Today in Anime… I’m re-watching Black Blood Brothers.

This is an anime first released in the U.S. in 2007 (or so)… Yes, it’s really 10 years old. I bought it when it first came out and have re-watched it many times (probably once a year). While it’s not my favorite, I find it excellent. It has plenty of action, a fair share of comedy and a bit of romance between the leads.

I won’t bore you with a synopsis or review… there are plenty of those out there… instead, I’ll tell you why I keep coming back to this one…

1. It’s short (12 episodes)… you can binge it in an afternoon (this past Sunday :-).
2. It’s coherent… aside from the flashbacks that start each episode, the plot is linear and progressive which makes it easy to follow what really counts. Even the flashbacks are pretty straight forward, making it easy to connect the character’s history with the present story.
3. It’s fun… while the action is over the top and there’s a lot of violence, it’s not ambiguous or uncertain like some more experimental anime can be. The good guys win and the bad guys loose in the end, and it actually has a conclusion. Minimal fan service and serious themes make this a nice change of pace from a lot of other anime I watch.
4. The characters are fun… After 12 episodes with Mimiko and Jiro I do wish they were real people somewhere that I could meet and hang out with. Most of the rest of the characters aren’t as developed (of course), but they’re support after all. Also, the English voice actors do a fine job and they never take me out of the moment as I watch.

Finally… for those of you who haven’t seen this one, it’s available (Funimation S.A.V.E. Edition) for less than a buck an episode, making it cheaper to just buy it and add it to your collection than to rent/stream. I always prefer physical media… that’s how I can re-watch stuff 10 years later… when it’s gone from the rest of the world.