Blu-ray Movie Reviews

A team of top-secret undercover agents dispatches a mysterious young woman to destroy vampires that have infiltrated a U.S. military base in Japan.

I just reviewed the live action adaptation of this a few weeks ago and revisiting the anime really made the live version seem even worse. They just missed the tone and visual richness of the original. This is a dark tale and the tension of the short film is staggering. Production I.G. did a tremendous job with the animation, especially the little details. Forget the live version and stick with this one.

The source print looks like it was in really good shape for this encode because there is no sign of wear and tear at all. The image can be a bit soft, but this type of animation always is. I did notice some light banding here and there but nothing overly distracting. The DTS soundtrack is outstanding with lots of atmosphere. I also loved the sound design. A great presentation overall.

Extras include a digital copy of the film for portable devices and a few production features on the making of the film. You also get the original trailers.

I’ve always hoped they would continue this story with a follow up film. It was just too short for such a great character. The Blu-ray does a great job with the presentation, which is far better than any version I’ve seen before. Recommended.