Although initially this series seems to be covering very familiar territory—boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy fights to win girl back—there are differences: the young man, Staz, is a vampire; the young woman, Fuyumi, is a human who was fatally devoured by a carnivorous plant; and Staz's attempt to win her back means transforming her from a ghost into a living being. Staz is a delightfully unique anti-hero main character who starts off as something of a slacker before embarking on zany adventures through the demon and human worlds in his quest to reunite with Fuyumi. Zombies and werewolves also figure in this mix, which involves a combination of traditional anime violence and some wonderfully warped humor. To its credit, Blood Lad, adapted from the same-titled manga, never telegraphs viewers as to where the off-kilter plot is going. Compiling all 10 episodes from 2013 in separate DVD and Blu-ray/DVD Combo dual-language sets, rated TV-14, extras include a bonus OVA, a 96-page booklet (with a brand new manga chapter), English-dub outtakes, and an interactive art gallery. Highly recommended. (P. Hall)
Blood Lad: The Complete Series
(2013) 240 min. DVD: 2 discs, $44.98; Blu-ray/DVD Combo: 4 discs, $69.99. Viz Media (avail. from most distributors). Volume 30, Issue 1
Blood Lad: The Complete Series
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