Blood-C (CLAMP x Production IG)

[Eisdrache]

Watched ep1 for now.

The school uniforms have chains. Weirdest accessory ever. Also

>twins
>homeroom teacher needs clothes
>giant mass of hair
>shooting basket balls over half the field in the net what
>for a stage 1 boss it was pretty strong. Approved!

[Fran~]

Unique school uniforms, weird accesories, twins, hot teachers, giant masses of hair....

all of that is Clamp's trademark.

[hanashi]

Originally Posted by Eisdrache

Watched ep1 for now.

The school uniforms have chains. Weirdest accessory ever. Also

>twins
>homeroom teacher needs clothes
>giant mass of hair
>shooting basket balls over half the field in the net what
>for a stage 1 boss it was pretty strong. Approved!

Lol. I'm pretty sure this is a reboot, but the length of Saya's giant mess of hair reminds me of Otonashi Saya's hair after she woke up.

Edit: Oh, you wrote 'mass of hair.' haha, I'm keeping my phrasing, though.

[Triple_R]

I've enjoyed the first two episodes, but I hope that this "monster of the week" format, where it's generally cheerful slice of life school time followed up by a gorey gripping action scene in some remote location doesn't keep up too much longer.

It makes for very nice visuals, but as others have mentioned, it lacks a certain context and depth that can make you wonder "what's the point?" if it continues for too long.

I also actually find it slightly unnerving how upbeat and cheerful Saya is during the daytime in spite of the rather gruesome battles she engages in on a nightly basis it seems. Not saying she should be angst-ridden or anything that severe, but it feels a bit off for her to be acting like she's in the land of innocence and rainbows and lollipops.

Kind of weird to get flustered at the idea of a kiss when you just sliced a giant grotesque goblin's head straight off of his blood-spurting neck just the night before.

[hanashi]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

It makes for very nice visuals, but as others have mentioned, it lacks a certain context and depth that can make you wonder "what's the point?" if it continues for too long.

I also actually find it slightly unnerving how upbeat and cheerful Saya is during the daytime in spite of the rather gruesome battles she engages in on a nightly basis it seems. Not saying she should be angst-ridden or anything that severe, but it feels a bit off for her to be acting like she's in the land of innocence and rainbows and lollipops.

I'm really enjoying the pace and all the little details. I pick up something new every time I watch. I'm also really impressed by how much detail and thought have been put into their facial expressions and body language. The animation isn't flashy, but it's very well done. As a side note, I wondered why the OP unsettled me a little when I watched it and I just realized that everyone in it is staring at the viewer. Even when the characters move, their eyes stay locked on you. That explains why Kanako-sensei was so startled. Her chalk is about to hit you. Some of the odd camera angles also make sense.

I hope we find out more about Saya next ep, and not just about the furukimono (Sorry, I can't call them elder bairns. wtf is up that naming?! It's either a spoiler or a ridiculous translation and I don't know which would irritate me more.) You're right about the cognitive dissonance being slightly creepy. The level of dissociation between the two Sayas almost reminds me of a sociopath. She's not ignoring it, she isn't thinking about it at all. That's why I thought we were dealing with a Saya that either has split personalities or has lost all her memories, but it looks like she's all there. Well, she's missing something, judging from the flashing light, but I don't think it's her memories.

Ugh, I just had a thought. I really hope this is CLAMP rewriting the Blood universe. Because if this Saya is immortal and the only one who can fight the elder beasties, my brain just said "What if Saya is her mother?" As in "Your mother died fighting the furukimono," as in married to her father once upon a time, as in where's my brain-bleach? Even CLAMP wouldn't do that, right?

Lastly, I want to know how Tokizane knows about Saya.

[Guido]

Up to the second episode, the story has not yet advanced forward, and the only information we got is...

Spoiler:

... 1. The furukimono have been for a while in the world, eating away people.

... 2. Saya's mother was the previous owner of the Goshintou katana, which she used to hunt for the furukimono.

... 3. The prologue for the second episode hinted at unseen and yet-to-be-introduced players that suggest they know about Saya and her night escapades.

So far, the show has been bipolar. On one hand, we're shown Saya's merry, happily lifestyle at the village from early morning until dusk, attending everday classes and befriended her classmates, and even her fellow townspeople.

Nobody has a clue or imagines that the seemingly sweet Saya at night becomes a hunter, a living nightmare for the creatures that literally lurk in the night.

This Blood-C feels like CLAMP's version and take on Buffy going Japanese with the conventions of the anime and warrior girl infused within Saya, which is not a bad thing.

Spoiler:

But for the third episode, some of her classmates would be accidentally getting involved in Saya's night outs against the furukimono, beginning with interesting developments for the plot.

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by hanashi

I'm really enjoying the pace and all the little details. I pick up something new every time I watch. I'm also really impressed by how much detail and thought have been put into their facial expressions and body language. The animation isn't flashy, but it's very well done.

Yeah, I can agree with that, and I especially agree on the animation quality. I have no problem with the pacing, per se.

I hope we find out more about Saya next ep, and not just about the furukimono.

Agreed.

You're right about the cognitive dissonance being slightly creepy. The level of dissociation between the two Sayas almost reminds me of a sociopath. She's not ignoring it, she isn't thinking about it at all.

Precisely. I see only three possibilities here:

1. She's utterly desensitized to brutal violence, and hence she just sees it as another part of her daily routine. Kind of like showering and eating her breakfast in the morning.

2. She's so traumatized by it that she's just putting it completely out of her mind during daylight hours. In which case, she's likely heading for a severe mental breakdown if she keeps doing this much longer...

3. She really does have split personality disorder.

I'm not sure which of the three possibilities I'm most comfortable with. They're all somewhat discomforting. I guess the 1st possibility would be the best for Saya.

Well, she's missing something, judging from the flashing light, but I don't think it's her memories.

Ugh, I just had a thought. I really hope this is CLAMP rewriting the Blood universe. Because if this Saya is immortal and the only one who can fight the elder beasties, my brain just said "What if Saya is her mother?" As in "Your mother died fighting the furukimono," as in married to her father once upon a time, as in where's my brain-bleach? Even CLAMP wouldn't do that, right?

There's not much I'd put past CLAMP when it comes to unconventional romantic relationships...

Sad thing is, your thought here makes more sense.

Saya somehow gets amnesia, and is incapable of aging. So her husband (who now appears twice her age) either tells her the truth, or tries to hide it from her by saying that she's his daughter. Perhaps he thinks that he's making his wife's life easier this way, by letting her enjoy high school life as though she was a normal human being.

It is possible...

Like yourself, though, I hope the anime doesn't go that way.

[Kismet-chan]

I don't know why the chains on the uniforms are so weird to people/bothers everyone so much. It's not real life, it's an ANIME. And this is CLAMP we're talking about here. That aside, I think the chains are cute/kind of cool. Yes, I understand that having unnecessary chains on the outfits make it very... Final Fantasy-esque, but I still like it. It's better than the goddamned over-played accursed sailor fuku that I'm so freaking tired of seeing.

[Eisdrache]

The world would be so much better if everything could be excused with it's only an anime! Sadly it doesn't work that way.

Anyway after episode 2 I'm liking the twins more and more :3 I hope one gets actually involved in the fights and scared to death making the other wonder what happened to her sister and investigating.

[Hooves]

Originally Posted by Eisdrache

Anyway after episode 2 I'm liking the twins more and more :3

You can't spell twin without win after all They definitely are the center of my attention despite their low screentime. Until things start happening so focus can go on Saya again.

[LordEmbok]

Originally Posted by Eisdrache

The world would be so much better if everything could be excused with it's only an anime! Sadly it doesn't work that way.

Eh. There's a lot of stuff where this is the case but I feel we can give pretty outfits a free pass.

I'm more concerned with Saya's healing abilities. In ep 1 her neck was pretty much crushed and she was fine, but at the same time she still has a wound on her face. I'm curious about the gaping wounds on her arms. Will they heal immediately or stick around for a bit? If the latter, that could lead to an interesting discussion when changing for gym class.

[Fran~]

IIRC in the first episode, the twins mentioned something about some bruise. Saya said that it was an accident in the temple... Saya's clumsiness is her perfect excuse.

[MeisterBabylon]

Episode 1 & 2: Alright, whoever turned Kinomoto Sakura into a half-vampire, please own up.

[Fran~]

This is not Blood+, this Saya isn't half vampire
But yeah, she is like a clone of Sakura (with a little of Arashi though).

[Zippicus]

Pretty decent so far. The only real complaint I have is Saya being a total klutz and also being a super dexterous expert with a sword, heh. They'll probably come up with some dumbass reason for the polar opposite traits to cover up that they just wanted the extra moe factor.

[Vallen Chaos Valiant]

Originally Posted by Zippicus

Pretty decent so far. The only real complaint I have is Saya being a total klutz and also being a super dexterous expert with a sword, heh. They'll probably come up with some dumbass reason for the polar opposite traits to cover up that they just wanted the extra moe factor.

You can say the same thing with Clark Kent...

The fact it, it is easy to explain with the likelihood that Saya is intentionally suppressing her powers while out of combat, which in turn makes her clumsy as she tries to avoid damaging her surroundings with super-strength or been seen with super-speed.

[creb]

Originally Posted by Vallen Chaos Valiant

You can say the same thing with Clark Kent...

The fact it, it is easy to explain with the likelihood that Saya is intentionally suppressing her powers while out of combat, which in turn makes her clumsy as she tries to avoid damaging her surroundings with super-strength or been seen with super-speed.

Right. Even in front of only her father in her dojo. Call me a cynic, but I think the moe factor has far more credence. /shrug

[hanashi]

Originally Posted by creb

Right. Even in front of only her father in her dojo. Call me a cynic, but I think the moe factor has far more credence. /shrug

I think it's more a factor of her excitability/nervousness because she's fine when it comes to sports or when she's otherwise on autopilot. It's not the most flattering comparison, but she reminds me of my dog when he was younger. He's a small dog, so jumping on furniture or running up the stairs requires coordination. If you called him to play or surprised him, he'd get so excited that he'd run into things or he'd misjudge the distance and trip.

[Vallen Chaos Valiant]

Originally Posted by creb

Right. Even in front of only her father in her dojo. Call me a cynic, but I think the moe factor has far more credence. /shrug

Frankly Clamp play the clumsy card from the very beginning of their careers; the protagonist Asura of RG VEDA is the literal destroyer of worlds (or at least, you find that out later), but for the initial parts she seemed like a harmless child who looked weak.

See it as what it is; an intentional contrast. It is standard practice to make a character's alter-ego the polar opposite of what he/she is in reality.

[ars89]

Saya blushing was great but her father blushing was unexpected. Is that a real sweet that she ate, looked good enough to give it a try if its real. Twins were great as always. Lol Itsuki keeps striking out. That Tokizone guy is still mysterious.