Anime Review: Bayonetta Bloody Fate
Story
The premise of Bayonetta: Bloody Fate is fairly simple. Bayonetta is an Umbra Witch who must deal with her past. Being born of both light and darkness, Bayonetta’s very birth has thrown the world into chaos.
The Lumen Sages, allies of the angels, are seeking to bring together the two Eyes of the World in order to resurrect Jubileus, The Creator. This causes a war to break out between the Umbra Witches and the Lumen Sages. Many years later, Bayonetta, one of the few survivors of the war between light and dark, must deal a Lumen Sage who is still trying to bring back Jubileus.
Since for this anime is pretty much the same as the same as the first Bayonetta video game, Bayonetta’s key allies and enemies from the video game also make an appearance, so you also get a sense of the supporting characters’ roles in the Bayonetta universe.
The movie itself feels like a greatest hits reel of the fights in the Bayonetta video game. Sure there is some story tacked in between the fights, but like with the video game, the story is merely in place to give context to why Bayonetta needs to kill demonic-looking angels, and look good while doing it. Like in the video game, the fight scenes keep growing in scale, resulting in a final battle of galactic proportions.
Animation
The movie is animated using a darker color palette to match the mood of the story. The animation itself is nice and clean, which is pretty much standard for most anime titles nowadays.
That being said, the animation quality is good, but could have been a bit better to match the amount of action that is on screen. Old animation tricks such as reused frames and lower frame rates are clearly present in this title. I would have preferred the omission of a fight or shortening of a couple of fight scenes in favor of better animation during each of the fights that ultimately made it into the film.
The framing and choreography of the fights feel different from those of the video game. The fights in the anime feel like they would be at home in other anime titles, such as Hellsing. Because of this, the anime does not quite capture the style, sensuality and over-the-top vibe of the cut-scenes and in-game fights of the video game.
I give the anime props for doing its own thing, but I feel that the video game is the superior medium for showcasing the brawls between Bayonetta and the army of angels that are after her.
Because of this, I often found myself wishing I could reach out and grab a controller so that I could take charge of the on-screen heroine. The Bayonetta games are really well made action titles and it is very difficult for a film to scratch the same itch as the video game. That being said, the film serves as a great primer for those looking to get into the Bayonetta series. When I bought the second game, I was able to get into the story of Bayonetta 2 by watching the anime. This saved me a considerable amount of time, as I did not have to beat the first game all over again as a refresher course for its sequel.
Audio
The English and Japanese voice actresses for Bayonetta reprise their role in their respective dubs of the anime. So whether you prefer you Bayonetta in the Japanese or English flavor of the game, she sounds just the same in this anime adaptation of the first Bayonetta title. I don’t quite remember what the supporting cast for the video game sounded like, so I can’t really compare the voice acting talent between the anime and the video game versions of Bayonetta. Not that it really matters, since the star is the eponymous Bayonetta.
Some of the soundtrack will be recognizable to those who played the first Bayonetta video game, since the anime borrows and/or retools several songs from the video game. Other than the video game songs that make a guest appearance in the anime, the soundtrack is serviceable, but forgettable.
Final Verdict
All in all, Bayonetta: Bloody Fate is a good introduction to the Bayonetta lore and legacy. It trims much of the fat from the story in favor of a leaner action anime that is all about the beautiful Bayonetta beating down baddies of all sizes. The anime certainly got me yearning to play some Bayonetta. So the anime succeeded at selling me on picking up Bayonetta 2 for the WiiU, which I believe is the main reason the anime was made in the first place.
| Posted 13 February, 2015 - 11:38 by SentaiSeiya |
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