Trinity Blood: Chapter 1
Starring: (English voices) Troy Baker and R. Bruce Elliot
DIRECTOR: Tomohiro Hirata
WRITERS: Atsuhiro Tomoka and Yunji Hosono
PRODUCERS: Carly Hunter and Justin Cook (American version)
Genres: Animation, Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi
Rating: TV14
Distributor: FUNimation Entertainment
"
Trinity Blood" is a 24-episode Anime series currently airing on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim lineup. Trinity Blood began as a series of science fiction novels by author
Sunao Yoshida (who died at the age of 34 before he finished the series). It became Manga, and the Anime studio
GONZO adapted the manga into the Trinity Blood Anime series.
The series takes place sometime in a distant future in which humanity has re-established itself long after an apocalyptic war destroyed civilization. There are two major political powers in this dark new world - the
Vatican and the
vampires (known as "
Methuselahs") - and they are in a state of conflict. In this barely contained cold war, vampires prey on humans (whom they call "
Terrans"), while the Vatican plots to destroy the vampires. Each side uses "lost technologies," remnants left over from the world before the apocalypse: airships, missiles, computers, etc.
The DVD release, Trinity Blood: Chapter 1, includes the first four episodes of the series: "Flight Night," "Witch Hunt," "The Star of Sorrow I: City of Blood," and The Star of Sorrow II: Hunter's Banquet." The major character here is
Father Abel Nightroad, a Catholic priest who on the outside appears to be a clumsy, absent-minded fool with a giant appetite, but who is really a
Crusnik, a vampire that feeds on the blood of other vampires. Also appearing is Nightroad's colleague,
Father Tres, a battle android quite good with his two pistols, and
Sister Esther Blanchett, a nun who figures prominently in The Star of Sorrow storyline.
These episodes feature Father Nightroad fighting vampires, protecting a young witch from both the Vatican and vampires, and trying to stop a grieving, vengeful vampire from destroying Rome. Blood Trinity comes across as a mixture of such sci-fi/horror media properties as
Blade,
Underworld, and
Van Helsing, and, right from the beginning, it's all very engaging. In each episode, the writers manage to nail down the characters pretty quickly, before moving into the main story, which always involves elaborate fights full of bloodletting and melodramatic speeches.
Nightroad is intriguing because he seems to have two sides to his personality, which are direct opposites, but he also has sort of a bridge personality. On one hand, he's a goofy priest, but on the other hand, he's a ruthless killer of vampires. In between those two, Nightroad is a steadfast, stouthearted warrior. In an odd way, he's an engaging character, and it's fun to watch everyone who encounters him have to adjust to his strange ways.
The animation is good, but it's the design work and color palette that really stands out. It's a Gothic/futuristic blend that manages to look very old and on the verge of being new, and that's necessary to create an atmosphere of an old world reborn as something new, unknown and dangerous.
Trinity Blood blends genres quite well, and the characters are certainly engaging, but the like so many Manga series, it offers something that American TV would never produce - quality sci-fi animation aimed at an adult audience. With it emphasis on melodrama, intrigue, and big sci-fi set pieces, Trinity Blood succeeds.
The DVD doesn't have very many extras, just a few odds and ends (songs, trailers, a glossary of historical figures). The picture quality is good and the DVD comes in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround.
B+
Visit the Trinity Blood site at trinityblood.tv
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