Blood Lad - 2

"Back Home, But Not Really"

I feel like this directing style is very, very familiar...

Perhaps it's hugely late to finally be getting around to finishing up my very delayed and short coverage of Blood Lad, but I do want to say that I'm glad I do get to cover the first three episodes. This isn't really a series with a whole lot to talk about; it's an anime like Hataraku, which relies far more heavily on style and execution than on content, and like the latter series, this is also a great example of how important those qualities really are. Granted, Blood Lad isn't Hataraku 2.0 or anything of the sort, but it is really nostaligic nonetheless. Funnily enough, however, the parallels I draw don't really go back to Hataraku as much as they go back to more erratic studios like Shaft; the direction is quirky and lighthearted, with characters making ridiculous poses for no reason or otherwise making well-timed puns and jokes. I'm not as well versed in staffing decisions as some of my peers are, but I do have to say that I enjoy this about this series, even if in other shows it can feel a little off.

I'll also stick to my guns and express just how much Blood Lad relies on male oriented fanservice, which can be both a boon and curse. It's not awful or horribly misogynistic stuff at least, and though it's a bit on the risque side, it's not really taking away from the plot or the rest of the show. Regardless, I do feel like there could have been less of it without doing any harm, and that does kind of make me sad. There's nothing wrong with most fanservice, just as there's nothing wrong with sexuality or the expression of such, but as a female viewer, it does eventually get old and rather uncomfortable. This isn't a Blood Lad-only issue, of course, but sometimes it's just nice to not see the majority of female characters exploited for their bodies. That being said, this is hardly the worst I've ever seen, nor is it really being used as a vehicle for more sinister modus operandi.

For me, however, the most interesting part of this episode is courtesy of Fuuyumi's little existential dilemma. If you're a ghost and people have falsified memories of you, doesn't that mean you're dead in the truest sense? Haven't you been replaced by something that's not you and begun to disappear? It's not very surprising that people are afraid of being forgotten; just how did you ever exist if you've left no imprint behind to prove it? It's not a particularly long thought, and is interrupted by the arrival of Bell (how does she carry that thing on her back?) but it's nice to see that the series can go to darker places on occassion, even if it returns to comedy and fanservice in full force soon after. In short, I don't think this is the best series to grace the season, but it's definitely a solid comedy and slice of life entry, and a good project to wash the taste of cage out of Brain Bases' system.