Parents' Guide to

Blood+

By Sierra Filucci, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Powerful girl battles vampires in gory anime.

TV Cartoon Network Science Fiction 2007
Blood+ Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

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age 15+

Based on 5 parent reviews

Kristina1234
Kristina1234 Parent
June 3, 2014
age 16+

Big scenes from Blood+

Blood+ has many disturbing scenes like the way the demon/vampires look,can give young children the scare. This anime is appropriate for those who are used to gore,rape,and horror. There is a scene where a young girl named Diva gets naked with a younger boy and rapes him,in this scene you can only see the top of her chest and her ankles. There is also a scene on where the main character Saya threatens to kill her sister Diva's children because they were born from force. I recommend this anime for teens at the age of 16+ if you can't handle blood,sex,and horror then don't watch this anime.

This title has:

Great messages
Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
sky2a1
sky2a1 Adult
November 14, 2013
age 17+

Not 17+

It IS FOR ADULTS NOT 17+

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much consumerism
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 5 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In BLOOD+, the seemingly normal Saya (voiced by Kari Wahlgren) lives with a loving adoptive family, goes to school, competes in track and field events, and discusses politics with her friend. But a flashback to her previous life shows that she was once involved in a bloody massacre and wielded a sword against terrifying, vampire-like beasts called chiropterans. As her memory returns, young Saya faces her fate as savior of her family, friends, and countrymen.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (5):
Kids say (15):

The story is compelling, mysterious, and complex. But be forewarned: Though it's animated, Blood+ isn't for kids. Violent scenes go beyond a simple dead body or stabbing -- be prepared for dramatic, slow-motion beheadings and gallons of red blood spurting out of amputated limbs. And it's not just the bad guys who wreak havoc; in a flashback scene, Saya slashes her way through a group of people, and it's unclear what her motive is and whether she's only killing bad guys.

Anime is known for its sexual portrayals of young female characters, and while this isn't an X-rated series, Saya and other underage female characters also wear exaggeratedly short schoolgirl skirts, which sometimes pop up to reveal a glimpse of underwear. The girls' sexualized nature extends to other parts of the series, too -- in one scene, an older male kisses Saya by surprise, and possibly against her will, but the kiss then turns romantic.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about different styles of animation. What characterizes an "anime" series like Blood+? If you're familiar with anime, what themes do you see repeated in different series? In general, how is animation different in kids' shows and more adult-oriented shows like this one? Why use animation to tell grown-up stories in the first place? How does animation affect the story being told?

  • Why do anime series so often sexualize the female characters?

TV Details

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