Black Blood Brothers Complete Series [eps 1-12] [DVD]

As an avid anime fan I personally really enjoyed watching "Black Blood Brothers" and think some of the other reviews have been rather harsh. I think it is a fresh take on the vampire genre as opposed to other shows like Hellsing, which is excellent but the anime does'nt allow you to fully get to know the characters where as this one does.
The plot is engaging and has many twists along the way to keep you on the edge of your seat and the main protagonist; Jiro is a memorable and likeable character who has to care for his younger brother Kotaro.
There is some great animation and the action scenes are entertaining and exciting, also the English dub was one of the best I've heard.
As for the final episode; it is left slightly open-ended but that did'nt hinder my enjoyment of the anime as a whole, but it does leave you wanting more.
If you are a fan of anime Vampires I encourage you to buy this, you certainly won't be disappointed.

I wont waste your time by going over what has already been said in the other review of this series.

I would also like to make it clear that I agree with everything that has been said in the other review- this is a very fun, action packed and good value for your money series that you will no doubt watch again and again for many years to come.......

however, there is one rather large problem with this series that the other reviewer failed to mention- it doesnt offer anything in terms of closure, it just sort of... ends. Almost none of the many issues raised in previous episodes are settled or solved by the end of the final episode.

It is clear that they had originally intended to make a second season of BBB but as of yet it doesnt look as though they are actually producing more episodes!..... so this could be all there is.....

in my opinion, the final verdict is-

If you dont mind an ending that really DOESNT END ANYTHING then by all means buy this set, its great value for money (all 12 eps!) and what there is of it is great fun to watch!

I leave the decision to you. thanks for reading.

A decade has passed since the brutal war between humans, vampires and the infectious new breed of bloodsuckers; the Kowloon Children. From this war, there emerged a hero, Jiro Mochizuki, who is revered as one of the most powerful vampires (or black bloods) and bears the title of 'silver blade'. Now in the present day, Jiro and his brother Kitaro set off for the special zone, which is a peaceful area where vampires and human's co-exist. However, the deadly Koloon Children are restricted from entering due to their vampiric bite turning someone into one of their own instantaneously. However, when the special zone manages to get breached by this deadly strain of vampires, all hell breaks loose. After defeating many of the Kowloon children in the war, Jiro takes it upon himself to rid the special zone of them once and for all, while protecting his brother at all costs. With the help of human - vampire negotiator Mimiko Katsuragi, Jiro also tries to determine the true motives behind the Kowloon Childrens' actions.

After being fairly unimpressed with the cult classic vampire anime Hellsing, I had pretty lo expectations for this one. However, despite Jiro and Arucard looking uncannily similar, that is as far as the similarities go for each series. For starters, Black Blood Brothers is not as dark as Hellsing and is far more down to earth. BBB spoils the viewer with a great blend of action, blood n guts and drama. Jiro is a well created protagonist that recieves some nice characterisation and backstory throughout the series. As for the other characters; some of them are quite forgettable, but Momiko Katsuragi is a nice counter balance for our brooding lead. Her lighthearted and spunky nature often grounds the show and makes for some fun moments. Furthemore, in the english dub, she is voiced by Colleen Clinkenbeard who is pretty well known in the anime communit for voicing characters such as Hawkeye and Rose from Fullmetal Alchemist, Yuko from xxxholic and Luffy from the funimation dub of One Piece.

As for plot, BBB is pretty intriguing as it often digresses into flashbacks which show relationships between Jiro and the antagonist for the series, Cassandra Jill Warlock. The way that the story progresses leaves the viewer in the dark about what the Kowloon children's motives are for most of the series. While the first part of the series is good, the true meat of the story is in the last 4 episodes.

The DVD collection contains all 12 episodes of Black Blood Brothers over 3 discs. With these discs, you get the opportunity to watch in either English or Japanese with English subs. Personally, I watched the English dub as it contained a star studded cast (of the anime world ^^), like the aforementioned Colleen Clinkenbeard and also Luci Christian as Cassandra (who plays Kaname Chidori on Fullmetal Panic, Asuna on Negima and Wrath on Fullmetal Alchemist) and J Michael Tatum as the Silver Blade Jiro (who plays Domeki in xxxholic and Toma in Aquarion)

If you enjoy vampire animes then this may appeal to you. An anime that I watched in one day, Black Blood Brothers is compelling and at the same time, easy to watch. With truly astounding fight sequences and a fiery, revenge fuelled storyline, Black Blood Brothers will appeal to anyone looking for a rollercoaster thrill ride. In retrospect Black Blood Brothers is an entertaining action, horror romp with plenty of bite with it's bark.