BLOOD BLOCKADE BATTLEFRONT is The COWBOY BEBOP For a New Generation
Where To Watch: Funimation
Sub/Dub: Both (review written based off dub)
It's hard not to watch Blood Blockade Battlefront and think of Cowboy Bebop. In terms of characters and plot, they're far and away two totally different shows, but the influence is clearly there. The jazz breaks, sweeping landscape shots, and the similarities between Jet Black and Klaus Von Reinherz are just too difficult to ignore. It's enough to bring a wave of nostalgia to the old school anime fans, and a change of pace for endless new series of young kids in high school with a lot of untapped potential.
Well, I guess I can't say that completely.
The main character of Blood Blockade Battlefront is definitely a young male teen with a lot of untapped potential. Leonardo is living life as best he can (with his newly acquired yet 'untapped' God eyes) in "Hell Salems Lot," the new name for a special section of New York City. After a weird turn of events, NYC became a fusion hub for both human kind, and the supernatural After World. The After World contains demons, vampires, werewolves, half humans, aliens...you name it. Shut off from the rest of the world in a large barrier inescapable from the inside and impenetrable from the outside, New York goes relatively unchanged.
True to itself, New York welcomes all and the brave new future is embraced as species live amongst each other no differently than an all-human world. To be honest, the actual setting and day to day in Hell Salem's Lot is at times more interesting than the main story arc! Its stories of segregated areas, burger runs, and underground fight clubs, are just as interesting (and sometimes more interesting) than the plot itself.
The main story arc is a classic good guys vs. bad guys scenario (at least for now). Leonardo quickly aligns with Libra, an organization bent on maintaining peace in the new Hell Salem's Lot. Each member of Libra has a special ability they use to fight the numerous criminals of the city. Some of the show's main heroes (Klaus and Zep) both utilize the use of the "blood style," which uses their blood to create weapons or seal evil people.
These guys clean the streets, but the big fish for sure is the vampires gathering in mass around the city. Right now the main arc is heading more and more into these guys, and as the season finale airs, I have no doubt there's going to be a big confrontation before it's all said and done. The main arc, while pretty vanilla in terms of anime plots, keeps you drawn in with its use of side missions the team takes on and incredible fight sequences.
Seriously, the episode where Klaus takes on a master of "Prosfair" (three dimensional chess) was nothing more than two guys playing a board game, but the visuals and trippy music had me in like Flynn.
As far as characters go, Zep, Leonardo, and Klaus are the highlights of this show. Zep gives you that mischievous Spike (referencing Bebop again) type character and Leonardo, playing the goofy second banana in a show where he is the star, gives the show a unique feel when it could be very droll otherwise. And Klaus? Klaus is just a bad ass...and you'll quickly discover that for yourself.
Tone-wise the show is very tongue in cheek. There's a lot of laughs to be had in each episode, but when things get serious...they get serious. It's a good mixture, trust me.
Clips like the one above really show the CB influence. So often throwaway episodes have become excuses for shows to go "Slice of Life" or just play to fan service. CB and now BBB both excel at further educating you on the surrounding world with engaging series while expanding your mind further into their universes. This is perhaps the greatest strength the show has had going for it in its run thus far.
If I did have some complaints about this show, it would have to be a lot is thrown at you sometimes with very little explanation. Eventually you get the gist of what's going on, but sometimes I get the vibe that they are glossing over parts in the series and skipping introductions to things they think I should already know. Truthfully, the series has been so enjoyable for me so far I quickly forgave the transgression.
This is one of the few anime I have decided to follow "dubbed" lately and I gotta tip my hat to the translation team. I legitimately prefer the dub far over the subbed version of this show, and honestly think the team translates it better when compared to the subtitles.
If you watch the sub you can catch up with the show in three hours, and the dub in two. In an anime world where we are witnessing new Dragon Ball Z and soon new Digimon, this one is on top of my list of recommendations. Watch it.