Blood-C
Encyclopedia
Blood-C, is a 2011 anime/manga series and 2012 film produced and collaborated by Studio Production I.G and manga creators CLAMP
. This is Production I.G's second anime series related to the Blood franchise
, the first being Blood+
, which aired in 2005–2006. An animated film, Blood-C: The Last Dark will release in Japanese theatres on June 2, 2012.
" from him. When she is faced with various forms of "trials" that test her kindness, it brings misfortune for her being "overly-kind". Against misfortune and for the sake of her friends, she maintains her kind heart and becomes stronger. However, in her journey, how will she fare? Why is she being tested?
magazine where it would be revealed as a collaboration between Studio Production I.G and the manga creator group CLAMP
. CLAMP was in charge of creating the story and original character designs while Production I.G handled the animation. The anime is published by Aniplex
and directed by Tsutomu Mizushima with Junichi Fujisaku
, who previously worked on Blood the Last Vampire and Blood+
, as creative supervisor. Nanase Ohkawa
also supervises the scripts and co-writing them with Fujisaku while Kazuchika Kise is adapting CLAMP's character designs for animation and Naoki Sato is composing the music. The opening theme is "spiral" performed by Dustz
, while the ending theme is "Junketsu Paradox" performed by Nana Mizuki
. The anime aired between July 8, 2011 and September 30, 2011 on MBS
and TBS
and was also simulcast in North America and the United Kingdom on Nico Nico
.
Clamp (manga artists)
, is an all-female Japanese manga artist group that formed in the mid 1980s. Many of the group's manga series are often adapted into anime after release. It consists of their leader , who provides much of the storyline and screenplay for all their works and adaptations of those works respectively ,...
. This is Production I.G's second anime series related to the Blood franchise
Blood: The Last Vampire
Blood: The Last Vampire is a 2000 anime film produced by Production I.G and SPE Visual Works and directed by Hiroyuki Kitakubo. The film premiered in theaters in Japan on November 18, 2000...
, the first being Blood+
Blood+
Blood+, pronounced as "Blood Plus", is an anime series produced by Production I.G and Aniplex and directed by Junichi Fujisaku. The series premiered in Japan on Sony's anime satellite channel, Animax, as well as on terrestrial networks such as MBS, TBS, and RKB on October 8, 2005. The final episode...
, which aired in 2005–2006. An animated film, Blood-C: The Last Dark will release in Japanese theatres on June 2, 2012.
Summary
Saya Kisaragi is a seemingly-normal girl who is overly clumsy and kind. She lives with her father, the head of her hometown's shrine, and learns the "art of the swordKenjutsu
, meaning "the method, or technique, of the sword." This is opposed to kendo, which means the way of the sword. Kenjutsu is the umbrella term for all traditional schools of Japanese swordsmanship, in particular those that predate the Meiji Restoration...
" from him. When she is faced with various forms of "trials" that test her kindness, it brings misfortune for her being "overly-kind". Against misfortune and for the sake of her friends, she maintains her kind heart and becomes stronger. However, in her journey, how will she fare? Why is she being tested?
Characters
- The main protagonist of the series; Saya is an upbeat, cheerful, and kind girl who is overly polite, even with her closest friends. Despite being extremely athletic when it comes to sports, she is normally clumsy, always in a rush, and tends to be late to school. Saya trains under her father as a mikoMikois a Japanese term that anciently meant a "female shaman, spirit medium" who conveyed oracles from kami , and currently means a "shrine maiden; virgin consecrated to a deity" who serves at Shinto shrines.-Word:...
and is a very skilled sword fighter. Those outside of her family are oblivious to her duty as a hunter of Furukimono, or monsters that inhabit the town. During her fights with Furukimono, her eyes sometimes turn into an eerie, almost demonic-like, red. Throughout the series Saya is constantly attacked by Furukimono and she fights them with the understanding that she is doing what her mother had done before she passed away. However, as time passes Saya is no longer sure of her duties and even her identity. At one point she realizes that she cannot remember her mother's face or appearance even her name.
- It is eventually revealed that Saya is the subject of an experiment to see if she would maintain her sweet-natured personality or revert to a previous more violent and bloodthirsty one. The entire town she lives in was built specifically for the purpose of the experiment and all her classmates are actors in an elaborate farce. Each time she defeated a furukimono, she would consume its blood, but through drugs and hypnosis, she would never recall anything that had happened. She was given the surname "KisaragiKisaragiKisaragi is a traditional name for February in the Japanese calendar.The meaning of "kisaragi" is not so deep as those of the other names of the months...
" to express that idea that she was cloaking herself in a false life.
- In the finale, Saya regains her memories and kills the demonic furukimono, Cerberus, after it kills the twins and Tokizane. She is subsequently forced to fight Tadayoshi; when she defeats him, Tadayoshi hints her newly awakened skills will help her reach somewhere. Enraged with Fumito, she pursues him, but is hindered by a multiplying furukimono while Fumito escapes by helicopter. He shoots her in the left eye when she attempts to leap after him and Saya lands in a river, where she later washes ashore. When she has recovered, she leaves the town for a city in the distance, presumably to continue going after Fumito.
- Saya's father and the priest at the shrine where he and Saya reside. While Saya is out fighting the Furukimono, he worries about her, though he is not inclined to show it. He cares deeply for Saya and helps with her training, often commenting on her clumsiness. Tadayoshi is actually a hybrid between a furukimono and human due to the mating between the two species. When he fights Saya at the finale, Saya kills him when she realizes that an over-excessive consumption of her blood has driven him berserk. In his final moments, he confesses that his paternal feelings for her were genuine and he cherished their time together. Saya grieves deeply over his death and recognizes him as her father.
- Saya's neighbor and the owner of Guimauve, a coffee shop near Saya's home. He is also a friend and junior of Tadayoshi back in their high school years, although he attended it much later than Tadayoshi. Fumito usually serves breakfast for Saya and makes bentoBentois a single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine. A traditional bento consists of rice, fish or meat, and one or more pickled or cooked vegetables, usually in a box-shaped container. Containers range from disposable mass produced to hand crafted lacquerware...
lunches for her. He once stated to Saya that she is special to him, and that she is more important to him than anything else. After her battles, he expresses his concern towards Saya by bringing coffee and guimauve to her after her battles. Saya once questioned him about his guimauve asking if they were always pink in colour — he is mysteriously states it depends what is mixed in them. He is revealed to be the series main antagonist, being the one behind the experiment to see whether Saya would revert back to her previous personality. Unlike his persona in the experiment, Fumito demonstrates himself to be a sadistic and remorseless character who allows his defectors to die violent deaths and obsessed with Saya and her abilities, but still maintaining a teasing and cordial demeanor towards her.
- In the finale, Fumito reveals his intention had been to manipulate the Shrovetide. When Saya was originally captured, Fumito had made a deal with her that if she could retain her old personality, then he would help her gain the ability to kill humans again, since she had made an earlier contract with an unknown person that would not allow her to do so. Using Saya's blood, he has been controlling the furukimono and drugging Tadayoshi so he would be strong enough to wound her. However, Fumito had not intended to honor his agreement and unleashes a replicating demon to kill off the town's remaining residents while he flees by helicopter. He shoots Saya in the eye to prevent her from pursuing him, revealing that the pink guimauve was made from furukimono blood and supposedly tastes like human organs, asking Saya to tell him if it is the case when she can devour humans.
- A classmate of Saya's that often has lunch with her. She presumably dies when she is killed by a Furukimono. In the penultimate episode, it is revealed she is part of the "main cast" who were given protection from furukimono and was more or less informed by what is happening in the town while the "extras" used were expendable. She and Itsuki have followed the rules of the experiment, confronting Kanako and the others when they attempt to defect. However, she proves to be as ruthless as Fumito and shows little value toward human life, doing whatever she needs to do achieve goals. Despite her youthful appearance, she is older than she appears and agreed to participate Fumito's experiment in order to become the governor of Tokyo. She is the only remaining survivor of the town aside Fumito and the only survivor of the "main cast" in the end.
- Twin sisters who are also Saya's schoolmates and tend to repeat one another. They admire Saya and enjoy playfully teasing her for her naivete. Both were presumably killed by Furukimonos. In the penultimate episode, they reveal themselves to be "main cast" actors in the experiment centered around Saya. Unlike their false personae, they are self-centered, cruel and extremely ruthless. It is implied that they have an unscrupulous past and they joined the experiment specifically to have their past records erased. Defecting from the rules of the experiment so that they can leave the town sooner and still reap the rewards for participating, they viciously mock Saya as she is breaking down and express their disgust at Saya's true nature. Both sisters are violently killed by the Cerberus furukimono in the series' conclusion.
- The class president. He has a crush on Saya, to which she is completely oblivious, despite the evident comments of her friends that emphasize his interest on her. He is the presumably only remaining survivor on the attack of a Furukimono at Saya's school. Though a "main cast" member, he and Yuka do not defect from the experiment's rules and become suspicious of Tsutsutori, Tokizane, and the twins. Unlike most of the main cast, he develops genuine feelings for Saya, even though he knew what she was. In the conclusion, he attempts to shield Saya from being shot by one of Fumito's private soldiers, revealing his true feelings for her as he dies.
- A quiet classmate who harbors a secret interest in Saya. He is usually seen skipping lunch, as he stated once to Saya that he'd rather sleep than eat. Tokizane eventually discovers Saya's secret and confesses his feelings to her, but apparently dies after being killed by a Furukimono. In actuality, he did not die and is one of the "main cast" in the experiment centered around Saya. Tokizane apparently joined the experiment for money and defects to Tsutsutori when she promises a larger sum. In order to force Saya into recovering her memories sooner, he obtains a vial of Furukimono blood that Tsutsutori had Saya drink. Unlike his false persona, he is obnoxious, impatient, cold, and deeply disgusted with Saya's true nature. Tokizane, like the other defectors, are caught by Fumito, Yuka, and Itsuki shortly after they attempt to escape with Saya. Like all cast members, it is implied that he is using a pseudonym. He is the first to be killed by the furukimono Cerberus in the series' conclusion.
- Saya's homeroom teacher, an easy-going woman who used to be a folklore researcher. She joined the experiment to study Saya and witness the Shrovetide, the only time when demons are allowed to consume humans, and publish the results, but had grown impatient and angry that Fumito would constantly erase Saya's memories after every battle. As a result, she convinces Tokizane and the twins to join her and force Saya to recover her memories sooner, but is caught by Fumito. As the other defectors are killed, Fumito reveals he had been aware of Kanako's impending betrayal and had given her a fake talisman that would not protect her. Despite Saya being able to save her from being devoured by the Cerberus furukimono, Kanako is decapitated by Tadayoshi.
- An unusual puppy with strange marks on his body who is usually seen near Saya, who finds that it can actually speak and refers itself as the owner of a shop that realize wishes for those who pay an according price, hinting that he might be Kimihiro Watanuki, a character from the CLAMP manga/anime xxxHolic. He claims that the reason for him to get close to Saya is to make a wish of hers come true.
Anime
The anime was announced in the May 2011 issue of Shōnen AceShonen Ace
is a monthly shōnen manga magazine in Japan published by Kadokawa Shoten, started in 1994. Unlike the big shōnen weeklies with circulation figures in the millions, Ace is aimed at a less mainstream audience, and has a particular emphasis on anime tie-ins...
magazine where it would be revealed as a collaboration between Studio Production I.G and the manga creator group CLAMP
Clamp (manga artists)
, is an all-female Japanese manga artist group that formed in the mid 1980s. Many of the group's manga series are often adapted into anime after release. It consists of their leader , who provides much of the storyline and screenplay for all their works and adaptations of those works respectively ,...
. CLAMP was in charge of creating the story and original character designs while Production I.G handled the animation. The anime is published by Aniplex
Aniplex
, formerly known as Sony Pictures Entertainment Visual Works Inc. and Sony Music Entertainment Visual Works Inc., is a Japanese anime and music production and distribution enterprise owned by Sony Music Entertainment Japan and established in January 1997...
and directed by Tsutomu Mizushima with Junichi Fujisaku
Junichi Fujisaku
is the chief game director and game writer for Production I.G's Game Production Department. He is a graduate of Production I.G's think-tank "Oshii Academy", used to train the next generation of staff for the company.-Works:...
, who previously worked on Blood the Last Vampire and Blood+
Blood+
Blood+, pronounced as "Blood Plus", is an anime series produced by Production I.G and Aniplex and directed by Junichi Fujisaku. The series premiered in Japan on Sony's anime satellite channel, Animax, as well as on terrestrial networks such as MBS, TBS, and RKB on October 8, 2005. The final episode...
, as creative supervisor. Nanase Ohkawa
Nanase Ohkawa
is a member of the all-female manga-creating team Clamp. She is the director of the team and is primarily responsible for writing the stories and scripts for Clamp's various works....
also supervises the scripts and co-writing them with Fujisaku while Kazuchika Kise is adapting CLAMP's character designs for animation and Naoki Sato is composing the music. The opening theme is "spiral" performed by Dustz
Dustz
Dustz is a Japanese rock band fronted by French-Japanese actor Ray Fujita. Formed by Fujita and two of his classmates from the Lycée franco-japonais de Tokyo, the group has gained national renown by performing theme songs to various shows, including Sengoku Basara: Samurai Kings and most recently...
, while the ending theme is "Junketsu Paradox" performed by Nana Mizuki
Nana Mizuki
is a popular Japanese singer-songwriter and voice actress. She was born and raised in Niihama, Ehime, Japan, Mizuki was trained as an enka singer. She made her debut as a voice actress in 1998; however, she released her debut single "Omoi", under the King Records label on December 6, 2000...
. The anime aired between July 8, 2011 and September 30, 2011 on MBS
Mainichi Broadcasting System
is a broadcasting station in Osaka, Japan, affiliated with Japan Radio Network , National Radio Network , Japan News Network and TBS Network, serving in the Kansai region. MBS is also one of the major stockholders of Tokyo Broadcasting System Holdings, Inc...
and TBS
Tokyo Broadcasting System
, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....
and was also simulcast in North America and the United Kingdom on Nico Nico
Nico Nico Douga
is a popular video sharing website in Japan managed by Niwango, a subsidiary of Dwango. Its nickname is "Niconico" or "Nico-dō", where "nikoniko" is the Japanese ideophone for smiling. Nico Nico Douga is the thirteenth most visited website in Japan...
.
Episode list
| No. | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|