the supporting characters have unknown goals, creating an additional dimension where you have to guess whether they will assist or hinder Kojou. Really, the only annoyances in this category are the boilerplate antagonists and the fact that the city seems to overlook the hundreds of secret-service-like agents getting slaughtered seemingly nightly.
Value:
I thoroughly enjoyed this show. I felt the pacing was just right with intense action flowing smoothly into light-hearted ecchi. The protagonist is strong, but not so strong that you'd immediately put the "invincible" label on him. His relationships with the girls are enjoyable, and the overall story is well executed. While this show definitely has its share of faults, I feel that it was a much more complete package than many other ecchi-based action/harems. Definitely give this show a try, and try to go one arc at a time lest you enjoy the agony of ending on a cliffhanger.
