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				Sony Satisfies Their Thirst for Blood by Joe Di Benedetto (Spike Spiegel)
			Dirtier than Christina Aguilera's panties on laundry day, it's the latest installment of the Cocaine Cowboy Corner. This edition marks the magical tenth installment of this budding column, and I think this calls for a celebration. What better way to celebrate the big one-zero than a nice heaping helping of blood. Now, I am not talking about just any kind of blood, but Sony's newest property, Blood+. On Monday, January 23, 2006, Sony Pictures Television International (SPTI) announced the acquisition from Aniplex Inc. Distribution of the television and home video distribution rights to the Production I.G anime series, Blood+. The distribution rights cover the regions of Asia (outside of Japan), Latin America, North America, Australia and New Zealand. This does not necessarily mean that SPTI will be handling all aspects of the distribution of this series. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE), formerly Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment, will helm the DVD distribution within these regions. SPTI is also looking to sell the broadcast rights to the series, and are hoping that by having showcased the series at the National Association of Television Program Executives (NAPTE) Conference in Las Vegas, they will be courted by a fair amount of interested buyers. Blood+ was arguably the best new anime series of the Fall 2005 Season in Japan. The series comes from arguably the best animation studio in Japan, Production I.G. Production I.G is internationally renowned for both “Ghost in the Shell” movies, “FLCL,” and more recently “Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex” and “IGPX.” Of course, I am merely naming a few of the projects they are responsible for, but you get the idea of the quality of their work. Another plus for Blood+ (yes, I know that was a corny joke, but I could not pass it up) is Junichi Fujisaku at director. Fujisaku has a considerable amount of scriptwriting experience, and even aided in the creation of Blood+’s predecessor, “Blood: The Last Vampire.” His screenwriting experience goes even well beyond “Blood: The Last Vampire,” as Fujisaku has written a significant number of the episodes from “Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex” and even helped write both the “xxxHOLic” and “Tsubasa Chronicle” movies from 2005. Even with all this experience in the industry, Blood+ marks Fujisaku’s first challenge as chief director of a TV animation series. With a fresh new director and a high profile animation studio behind it, there was a lot of buzz surrounding this series before its premiere on Japan's Mainichi Broadcasting System and Tokyo Broadcasting System in October 2005. Now, as far as what exactly Blood+ is all about, the series is based on the hit movie from 2000, “Blood: The Last Vampire,” which was also created by Production I.G. It is not a true sequel of the movie as some aspects of the story are different and there would be several continuity issues, but they do share a similar back-story and characters. 𠇋lood: The Last Vampire” is a suspense/action thriller set in Japan during the fall of 1966, when the United States involvement in Vietnam has turned into a full-scale conflict. Behind the public conflict in Vietnam, a secret war is ensuing, one that has lingered on throughout history. This war pits two major groups in a battle of life and death. The first group consists of beings known as Chiropterans, monsters who can change their outer appearance to blend in with humans. Chiropterans are immortal and feed on the blood of the living. The group opposing them is an organization known as the “Red Shield.” The “Red Shield” was formed to track down and exterminate the Chiropterans. The story of “Blood: The Last Vampire” features a young girl named Saya, who works for the “Red Shield.” Armed solely with a Japanese sword, she must hunt the Chiropterans that are hiding amongst the inhabitants of the Yokota U.S. Air Force Base, a small American enclave 30 km from Tokyo. Blood+ takes us to present day Okinawa, Japan. The war between the Chiropterans and the “Red Shield” is still secretly raging onward and growing ever more dangerous. Saya is back as the main character in Blood+, but she has no recollection of her past except for events that occurred over the past year. Saya Otonashi only knows her life as a high school girl and a member of the school track team. Saya lives peacefully with her two brothers and father in Okinawa, but her life flips upside down when an accident occurs late at night at the high school. The accident was actually an attack by a Chiropteran on a member of the faculty, and Saya happened to be at the school retrieving her track shoes at the time. A mysterious cello player in dark clothes named Hagi, who seems to be an individual from Saya’s past, saves her from the Chiropteran. When he hands her a Japanese sword, Saya transforms from the timid high school girl to the Chiropteran slaying machine from “Blood: The Last Vampire.” Ever since the series was announced in March 2005, I patiently waited for its premiere. After watching only two episodes, I fell in love with this series. It packs all of my favorite elements of anime into one convenient small package that is struggling to keep from bursting open. The animation and art of the series are really well done, as would be expected from a Production I.G project. The character designs by Chizu Hashii appear to be carefully fleshed out and vary from character to character. The animation is very smooth, and there is no trace of jerkiness in the characters’ movements. The action sequences do not occur very frequently, and are at times fairly short. But they are definitely a treat to watch, and you will find yourself cheering as blood pours out of the Chiropterans (unless you are not a fan of blood, in that case you will cringe). The series is heavily driven by the story and the interaction of the characters, and never tries to veer from this path. I loved the back-story of “Blood: The Last Vampire,” and this series builds off it and utilizes the old characters very nicely. The pacing of the story is perfect, and it keeps the viewers interested. The characters are shrouded in mystery, as the series relies on hints to explain their backgrounds. Though we know that Saya’s past is dark, more details unfold as she slowly begins to remember. This keeps the viewer guessing and thinking ahead. The series is rounded out with some great Japanese voice acting and a score from Hans Zimmer (the genius behind the scores for “Batman Begins,” “Gladiator,” and “Black Hawk Down”). I knew it was merely a matter of time before a company licensed Blood+. The series had such a high profile that it was bound to attract attention from companies. But I was very surprised to discover that Sony was the one to come forward and purchase the license. At first, I was unsure if Sony would give Blood+ the proper treatment on DVD, especially after how they treated the “Street Fighter II” movie (only released in pan & scan, dubbed, censored, and edited only version) and the “Cyborg 009” TV series (for those of you that do not know, Sony never finished releasing the entire “Cyborg 009” series in 2001). But after giving it much thought, I remembered that recently Sony has been very respectful to their anime licenses. They have put out such stellar works as “Steamboy,” “Metropolis,” and “Cowboy Bebop: The Movie” in recent years. If you have purchased any of these DVD releases, you know that Sony handled these licenses very well. Sony is still nowhere near perfect though. They are also behind the “Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children” delay debacle. That title’s release has been delayed so many times that I am convinced it will not be released until 2007. I really hope that is not a sign of things to come for Blood+. As far as an English dub for this series, Sony has done a nice job in that department thus far. They have also released titles without an English dub, such as “Memories.” Nevertheless, since they are looking to sell the broadcast rights to the series, an English dub will need to be included. However, it would be pretty sweet to see Blood+ on Adult Swim in Japanese with English subtitles. But right now, that is merely a pipe dream. Though news of Sony licensing the series is upsetting to fansub enthusiasts, anime fans can rejoice in the knowledge that such a great series will soon be on our shores. Blood+ is yet another series that could aid in the growth of anime in America and worldwide, but it will need tons of exposure to accomplish this. A huge company like Sony could be just what the doctor ordered for proper exposure of this series. Could we have another international hit on our hands? Only time can fully answer this question. But there is no denying that this is a good start, and I am looking forward to the day when I can own the entire 52-episode series on DVD.