Common Sense Media Review
By Andrea Beach
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Darkly beautiful but intense and violent anime.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Blame! (2017)
What's the Story?
In BLAME!, a small group of people have managed to survive for generations after the machines took over the city and began exterminating all humans. But the village is quickly running out of food, and each new foraging mission is more dangerous than the last as they venture farther and farther away from the safety zone. A group of teens on a rogue expedition are about to be wiped out by robots when they're saved by a mysterious loner who goes by the name Killy. Grateful for his help, the group leads Killy back to the village, where he's cautiously welcomed. Killy's looking for something, but if he finds it, will it help the village or destroy them completely?
Is It Any Good?
This dark, intense, and beautifully-animated story of a post-apocalyptic far future has a lot of appeal for mature teens who are fans of anime. Blame! draws the viewer in to its strange world right away, and doesn't hold back on the action, either. It's always visually intriguing, and sometimes even stunning. The story slows a bit in the middle, but there's enough eye candy to see fans of the genre through to the last third, when the action picks back up.
The ending is somewhat unsatisfying in that there's no happy-ever-after, but it's also hopeful about the future of the human race. There's plenty of action and adventure here, and viewers might want to check out the manga it's based to delve deeper into its world, if they haven't already.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the violence in Blame! Does it matter if it's cartoon violence or not?
What other anime movies have you seen? How does this one compare?
Why are so many animated movies based on manga or graphic novels? Do movies and manga tell stories in the same way? Which do you like better?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : May 20, 2017
- Cast : Cristina Vee , Johnny Yong Bosch , Cherami Leigh
- Director : Hiroyuki Seshita
- Inclusion Information : Asian Movie Actor(s) , Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studios : King Records , The Klockworx
- Genre : Anime
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Adventures , Robots
- Run time : 106 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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