VIDEO VERSION: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChRoS-Agx1I
Kekkai Sensen or Blood Blockade Battlefront is an anime produced by Studio BONES that came out last Spring. It had been faced with a lot of hype due to it being based off a manga by Yasuhiro Nightow, who brought the beloved Trigun and Gungrave titles. Furthermore, it was being directed by Rie Matsumoto, who had worked on Kyousougiga over a year prior. Was the series able to live up to the hype that many had set up for it?
The story takes place in Hellsalem’s Lot; this crazy city that acts as a border between the Earth and the netherworlds, formerly known as New York City. Both humans and aliens now co-exist among each other, and both go about their lives participating in mundane activities such as eating out, going to the movies, and eating out some more! The show in particular focuses on Libra, a group of vigilantes who fight against those who attempt to wreak havoc on the city.
The main character, Leonardo Watch, has the “All-Seeing Eyes of the Gods” that he received as a sacrifice for his sister’s own eyesight. This leads him to feel a large amount of guilt. Leo, as a character, is someone who knows deep down he is a good person that tries to do the right thing, but he is too held back by this guilt for his own past, that he cannot forgive himself. I thought Leonardo’s conflict was very easy to relate to, being someone who has felt the same things he has felt, and it is very satisfying to see him slowly come to terms with his own past. Zapp is his “partner-in-crime”, so to speak. He’s a goofy troublemaker that likes to pick fights with his teammates, and he is also a bit of a womanizer. He plays well as someone who really messes with Leo, but at the same time, you can really tell he is still looking out for him. This is made particularly apparent during the pizza sequence in the second episode. We also get to find out about Zapp’s own struggles later in the show, and that really adds to his character. Klaus is the gentlemanly leader of Libra, who really acts well as the “father-figure” to Leo, if you will. He’s intelligent; he looks out for others, and is in general, willing to put his own life on the line to save people that couldn’t care less about him. This is made apparent in a couple of episodes, but the third episode in particular is where you truly get to see Klaus’ character shine. There’s also White, who somewhat acts as Leo’s love interest. In general, her character is one filled with tragedy, to avoid spoiler territory. She has her own twin brother, who goes by the name ‘Black’. Their conflict that they share plays as a really nice parallel to Leo’s own conflict with his sister, and how the show ultimately comes together with these two characters is nothing less than impressive. Especially since they are characters only present in the anime series, not in the manga.
Unfortunately, if there’s one problem with the show it is the fact that not really any of the other characters are quite given a chance to come together as their own, and feel as if they are somewhat one-dimensional. I believe that is mostly due to the series being only 12 episodes, and I think that if the show was given more episodes, it could easily manage to flesh out the other members of Libra. The show still had a lot of memorable side characters, such as: Nej, Lucky Abrams, and Deldro Brody & Dog Hummer. Not to mention, one of the greatest animal sidekicks of all times: Sonic Speed Monkey! Still, it would have been nice to see more of the show’s characters in action and get a better idea of who they are as people. Some of these characters I felt were more defined by their powers, rather than who they are as individuals.
The show itself also puts heavy emphasis on style; so much so that people will go on to say that the show values its style over substance. I would disagree with that, as I think the substance is within the show’s style. Rather, that the show uses its style to convey the show’s own themes. Each episode is packed with all different sorts of visual symbolism that is used to convey the show’s own messages. Every shot has a lot of thought put into it, and you can really tell there was a lot of passion from Matsumoto and co.
While I love the show’s use of visuals, I can equally see how it might turn a lot of people off, since more people are used to a show’s messages being presented mainly through dialogue, with the visuals being there to further the show’s points. I would even disagree that the show only conveys its themes through visuals, since there have been multiple times in which the show has made its own messages clear outright through dialogue. This is particularly noticeable in episode 6, where it conveys the idea that racism not only persists due to those who are racist, but also those who see racism occur and do nothing about it. That episode’s messages are almost entirely shown through the characters.
The show’s themes are really able to showcase both Matsumoto’s own ideals on staying together as a “family” through thick-and-thin, as well as Nightow’s own humanist ideals. Libra, in spite of how some of them may have a hard time getting along, all end up sticking together and looking out for each other when things get rough. Another theme common in the show is the idea of ‘power’. This is conveyed multiple different ways, such as in episode 4, where the series uses the color, red, to symbolize a gain or a loss in power.
The series plays out in a semi-episodic fashion, with an overarching storyline slowly being unraveled amongst a number of individual missions Libra goes on. A lot of these episodes do a great job at furthering the show’s own themes, such as how episode 2 showcased how seeing is power. This symbolism doesn’t just appear in one episode and is gone after that. The ‘eye’ symbolism is present throughout multiple episodes in the series, and one can find it noticeable specifically in the later episodes. The same can be said about the color, red, being used to symbolize power, as this is made especially apparent in a flashback later in the series.
Even when these episodes aren’t further conveying the show’s themes through its visuals, the show also has episodes that are extremely comedic: such as episodes 5 and 10. In these episodes, they manage to use the visuals for comedic effect, as well as just to tell a group of silly stories. The ketchup scene in episode 5 was a unique, zany way to explain what happened to a character. Some scenes had me outright laughing out loud with how “out there” they were. It also flowed really well with the show. While most comedic moments in anime usually take me out of the show, I could always buy the fact that there were comedic moments during serious episodes, due to the kind of characters that were being presented. The only episode where I felt the show’s style didn’t quite work was episode 7, which felt kind of clunky in comparison to the rest of the series, and you could really tell it was the kind of episode used as a way to save money for the more important parts of the show.
The show’s conclusion was fantastic and really did an amazing job tying up all of the themes that it had presented at the beginning of the show, as well as also wrapping up the Black and White story arc. I was a tad disappointed that there were a couple of the show’s characters that failed to make an appearance, but otherwise, Matsumoto and co. made very good use of their time, and the show’s finale outright left me begging to see more.
One other aspect of the series I must mention is the show’s world of Hellsalem’s Lot, which I thought was perfect for the exact story the show was trying to tell. Being someone who lives in New York City and has grown up there his entire life, they did a good job giving an accurate representation of the pure ‘melting pot’ that New York City is. It would make a lot of sense for these crazy aliens to make a home in a city that is so diverse. There were parts of the show where I even noticed accurate representations of places I frequent. One thing that especially got me was episode 4, where it presents 23rd Street in the background, and you can see the C and E trains listed, both of which are the actual trains that stop at 23rd Street. It really further cements how much effort was put into this show.
Its animation puts a heavier emphasis on style rather than choreography, which I think, for the story it is trying to tell, serves the series very well. The manga itself takes a heavy amount of influence from Western comics, so having the huge text appear whenever characters use a special attack really helps add to that show’s feeling. So much so, that even if you don’t want to analyze the show’s visual symbolism, you can just sit back and enjoy the spectacle of what’s going on. Though, if there’s one thing I believe is quite detrimental to the show’s animation, I’d say it is the show’s use of CGI. It really disappointed me that BONES, a studio that I don’t really see use CGI, resorted to having it. The studio starting to use CGI more is also made apparent in another show that they produced that same season, Show By Rock. Other than that, the show’s animation is very stylish, enjoyable to watch, and really helps sell the show.
I have zero complaints when it comes to the show’s sound. The OST is some of the best music I have heard in anime, and it really helps enhance the mood of the show. One track in particular that left a huge mark on me was “On My Own”, which really sold the emotional impact of the sixth episode, with its use of piano and vocals. Another song I was also very impressed with was “Catch Me If You Can”, which is very fast-paced and jazz influenced: perfect for emphasizing the more fast-paced and action-packed parts of the series. The opening, “Hello, World!” is a fantastic track, with very fitting lyrics, as well as some great use of visuals in its opening sequence. The ending theme, “Sugar Song and Bitter Step”, is an addictive listen, and the ending sequence perfectly captures the show’s silliness. Plus, who doesn’t enjoy the nice dancing animation?
In terms of voice acting, you won’t be losing whether you pick the sub or the English dub. Both have great casting, and perfectly capture both the serious and silly moments in the series. Though the dub can have a couple of questionable script choices, there are equally some moments where I think it can outdo the subbed version, and either way, both are really good.
I can say that I really enjoyed Kekkai Sensen. I laughed with the show, I got emotional with the show, and I got blown away by the show’s use of visuals. Not every moment in the series exactly sold me, but when the show was great, it was great. I can see this show being among one of the tops in my favorites if it is able to create a second season that fixes my gripes with the show’s first one. Due to the show’s extremely impressive Blu-Ray sales, I am hoping the series will continue. I would highly recommend giving Kekkai Sensen a watch; while the show’s non-conventional storytelling may turn some people off, I think it may equally impress people.
