- Judul: Strike the Blood (ストライク・ザ・ブラッド)
- Judul Alternatif: SutoBura
- Type: TV (Oct 4, 2013 to Mar 28, 2014)
- Episode : 24
- Rating: R+ - Mild Nudity
- Genres: Action, Harem, Supernatural, Ecchi, Vampire, Fantasy, School
Synopsis
Kojou Akatsuki's days as an ordinary high school student in the Demon District of Itogami Island come to an abrupt end after a fateful encounter leaves him with the remarkable abilities of a vampire.
It isn't long before he is thrust into the center of attention when it is discovered that he is the fourth primogenitor, an immensely powerful vampire whom most consider to be merely a legend. Fearing Kojou's destructive potential, the Lion King Organization sends in an apprentice sword-shaman, Yukina Himeragi, to monitor, and should he become a threat, kill the boy deemed the world's most powerful vampire. Forced together by circumstance, the two form an unlikely alliance as Kojou comes to terms with his abilities and they both struggle to protect the city from various emerging chaotic forces.
-Story
7/10 - as expected, the story isn't outstanding, it simply does its job here. Strike the blood's strong point is not going to be its plot. The story works in arcs, with new villains/ girls being added or focused on in each arc. There are some overall trends and developments but its nothing special. I'd call it overly simplistic - however actually for a show that I watched to just distract myself for an hour or so I found this to be a positive. I'm not sure if some of the satire or irony that came across was intended, but if it was then I tip my hat to the writers.
The story does work for the genre(s) in mind here - pretty much the plot will be bent to better accommodate scenes where Kojou can be a hero or save the girl or can get into a better fight. But that's fine because that's why people will watch the show in the first place.
Without wanting to give too much away, I think certain plot devices were quite clever. Overall I think the plot serves its function quite well, but because the plot is obviously going to be side-lined in such a series there is a limit to how good it is.
-Art
9/10 - Probably the anime's best point is the art. The characters designs, as well as the background and effects for fights, etc. are well done and ultimately are very effective. The art style is certainly easy on the eyes, and the sequences often fit the anime well.
I can't really think of many negatives here - perhaps some money was saved on certain designs but in my opinion the art here almost makes the show.
-Sound
7/10 - Like most modern animes, there really isn't much to comment on here as its just simply decent. I thought the OPs were fine, as were the endings. They are not something I'd personally want to listen to outside of the show, alongside the background music, but they contribute pretty much as you'd expect them too.
The voice acting here is good as far as I can tell. Kojou isn't meant to be super charismatic so it fits the plot, but its nothing to write home about.
-Character
6/10 - The characters are ok, given that the pretense of the show is to break character models and focus on action and harem.
Kojou is (axiomatically) fairly likable and for most people easy to relate to. This is no surprise given the escapism theme (/self insert theme). I don't particularly like Kojou, and I found him a bit overly simplistic. But the fact that I have an opinion is evidence for him actually having a character (which is more than can be said for certain animes in similar genres).
The girls are all quite distinct and well developed, apart from their at times inexplicable devotion to Kojou (but then again, harem). I think Himeragi Yukina probably has the best developed character, and she actually has some development/ perspective added, although this is also stunted because of the harem nature of the show.
The villains are, in general, awful and almost completely one dimensional. But it doesn't really matter because most of the time they are on screen they just get destroyed by Kojou.
Tl;dr - it's harem, don't expect interesting or insightful characters. For a harem, the characters are ok.
-Enjoyment
8/10 - Although the show has its flaws, its quite good fun to watch, and I found it a nice contrast to studying. Because of the art and arc-type plot, it's something that could quite easily be re-watched or returned to, which is a positive IMO.
I would say that your enjoyment of this anime is very dependent on how much you enjoy action and/or harem and/or supernatural genres. The Kojou/Yukina relationship is ok to follow, but this is not a romance anime, and it's something I'd recommend watching when you want to have a break rather than something to stimulate your brain.
-Overall
7/10. Again, the art, the escapism and the straightforward nature of this show are its strong points. It's generic, but I'd say it beats most other shows in similar genres. Why? There's nothing that groundbreaking, just a few subtle nuances that go unnoticed individually but actually contribute to making this show quite enjoyable. Unfortunately the show does fall flat on its face at times for taking itself too seriously and shoe-horning itself into arcing episodes, where it probably had potential to be a better overall show if it avoided this. As is, it remains something lighthearted that most young guys will probably enjoy once or twice (if you enjoy the first few episodes, you'll enjoy the rest. Despite the flaws, there is something to be appreciated here.)
- Genres: Action, Harem, Supernatural, Ecchi, Vampire, Fantasy, School
Synopsis
Kojou Akatsuki's days as an ordinary high school student in the Demon District of Itogami Island come to an abrupt end after a fateful encounter leaves him with the remarkable abilities of a vampire.
It isn't long before he is thrust into the center of attention when it is discovered that he is the fourth primogenitor, an immensely powerful vampire whom most consider to be merely a legend. Fearing Kojou's destructive potential, the Lion King Organization sends in an apprentice sword-shaman, Yukina Himeragi, to monitor, and should he become a threat, kill the boy deemed the world's most powerful vampire. Forced together by circumstance, the two form an unlikely alliance as Kojou comes to terms with his abilities and they both struggle to protect the city from various emerging chaotic forces.
-Story
7/10 - as expected, the story isn't outstanding, it simply does its job here. Strike the blood's strong point is not going to be its plot. The story works in arcs, with new villains/ girls being added or focused on in each arc. There are some overall trends and developments but its nothing special. I'd call it overly simplistic - however actually for a show that I watched to just distract myself for an hour or so I found this to be a positive. I'm not sure if some of the satire or irony that came across was intended, but if it was then I tip my hat to the writers.
The story does work for the genre(s) in mind here - pretty much the plot will be bent to better accommodate scenes where Kojou can be a hero or save the girl or can get into a better fight. But that's fine because that's why people will watch the show in the first place.
Without wanting to give too much away, I think certain plot devices were quite clever. Overall I think the plot serves its function quite well, but because the plot is obviously going to be side-lined in such a series there is a limit to how good it is.
-Art
9/10 - Probably the anime's best point is the art. The characters designs, as well as the background and effects for fights, etc. are well done and ultimately are very effective. The art style is certainly easy on the eyes, and the sequences often fit the anime well.
I can't really think of many negatives here - perhaps some money was saved on certain designs but in my opinion the art here almost makes the show.
-Sound
7/10 - Like most modern animes, there really isn't much to comment on here as its just simply decent. I thought the OPs were fine, as were the endings. They are not something I'd personally want to listen to outside of the show, alongside the background music, but they contribute pretty much as you'd expect them too.
The voice acting here is good as far as I can tell. Kojou isn't meant to be super charismatic so it fits the plot, but its nothing to write home about.
-Character
6/10 - The characters are ok, given that the pretense of the show is to break character models and focus on action and harem.
Kojou is (axiomatically) fairly likable and for most people easy to relate to. This is no surprise given the escapism theme (/self insert theme). I don't particularly like Kojou, and I found him a bit overly simplistic. But the fact that I have an opinion is evidence for him actually having a character (which is more than can be said for certain animes in similar genres).
The girls are all quite distinct and well developed, apart from their at times inexplicable devotion to Kojou (but then again, harem). I think Himeragi Yukina probably has the best developed character, and she actually has some development/ perspective added, although this is also stunted because of the harem nature of the show.
The villains are, in general, awful and almost completely one dimensional. But it doesn't really matter because most of the time they are on screen they just get destroyed by Kojou.
Tl;dr - it's harem, don't expect interesting or insightful characters. For a harem, the characters are ok.
-Enjoyment
8/10 - Although the show has its flaws, its quite good fun to watch, and I found it a nice contrast to studying. Because of the art and arc-type plot, it's something that could quite easily be re-watched or returned to, which is a positive IMO.
I would say that your enjoyment of this anime is very dependent on how much you enjoy action and/or harem and/or supernatural genres. The Kojou/Yukina relationship is ok to follow, but this is not a romance anime, and it's something I'd recommend watching when you want to have a break rather than something to stimulate your brain.
-Overall
7/10. Again, the art, the escapism and the straightforward nature of this show are its strong points. It's generic, but I'd say it beats most other shows in similar genres. Why? There's nothing that groundbreaking, just a few subtle nuances that go unnoticed individually but actually contribute to making this show quite enjoyable. Unfortunately the show does fall flat on its face at times for taking itself too seriously and shoe-horning itself into arcing episodes, where it probably had potential to be a better overall show if it avoided this. As is, it remains something lighthearted that most young guys will probably enjoy once or twice (if you enjoy the first few episodes, you'll enjoy the rest. Despite the flaws, there is something to be appreciated here.)
 - Judul Alternatif: SutoBura - Type: TV (Oct 4, 2013 to Mar 28, 2014) - Episode : 24 - Rati...){kind=link}