is a Japanese

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

series written and illustrated by

Yasuhiro Nightow is a Japanese manga artist. His major work '' Trigun'' was adapted into an anime series and film. He also designed the characters for the video game and anime series ''Gungrave'', and has been working on the manga '' Blood Blockade Battlefront' ...

. It revolves around a young photographer named Leonardo Watch, who obtains 'the All Seeing Eyes of the Gods' at the cost of his sister's eyesight. After the incident, Leonardo moves to the city of Hellsalem's Lot to join an organization known as Libra to fight several monsters as well as terrorists. Nightow first published a one-shot chapter in

Shueisha (lit. "Gathering of Intellect Publishing Co., Ltd.") is a Japanese company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The company was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The foll ...

's '' shōnen'' manga magazine ''

Jump Square , also written as , is a Japanese monthly '' shōnen'' manga magazine. Published by Shueisha, the magazine premiered on November 2, 2007 as a replacement for ''Monthly Shōnen Jump'', another manga anthology that Shueisha discontinued in June of t ...

'' in May 2008. A 3-chapter series, with the subtitle ''Mafūgai Kessha'', was published in the same magazine from January to March 2009. ''Blood Blockade Battlefront'' was later serialized in ''

Jump SQ.19 , also written as , is a Japanese monthly '' shōnen'' manga magazine. Published by Shueisha, the magazine premiered on November 2, 2007 as a replacement for '' Monthly Shōnen Jump'', another manga anthology that Shueisha discontinued in June of ...

'' from May 2010 to February 2015, when the magazine ceased publication; Shueisha collected its chapters in 10 ''

tankōbon is the Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or cultur ...

'' volumes. A direct sequel, titled ''Blood Blockade Battlefront: Back 2 Back'' was serialized in ''Jump SQ.Crown'' from July 2015 to January 2018, when the magazine ceased publication, and the series was transferred to ''Jump SQ.Rise'', where it ran from April 2018 to April 2022; its chapters were collected in 10 ''tankōbon'' volumes. A third series, titled ''Blood Blockade Battlefront: Beat 3 Peat'' started in ''Jump SQ.Rise'' in October 2022. A 12-episode

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

television series produced by

Bones A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, a ...

was broadcast from April to October 2015. A 12-episode second season was broadcast from October to December 2017. In North America, the manga has been licensed for English language release by

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...

, while the anime series has been licensed by

Funimation Crunchyroll, LLC, previously known as Funimation from 1994 to 2022, is an American entertainment company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony as a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex that specializes ...

. Both the manga and anime were well received by publications due to its story and characters.

Plot

''Blood Blockade Battlefront'' centers around the crime fighting organization "Libra" and their battles in Hellsalem's Lot, formerly known as

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. Hellsalem's Lot was created when a portal to the "Beyond" opened, becoming a paranormal melting pot of monsters, magic and the everyday mundane life, and it is up to Libra to clear the streets of trouble and prevent the horrors of this city from spreading to the outside world.

Media

Manga

''Blood Blockade Battlefront'' is written and illustrated by

. Nightow first published a one-shot chapter in

's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''

'' on May 2, 2008. It only featured very few members of the final cast and had a much different tone, with more emphasis on it being a

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...

hunting story in a contemporary city. A three-chapter series, titled , was serialized in ''Jump Square'' from January 5 to March 4, 2009. Another one-shot chapter was published in ''Jump SQ.M'' (''Jump Square Masterpiece'') vol.002, released on October 23, 2009. ''Blood Blockade Battlefront'' was then serialized in the then brand new magazine ''

'', which first issue was released on May 19, 2010. The series finished with the 18th and last issue of ''Jump SQ.19'', released on February 19, 2015. Shueisha collected its chapters in ten ''

'' volumes, released from January 4, 2010, to April 3, 2015. In 2010, the series was licensed for English release by

. A direct sequel, titled ''Blood Blockade Battlefront: Back 2 Back'', started in the first issue of '' Jump SQ.Crown'' on July 17, 2015. The magazine ceased publication on January 19, 2018, and ''Blood Blockade Battlefront: Back 2 Back'' continued publication in the first ever issue of '' Jump SQ.Rise'', released on April 16, 2018. The series finished on April 28, 2022. Shueisha collected its chapters in ten ''tankōbon'' volumes, released from January 4, 2016, to August 4, 2022. A third series, titled ''Blood Blockade Battlefront: Beat 3 Peat'', started in ''Jump SQ.Rise'' on October 26, 2022.

Anime

The manga was adapted into an

television series produced by studio

and directed by Rie Matsumoto as first announced in May 2014. The first volume was released on January 4, 2010; ten volumes have been released as of April 3, 2015.

licensed the series to stream on its official website. Following

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

's acquisition of

Crunchyroll Crunchyroll is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Sony through a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex. The service primarily distributes films and tel ...

, the series was moved to Crunchyroll. The anime adaptation premiered on April 4, 2015. The series was licensed by

Madman Entertainment Madman Entertainment Pty. Ltd., also known as Madman Films, is an Australian distribution and rights management company headquartered in East Melbourne, Victoria, specialising in feature films, documentaries and television series across theatr ...

and

AnimeLab Crunchyroll Pty. Ltd., trading as Madman Anime, is an Australian distribution company focused on anime and Japanese media. The company handles licensing and distribution of anime in Australia and New Zealand. Originally part of independent film ...

for an English release. The final episode was originally scheduled for broadcast on July 4, but was delayed further due to exceeding the length of its normal 30 minute timeslot. It was eventually scheduled for October 4, 2015. A 25-minute

original video animation , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...

titled "King of the Restaurant of Kings" was bundled with the official Blood Blockade Battlefront guidebook that was released on June 3, 2016. A second season was announced in December 2016. It was broadcast from October 7, 2017 to December 24, 2017, running for 12 episodes. A 24-minute

original animation DVD , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...

was bundled with the fifth volume of the ''Blood Blockade Battlefront Back 2 Back'' manga which was released on July 4, 2018, with

Shigehito Takayanagi is a Japanese anime director. Works Anime television series *''Azumanga Daioh'' : Storyboard (eps 7, 14, 18, 23), Episode Director (eps 7, 13, 18, 23) *''Cardcaptor Sakura'' : Storyboard (eps 40, 46, 57, 68), Episode Director (eps 40, 46–47, 5 ...

and Bones returning from the second season of the anime series to direct and animate the OAD, respectively.

Stage play

In the sixth volume of ''Blood Blockade Battle Front Back 2 Back'', it was revealed that a live action stage play inspired by the manga was being produced. It ran at The Galaxy Theatre in Tokyo from November 2 to 10, 2019 and at

Umeda Arts Theater is a Japanese theater located at Chayamachi Applause in Chayamachi, Kita-ku, Osaka, operated by Umeda Arts Theater Co., Ltd. It opened in 1992. Umeda Arts Theater Co., Ltd. is a member of Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group and a subsidiary of Hankyu Cor ...

Dramacity from November 14 to 17, 2019. Daisuke Nishida (''Hakuōki'', ''Sengoku Basara'', ''Blue Exorcist'' stage productions) directed and wrote the play.

Reception

The manga series of ''Blood Blockade Battlefront'' received generally good critical response. Brigid Alverson from MTV Geek criticized the artwork for being hard to follow and stated "it boils down to a matter of taste. Blood Blockade Battleground is a good choice for readers who like a lot of action and don't mind being dropped into the middle of the story, without a lot of setup." On the other hand, The Fandom Post's John Rose praised the artwork more specifically the monsters' designs. He highly recommended it to ''

Trigun is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yasuhiro Nightow. ''Trigun'' was first serialized in Tokuma Shoten's Shōnen manga, ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Monthly Shōnen Captain'' from April 1995 to January 1997, when the mag ...

''s readers as well as superhero comic reader, sci-fi hero and ''

Futurama ''Futurama'' is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of the professional slacker Philip J. Fry, who is cryogenically preserved for 1000 years a ...

'' fans. Several of the volumes have also appeared in rankings for bestselling manga. The anime adaptation of the series has received generally positive reviews. Jacob Hope Chapman from

Anime News Network Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and oth ...

praised the cast and studio Bones' work. Additionally, he liked the consistency in quality and commented "The contiguous threads laced through these episodic adventures are beginning to converge fast, and while I can't see the full picture yet, I know Rie Matsumoto is building the anime-original material of Leo's romance into something special. The animation continues to be jaw-dropping. The music continues to be soul-warming. There's never enough time in one writeup to talk about everything that makes the episode so damn good. Blood Blockade Battlefront continues to be The Very Best." Jarius Taylor from the Fandom Post called it "both ridiculously cool and ridiculously weird" and praised the cast like Chapman. In a later review he said "It’s still not entirely clear what this show is going for yet but for now it’s a good ride and I have more than enough faith in the people behind it to believe the destination will be worthwhile." Rachael Verret, a writer from The Mary Sue, gave the series a perfect score having pointed out its "energy and joviality" seen through the cast and the ending sequences which reminded her of another series, ''

Baccano! is a Japanese light novel series written by Ryohgo Narita and illustrated by Katsumi Enami. The series, often told from multiple points of view, is mostly set within a fictional United States during various time periods, most notably the ...

''. Similarly, Chapman wrote an article titled "Three Reasons Why Blood Blockade Battlefront is the Best Show of the Spring" commenting "It's the coolest, cutest, and cleverest anime I've seen in a long time, easily the best new show of the Spring 2015." The first DVD of the series sold 4,784 units during its debut. Meanwhile, the first Blu-ray sold 12,171 units in its first week of release. For the ''

Newtype is a monthly magazine publication originating from Japan, covering anime (and to a lesser extent, tokusatsu, manga, Japanese science fiction, seiyuu, and video games). It was launched by publishing company Kadokawa Shoten on March 8, 1985, with i ...

'' preliminary awards for 2015, the series was sixth in the category "Sound" while fourth in the category "Theme Song" for "Sugar Song to Bitter Step." In the category "Best Mascot", Sonic ranked first. In another poll by the Japanese magazine ''Entermix'', the series was voted as the second most popular one.

References

External links

* * * * {{Bones (studio) 2015 anime television series debuts 2017 anime television series debuts Action anime and manga Anime series based on manga Bones (studio) Comics set in New York City Crunchyroll anime Dark Horse Comics titles Funimation Manga adapted into television series Post-apocalyptic anime and manga Shōnen manga Shueisha franchises Shueisha manga Television shows set in New York City Toho Animation Urban fantasy anime and manga