Blood+, Vol. 1

Blood+ #1

by Asuka Katsura, Camellia Nieh (Translator)

Set several decades after the events in the popular Blood: The Last Vampire anime film, an amnesiac Saya Otonashi lives as a seemingly normal high school student with her adoptive family in Okinawa. Horrible nightmares are the only hints at the violent life she once led, but her past is about to catch up with her and awaken the merciless warrior within. Chiropterans — powerful shape-changing creatures who need and crave blood — threaten humanity once more, and a mysterious organization called the Red Shield needs Saya’s deadly sword skills and mysterious powers to aid in the fight against these beasts. As her submerged abilities begin to reawaken and as she seeks to regain her memories, Chiropteran warriors are guided by a mysterious leader to threaten Saya and her loved ones. Asuka Katsura’s manga series successfully expands upon the original Production I.G./Aniplex feature, delivering moments of jarring violence and thrilling action in a tale that spans several centuries.

Genres: Manga, Vampires, Horror, Fantasy, Comics, Graphic Novels, Comics Manga

208 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 22, 2005

About the author

Japanese name 桂明日香, Katsura Asuka is a manga artist. She has drawn the series Blood+ and Le Portrait de Petite Cosette.

Reviews

[Artemy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A trite mix of Blade, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and some other very familiar stuff that I can't quite put my finger on, Blood+ is a series about an amnesiac schoolgirl who is the only person in the world who can kill evil vampire-like monsters because, if I understood it correctly, she is part-monster herself. This manga is an over the top mess that plays out like a B-movie with cheesy character drama, terrible dialogue and confused storytelling. The artwork is quite good, and that is really the only nice thing I can say about this series. Can be an entertaining read in a "so bad it's good" kind of way, but otherwise I say avoid this one.

[Maja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vol. 1–2: ★★★
Vol. 3-4: ★★
Vol. 5: ★½

Hard pass on the manga, though I might give the anime a try. The story in the final volumes felt extremely rushed. Most characters were stripped of their personality long before their actual narrative end. It’s a shame, because the early volumes were genuinely enjoyable and thoughtfully crafted.

What pushed me away the most was Saya, the main heroine, who, after her "awakening," remains conveniently amnesiac about the one lesson she was supposed to learn: she can’t carry the burden alone. Let’s be honest—she lacks the capacity to make and execute a good plan; her strengths are purely physical. Instead of development, we get the same cycle on repeat: refusing help, near defeat, accepting help, winning... then again.

And to top it off, the main villain’s motives were barely addressed. Did he actually love Diva, or was he just after her power for some grand plan?

STAY AWAY.

[hotsake (André Troesch) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Instantly engrossing, I'm already reading the second volume.

[lady h · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hadn’t expected this to be so different from the anime, but I’m glad of it! Wouldn’t want to read an exact facsimile. The artwork is gorgeous, though occasionally a little male-gazey, even though the artist is a woman.

[Consuelo Paz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don’t you just love when manga characters do their little manga things and say their little manga phrases like “Normal?! What’s normal about you?! Is it normal to have amnesia?!!” and “Don’t make fun of how much I eat!!” They’re so cute.

[ReadingFrog · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars.

[Kai Charles(Fiction State Of Mind) · Rating 5 out of 5]

CROSSOVER SUNDAY

Blood + is another manga series that started as a series of novels. It was a popular Anime Series and Feature Film. After watching the film I looked forward to the manga series.

"The amnesiac Saya lives as a seemingly normal high school student with her adoptive family in Okinawa Japan.Horrible nightmares are the only hints at the violent life she once led,... A viscious attack by the Chiropterans- powerful shape-changing creatures who crave blood, awaken her past as a fearful warrior" Cover Blurb


THis manga is in the traditionalleft to right format. Young Saya lives with her adopted step brothers and parents. She has no memory of the last year of her life but is consumed by increasingly violent nightmares. She meets a mysterious musician named Hagi whose haunting music awakens memories in her heart. Her step brother Kai is witness to her terrible transformation into the fearsome warrior of her past. Besides a gifted swordswoman Saya's blood is toxic to the Chiropterans. She is the key in preventing them from destroying the human race.

I love this series! it deftly combines Horror,Mystery and a very interesting Love triangle with Saya, Hagi and Kai whose love for her is more than brotherly.

I highly suggest this series for fans of paranormal and vampire fiction. It has elements of Vampire Diaries, Twilight and other dark paranormal books. Saya is both strong and vulnerable their are many scenes where she balances her emotion pain with her strengh and determination to protect her family.

I have a3 vol prize pack to give away!!!!
VOLS 1-3 OF BLOOD +

+8 entries for Blog Followers
+5 entries for twitter followers @yogikai
+1 entries for adding up uour totals :)

contest ends 4/18/10

[VampireNovelFan · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're familiar with the Blood+ anime and enjoyed it, then I definitely recommend this manga series. The first volume takes you into Saya's life. She's seemingly your average teenage girl who has been adopted into a Japanese family's home. She has no memory of her past, but that's soon remedied as a mysterious figure from her past, Haji, finds her and awakens her powers. Chiropterans--vampiric like shapechanging monsters--are now plaguing the city and only Saya's powers can stop them.

This manga is extremely action packed and violent, similar to the anime series. There is a fair bit of drama as Saya comes to grips with her fate and all of the violence and carnage that lies ahead. Her foster brother, Kai, harbors romantic feelings for her but mainly wants to look out for her wellbeing and be a supporting figure in her life. The antagonists are just as menacing as the anime series, but there are differences which makes me prefer the anime series a little more in this aspect.

Volume 1 was pretty much like episode 1 of the anime, but there are only 5 volumes of the manga and 50 episodes of the anime, so I suspect a lot of plot lines will be omitted.

I like the art style. The images are easy to see, which is a problem I've noticed with a decent amount and manga/manhwa I've read in the past where there is too much going on in a page, or something isn't detailed enough. I also like that they keep the original reading format, not flipping it to conform to American standards. I personally prefer to read manga in the Japanese direction.

All in all, if you like action, horror, drama, and a touch of romance, I would recommend this series.

*Review also posted to Amazon

[Mandy Sickle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blood+ is set after the movie where Saya our Chiropterans slayer from the film has amnesia and doesn’t recall what happened. She’s been living with a human family that she accepts as her own, but things aren’t always easy when you aren’t just a normal girl. When Chiropterans start to show up Saya will have to face reality of who she really is and what her destiny is but at least she doesn’t have to face it alone. With the support of the Red Shield Saya will set off on an action packed adventure to stop the rising threat of the Chiropterans before it’s to late and save all of humanity.

I find Saya to be an interesting character a supernatural vampire slayer who happens to not remember that she’s a vampire slayer but the only one who can stop them. I like her as a character but her life living as a human seems to be getting in the way of her accepting her true fate stopping the Chiropterans.

It’s been years since I saw the anime or movie and decided now that I’ve been reading manga that this one had to be on the list. While the concept is similar to the anime the story has slight differences which leave you guessing how it will play out. The artwork is great it’s matches the anime making it easy to be sucked into the story. I really like the characters in the Blood+ manga each character has a story that revolves around Saya in one form or another. I’m curious to finish the series.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

¿Puede que la puntuación de este primer tomo este sesgada por la nostalgia que me produce esta historia? Totalmente.
En este primer tomo, nos presenta a Saya y su familia, compuesta por su padre, y sus dos hermanos adoptivos. Saya vive la vida de una chica normal, hasta que la aparición de un chico que carga un cello y unas criaturas descomunales, cambian todo.
Si bien al principio la historia puede ser algo confusa, es de esos mangas que recomiendo seguir leyendo, en cada tomo las situaciones se van clarificando mejor e, incluso me atrevo a decir que es de esas historias que se disfrutan más con una segunda leída. En mi caso, me se todo de memoria, jaja, pero reencontrarme con la historia fue muy gratificante.
En cuanto a los personajes, ADORO a Hagi. Y me gustó bastante ver la personalidad de Saya en este primer tomo. Las viñetas del salto en alto me encantaron, así como los flashbacks.

[Reading_seas0n · Rating 4 out of 5]

The anime has me intrigued, and this confirms it.
After a year without memories, Saya discovers only she and her blood can kill vampiric creatures, and she is no ordinary girl, having been alive for a VERY long time. However, a devoted follower/lover appears to help her fate.

The family elements are super sweet, and that's ALL I WANT THEM TO BE! Her 'brother' better not fall for her, I just need this child to have a loving family, and I cannot wait to discover more of her background, history and what is going on with all these governments and creatures.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a while since I've seen the anime, but methinks they are somewhat similar. This first volume I don't recall a lot of the details, but it is good nonetheless. I'm excited for more.

[Tinita125 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buenas buenas, hello there!
Para empezar, tengo que decir que me encantó este manga y lo disfruté muchísimo! Con gusto, voy a leer las demás cosas que tiene y seguramente me vea el anime en algún momento.
Blood+ es una historia que me acompañó durante mucho tiempo, yo veía el anime en la televisión y me gustaba muchísimo. Después me lo vi entero, hace unos cuantos años, pero ya no me acordaba nada. Sabía que el manga no era tal cual la serie, por eso me lo leí y me vi un resumen de los 50 capítulos. Ambas cosas me gustaron por separado y, por más que comparemos, estoy feliz de que existan las dos cosas.
La serie es muuucho más violenta y casi todos los personajes la quedan. A mi me traumó muchísimo la vi0laci0n de riku y cómo se muere en el anime, es durisimo. Eso te hace odiar a Diva con toda tu alma. Por un lado, te da pena, porque ella fue encerrada y utilizada, pero eso no quita que sea una loca hdp. Siento como que el anime la trata de justificar, en cierto punto, pero igual no le quita la culpabilidad. No puedo dejar de pensar en el pobre Riku.
Además, el anime alarga bastante las tramas, cosa que le sirve mucho a la historia, porque te genera demasiada intriga en saber qué corno está pasando. El manga va directo al punto y te va contando todo. Creo que un lugar intermedio entre ambas cosas es lo mejor. Por eso, recomiendo ver la serie primero y luego leer el manga.
Una de las cosas que me gustaron, es que el manga tiene un final feliz y no se muere casi nadie. Saya ni siquiera es quién mata a Diva, cosa que está bien, porque Diva tampoco hace muchas locuras en el manga (salvo lo de matar a Hagi humano, eso fue tremendo) y, en su gran mayoría, es por las cosas que le hicieron. De todas formas, estaba muy loca para quedar viva jajajajaja Me gustó un poquito más, pero porque el anime posta te rompe el corazón. Ver a Riku vivo y feliz, me da años de vida <3
En general, los personajes me gustan todos! Mi fav es y siempre fue Kai. Lo amo y está re potro. Me gusta que de entrada, te marquen una especie de triangulo amoroso entre Hagi, Saya y Kai. A pesar de que no me gustan para nada los triángulos amorosos, yo a este lo compro!! Aparte, al final se queda con Hagi, cosa que me parece acertada (yo me quedo con Kai, kein Problem!). Saya es la queen de la queen y la amo con todo mi kokoro, es una diosa y tiene re buen corazón, se la quiere mucho! Me encanta su historia y la intriga que te da en ir conociendo todo! Es tremendo este manga!
En fin, suuuuper recomendado y estoy feliz de que el random number me haya tirado tan buena opción! Tengo ese manga en mi estantería hace como 8 años, iba siendo hora de leerlo. Me deja con un feeling mega positivo para seguir leyendo mi TBR. Voy a leer las otras cosas del universo, porque amé!
Que god este anime y manga, por dios!!
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[Bibliothecat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review for complete series


In this Blood: The Last Vampire spin-off, Saya has no memory of her previously blood-filled life; she is now an ordinary high schooler who bickers with her siblings. But it's not long until her past catches up with her and she is once again fighting against blood-sucking monsters. But having lived as an ordinary human has changed her perception of the world and humans.

Blood+ is yet another work in the Blood universe that I have purely picked up to know more about Saya who I enjoyed in Blood C. It's not a manga I would usually pick as I am no major fan of horror and splatter. In the case of this adaptation, I also wouldn't have picked it up due to the art. There's nothing wrong with the art at all - it's neatly drawn and well proportioned - it just doesn't appeal to me personally. I also don't appreciate Saya's short hairstyle, I always considered her long hair iconic to her.

I felt that Blood+ was more character-driven than the other adaptations I am familiar with. In a way, that's good - I care more for a character-driven plot than lots of gore. That being said, while there was a solid cast of characters with distinct personalities, perhaps 5 volumes was too short to explore them thoroughly. At the same time, I am glad that it wasn't longer as, ultimately, it wasn't my cup of tea.

I would say that this is definitely not a bad manga and probably pretty good if picked up by the intended audience. For me, it was an ok manga that I merely read as a means to an end rather than being genuinely invested in this version of Saya.

[Bradley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Since I'm about to move out of my apartment I need to get rid of the stacks of books and manga that I have. First step is a lot of manga that I have volume one of to try a series out and see how they taste. If I were a vampire and I tasted the blood of this series I would die from it having too much garlic.

Am I being fair? No. I skimmed and relied on the art to tell the story which it did... Unfortunately, as much in fashion as the art was, the story is LACKING BIG TIME. Like I said, I did not devote a lot of time and energy to sit and spend time on this and frankly I see that as a blessing in disguise.

I vaguely remember once upon a time in hazy memory catching an episode of Blood + on Adult Swim and it was dark, gory and violent. That's probably the strength here. Don't expect much more unless the writer just doesn't know how to run introductions. On to the next!

[Samantha]

So I don't normally enjoy comic style books, but gotta be said I picked this up and read the whole thing start to finish in an hour without realising. Gonna have to find more of them now though cause I could totally go for reading a few more. Definitely not going to be classing this style in my least favourite column anymore.

As for the book.... I enjoyed the story, it was fast paced so keeps you turning the page. I really enjoyed this probably because of the art work and the fact that it is one of my favourite anime series, but the story was different enough from the anime to stop boredom as you never quite know what the characters are actually going to do even though you know where the story line is eventually going to go.

[David Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saya our MC has amnesia and can't remember anything from her past. For this last year she has lived with a family that has taken her in and treated her as one of their own. She lives a normal life and attends school like a normal teenager. Then one day strange men appear stating that they know her. Saya's comfortable life is about to be turned upside down as she discovers that she is monster hunter and a monster herself. She is the only weapon that can kill Chiropterans, strange creatures with immense strength and an insatiable thirst for blood. This was an enjoyable read, I felt the pacing was a little slow in the first volume causing it to be a little boring hence the -1 star. Still an enjoyable story none-the-less.

[Mary Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Leída la serie completa]
Es evidente que es diferente al anime. El manga es como una versión más simple del anime, con algunos cambios; sea en el desarrollo de los personajes como algunas tramas que se quitaron o la ausencia de otros personajes que eran relevantes en la serie. Pero aún así hay algunas cosas que han mantenido del contenido original y sigue teniendo un desarrollo similar. Y el final es casi identifico y emotivo.
Fue un gusto volver a sumergirme en esta serie de vuelta.

[Nightshade · Rating 5 out of 5]

I watched the Blood+ anime years ago and loved it, so I was very excited to return to this world in manga form. I immediately remembered why I loved it so much. The characters are brilliant and the plot engaging.
This first volume was a wonderful start and I'm super excited to see the story progress in the next volume.

[Arska-täti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sijoittuu elokuvan Blood - the last vampire -elokuvan jälkeiseen maailmaan. Muistinsa menettänyt Saya Otonashi elää Okinawalla adoptioperheensä kanssa, kun lepakkohirviöt hyökkäävät ja Sayan kykyjä tarvitaan jälleen.

[Lucía García Pacheco · Rating 4 out of 5]

I unfortunately read Blood+ Adagio first so i lost the surprise element a little, but it still made me want to read the next one to know how the story goes. There's action but it's a very introductory book of the story (i hope). I already love all the characters, which is exciting.

[Octavia · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOOOOOOOOVE

[Apatricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adorei a arte deste livro, no entanto a história foi muito ligeira e não deu para entrar a 100% neste mundo

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reminiscing my childhood.

[BMK · Rating 2 out of 5]

Looking for a new manga series to read that will be as good as Death Note or Fullmetal Alchemist. This isn't it. Not a fan of the story so far and the art was not that clear. The search continues...

[Heaven Ashlee · Rating 5 out of 5]

hagi 😍😌

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise was fine, but the plot was a little lacking and the character work was a bit too tropey.

[Haleigh Gravgaard · Rating 4 out of 5]

damn! I completely forgot all about this series until today, never finished the anime so finishing the manga is my choice

[Nayeli Ruiz&#x1f600;! · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been wondering for so long if there was a manga or at least more to the anime, and now I know that there is. And I’m ready for it.

[Serena · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a throwback for me and I forgot how much I loved this series growing up. I can't wait to read more of this series!