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Blassreiter
Series One: Episodes 1 - 12
When a deadly virus races through
Germany, a new breed of demons are born called the Demoniacs who have
the ability to meld technology with their unholy powers. This leaves
mankind in a serious deadly predicament and a military group called the XAT (Xenogensis Assault Team) have been called to action to contain
these outbreaks of demons.
The XAT are a highly trained military group
who ride bikes and contain state of the art equipment, more
specifically... weapons of mass destruction. With a variety of
characters joining the mix, it's interesting to become involved in each
of their motivations and journeys as they attempt to rid the planet of
the Demoniacs before it is too late.
My favourite
character in Blassreiter (translation Pale Rider) is Gerd, a former professional motorcycle racer
who unfortunately had his legs crushed during a Demoniac attack. However
his life soon finds new meaning when a strange woman offers him a cure
and before long, he has the ability to walk again, thanks to his new
Demoniac abilities.
As the series progresses, we soon learn that the
strange woman who healed Gerd called Beatrice is not as honest as we first
thought she was and this is where the series kicks into high bear with
its intrigue and mystery. With the world split against Gerd, some
believe that he is their saviour and others their doom, an intricate
story begins to unfold that is filled with action, drama and a story that would
make some Hollywood directors blush.
Another interesting aspect of Blassreiter is that the series does not really revolve around just one
character, although Gerd is a constant, there are other characters that
are just as equally interesting and important to the story. The bad news
is that we now have to wait for part 2 to be releases!
Video/Audio
The video supports an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and the animation, a
mixture of CGI and traditional animation boasts vivid colours, deep
black levels and we only noticed a little grain throughout the entire
viewing. The contrast between both worlds, that of the humans and the
demons is quite visual and does enhance the story. The audio is
presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 that makes good use of all the channels
when used through surround sound.
Final Thoughts
Blassreiter may be travelling down that familiar anime path again with
demons, and cybertech but unlike the majority of duplications in this
genre, there is something uniquely interesting about this series.
Perhaps because it was set in Germany or because of the in-depth nature
of the characters, Blassreiter worked and this was a damn enjoyable
watch! |
