| | | Curious. Fantastic. Mischievous. Unpredictable. Wayward.
Features: DVD, Widescreen
In the fall of 1966, tensions run high on the U.S. Air Force base in Japan on the eve of the Vietnam War. After a series of suspicious suicides in a nearby town, an additional threat has infiltrated the military compound - vampires. A covert team of government agents committed to the elimination of vampires dispatch a mysterious young woman named Saya, who in the guise of a schoolgirl, must uncover the origin of the demonic plague, eliminate the ghastly beasts and stop their reign of terror before time runs out. She is the last remaining original.
"...one of the few treatments of the macabre in animation that is authentically unnerving, rather than merely gross or campy." Chuck Wilson, L.A. Weekly
"The world will come to consider this work as the standard of top quality in digital animation." James Cameron, Director of Aliens and Total Recall
"...a provocative equation between vampirism and American involvement in Asia." Maitland McDonagh, TV Guide
"The most stunning anime since Akira..." Spin
Editor's Note
On an American military base in Japan, a new kind of vampire emerges: Teropterids. They are monstrous shape-shifting creatures that can only be killed with special swords. A mysterious girl named Saya is the last "original," the only person capable of dealing with the menace of these monsters. Posing as a student at the base's school, Saya races to hunt down the beasts before they turn an ordinary Halloween bash into a bloody massacre. Production IG, known for their pioneering digital effects, describes BLOOD: THE LAST VAMPIRE as a full digital animation movie, which means that even though many sequences were animated using pencil and paper, the artwork was digitally scanned. Inking and coloring were completed by computer, as were several other special effects. Hiroyuki Kitakubo was chosen to direct the project because of his digital experience (he oversaw the movie sequences in the GHOST IN THE SHELL game for the Sony PlayStation.) The film is also notable for the participation of screenwriter Mamoru Oshii, who helmed GHOST IN THE SHELL and has written a novel that takes place in BLOOD's universe. Despite its resemblance to BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, BLOOD succeeds in creating its own gloomy, chiaroscuro world.
| Features | Audio: Japanese, English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound | | Bonus Feature: The Making Of Blood | | Dubbed: English | | Interactive Menus | | Original Japanese Trailers | | Photo Gallery | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Manga (Anchor Bay) |
| Release Date: 9/4/2007 |
| Running Time: 83 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2000 | | Catalog ID: 5028 | | UPC: 00013138502896 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: Japanese | | Available Audio Tracks: English Dubbed, Japanese | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 |
| Cast & Crew | Akira Sato - Executive Producer | | Fitz Houston - Voice Of | | Hiroyuki Kitakubo - Director | | Katsuya Terada - Writer | | Kenji Kamiyama - Writer | | Rebecca Forstadt - Voice Of | | Steven Jay Blum - Voice Of | | Stuart Robinson - Voice Of | | Yoshihiro Ike - Original Music By | | Yukio Nagasaki - Producer | | Yusuke Takeda - Art Director |
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| | Professional Reviews | New York Times
"...A movie that seems destined for cult status....[It] presents some of the most visually detailed characters ever seen in an animated film not aspiring to photo-realism..." 08/17/2001 p.E20Hollywood Reporter
"...The film is certainly a visual treat..." 08/21/2001 p.26 Box Office
"...An extraordinary achievement in the genre, meticulously conceived and executed..." 10/01/2001 p.62-3 Entertainment Weekly
"...Feeling like a distant cousin of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, BLOOD makes you wish it were longer..." 09/14/2001 p.72 |
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