"BLASSREITER" Review: A dark motorcycle action anime depicting the conflict between biotechnology and humanity

Blassreiter - A dark fantasy set in near-future Germany.

The TV anime series "Blassreiter," broadcast in 2008, attracted attention as the first collaboration between GONZO and Nitroplus. Set in a near-future Germany, the story revolves around the "Demoniac Incident," in which corpses transform into "monstrous forms" and attack people, and is a work that skillfully combines elements of dark fantasy and cyberpunk. In this article, we will introduce detailed information and the appeal of "Blassreiter," and explore why the work is still loved by so many fans today.

story

"Blassreiter" is set in a Germany of the near future, slightly different from the present day. In a suburban town, the "Demoniac Incident" occurs, in which corpses transform into "grotesque forms" and attack people. People fear this phenomenon as the "arrival of the devil" and fall into chaos. Meanwhile, people appear who can freely transform into grotesque forms while still alive. These people were once human, but are now called "demons" because they have acquired supernatural powers, and although they are criticized, they use their demonic powers with their own thoughts in mind.

Their goals are varied. Some use their powers for justice, some are fascinated by power, some use them to realize their ambitions, and some use them for revenge. However, the fate imposed on them is a battle royale between demons, where they risk their lives. They continue to use their powers to survive and achieve their goals, but as a result, their human hearts are gradually corroded. Can they really be called human, and is there any salvation? The harsh and gruesome story of boys and young men who are lonely and suffering begins.

Commentary

"Blassreiter" is the first collaboration between anime production company GONZO and game production company Nitroplus. It was not only made into a TV anime, but also a manga and other media mix developments. It attracted attention for its hard-hitting story development, which depicts the suffering of people exposed to a tragic fate, the conflict against powerful forces, and even poverty and discrimination against immigrants.

The director is Ichiro Itano, the series composition is by Gen Urobuchi and Ichiro Itano, the character design and general animation director is Naoyuki Onda, the mechanical design is by Makoto Ishiwata, the music is by Norihiko Hibino, and the theme songs are performed by a number of great artists, including GRANRODEO, Minami Kuribayashi, Aki Misato, and Kanako Ito.

cast

The voice actors for the main characters are as follows:

• Joseph Jobson: Masaya Matsukaze
• Amanda Werner: Shizuka Ito
• Gert Frentzen: Unsho Ishizuka
• Hermann Salza: Kenta Miyake
• Wolf Gehrig: Fumihiko Tachiki
• Alvin Lutz: Nobuyuki Hiyama
• Bradley Gilford: Yuichi Nakamura
• Meifeng Liu: Aya Endo
• Staff Victor: Atsushi Ono
• Marek Werner: Junko Minagawa
• Elea: Kana Hanazawa
• Shidou Kasagi: Unsho Ishizuka
• Sasha Jobson: Hitomi Nabatame
• Snow: Mai Nakahara
• Beatrice Grese: Sayaka Ohara
• Madwald Zargin: Junichi Suwabe

Main Staff

The following staff members are involved in the production of "Blassreiter".

• Original: GONZO x Nitroplus
• Director: Ichiro Itano
• Series Composition: Gen Urobuchi (Nitroplus), Ichiro Itano (DAST)
• Chief writer: Yasuko Kobayashi
• Character and mechanical design original: Niθ
• Character design and chief animation director: Naoyuki Onda
• Mechanical design: Makoto Ishiwata (Polygon Bancho)
• Prop & Texture Design: Keiichiro Ito
• Set design: Aoki Tomoyuki
• Color design: Kimiko Kitazawa
• 3D Director: Naoki Ao
• Art director, creative director: Sano Hidenori
• Director of photography: Kojiro Hayashi
• Edited by: Kiyoshi Hirose
• Sound Director: Aketagawa Jin
• Music: Norihiko Hibino
• Music Production: Lantis, Future Vision Music, Stay Music
• Music producers: Yoshiyuki Ito, Yosuke Fukushi
• Executive producers: Noriaki Kamiki, Yoshitoshi Hoshino, Toru Ishii
• Producers: Osamu Nagai, Takehiko Shimazu
• Animation Production: GONZO
• Produced by: SKY Perfect Welthink, GDH, Toei Video

Main Characters

The main characters of "Blassreiter" are as follows:

• Joseph: A mysterious hunter who continues to hunt demons in silence, unknown to anyone. It seems he has some kind of purpose...?
• Amanda: A woman who belongs to the "XAT" organization that investigates demons. Her fate changes drastically when she becomes involved in a demon incident.
• Gert: He was once an invincible racer, but he became embroiled in a demonic incident and began to possess demonic powers himself.
• Herman: A member of XAT, an organization that investigates demons. He is Gert's best friend and treats Gert as a human even after he has become a demon.
• Elea: A girl who follows Joseph. She contacts him through a terminal and gives him valuable information.
• Wolf: Captain of XAT, an organization that investigates demons. He has an iron will and strong leadership qualities.
• Brad: He is skilled in long-range shooting. A quiet man who doesn't like to talk much.
• Al: He's a joker, but he's a shooting genius. He works as a sniper just like Brad.
• Meifong: He serves as an operator and works alongside his commander, Wolf, in the command vehicle.
• Victor: The head of XAT. He is calm, collected, and full of dignity.
• Beatrice: A mysterious and beautiful woman who appears out of nowhere at the scene of demonic incidents.
• Marek: Amanda's younger brother. He is a big fan of Gert and admires him.
• Zargin: He plans to destroy the world with the power of the Blassreiter, and bring about a revolution and a new life. Joseph continues to pursue him in an attempt to stop him, but...

Main Robot Items

The following main robots and items appear in "Blassreiter".

Glossary

• Demoniac Incident: In a German city in the near future, a mysterious incident occurs in which people who should have died come back to life and attack people as zombies. This leads to the hasty formation of a special task force (XAT), and the mysterious phenomenon is treated as something serious.
• Characteristics of Demoniacs: The demons that attack people have special abilities. They can fuse with and control any machine (inorganic object) such as cars, motorcycles, electronic devices, firearms, and blades. Furthermore, cases have been discovered in which living humans become demons through a process known as "transformation."
• XAT: Xenogenesis Assault Team. Commonly known as "XAT", it is an organization established to protect citizens from the Demoniac Incident and to investigate its reality. All XAT members are given the provisional rank of lieutenant or second lieutenant, and are guaranteed priority in all military and police operations.
• Fusion Form: In XAT, Demoniac is codenamed "Fusion Form." This name was adopted because demons have the power to fuse with machines. It also helped to emphasize that this was an "incident" rather than an occult-like mysterious phenomenon.
• 48-hour surveillance: Based on the results of investigations that new fusion bodies were found in areas affected by fusion bodies, XAT has decided to secure and monitor the areas where fusion bodies have appeared for 48 hours as a guideline. In addition, measures are being taken to detain and observe the condition of those who had primary contact with the fusion body for 48 hours.

Mobil

• Joseph's Bike (Garm): Joseph's bike. Its performance is worthy of being called a monster machine that clearly exceeds the common sense of bikes. Where it was developed and what equipment is hidden inside are all shrouded in mystery.
• Gert's Bike: Gert's private bike. It has the same potential as a racer's bike. The sophisticated design shines even more with champion Gert riding it.
• XAT Attacker Bike: The bike used by Amanda and Herman in the attacker position. The main weapon is the missiles mounted on the sides.
• XAT Sniper Bike: A bike specially designed for snipers such as Al and Blood. The sidecar is equipped with a rifle and a missile launcher unit.
• XAT Command Vehicle: The command center of the operation. Commander Wolf and operator Meifon are on board. With a pole-shaped camera that can monitor in all directions and durability comparable to that of an armored vehicle, it can detect and prevent any attack in advance.
• Scale Rider: An armed weapon of the Apocalypse Knights, the three knights of Zwelf. In transport mode, it can carry the Bow Rider and Sword Rider, and in fighter mode, it can fly at supersonic speeds. In that case, it can also function as an attack aircraft by connecting the Bow Rider in turret form to the bottom of the aircraft. The claw arms are used for close combat, and also function as legs when landing.
• Sword Rider: An armed weapon of the Apocalypse Knights, the three knights of the "Zwelf". They can switch between a quadruped mobile form specialized for movement and a hind leg upright form specialized for explosive athletic performance. The wire hooks are a means of attack at medium range, and can also be used as an auxiliary means of movement for making sharp turns, braking, and climbing walls.
• Bow Rider: An armament of the Apocalypse Knights, the three knights of Zwerf. It excels at mid-range combat with its bipedal mobility and rapid-fire twin cannons, and at rear support and sniping in its turret form. The extremely large-caliber beam cannon, which combines two beam guns in series, has tremendous offensive power, but in this form the legs' ability to move is sealed, so it functions as a turret on the spot. However, it can also gain a means of transportation by combining with a Scale Rider in turret form.
• Triple Six: A transformable bike developed by Zwerf. Like Joseph's bike, it was designed with the assumption that the pilot would be a Demoniac. In addition to the ability to camouflage itself to take on the shape of a regular bike, it also has the ability to fly. Originally, it was planned for Joseph to pilot it after installing reinforced parts, but it was stolen by Hermann who broke into Zwerf Castle.
• Paladin - Bond -: A combat weapon developed by Zwelf to be used against Demoniacs. It can be transformed into a "drive form (bike)" and a "combat form (robot)" depending on the purpose. Amanda was also given her own machine, but in order to not forget her feelings as an XAT member, she painted the XAT emblem and the names of her teammates on it. The word "bond" was added to the end by Shidou of the Apocalypse Knights as a word to express Amanda's feelings.

et cetera

• Demoniac (Fusion Form) Male Type A: A monster that transforms from a male corpse. It fuses with guns and cars to become its own parts.
• Demoniac (Fusion Form) Female Type A: A fusion form formed from a female corpse. Like the male type, it fuses with vehicles and weapons.

subtitle

The subtitles for each episode of "Blassreiter" are as follows.

• Episode 1: The Beginning of Despair
• Episode 2: The Price of Honor
• Episode 3: The spread of infection
• Episode 4: The Siege
• Episode 5: The Outcast
• Episode 6: Sympathy for the Devil
• Episode 7: The End of Hatred
• Episode 8: I'm no longer a weakling
• Episode 9: The value of power, the meaning of power
• Episode 10: In the midst of a conspiracy
• Episode 11: Prelude to the Apocalypse
• Episode 12: Judgment Day
• Episode 13: Distant Memory
• Episode 14: The Saint's Choice
• Episode 15: The Millennial Knight Praising God
• Episode 16: Reunion
• Episode 17: The Roar of the Beast
• Episode 18: The Fourth Revelation
• Episode 19: Thoughts from the Past
• Episode 20: The Underworld Army
• Episode 21: The Pale Horseman
• Episode 22: Unrequited Love
• Episode 23: Earth of Hellfire
• Episode 24: The Promised Land

Related Titles

The following works are related to "Blassreiter".

• BLASSREITER special program "Branavi"

Theme songs and music

The theme songs and insert songs for "Blassreiter" are as follows.

OP1

• Period: 2-14
• Title: Random afterimages
• Lyricist: Kisho Taniyama
• Composer: Masaaki Iizuka
• Arrangement: Masaaki Iizuka
• Sung by: GRANRODEO

OP2

• Period: 15-24
• Title: unripe hero
• Lyricist: Minami Kuribayashi
• Composer: Shinya Saito
• Arrangement: Shinya Saito
• Vocals: Minami Kuribayashi

ED1

• Period: 1-11
• Title: sad rain
• Lyricist: Aki Hata
• Composer: Masaaki Iizuka
• Arrangement: Masaaki Iizuka
• Vocals: Aki Misato

ED2

• Duration: 12
• Title: Separating moment
• Lyricist: Aki Hata
• Composer: mixakissa
• Composer: Kaoru Ayabe
• Vocals: Aki Misato

ED3

• Period: 13-23
• Title: A Wish For The Star
• Lyricist: Kazuhiro Watanabe
• Composer: Takuya Watanabe
• Arrangement: Toshimichi Isoe (ZIZZ)
• Sung by: Kanako Ito

ED4

• Duration: 24
• Title: sweet lies
• Lyricist: Kazuhiro Watanabe
• Composer: Toshimichi Isoe (ZIZZ)
• Arrangement: Toshimichi Isoe (ZIZZ)
• Sung by: Kanako Ito

IN1

• Period: 5, 16
• Title: DD
• Lyricist: Kazuhiro Watanabe
• Composer: Masayoshi Murakami
• Arrangement: Masayoshi Murakami
• Sung by: Kanako Ito

Ratings and Recommendations

"Blassreiter" is an appealing work with its dark and profound storyline and unique worldview set in near-future Germany. In particular, the theme of the boundary between humans and demons will deeply move viewers and provoke thought. In addition, the visual quality is high thanks to the collaboration between GONZO and Nitroplus, and the mechanical design and powerful action scenes are well worth watching.

The characters are also portrayed in depth, with the anguish and conflicts that characters like Joseph, Amanda, and Gert have being depicted realistically. In particular, Joseph's lonely battle, Amanda's growth, and Gert's transformation deeply move the viewers' hearts. In addition, the teamwork and individual character traits of the XAT members are also appealing, and are important elements that add excitement to the story.

In terms of music, gorgeous artists such as GRANRODEO, Minami Kuribayashi, Aki Misato, and Kanako Ito have participated, further enhancing the atmosphere of the work. In particular, the opening songs "Detarame na Zanzou" and "unripe hero" are powerful songs that symbolize the theme of the story, and will be deeply engraved in the hearts of viewers.

"Blassreiter" is a work that skillfully combines elements of dark fantasy and cyberpunk, and has been praised for its deep themes and visual quality. In particular, the theme of the boundary between humans and demons provokes deep emotion and thought in the viewers, and the story development and character growth are also well worth watching. The music also features a number of impressive artists, further enhancing the atmosphere of the work. Be sure to give it a watch.