Blood+ Adagio

Name: Blood+ Adagio
AKA: Blood+ A, ブラッド・プラス　アダージョ
Author: Suekane Kumiko
Status: Completed
No. Of Volumes: 2
Genres: Horror, Action, Mystery, Supernatural, Romance

The Plot

From Illuminati-Manga The year is 1916. Saya and Hagi are entrusted with their first mission in Russia at the turn of the 20th century. The grand battle between Men and Chiropterans ensues in the Romanov Imperial court on the night before the Revolution!

Note: Read the parent story- Blood+ 1st to understand


Review Section



The Story

I thought the story was great.It was interesting & continued to carry the dark serious theme from the original Blood+. There was not much humour in the story.Its bloody but pleasing to read.The twists were alright as in it wasn't very predictable nor was it like a rollercoaster ride.

The characters

The portrayal of Saya in Blood+ Adagio differs from the original Blood+ manga. Saya actually seemed more vulnerable in Blood+ Adagio. I don't think a lot of characters got enough screentime in Blood+ Adagio either.They were easily killed off somehow.Since its like a side story from the original work, don't expect a lot of character development but you will see a lot of Hagi & Saya interaction. This showed more about their bonds.

The Art

I love the art.Especially Volume 2's cover (the image above). It striked my intrest due to the nice usage of blue. The art is not very shoujo like as in it wasn't filled with bishounens & bishoujos.The art seemed different, no one seemed outstandingly handsome or beautiful. Even so the art was nice & expresses the story well.


You may enjoy Blood+ Adagio if you:

• Liked Blood+ Manga or anime
• Enjoyed the novel adaptation Blood+: Russian Rose

Note: Blood+ Adagio contains violence

Double Arts

Name: Double Arts
Original Name: ダブルアーツ
Author: Komi Naoshi
Status: Completed
No. Of Volumes: 3
Genres: Adventure, Action, Fantasy, Comedy

The Plot
A boy and a girl are forced to join hands for all eternity!? In a land ravaged by an epidemic known as "Troy", the only people with healing arts capable of stopping the seizures caused by the disease are the Sisters. Although they have a high resistance to the disease, they are searching for a person who is truly immune, if they exist, so that they can find a cure. The main character is Sister Elraine, one of the Sisters who becomes infected with Troy. But, when she touches Kiri, a seemingly ordinary boy, her seizures stop. Could he be the one!? (Source: Mangaupdates)

Review Section

The Story

The story was very creative, very unique.In most shounen mangas we see the main guy go through training & that he has a lot of potential. When you add the element of "Unable to let go of your hand" it gets a whole lot more interesting.The story was very interestng & quite addictive. It goes on pretty smooth & there is a good amount of comedy that really makes you laugh (some mangas have cold jokes). The training sessions that Kiri had to go through was really unique from other shounen mangas.The only bad point though is that the ending was practically cut short.It was left with a cliffhanger with an ending that did not cover up much questions & leaves you confused.
The Characters

The character cast is the one that enchants you.The characters are all lovable & quirky. Serious characters have their cute & funny sides.Personally I like Sui in the story.Seeming like a classic tsundere, she is what I call unexpected personality change.Kiri's parents are so unique & funny anyone would love them.

The Art

The art of Double Arts was great especially those exaggerated "serious" face of shock. The art is not sketchy & complicated.Its simple & very nicely done.The backgrounds were good & wasn't confusing. The cover volumes look lively & attractive.Its art is more of a light hearted feel & is never too serious.

Enjoyment

I enjoyed the manga greatly but was really disappointed in the ending.Although that was most likely due to the stop of serialization of Double Arts.Its very entertaining to read though if you like a good shounen manga.After reading Double Arts I became a fan of the author.His other works are equally good.

You may like this if you:

• Do not mind the cliffhanger ending
• Enjoy shounen mangas
• Like a colourful cast of characters
• Like funny comedy mangas
• Like Kingdom Hearts (Kiri reminds me of Sora)
  

Blood+

Name: Blood+
AKA: Blood Plus
Author: Katsura Asuka
Status: Completed
No. Of Volumes: 5
Genre: Romance, Horror, Action, Supernatural, Mystery
Related Manga: Blood+ Adagio, Blood+ Yakou Joushi
Adaptations: Blood+ (anime), Blood+ (Novel)


The Plot

Saya, the main character, lost her memory and has been living with her adopted family. Her everyday life seems quite normal, except that she eats a lot more than she actually needs. Then one day she meets a guy named Hagi in a park. She is told that he has been searching for her, for a long time. Since then, her normal life has changed completely.

from MAL

Review Section


The Story

Blood+ has drak themed storyline which is filled mostly of seriousness & emotional parts.
It delivers the main point which is about Saya but there are 2 other parts which are the Vietnam arc & Diva arc are still closely tied to the main point of the manga: Saya's past. The story flowed quite smoothly & was thrilling.The story is creative & does not seem to be the type that is frequently used in other mangas (cough!: shoujo mangas) All together its thrilling & with heart warming parts.Comedy is used in the story but it is not as strong to maintain the seriousness of the plot.

The Characters

Blood+ 's characters are have their own characteristics. Saya's development is the best but Kai & the others have do have their developments.Sadly not much in depth development could be done like the anime as the manga may have to be shorter.Some characters just did not get enough screentime. Diva & Saya are potrayed as opposite personalities as seen in Diva's childish actions & Saya who is more mature & serious. Character portrayals are well done such as the nobility factor in one of the characters (Charles).

The Art

Blood+ cover volumes remind me of oil paintings. The effect is great as I rarely see this in other mangas.I love the covers. The chiropterans look scary & very monster like.The gore was done well, it doesn't look fake.Scary faces look terrifying.It made me feel a little stomach upset though so its sucessful.Despite the gore the art is still beautifully done.Explosions were not messy & looked like what it was meant to be.Yes I'm mentioning the blood splattered walls & faces.It is very hard to draw as it takes skills. ^^


Anime Vs Manga

The anime has more time for character developments compared to the manga.The anime also greatly differs from the manga interms of ending & character personalities.In the manga Kai is more mature & there is a change of characters.Charles is the manga's character while the anime has another version of him named Carl. Situations are different & the manga is equally interesting to read.

You may enjoy this if you:

• Do not mind gore
• Enjoyed Blood+ (anime) or Blood:The last vampire (anime movie)
• Like Horror mangas
• Like super-powered heroines

Note:

Blood+ contains a strong amount of violence & gore