Review of Blood Blockade Battlefront
A show like this is what I consider to be an anomaly. It's amazing. It's really good. There are very few things I disliked about this show. And yet there's just some force inside me the prevents me from calling it a masterpiece a la FMAB and Fate/Zero. This same anomaly applies to shows like Noragami and Death Parade as well; shows I adore to death, but for some reason aren't perfect, even though I can't pinpoint why. Nevertheless, Kekkai Sensen is fantastic. It's new and fun and bright and it's a refreshing thing to see something like this after having seen so much ofthe same old same old.
Normally I do a description of the show in this paragraph, but I really can't describe this show without sounding like I've lost my mind, which is saying a lot when relating to anime of all things. Basically: New York. Monsters invade. They're kind monsters and everyone lives happily. Secret society. Fighting bad monsters and bad people alike. There, that's gist.
The characters are where this show both excels and suffers. You have your main folks like Leonardo, Zapp, Klaus, and White who occupy the screen most of the time. Actually, many other characters have a good amount of screen time as well like Stephen, 'Lucky' Adams, K.K. and even Zed, who wasn't introduced until episode 9. The issue is with everyone else. Characters like Hummer and Deldro, Chain, and Fempt, while all depeicted in the opening and ending music sequences, have little screen time or simply just don't do anything for the most part, which is a shame since they're all really interesting. Every character is unique and quirky and sometimes Leonardo reminds me of Kenji Kazama from 'D-Frag!' because he seems to be the only one that acknowledges the weirdest around town a lot of the time.
Animation is damn good. Like wow. It's no Unlimited Budget Works or anything like that, but it's a nice mixture of bright tones and dim tones for moments of humor and moments of seriousness respectively. The fight scenes are fluid and entertaining, and I enjoyed the touch they added of the character bios and attack names when something new was introduced.
Music was nice really. It wasn't super special, but the mixture of modern beats and classical songs for different times in the series fit actually quite well. The opening and ending sequences are by far the best songs this show offers. The opening is very upbeat yet conveys the darker attitude the show often leans towards. The ending is the exact opposite in that, while also upbeat, that's all it is. And 11 times out of ten, it works and ties in well to the end of the episodes. Just not episode 11. The ending of the episodes did not tie into the ending theme at all.
It's a really a great show for all it does, and I want to call it a masterpiece, but small details hold me back from doing so. Nevertheless, watch it. I found it very enjoyable.
Positives:
+Great op and ed themes
+Very fun interesting characters
+Shows lends itself well to its episodic format
+Animation was stellar
+Music was a good mix, though nothing to marvel at
+Setting and plot are very unique
+Final episode was 2x regular length so that it was flushed out and not rushed
+Zapp
Negatives:
-Some characters really get the shaft
-Some details left unexplained
-Zapp
So, I thoroughly enjoyed this show and I think anyone who watches it could find something to enjoy here. Personally, I loved the show and it has become a favorite