English Dub Review: Tougen Anki “Blood Eclipse Release”

Overview:

The first test the boys face to enter the academy is playing “demon catcher.”

Our Take:

An anime character shouting out their attack or power isn’t anything new. We’ve all rolled our eyes when a character announces what they’re doing. I must say, though, shouting out “Blood Eclipse Release” is pretty bad ass. Still annoying, but if they’re gonna shout something no matter what, at least it’s cool.

Not only has this show not shown anything special yet, but this episode managed to gross me out, too. We know that Oni powers are based on using blood. We are introduced to a character who has his arms all stitched up. To use his powers, he digs into these stitches and rips them open. I’m not usually squeamish, but for some reason, that grossed me out.

I was looking forward to getting to see some of the female characters introduced, but the one we got to spend time with today was not the best. I wouldn’t be surprised if Homare is Shiki’s love interest, but I hope we see her grow as a character soon. She’s one of those characters who thinks they’re worthless and should go die. It can lead to some amazing character development, but as it stands right now, it’s annoying.