Blood Blockade Battlefront

Blood Blockade Battlefront

Cover of the first volume of Blood Blockade Battlefront
血界戦線
(Kekkai Sensen)
Genre Action, Supernatural, Urban fantasy
Manga
Written by Yasuhiro Nightow
Published by Shueisha
English publisher
Demographic Shōnen
Magazine Jump Square → Jump SQ.19
Original run 2009 – ongoing
Volumes 10
Anime television series
Directed by Rie Matsumoto
Written by Kazunao Furuya
Music by Taisei Iwasaki
Studio Bones
Licensed by
Network MBS, Tokyo MX, BS11
Original run April 4, 2015 – ongoing

Blood Blockade Battlefront (Japanese: 血界戦線 Hepburn: Kekkai Sensen, lit., "Bloodline Battlefront") is a Japanese manga by Yasuhiro Nightow, published bimonthly in the magazine Jump SQ.19. It is published in the United States by Dark Horse Comics. It centers around the crime fighting organization "Libra" and their battles in Jerusalem's Lot, formerly known as New York City. Jerusalem's Lot was created in a single night when a portal to the "Beyond" opened, and now it is a paranormal melting pot of monsters, magic and the everyday mundane city life. It's up to Libra to prevent the horrors of this city from spreading to the outside world.

It was adapted into an anime television series produced by studio Bones and directed by Rie Matsumoto.[1] The anime adaptation premiered on April 4, 2015.

Characters

Leonard Watch (レオナルド・ウォッチ Reonarudo Wotchi)
Voiced by: Daisuke Sakaguchi
A kind and humble young photographer who came to Jerusalem's Lot to help his ailing sister. A mysterious entity gave him the "Eyes of God", granting him a variety of ocular powers, at the cost of his sister's sight.
Klaus Von Reinhertz (クラウス・V・ラインヘルツ Kurausu Fon Rainherutsu)
Voiced by: Rikiya Koyama
Leader of Libra. A large, very powerful man with a distinctive underbite, he is actually very well composed and gentlemanly and honest to a fault, with an unshakable will. Master of the Brain Grid blood battle style, which he can use to create large cross-shaped weaponry and seal away enemies. Klaus is also very intelligent, being able to play the game "Prosfair", the complexity of which is known to drive humans mad (Klaus himself begins to bleed internally after playing the game for too long) and is a game usually reserved only for one distinct species in Hellsalem's Lot that has studied it for a thousand years.
Zap Renfro (ザップ・レンフロ Zappu Renfuro)
Voiced by: Kazuya Nakai
A hotblooded, womanizing Libra member and master of the Big Dipper blood fighting style, which allows him to manipulate his blood into blades and explosions. His juvenile actions often get him and the rest of Libra into trouble.
Chain Sumeragi (チェイン・皇 Chein Sumeragi)
Voiced by: Yū Kobayashi
A suit-clad werewolf with the power of invisibility. She can move at high speeds and does a large portion of Libra reconnaissance work. Her personality is sadistic, often causing physical harm to others or showing indifference to those in peril.
Steven A. Starphase (スティーブン・A・スターフェイズ Sutībun Ē Sutāfeizu)
Voiced by: Mitsuru Miyamoto
Libra's second-in-command. A shady man with many connections. Master of the Esmerelda Blood Freeze, a kick-based fighting style that freezes enemies on contact.
K.K.
Voiced by: Ai Orikasa
A lively and confident Libra member who sports an eye patch. She is very devoted to her young son and fights with high-power guns that electrocute enemies.
Deldro Brody & Doug Hammer (デルドロ・ブローディ ＆ ドグ・ハマー Derudoro Burōdi & Dogu Hamā)
Voiced by: Keiji Fujiwara & Mamoru Miyano
Two men in one body. Doug Hammer is a handsome man who had his blood replaced with the liquefied body of the serial killer and "bad boy" Deldro Brody. Brody can materialize as a gigantic living armor that surrounds Hammer, granting him immense physical strength. The two are often kept sealed away in the deepest part of Hellsalem's Lot's largest prison, but are sometimes called up to aid Libra in dire situations.
Zed O'Brien (ツェッド・オブライエン Tseddo Oburaien)
Voiced by: Hikaru Midorikawa
A stern merman with similar powers to Zap, as they were both taught by the same master. Joins Libra after being abandoned in Hellsalem's Lot.
Gilbert F. Altstein (ギルベルト・F・アルトシュタイン Giruberuto Efu Arutoshutain)
Voiced by: Banjō Ginga[2]
Klaus' butler and member of Libra. His face is covered with bandages, making him appear similar to a mummy. He is known for being a famous combat butler, and has regenerative powers. He drives a custom vehicle with many weapons, and is very fierce despite his even demeanor. Handles most of Libra's intelligence work.
Blitz T. Abrahms (ブリッツ・Ｔ・エイブラムス Burittsu Tī Eiburamusu)
Voiced by: Akio Ōtsuka
Klaus' former mentor and world-famous vampire hunter. His nickname Lucky Abrahms (豪運のエイブラムス Gōun no Eiburamusu) is ironic, as his luck is incredibly bad, often triggering mayhem for those around him, this is due to him having been cursed multiple times, but the curses usually end up canceling each other out.
Patrick (パトリック Patorikku)
Voiced by: Unshō Ishizuka
Libra's arms craftsman, dealer and occasional combatant. Has an unnamed assistant who is also quite skilled.
Sonic (音速猿 Onsokuzaru)
Voiced by: Yūma Uchida
A monkey that's capable of moving at the speed of sound. It stole Leonard's camera, but eventually becomes his pet.
Femto (フェムト Femuto)
Voiced by: Akira Ishida
The self-proclaimed King of Depravity.
Michella Watch (ミシェーラ・ウォッチ Mishēra Wotchi)
Voiced by: Nana Mizuki
Leonardo's littler sister.
Vivian (ビビアン Vivian)
Voiced by: Miyuki Sawashiro
A girl working at a diner that Leonard usually frequents.
Master (マスター)
Voiced by: Riki Kagami
Master of the diner.
White (ホワイト Howaito)[3]
Voiced by: Rie Kugimiya
An original anime character. A mysterious and beautiful girl that appears before Leo.

Media

Manga

The manga was originally released in 2008 as a one-shot chapter called Kekkai Sensō, which only featured very few members of the final cast and had a much different tone, focusing more emphasis on it being a vampire hunting story in a contemporary city. The publication originally began on January 5, 2009 in the Jump Square magazine with the title Kekkai Sensen − Mafūgai Kessha (血界戦線 -魔封街結社-) where it ran until March 4, 2009, followed by another one-shot in October 2009 in Jump SQ.M magazine. In May 2010 the manga switched to Jump SQ.19 magazine for serial publication. In this series, while several characters and concepts were brought over from the previous pilot chapter, the style and tone of the manga became more similar to the more abstract and humorous parts of Nightow's previous series, Trigun. Jump SQ.19 magazine ceased publication on February 19, 2015.

The first tankōbon volume was released on January 4, 2010;[4] nine volumes have been released as of June 4, 2014.[5]

No.Japanese release dateJapanese ISBNEnglish release dateEnglish ISBN
1 January 4, 2010[4]ISBN 978-4-0887-4723-1September 27, 2011[6]ISBN 978-1-595-82718-0
  • 1. "Those Shrouded In Fog"
  • 2. "Watchman Leo"
  • 3. "Catastrophe"
  • 4. "Follow That Phantom Ghost Wagon!"
2 November 4, 2010[7]ISBN 978-4-0887-0109-7May 22, 2012[8]ISBN 978-1-595-82912-2
  • 5. "A Game Between Worlds"
  • 5.5. "Tonio Andretti's Final Nineteen Hours"
  • 6. "Bloodline Fever"
3 May 2, 2011[9]ISBN 978-4-0887-0228-5November 27, 2012[10]ISBN 978-1-595-82913-9
  • 7. "Day In, Day Out"
  • 7.5. "Pandorum Asylum Rhapsody"
  • 8. "The Tremorous Blood Hammer"
4 December 2, 2011[11]ISBN 978-4-0887-0339-8September 17, 2013[12]ISBN 978-1-616-55223-7
  • 9. "E-den of Master Fighters"
  • 10. "One Butler's Blitzkreig"
  • 10.5. "Cherchez L'idole"
5 June 4, 2012[13]ISBN 978-4-0887-0435-7February 25, 2014[14]ISBN 978-1-616-55224-4
6 December 4, 2012[15]ISBN 978-4-0887-0558-3September 9, 2014[16]ISBN 978-1-616-55557-3
7 June 4, 2013[17]ISBN 978-4-0887-0868-3February 17, 2015[18]ISBN 978-1-616-55568-9
8 December 4, 2013[19]ISBN 978-4-0887-0869-0——
9 June 4, 2014[5]ISBN 978-4-0888-0078-3——
10 April 3, 2015ISBN 978-4-0888-0233-6——

Anime

No. Title Original air date[20]
1 "Demon City Association"
"Mafuugai kessha" (魔封街結社) 		April 5, 2015
Leonard Watch is a young man whose special power, the "All Seeing Eyes" catches the attention of Libra, a special organization that enforces order on Hellsalem's Lot, a region of New York where all sort of supernatural beings coexist with humans. 
2 "Pursue the Phantom Ghost Wagon"
"Maboroshi no gosuto wagon wo oe" (幻のゴーストワゴンを追え) 		April 12, 2015
Some monsters involved in a shady business kidnap Leonard once he figures them out with his power and his friends from Libra run against time to save him. 
3 "A Game Between Two Worlds"
"Futatsu no sekai no ma no gēmu" (二つの世界の間のゲーム) 		April 19, 2015
A dangerous drug appears in the streets and to stop it from being distributed, Klaus Von Reinhertz, the leader of Libra, bets his own life in a long game against an unbeatable opponent. Meanwhile, Leonard meets and befriends White, a beautiful and enigmatic girl. 
4 "Bloodline Fever"  April 25, 2015
The members of Libra discover, thanks to Leo's power, that vampires appeared in the city and the vampire hunter Blitz "Lucky" Abrahms arrives to assist them. 
5 "The Tremorous Blood Hammer"  

References

  1. ↑ "Blood Blockade Battlefront TV Anime's BONES Staff, Cast Unveiled". Anime News Network. October 30, 2014. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Banjou Ginga Replaces Shinji Ogawa in Blood Blockade Battlefront Cast". Anime News Network. February 13, 2015. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Blood Blockade Battlefront Gets New Character, Bump of Chicken Song". Anime News Network. February 28, 2015. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 血界戦線 魔封街結社 (ジャンプコミックス) (in Japanese). Amazon.co.jp. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 血界戦線 9 ―震撃の血槌― (ジャンプコミックス) (in Japanese). Amazon.co.jp. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Blood Blockade Battlefront Volume 1". Amazon.com. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  7. ↑ 血界戦線 2 世界と世界のゲーム (ジャンプコミックス) (in Japanese). Amazon.co.jp. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Blood Blockade Battlefront Volume 2". Amazon.com. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  9. ↑ 血界戦線 3 ―震撃の血槌― (ジャンプコミックス) (in Japanese). Amazon.co.jp. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Blood Blockade Battlefront Volume 3" (in Japanese). Amazon.com. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  11. ↑ 血界戦線 4 ―震撃の血槌― (ジャンプコミックス) (in Japanese). Amazon.co.jp. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Blood Blockade Battlefront Volume 4". Amazon.com. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  13. ↑ 血界戦線 5 ―震撃の血槌― (ジャンプコミックス) (in Japanese). Amazon.co.jp. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  14. ↑ "Blood Blockade Battlefront Volume 5". Amazon.com. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  15. ↑ 血界戦線 6 ―震撃の血槌― (ジャンプコミックス) (in Japanese). Amazon.co.jp. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  16. ↑ "Blood Blockade Battlefront Volume 6". Amazon.com. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  17. ↑ 血界戦線 7 ―震撃の血槌― (ジャンプコミックス) (in Japanese). Amazon.co.jp. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  18. ↑ "Blood Blockade Battlefront Volume 7". Amazon.com. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  19. ↑ 血界戦線 8 ―震撃の血槌― (ジャンプコミックス) (in Japanese). Amazon.co.jp. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  20. ↑ "血界戦線". MXTV. Retrieved April 12, 2015.

External links