Review: Blood-C – The Last Dark / Cert: 15 / Director: Naoyoshi Shoitana / Screenplay: Various / Starring: Atsushi Abe, Masumi Asano / Release Date: March 24th
What started with Blood: The Last Vampire is brought to a close with Blood-C: The Last Dark, which has the unenviable task of being labelled both sequel and concluding chapter. If the word sequel is enough to chill the blood, then the tainting of so many of our beloved shows in their closing moments is capable of practically freezing it in our veins.
In the concluding chapter of the Blood series, our heroine Saya sets out on her quest for vengeance against Fumito Nanahara. But this time she finds allies in a group of young people known as the Surat, who have banded together to oppose the oppressive Youth Ordinance Bill. Whilst Saya prepares for her final battle, behind the scenes Machiavellian plays are at work that threaten our heroine’s journey.
Blood-C: The Last Dark is a perfectly adequate sequel and even a decent enough standalone film that can serve as an introduction to Saya’s world. However, as with all things, it is advised to observe the chronological order and view it as the sequel to the Blood-C series it is intended to be.
Visually electric, Production I.G. stand as the heroes of the film, but like most things in life, endings are rarely perfect. In spite of any shortcomings of the film, Saya’s character manages to escape the clutches of imperfection to exit on a high. Despite revealing more sides to herself here, she remains a unique and reclusive individual who walks to the beat of her own drum, and most importantly retains an air of mystery.
While the near-perfect Blood: The Last Vampire came in at a snappy 50 minutes, just an hour shy of the less than perfect The Last Dark, up until now the rule of the Blood series has been to keep it short and sweet. Sauntering along with a visual flair and a mysterious Saya to hold our hand, the conclusion of the Blood series feels, by comparison, a little lacklustre, teasing us with a potentially interesting conclusion but one that just struggles to deliver.
