Opening Theme:

“Spiral” by DUSTZ

Ending Theme:

“Junketsu Paradox” by Nana Mizuki

A new CLAMPified version of Blood, here are some first impressions.

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We start off the new blood series with a long monologue asking whether people are born as ‘it’ or is ‘it’ something they become.

The story starts and we get our first look at our CLAMPified Saya, apart from the OP. First thoughts are that they’ve made her a klutz who can’t walk two steps without falling on her head or crashing into something. Anyway her father greets her after her morning rituals and asks if she was able to grasp the ‘light’ during the ritual, but she wasn’t. Seems that that light might be an omen but she is told not to worry about it and she quickly rushes off to get a meal in before school and we find out that Saya’s father’s name is Tadayoshi.

After a long song on the way to school, we are introduced to some of Saya’s classmates. There’s a very responsible looking girl named Yuka, their class rep called Tomofusa, twins who we don’t get the names of, their teacher Kanako and some ‘I’m not bothered’ person called Tokizane. Also Saya’s full name is Kisaragi Saya if anyone was wondering.

During P.E. Saya shows off her great athletic abilities and we also get a little background information about her. Her dad works as a priest and her mum died when she was in primary school. The guy who cooked her breakfast is called Fumito.

As soon as Saya arrives home she is given her sword and told to slay a monster that they had predicted would arrive.

So Saya heads to the spot and meets the monster, basically a random statue floating on water. Her sword doesn’t do much damage it until it unleashes its ‘claws’ which is when Saya tricks it and deals a well aimed stab to its weak spot. But she gets pummelled badly as she loses her sword until after some quick thinking she gets her weapon back and slices the statue apart contaminating a nice river in statue blood.

Thoughts:

So a relatively slow start, not much in terms of setting an overall plot, but that’s expected as much. In fact this episode was so slow that they had time to slot in a song by Saya as she skipped to school. It did set the scene nicely and introduce us to some of the more important characters plus some minor characters who I assume to be a few of Saya’s schoolmate, who may likely get in her way and die. Not to be pessimistic but I would actually like to see that happen…

No big ‘villains’ except obviously those ‘things’ so no one to fight against yet, but it has given us a few of what I’d call nudges but I won’t predict anything at this early stage.

It was nice that we did get to see some action at the end. But I was hoping for more, though because of the overall slow start I guess it did fit in. However I’d have been happier to have started Saya in a huge fight scene. That said I don’t actually know the storyline so perhaps having her in a large fight scene is impossible.

In any case I found the fight to be rather hilarious, a moving statue… it’s probably just the face, makes it the thing seem depressed and the exact opposite of seriousness.

Onto the music now. I think quite a few people will have recognised the singer of the ending theme. It had to be Nana Mizuki, I do enjoy her songs and putting her music on this vampire related anime suits her well as she’s always been rather dark and gothic. What didn’t fit well was the ending animation sequence, it was a tad too relaxed for a relatively energetic song that could’ve easily been put as the opening. I mean, was it that hard to at least put some moving pictures at the end? I’d prefer to see Saya do something rather than standing or sitting randomly in places.

Now the opening, I quite liked it until the horrendous English started and made me dislike it. Quite simply the singer’s ridiculous pronunciation ruined the song, but I have to say the animation quality is definitely good.  Although it could’ve been used in a better way as the opening sequence was just your typical run through of characters including a very overused scene of having them stand whilst a convenient wind blows their hair about and then there were a few quick fight scenes included. Nothing too original there.

Well the episode overall was quite a nice easing into the anime and the CLAMP long limbs style… The animation is nicely done, I think the only thing I hate is Saya’s hair, they look like two giant mops, I’m sure she has enough hair for at least 3 people on that head and it doesn’t look nice… but apart from that I’m pretty happy with the anime’s first impressions.