Set near a US Air Force base in southern Japan in 1966, this is all about a schoolgirl called Saya. She's also a special operative who is uniquely able to vanquish huge vampiric bat-creatures who hide among us in human form!

At 48 minutes long, this stand-alone anime is too short to be called a feature and too long to be called a short. Animation powerhouse Production I.G made this entirely digitally, meaning that the hand-drawn sketches for each frame are scanned into computers to be inked and coloured, rather than the traditional hand-painted 'cel' method. The resulting High Definition video master was then used for screenings in digital cinemas.

This was the first project to be made this way in Japan. Production I.G took the opportunity to experiment with new techniques - like the mixing of 2D (characters) with 3D environments and vehicles. They emulated elaborate camera moves, giving point-of-view angles a handheld feel. These effects were then used extensively in the spectacular GHOST IN THE SHELL anime series they later produced.

Besides being a testing-ground, the film is exciting and rewatchable, despite a few shortcomings. The story is very dense and a little confusing, probably because it was designed as the middle act of three episodes.

The first scene makes us doubt whether Saya has killed a vampire creature (called "chiroptera") or a human by mistake. The closing scene points towards the Vietnam War, but this point didn't make any sense until the spin-off TV series BLOOD+ started five years later!

Saya's surly attitude, and the whodunnit aspect of who is actually the monster, keeps us interested. A Halloween costume party at Saya's school adds to the confusion. There's enough action in the short running time to flesh out a feature film. It's very, very bloody and the creature is exceptionally agile, large, and dangerous.

It's tour de force anime and the animation techniques still haven't dated. The storyline is also still running. A new incarnation of Saya emerged present day as BLOOD+, an epic 50 episode anime series. That in turn led to the current CHEVALIER D'EON anime, set in 18th century France.

Furthermore, a live-action version is being produced in Hong Kong, for a 2008 release.

BLOOD - THE LAST VAMPIRE is available from Manga Video on region 1 and region 2 DVDs, which also features an informative behind-the-scenes documentary. How do you think I know all this stuff?

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