Around 2021-2022, I watched an anime called "Blood-C", which followed a girl named Saya who fights against monsters. I'm aware that the description I gave was very basic and boring, but I think that describes how I felt about that anime; despite a very interesting plot twist toward the end of that series and a sequel movie that slightly improved the whole thing, I thought Blood-C was very boring. Despite that, I felt compelled to go back and watch the anime movie that started the franchise Blood-C is a part of, "Blood: The Last Vampire", which follows a girl named Saya who fights against monsters. I promise that this Saya and these monsters are different from the ones from Blood-C, but unfortunately, I can't promise that it's any less of a bore. Well, at least it's not so bad that it doesn't make good material for a B-grade horror movie night, right?
Okay, maybe I should go into more detail on what Blood: The Last Vampire is actually about. The year is 1966, and the protagonist - guess what her name is? - works as a hunter of bat-like, vampiric creatures known as Chiropterans. Her latest mission? Infiltrate an American high school as a student and kill the Chiropterans that have been spotted at the air base adjoining it. Oh, and Saya really needs a new sword to do that, because it's been getting as dull as her personality is!
Yeah, as you can see, one of my biggest problems with this film is Saya as a character. Sure, she's cool and mysterious, but we never get to really see why she is the way she is. What are her motivations for killing the Chiropterans? It's never exactly explained. There's also a reveal towards the end of the film pertaining to who Saya really is, but there's not enough time left in this 48-minute film (with 6 minutes being dedicated to end credits, so it's really 42 minutes) to really explore this. The rest of the cast doesn't fare much better, either. Each character is either a Chiropteran for Saya to slay or a human who is....just there, I guess.
So what does this movie have to offer if not compelling characters? Blood, of course; it's in the name, after all! To be specific, this film is so chock-full of bloody action scenes that you almost forget that the story and characters aren't particularly interesting. There are certainly more thrilling action scenes out there, but Production I.G. is able to make use of its previous track record prior to the film's 2000 release to make it look good even in 2025. The character designs....well, the way many characters' lips were drawn were a bit distracting to me, but I didn't feel one way or the other about them otherwise.
Sound-wise....well, I wouldn't say it's any worse than the character development, but the voice acting is another weak point. I do think it was interesting how the Japanese characters in this film spoke both Japanese and English throughout the film, and it didn't sound too Engrish-y, either. However, their attempts to sound fluent in the language causes their acting abilities to take a hit, and the way they deliver their lines makes it clear how much they're struggling to act under these circumstances. The American voice actors don't fare much better; in fact, despite their better grasp on the language, their acting is just awful. I know that it's too late to request they all be recast, but they really should have gotten better voice actors! Well, at least the sound design and the background music are decent. I didn't really care much for the instrumental ending theme, but it did fit the mood of the entire film.
Overall, Blood: The Last Vampire isn't a particularly good film, nor is it any better than Blood-C. It's not too bad if you're a fan of B-grade films and just want to watch cool action scenes and not much else, but this wouldn't be a good choice if you wanted an A-grade horror flick or something film-length. Well, hopefully, I'll experience more enjoyment when I get around to watching Blood+, which I've heard is a better version of the story of a girl named Saya who fights against monsters.
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