BlazBlue: Alter Memory is the anime adaptation of the BlazBlue series. It roughly follows the events of BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger and BlazBlue: Continuum Shift. It was produced by Hoods Entertainment and teamKG, first airing in Japan on October 8th, 2013.
Plot
Catch all your favorite BlazBlue characters in action in this thrilling anime based on the popular fighting game franchise!
Long ago, an insidious Black Beast sought to obliterate the human race, but the monster was defeated by a valiant Band of Heroes wielding the power of Ars Magus: a potent combo of magic and technology. Now, a roguish outlaw known as Ragna the Bloodedge seeks to wreak havoc upon the Librarium, a clandestine organization that governs Ars Magus. Armed with the mighty Azure Grimoire, Ragna quickly becomes the target of vigilantes, scientists, vampires, and Librarium foot soldiers. As he spirals toward a violent showdown with the maniacal Hazama, Ragna will discover just how closely his fate is tied to the future of our world!
Discover the story behind gamings deadliest moves in this series from the animation studio behind the BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma cutscenes! [1]
Episodes
| No. | Title | Original air date | Screenplay | End Card Illustration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Red Rebel (赤き反逆者) | October 8, 2013 | Deko Akao | Sumeragi |
| Ragna is on a one-man rampage against the ruling body, the Novus Orbis Librarium. And a mysterious woman named Rachel directs him to go to the 13th Hierarchical City of Kagutsuchi next.[2] | ||||
| 2 | The Azure Successor (蒼の継承者) | October 15, 2013 | Deko Akao | Yumeji Kiriko |
| Rachel and Hazama watch over Ragna, hoping against hope that their expectations will be betrayed, in spite of the fact that all has gone as it always has.[3] | ||||
| 3 | The Spectating Eye (傍観の眼) | October 22, 2013 | Deko Akao | Yoshioka Sakaki |
| Rachel has her showdown with Takemikazuchi, Hazama shows his true colors, and Ragna faces a fight with yet another bounty hunter.[4] | ||||
| 4 | Probabilistic Events (確率事象) | October 29, 2013 | Tatsuya Takahashi | Daisuke Ishiwatari |
| As Ragna recovers from his wounds, Rachel meets with three mysterious beings and Noel runs into an old friend and classmate from the Military Academy.[5] | ||||
| 5 | The Pair of White Guns (白き双銃) | November 5, 2013 | Deko Akao | Shōji Satō |
| Rachel conducts her own mysterious business as usual, porting from place to place. Kokonoe has her own agenda and sends Tager to carry out a mission. And Ragna works towards a full recovery with the help of some friends.[6] | ||||
| 6 | False World (偽りの世界) | November 12, 2013 | Tatsuya Takahashi | Namaniku ATK |
| Kokonoe's little gambit with Ragna plays out. In the meantime, Jin is still searching for Ragna, but instead, ends up being found by Bang Shishigami, who wants revenge against Jin.[7] | ||||
| 7 | The Wings of Judgement (審判の羽根) | November 19, 2013 | Tatsuya Takahashi | Shiki Douji |
| Tager continues to slowly track Noel. Noel finds Tsubaki, which results in a complicated showdown. And Rachel leads Ragna to where he needs to be and to confront what he already knows.[8] | ||||
| 8 | The Mechanical Soul (機械仕掛けの魂) | November 26, 2013 | Deko Akao | Sumeragi Kohaku |
| Hazama throws an obstacle in Ragna's way to buy himself some time. This encounter leads Ragna to have an entirely different sort of experience with Lambda.[9] | ||||
| 9 | The Power of Order (秩序の力) | December 3, 2013 | Tatsuya Takahashi | Yun Kōga |
| As Makoto works to get Noel to safety, she explains her faith in Kokonoe and her doubts about Hazama. And Tsubaki finally finds Jin again, who is still struggling to deal with his recalcitrant weapon.[10] | ||||
| 10 | The God-Killer's Cocoon (神殺しの繭) | December 10, 2013 | Toshimichi Mori Seiji Mizushima |
Shirow Miwa |
| Makoto and Noel face off against Hazama as he explains to Noel what her true place is in this world.[11] | ||||
| 11 | The Murakumo Awakens (叢雲覚醒) | December 17, 2013 | Deko Akao | Yūki Katō |
| Terumi's designs for Noel come to fruition and he crows about what he has achieved to Ragna, even as Ragna fights a losing battle against him to save Noel.[12] | ||||
| 12 | The Price for the Future (未来への代償) | December 24, 2013 | Akira Wamura Seiji Mizushima |
Toshimichi Mori |
| Kokonoe and Rachel believe that Noel's transformation into Mu is irreversible, but Ragna refuses to give up on Noel.[13] | ||||
Characters
- Ragna the Bloodedge
- Jin Kisaragi
- Noel Vermillion
- Rachel Alucard
- Iron Tager
- Taokaka
- Litchi Faye-Ling
- Arakune
- Bang Shishigami
- Carl Clover
- Hakumen
- Nu-13
- Lambda-11
- Tsubaki Yayoi
- Hazama
- Mu-12
- Makoto Nanaya
- Valkenhayn R. Hellsing
- Platinum the Trinity
- Relius Clover
- Kokonoe
- Yuuki Terumi
- Celica A. Mercury (flashback)
- Nine the Phantom (as Phantom)
- Izanami
- Jubei
- Trinity Glassfille
- Linhua
- Nago
- Gii
- Totokaka
- Kaka Kittens
- Ada Clover (as Deus Machina: Nirvana)
- Ignis Clover (as Fluctus Redactum: Ignis)
Reception
The reception for Alter Memory was mixed among critics, but the response to the show was fairly poor. Kotaku gave a scathing review which criticised the anime's inability to explain terminology and its treatment of the many characters in the story; the only positive they gave was the use of the time-loops and Continuum Shift to show some character depth. The article's title called it "an utter mess".[14] MyAnimeList's conglomerate user score rates the anime as 6.26/10. [15] IMDB has a similar score of 6.6/10. [16]
One of the most scathing reviews comes from Japan Curiosity which was written by a BlazBlue fan. The review criticizes the animation, calling it "cumbersome" and complains about the treatment of the cast of characters. The anime received a 10% out of a possible 100 with the ending thoughts labelling Alter Memory as "an anime that has murdered a game and now wears the game's skin as it tries to sickeningly infiltrate its family reunion". [17]
Videos
Trailers
Clips
External Links
References
- ↑ BlazBlue: Alter Memory, Blu-Ray edition, blurb
- ↑ BlazBlue: Alter Memory, Funimation, Episode 1 Description
- ↑ BlazBlue: Alter Memory, Funimation, Episode 2 Description
- ↑ BlazBlue: Alter Memory, Funimation, Episode 3 Description
- ↑ BlazBlue: Alter Memory, Funimation, Episode 4 Description
- ↑ BlazBlue: Alter Memory, Funimation, Episode 5 Description
- ↑ BlazBlue: Alter Memory, Funimation, Episode 6 Description
- ↑ BlazBlue: Alter Memory, Funimation, Episode 7 Description
- ↑ BlazBlue: Alter Memory, Funimation, Episode 8 Description
- ↑ BlazBlue: Alter Memory, Funimation, Episode 9 Description
- ↑ BlazBlue: Alter Memory, Funimation, Episode 10 Description
- ↑ BlazBlue: Alter Memory, Funimation, Episode 11 Description
- ↑ BlazBlue: Alter Memory, Funimation, Episode 12 Description
- ↑ https://kotaku.com/the-blazblue-anime-is-an-utter-mess-1507947840
- ↑ https://myanimelist.net/anime/18767/BlazBlue__Alter_Memory
- ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2942194/
- ↑ http://www.jcuri.com/archives/17601