Post by Melissa Foxworthy on Dec 1, 2007 20:41:53 GMT -5
Blood - The Last Vampire
It's 1966 in Japan. Saya is the last original vampire, and part of a secret team destroying daemons. She is sent undercover as a student at the Yokota Air Base in Fussa-shi, Tokyo, just before Halloween.
She discovers that two of her classmates are vampires in disguise just as they are preparing to attack the school nurse; meanwhile, her colleagues have discovered another vampire acting as a bartender in the local red-light district. A spectacular battle ensues.
Blood+
The story continues the ongoing secret war between humanity and the immortal Vampiric monsters known as Chiropterans. These creatures are capable of disguising themselves as human beings in order to attack their victims.
The war has extended into modern times and the latest resistance force is a secret organization called "Red Shield," which is a group that dedicates itself to eradicating the Chiropteran threat.
Saya Otonashi is a seemingly normal young High School student living peacefully with her family. However, she has no memory of her past. In time, Saya will learn (the hard way) of her vital role in this secret war.
Under the care of her adoptive family, Saya Otonashi has been living the life of an anemic and amnesiac, but otherwise ordinary schoolgirl. Saya¡¯s happy life is shattered when she is attacked by a chiropteran, and learns that she is the only one who can defeat them. ("Chiroptera" is the name of the order of biological classification that contains bats, probably the reason for the vampiric creatures being called "Chiropterans".)
Armed with her sword, Saya embarks on a journey with her family, allies, and Chevalier, Haji, to rid the world of Chiropterans and rediscover her identity. The course of the journey reveals the background history of the chiropeterans and Saya's very deep past, which extends into the mid-19th century.
The series is initially set in present day (September 2005) Okinawa City (Koza), on Okinawa Island, near the US Kadena Air Base. In the course of the series, Saya visits locales across the world, while fighting enemy chiropterans and searching for her origins.
Saya Otonashi
Saya Otonashi is an average high school girl, until one day a man named David comes to tell her about her true fate. Saya was adopted and had two "brothers", Kai and Riku.
When she finds out that she is the only remaining original, or the only one left who can kill the chirpoteras, she is taken away from her "family." Along with Hagi, they fight these blood sucking beasts.
Saya's persona in Blood+ is radically different from the Saya of Blood: The Last Vampire. She was "born" in 1833 from a cocoon like object taken from a mummy of a Chiropteran along with another cocoon containing her sister Diva. Whenever her and Diva's blood mix, the blood crystallizes and disintegrates. She can only remain awake for a few years (three to four, at most) before sleeping again for three decades.
She is a skilled athlete and her weapon of choice is a nihont¨ (though one slightly changed to have features analogous to those of a kopesh) with an edge she can touch with her thumb while gripping it so as to draw blood, and bohi or grooves specially designed to spread her blood through its entire blade, making it a deadly weapon both against Diva and any Chiropteran made from Diva's blood.
Amshel breaks the first blade in the series, but she acquires a new sword from David with a red crystal at the base of its blade. This crystal is actually a piece of her adoptive father, George's body which crystallized when she killed him with her own blood in order to spare him the fate of fully becoming a Chiropteran.
At the start of the series, Saya appears to be a high school girl living a normal life on the island of Okinawa. She is adopted by George Miyagusuku and has no memory of her life earlier than one year ago. She is able to heal all her injuries very quickly but must regularly receive blood transfusions to remain healthy. Despite these strange traits, she has the outward appearance of a young human teenage girl with an unusually large appetite.
Saya killing Chiropteran with katana in episode 2: "Magic Words".Later on, she begins having flashbacks of her experiences fighting Chiropterans in the Vietnam War. Her oldest memories are from her birthplace at Joel's mansion called the "Zoo" in France during the 19th century.
Saya's human personality is usually that of a cheerful and optimistic girl, but her suppressed Chiropteran side (evidenced whenever her eyes turn red in contrast to her twin sister Diva's blue eyes and when her lips turn redder than usual) is colder, calculating, and with a warrior's edge, that brooks no foolishness.
However, as time progresses Saya has had very little to be cheerful or optimistic about as she learns more and more about herself and the enemies that stalk her. Her greatest fear is perhaps finding out that she is indeed the same or much worse than the very monsters she now hunts as hinted by the grisly yet splintered memories she has of her dark, shadowy past.
It is revealed that after she and Haji had left the "Zoo", she made him promise to kill her after she kills Diva to prevent the survival of Chiropterans. Post episode 34, Saya gains a much darker appearance and personality, sporting a dark maroon trench coat and generally longer hair.
Saya during the second half of the series with her special katanaPast this point in the series, her willingness to co-operate with the Red Shield and with her own family drops, as she wishes not to endanger them any further, believing that her fight with Diva is hers to fight alone. This also somehow marks a change in Saya's previously cheerful personality, accompanied by an acceptance of her Chiropteran biology and a willingness of necessity to feed off Haji's blood. Even Moses and Karman remarks that she might, just like them, have already lost hope. It might also be said that Saya's depression stems from the fact that she is aware of her next hibernation period drawing near (she becomes prone to sudden bouts of fainting spells and as Solomon observes, her regeneration ability has somewhat slowed down). But everyone on Saya's side does their part to try to "bring" her feelings back during Javier's birthday party; the subsequent fight against Karl and the Corpse Corps; before they depart for Christina Island; and finally, before they set off for the grand finale trip to New York - so to let her know that this fight is not for her to bear alone, and that she is never alone.
In truth, not all of Diva's chevaliers are trying to take her life. The fourth brother, Solomon Goldsmith, fell deeply in love with her. He was first introduced to her as a delightful young man at the ball in her Vietnam school, and danced his only dance with her. After the dance he apologized, telling her that he had only asked her as she was the only girl who wasn't staring at him. Solomon only discovered her true identity when he was dragged off by Van Argiano, to "look" at some results, when Saya's friend Min called out her name. Solomon was greatly disturbed by Amshel's decision to eliminate Saya, and against his brother's will, set out in hope to persuade her to join his side. He saved her life many times as well.
Saya confronts her sister at the Metropolitan Opera House, and the final duel ends when they simultaneously pierce their swords through each other. Although Diva begins to crystallize, Saya survives as Diva's blood lost her potency due to her having children. Though Saya has said that she lives only to cut down Diva, whom she had released over a century ago, now that the deed is done, all Saya feels is a sense of emptiness and remorse at her sister's body that has been turned to stone. Through Kai's pleas and Haji's admittance of love, Saya breaks her former promise to Haji that she would die after the death of Diva and decides to live instead, and spare the lives of Diva's newborn baby twins as well.
Shortly after her return to Okinawa, Saya goes into her 30 year hibernation period, and Kai along with Diva's children watch over her as she sleeps in the Miyagusuku family grave. Haji had also visited, leaving a fresh pink rose with a ribbon at the grave.
Haji/Hagi
Haji is what's known as a Chevalier. This is a human who has been mutated by drinking vampire's blood (in this case, Saya's). Saya did this to save his life after he fell off a cliff. Until episode 24, he is Saya's only known Chevalier, though Diva is shown to have quite a few: Carl Fei-Wang, Solomon, Amshel, and James Ironside, and Nathan Mahler.
Saya's blood is lethal to known Chiropterans (and to Diva's Chevalier) because Saya's blood is poisonous to Diva--and vice versa, and since the Chiropterans were developed from Diva's blood.
Haji is partly instrumental in Saya's "awakening" and his right arm is covered in bandages, hiding some Chiropteran features. Haji first met Saya when he was a child and was bought by Joel to be her companion (and hopefully mate and create more specimens someday).
Haji's single wishes is to protect Saya and fulfill her wishes. He is often seen with a 'cello case in which he hides Saya's sword, but he also uses the case as shield or even as a blunt weapon.
Saya's first Chevalier, and her only surviving one. He is partly instrumental in Saya's "awakening" and his right arm is covered in bandages, hiding some Chiropteran features that he is unable to change back into human form. This might be due to the trauma of when Saya sliced his arm off during the Vietnam incident, much like a scar. Haji first met Saya when he was bought by Joel to be her companion, with hopes that they might mate and create more specimens for future experimentation. He was a lot more talkative and cheerful when he was "younger", i.e. when he was still a human and before Saya's hibernation period in Siberia (as shown in the hunt for Grigori arc). This change may be due to the trauma of Saya's crazed behavior in Vietnam, and the destruction of Haji's hand.
Upon their first meeting, Saya was around forty years old, however, since she had stopped aging in 1863, her appearance was still that of a sixteen year old girl. Haji lived with her in Joel's mansion for many years. Nevertheless, one day he slipped and fell from a cliff in an attempt to pick a flower that Saya wanted as a present for Joel's birthday. Seeing him bleeding everywhere and not really understanding that normal humans don't drink blood to remain healthy, Saya gave him some of her own blood. Thus, she unwittingly turned him into her "Chevalier."
Since then, Haji's single wish has been to protect Saya and fulfill her every desire, although he was evidently devoted to her long before. It is also revealed that unlike Saya, who "created" him, Haji neither eats, sleeps, nor goes into long periods of hibernation. But in volume 2 of the manga, there is a scene in Vietnam where he was shown to be eating noodles with Kai, though given the situation then, this was done probably for comical effects. He also eats stew in "Blood+ Yak¨ J¨shi," apparently out of politeness.
Saya was also the one who taught Haji to play the cello when he was young, but it didn't take long for him to surpass her. He is often seen with a cello case in which he hides Saya's sword, but he also uses the case as a shield or even as a blunt weapon; it seems to be extremely durable, easily deflecting blows from things that can punch through walls. He also carries a few silver daggers with him.
Much like how Saya looks eternally young, Haji appears to be in his early to mid-twenties, even though he's been around since the 19th century. It was implied a few times that he "might not be with her until the end"; it's not clear if this is due to the reluctant murder pact with Saya, or the possibility of Haji killed by Diva or her Chevaliers. Haji should have been the key to impregnate Diva but she never took interest in him. The knowledge was only deduced late when Diva bore twins after raping Riku.
Until recently, he had sealed his Chiropteran powers away because of an incident after they had left the Zoo, which had resulted in him killing many men who had wanted to capture Saya. This had frightened Saya, which motivated Haji into banishing his Chiropteran powers so that she would never feel that same fear again. In episode 43, it is revealed that Haji, like Diva's chevaliers, is also capable of flight via a pair of bat-like wings. In the final episode, he kills Amshel with Saya's sword in conjunction with a large chunk of a balcony collapsing on the two.
Haji also has a habit of keeping his feelings bottled up within himself. Though he loves Saya (as her Chevalier and as her companion during all these long years), he keeps these feelings within himself, only bidding himself to do whatever that Saya "desires" him to do. But shortly before he disappears under the rubble with Amshel, he confesses that he has always loved Saya. He had also convinced Saya to live, which spurs the realization of their feelings and, as a result, they kiss before Amshel arrives. However, he survives the collapse, even though it isn't immediately revealed on-screen. The other characters assume that he has died, but they are proven wrong when Kai, with Diva's children, goes to the Miyagusuku grave, where Saya is currently sleeping, and finds a fresh pink rose with Haji's blue hair ribbon tied to it. The symbolism of this is significant, since Haji's first gift to her was a pink rose which she first rejected, then secretly kept. Clearly Haji is still waiting and watching for Saya to awaken again.
The prequel manga "Blood+ Yak¨ J¨shi" shows some of Haji's state of mind after Vietnam, but before Saya awoke again. In this canon story, he saves a young policeman, Nishi, whose late brother he resembles. He assists Nishi in capturing a wealthy man who is experimenting with Chiropteran blood. With Nishi's help, and that of the Red Shield, Haji obliterates the Chiropterans of that city.
In this story, we discover that Haji is starving himself, to distance himself from the Chiropterans. He also experiences guilt and depression because of his fear of Saya, because a true Chevalier should never fear his master. He's described as looking like "a little boy afraid to go home." Nishi helps him get over his conflicted feelings, and donates a small amount of blood that restores Haji's strength.
Note on Haji's name: Production I.G.'s official site lists the Roman spelling of "Hagi," but the katakana used for his name reads "Haji" which could be the Japanese render for the name Hadji or "Hadj".