Customer Reviews

Trinity Blood Box Set

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Three cheers for beautiful anime box sets. The format of the "Trinity Blood" set is so nice it's almost like a modern illuminated manuscript.
But the pretty box is nothing compared to the story contained within.

The anime of "Trinity Blood" is a cobbling together of the stories in the light novels and the manga with an underlying plot involving the delicate transition between the conflict of the humans and the vampires to a balance of peace. It can appear to be haphazard in places, but overall the story follows a steady course to its conclusion and it has become one of my favorite anime.

The characters carry the events better than many stories I've seen. It is the changes in them that prove to be the most powerful points of the plot. Keep your eye on Esther and Alessandro, both of whom go through the most poignant transformations. My favorite scene in the entire show is towards the end when Alessandro blesses the little vampire girl's pet rabbit. You see him realizing for the first time that he has the potential to change the world, and he wants to change it for the better. There is power in simple moments like that.

And then, of course, there's Abel, who is just too weird to be believed. You find yourself completely engrossed in his character as he seems to flip back and forth from one aspect of his personality to the next in an almost schizophrenic pattern yet all the while perfectly maintaining his sympathetic humanity. I mean, watch this guy. He's so goofy and then he transforms into this nightmarish super-vampire, chopping villains down with a giant scythe (complete with a choir in the background! It's so much fun!).

Anime. Ya gotta love it. That kind of wild melodrama is all part of the awesome experience.

All the AX members have their own distinct personalities and they play off each other with archtypical perfection. Wordsworth the Bumbling Genius, Kate the Gentle and Stolid, Leon the Lovable Rogue, Hugue the Strong and Silent, Tres the Deadpan Android, Noelle the Elegant and Unrequited, Havel the Mysterious and so on and so forth, with Abel at the center as a kind of catch-all personality that they can bounce off of. It's very entertaining.

And if you like big epics with big plots, this is the story for you. It's beautiful to watch, full of elaborate backgrounds and animation. The history and mythology is complex and multi-faceted with all kinds of hidden surprises to discover. You get the impression that you've only just scratched the surface of what lies beneath. I've always had great admiration for stories like that. I never watch anime in Japanese. The subtitles are annoying. (I know, scandal to the purists) But I have nothing but good things to say about the actors chosen to voice the English version. I'd say the best performance is Troy Baker, simply because of the challenge of providing Abel with so many personality facets.

All in all, it's just a very well crafted story, unique and fascinating. Best of all (in my opinion at least) the series ends with the opening of a new chapter in the mythos. Esther is crowned and she and Alessandro stand poised to reign in a new era of peace with the Methuselah. And Abel begins his ultimate quest to rid the world of the threat of his brother Cain and the Rosen Kreutz. I like to know that the story will continue, even if I might never know what will happen. It gives a sense of satisfaction to see one door close and another open.

(This does, admittedly, make the ending feel a little rushed and cut-off, but bear in mind that Sunao Yoshida died suddenly before he was able to finish the novel series. A writer collegue of his brought the series to an end with the last book but who knows if that would've been the end if Yoshida had lived.)

I'm glad to see "Trinity Blood" in a box set. It will be up to each person individually whether or not the story is to their tastes, but from where I stand it's a story that no one will regret experiencing.

The animation in this is really top of the heap. If you are impressed with the box you won' t be disappointed with the animation.

The box set this comes in is about as nice as you can get IMHO. The only other box set I own that is nicer is the complete box set for Basilisk. The packaging is done with remarkable thoughtfulness. It almost reminds me of opening apple products, almost.

The price is a bit heavy. But I think it balances itself out.

If you like Trigun you will enjoy this. Though the humor is toned down and this tends to be a little darker. I see this as a cross between Crono Cruisade and Trigun.

The story telling could have been a bit better but it was good overall.

I would argue that they didn't really play items against each other well enough to really impact you.

An example of this (slight spoiler): Someone has a love interest in the main character and she dies. The main character's mourning is TRIGGERED by the death of the beloved friend but is POWERED by his memories of someone else... how is that for an insensitive jerk! LOL

In the end his brooding doesn't seem like a sincere act over the loss of such a close loved one.

That being said:
The action is good.
The humor is fun.
The overall artwork is just beautiful to look at.
The characters are developed well.
The music is solid.
Did I mention the art is just great?
The story concept is solid too. (An Uber vampire that feeds on vampires... fun little recursive cannibalism thing going on there.)

Would I buy this again? Yes.
Would I try to find it cheaper? Absolutely
Is it a solid show to watch? Yes
Will you be disappointed? I don't think so.

The series weaves an elaborate plot around a diverse and dynamic cast of characters. Visually spectacular and at times very touching, the plot unfortunately unravels at the end. The main thrust of the story becomes a footnote as the plot shifts to focus on a previously only hinted-at antagonist, elements are introduced that are not adequately explained, and ultimately I was left with more questions than answers. The story really needed to be paced across another three or four episodes to tie everything together. Still, the first twenty episodes are superb.

Well, I've finally seen Trinity Blood and I have to agree with most of the professional critics...it's no masterpiece. It's fun though, even with its flaws: The story is full of emotional twists and turns, some of which make sense and some of which will leave you scratching your head. In either case, the depiction of these suffers from a complete lack of subtlety. This anime is just too wildly overdramatic for its own good--many of its intended touching moments just inspire eye-rolling or even laughter. Don't even get me started on the series' ending...just pure craziness. These things said, the production is pristine, with lush backgrounds and lovely character designs and if you take this anime with a pinch (or perhaps a big, heaping bowl) of salt, you'll have a good time.

** MINOR SPOILERS **
If you love vampires, Papal conspiracies, lots of Biblical symbolism, as well as excellent animation... then this is the series for you. Trinity Blood is a visually stunning series. The settings and character designs are lovely. The music is really quite good (not as good as a Yoko Kanno series, but what is), especially when Able changes into his Avenging Angel form. It's obvious the animators and production staff took a lot of time and TLC putting so much detailed work into this series.

Many of the characters are more than a bit stereotypical... the hero, Able - complete with a dark and mysterious past. His sort of "love interest" Esther - a damsel CONSTANTLY in distress - also hides an equally dark and mysterious past, but somehow it makes them more endearing... except for the fact that Esther is CONSTANTLY SCREAMING when there is the least bit of danger. Able should duct tape her mouth shut or do some kind of vampire mind-control trick to get her to take it down a few decibels.

My one regret with the series is that the rather large "supporting cast" was not given more time to develop. My understanding is that the creator of Trinity Blood passed away during production of the first season and someone else took over creative control in order to see that it was finished. In this series, the supporting cast is more than that. I found many of them to be at least as interesting as the two main characters. For a partial list: there's Seth - the Vampire Queen who looks looks like a 7 year old little girl, Father Tres - the android, Father Hugue - the unruly Sword Dancer, as well as the three siblings who make up the Triumvirate of the Papacy are fascinating. In my opinion, the relationships between the members of the Triumvirate: Alessandro XVIII (the actual pope - looks about age 10-12), Francesco di Medici - Alessandro's older, scheming half brother, and Caterina Sforza - Alessandro's protective older sister are one the most fascinating aspects of the entire series.

You know a series is good when it leaves you wanting to know more about characters and the overall story. This anime fits the bill. So you know where I'm coming from: Blood+, Wolf's Rain, Bleach, Ghost in the Shell, Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo and Last Exile are among my personal favs. Trinity Blood definitely ranks right up there. To wrap up... is it the best? No, but despite the semi-lame ending it's very good, and really a great way to spend a snow day.

This anime is great.The graphics can't be any better.Vampires never looked so good!Am not exadurating it's real impressive.However the ending is the one thing I would change.It's good but compered to the rest of the show it could of been alot better.

Casing and Extras:
Dvd's come in pairs of 2 embroidered artwork that has art on back and front
The box itself has embroidered art and fold open like a book case (top flap flips open like a chest)
Has background artwork and history of the anime and biblical history as well
Extras provide further history knowledge of the Roman Empire as well some Biblical information

Series:
Great story line but seems as though the series was cut short and some of the episodes don't quite flow together with another; meaning that they could stand alone when not part of the mini series. Other than that, the animation and story provides a different view the church verses vampires and the cg is well blened in something funimation is known for.

Overall, this anime is worth the buy, especially if you liked blood+ and Hellsing.

Really nice box, well manufactured, lots of informations in those "mini books" and really good anime.
The price was incredible low for the product that I received.
I would be satisfied if the box's content were only DVDs but, what I have in hands is much more!

Pros: Low cost, neat design, wonderful anime.

Cons: None!

Buy it! :)

I loved watching this, because, to me, it was amazing to see how the legends we grow up with look through the filter of a slightly different perspective. There is much that is absolutely amazing about this series -- the art, some of the characters, and the potential of this story -- and there is some that was not as good as it could have been. All in all, though, it was a highly enjoyable series.

The story is as follows (spoilers):

There are three races of humans:
- Humans (Terrans): humans...
- Methusalehs (Vampires): humans who need blood/blood substitute to survive. Vampire is an impolite term commonly employed by "regular" humans to denote this form of human. The Methusalehs have an extended life span and far greater power than common man. Methusalehs were created by humans experimenting on other humans.
- Crusnik: humans who survive on the blood of vampires, Crusnik live longer even than vampires, and are far more powerful. They, too, were the result of human experimentation. There were only four created -- Abel Nightroad, and his three siblings, Cain, Seth and Lilith

The main plot of the story is a struggle between Abel, and, on his side, the Church and humanity, and his brother (thought to be dead), Cain, and the clandestine Rosen Krutz Ordern. 900 years prior to the main story, as humanity broke into warring factions, the siblings chose different sides -- Lilith on the side of the Terrans, and the rest on the side of the vampires. Cain, after a life-saving operation turned him mad, murdered Lilith, and Seth and Abel in turn killed (they thought) Cain. Alas, but Cain "undied" a second time (not so, however, for poor Lilith who, once condemned to the grave, was condemned for all eternity). After Armageddon, and 900 years of mourning, Abel emerges, vowing to protect humans.

The Pope -- a young, whiny boy who is easily bullied by his older brother -- resides in Rome; his chief advisers are his sister, who diligently strives to keep humanity on the right course, and his brother, who -- being himself barred by illegitimate birth from direct access to papal power -- effectively wields the power of the papacy through his younger sibling. Abel works for the sister as a member of her elite branch, the AX; he often finds himself at odds with the pope's brother's Inquisitors, however.

A series of quests (many downright absurd) directs Abel to the truth of his brother's continued existence, and involvement with the Rosen Krutz Ordern. Along the way, he must confront his promise that he would never harm a human again and again (often choosing to indirectly cause thousands, perhaps millions, of deaths in order to directly maintain his vow). The same, however, is not true for vampires, whom he slaughters whenever the need arises. For these reasons, Abel's character can be very annoying at times, as he comes across as both spineless and stupid. While I get that he wants to protect humanity, as that was his dead sister's goal, the fact that vampires were a product of human experimentation - and are despised and persecuted by humans, despite the fact that they rely on a blood substitute and so [with the exception of rogue murderers] do not prey on humans - seems to me to indicate that theirs is the more just side. But, Abel is Abel...

Abel's work brings him in contact with many people, Terran and Methusaleh, as well as his sister, Seth (the Crusnik). These characters are generally very interesting, and add much to the story (although, again, some of them are stupid...as with Wendy and Peter, and the "Tinkerbell System" episode). One of the interesting characters is Esther Blanchette, Abel's human love interest; another is Count Ion Fortuna, his Methusaleh rival for Esther's hand. The most interesting quests in the series come probably half way through, when Abel is in contact with the New Human Empire (the kingdom of the Methusalehs).

All in all, I give this series 4/5 stars. If not for some of the weaponry/quest-lines, which were beyond the level of absurdity acceptable even in fantasy, I would have given it 5/5...despite those, however, this was a very interesting anime series, full of complex characters and riveting episodes. Oh, and a final note...I highly recommend watching the Japanese version with English subtitles (if you don't speak the language)...the English dubbing was horrendous...

The story is complex and somewhat interesting, if you can keep yourself awake! The pacing of events is really slow and the ending is painfully open and unclimactic!