Review of Blood Blockade Battlefront

I wasn't entirely sure what I was getting into when I first started watching Blood Blockade Battlefront (Kekkai Sensen), but I fell in love with this very unique and charming series almost instantaneously. This show has just about everything; a genuinely likable and sympathetic protagonist, a diverse cast of lovable oddballs, a beautifully detailed and colorful world and an over-the-top antagonist who doesn't pull any punches. It's an urban fantasy well worth your time. The show centers on Leo Watch, a 19 year old kid who moves to Hellsalem's Lot; HL used to be New York City until a strange cataclysm known as the "Beyond" completelyaltered it. Now, ordinary human beings live alongside demons, aliens and all manner of other dimensional entities. Imagine the comic book "Fables" but with a great deal more chaos going on. Leo joins Libra, a group of superhumans who keep Hellsalem's Lot safe from threats both human and supernatural.

The reason why I fell in love with this show largely falls on its world. As great as the characters are, the world they live in feels genuine and developed in a way that many anime settings simply aren't. Hellsalem's Lot used to be NYC, and as someone who has visited NYC many times (I've practically lived there) it really nails the feeling of being a very small fish in a massive pond. You'll see all kinds of inventive character designs on the streets of this fantastical metropolis; mere bystanders look like they could be the protagonist of an entirely different story (pretty true to life if you ask me).

Leo and his allies in Libra are all enjoyable to watch interact with one another. They're a gang of lovable weirdos charged with defending a city that is constantly tearing itself apart in one way or another. Picture the X-Men or the Avengers but with way more comedic infighting and awkwardness going on.

I won't talk about the main storyline, but it's rather deep considering how much of the show is over-the-top insanity most of the time. This show tugged on my heartstrings and I'll bet it will do the same to you.

Also, this show features one of my favorite ending themes in any anime ever; "Sugar Song to Bitter Step" by Unison Square Garden. Insanely catchy and enjoyable, I've had people who couldn't care less about anime listen to it and they almost all agree; it's a damn entertaining tune. The opening "Hello, World!" by Bump of Chicken is more emotional; there's a sweetness there that becomes more tragic in hindsight.

I could go on for hours talking about why I love this show and why you should watch it if you haven't. Honestly, though, it's down to you; if you're looking for a beautifully animated, inventive show that's a feast for the eyes, you'll like it. If you're looking for an enjoyable cast of characters trying to keep order in an anarchic alien NYC, you'll like it. If you want a show that will make you smile from ear to ear and weep within a relatively short time, you'll like it. I'll see you in Hellsalem's Lot.