Strike the Blood III review: What's so appealing about the fourth installment in the series?

The appeal and depth of "Strike the Blood III": A comprehensive review and recommendation

"Strike the Blood III" is the fourth installment of the "Strike the Blood" series, released as an OVA on December 19, 2018. It is based on the light novel "Strike the Blood" by Gakuto Mikumo. The work is distributed by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, animated by CONNECT, and produced by PROJECT STB OVA, and consists of a total of 10 episodes, each 25 minutes long. It is directed by Hideyo Yamamoto, with series composition by Hiroyuki Yoshino, character designs by Keiichi Sano and Hideki Furukawa, sound direction by Jin Aketagawa, and music by ASSUMED SOUNDS.

story

The story of "Strike the Blood III" begins with Kojo and his friends returning to Itogami Island after solving the incident involving the Holy Annihilation Faction on the mainland. However, soon after their return, a series of unexplained ship accidents and aircraft troubles occur, leaving Itogami Island isolated. Yukina predicts that the cause of this abnormal situation is a military ritual based on Feng Shui. Furthermore, Natsuki says that she has an idea of ​​a magician who could manipulate a ritual on such a large scale. The magician is a member of the magical terrorist organization "Tartarus Lapse," and Kojo and his friends struggle to solve the mystery of what the purpose of their next terrorist attack will be.

cast

The cast of this work is filled with a stellar lineup of voice actors, including Yoshimasa Hosoya as Akatsuki Kojou, Risa Taneda as Himeragi Yukina, Asami Seto as Aiba Asagi, Rina Hidaka as Akatsuki Nagisa, Ikumi Hayama as Kirasaka Sayaka, Ryota Osaka as Yase Motoki, Hisako Kanemoto as Minamiu Natsuki, Yuka Iguchi as Astarte, Ayaka Senbongi as Hanami Yuri, Kaede Hondo as Hikawa Shio, Misaki Watada as Glenda, Lynn as December, Hikaru Akao as Carly, Shun Horie as Logi, and Kosuke Toriumi as Senga Taketo.

Main Staff

The original work is by Mikumo Gakuto (Dengeki Bunko/published by KADOKAWA), the original illustrations are by Manyako, the director is Yamamoto Hideyo, the series composition is Yoshino Hiroyuki, the character designs are by Sano Keiichi and Furukawa Hideki, the sound director is Aketagawa Jin, the sound production is by Magic Capsule, the music is by ASSUMED SOUNDS, and the animation production is by CONNECT, bringing together professionals from each field.

Main Characters

The protagonist, Kojou Akatsuki, is a first-year high school student at the private Saikai Academy. He was an ordinary boy, but he gets caught up in an incident and inherits the power of the strongest vampire, the Fourth True Ancestor. Although he is a rough and laid-back person, he has a strong sense of justice and will act without regard for his own life when those close to him are in danger. He also has some unfortunate sides to him, such as getting nosebleeds when he becomes sexually aroused and being insensitive to the affections of women.

Himeragi Yukina is a third-year student at the private Saikai Academy Junior High School. She is a beautiful apprentice sword priestess sent by the Shishioh Organization with the task of watching over the Fourth True Ancestor. She lives in the apartment next to Kojou's, and takes care of him in many ways, including his private life. Although she has a cool and serious personality, she can get jealous of Kojou, who is surrounded by beautiful girls on a daily basis.

Aiba Asagi is a beautiful girl who is a classmate of Kojou and a skilled hacker nicknamed the "Electronic Empress". She is highly paid and employed by the Artificial Island Management Corporation, and has romantic feelings for Kojou, but the relationship is not progressing very well. At first, she was not informed that Kojou had become the Fourth True Ancestor, but now she understands to some extent the situation he is in. She is called the "Priestess of Cain" by those involved in the Sacred Annihilation, and is considered a special person.

Natsuki Minami is a skilled national magician known as the "Witch of the Void" and a master of space control magic. She is also an English teacher at Saikai Academy and serves as Kojo's homeroom teacher, while also monitoring his movements and sometimes looking after him. Although she has the appearance of a young girl, her real age is 26 years old.

Akatsuki Nagisa is Kojou's younger sister and Yukina's classmate. She has a friendly and cheerful personality, is talkative, and has many friends, both male and female. She was once caught up in a battle between demons, which left her traumatized, and she suffers from severe demonophobia. As a result, she is unaware that Kojou is the Fourth True Ancestor. Some of the power of the former Fourth True Ancestor has possessed her, and sometimes it surfaces and she goes into a trance-like state. Since the incident on the mainland, she has sometimes had feelings for Kojou that are similar to love, which is confusing to her.

Sayaka Kirasaka is a Maihime who belongs to the Shishioh Organization. She is a tall, beautiful girl with an outstanding figure. She used to be Yukina's roommate, and she loves her like a real sister. Due to a childhood trauma, she is not good with men, but after getting to know Kojou, she began to have feelings for him. She is a user of the Koukarin, the "Six-Type Heavy Armored Demon-Subduing Bow (Der Freischutz)," and is a skilled fighter who surpasses Yukina in simple combat ability.

Takehito Senga is a genius geomancer. Natsuki speculates that the large-scale magic formula that was cast on Gengami Island was his handiwork.

December is a mysterious beautiful girl who appears before Nagisa. She usually hides her face with a motorcycle helmet, and it seems that she recently arrived on Itogami Island. She seems to know about Nagisa, but her true intentions are unknown.

Related Titles

"Strike the Blood III" is part of the "Strike the Blood" series and is closely related to its predecessors, "Strike the Blood" and "Strike the Blood II." By watching these films, you can gain a deeper understanding of the story's background and character development.

Theme songs and music

The opening theme is "Blood and Emotions", with lyrics and music by Kishida and sung by Kishida Kyodan & THE Myojo Rockets. The ending theme is "LOVE STOIC", with lyrics by Kumano Kiyomi, music by Yamada Takahiro, and sung by Himeragi Yukina (voiced by Taneda Risa). These songs are important elements that add to the atmosphere of the story.

Ratings and Recommendations

Strike the Blood III is a long-awaited sequel for fans of the series, and the storyline and character development are beautifully depicted. In particular, the new crisis of the isolation of Itogami Island and the struggle of Kojo and his friends to fight it have the power to draw viewers in. In addition, the introduction of new elements such as geomantic magic and the magical terrorist organization "Tartarus Lapse" adds a freshness to the story.

The appeal of the characters is also a major attraction of this work. Each character's personality and background are carefully depicted, such as Kojo's growth, Yukina's jealousy, Asagi's love, Natsuki's guidance, Nagisa's trauma, and Sayaka's fighting ability. In addition, the appearance of new characters December and Taketo Senga also brings new developments to the story.

Visually, CONNECT's beautiful animation and character designs by Keiichi Sano and Hideki Furukawa enrich the worldview of the story. Sound-wise, sound direction by Jin Aketagawa and the music by ASSUMED SOUNDS play an important role in stirring the emotions of the viewer.

Strike the Blood III is recommended for fans of the series as well as those who are experiencing it for the first time. It is a must-see for those who like vampires, magic, and terrorist organizations. It is also heartily recommended for those who enjoy character development and changes in relationships.

In addition, we recommend watching the previous films "Strike the Blood" and "Strike the Blood II" before watching this one. This will give you a deeper understanding of the background of the story and the relationships between the characters, making it even more enjoyable.

Finally, Strike the Blood III is a work that deserves high praise from all angles, including the deepening of the story, the growth of the characters, the beautiful animation, and the attractive music. Please watch this work and experience its charm for yourself.