If you haven’t read my previous article talking about Netflix’s new anime based on Greek mythology, I highly recommend you go check that out before you read this review. Or I can just recap here to save you the trouble. This review is entirely spoiler free so you don’t have to worry about anything being ruined. So let’s dive in, shall we?
“Blood of Zeus” is a Greek mythology based anime. Its story revolves around a young man named Heron who lives with his mother in a small village that shuns them because he’s a “bastard son”. One day a warrior comes to his village with news that demons are waging war across the lands. From there, Heron discovers the secret that he’s the son of Zeus which his mother had kept from him his entire life. Things happen, everything goes downhill, and Heron is left with a lot of pent of anger and many choices to make that will ultimately shape his future and those around him.
My original plan was just to watch half a season one night and leave the other half for the next. Needless to say, that’s not how it ended up going. Because every episode was so addicting, I found myself watching the entire season in one sitting (minus a snack break and bathroom break here and there). There’s only eight episodes which isn’t too bad for a first season. Each of them are about 25-30 minutes long so you can easily sit down and watch the entire season in an afternoon or night.
There’s a lot to unpack here. First off, the animation and art style is just absolutely GORGEOUS. From the character design to the setting, it’s just so beautiful to look at. Personally I think the style looks a lot like Castlevania which I have no complaints about because I love that show too. The colors used are bright and vibrant even when a scene is supposed to be dark. It pops out. Even the gore looks amazing and yes, the show is extremely gory so it’s not suitable for young kids or people who are squeamish to that sort of thing. There’s always something to look at and keep your eyes on throughout the whole show.
The music. I’ve always said music sets the tone for the show and Blood of Zeus succeeds in all areas with this one. You’ve got epic orchestral music to emphasize either the seriousness of a scene or how lighthearted it is. There’s even intense choral music to really make a scene even more intense than it already is, which is often how the episodes end. For a show that’s based during the Greek times, the music is extremely fitting and I wouldn’t be shocked if a soundtrack was released later in the future. The music was just *chef’s kiss*
Moving on to the script, I think content wise it’s practically flawless. There were no gaps in the plot or awkward sentence structures that left you confused and wondering what was just said. Every character has their own unique personality and you can obviously hear that from their lines (a huge thanks to the cast for breathing these characters to life) when they speak. I often found myself yelling at my tv at [redacted] because they just made me straight up mad. That’s just how good the voice actors and script are. Even though there’s a lot of story to unfold and take in, the clear and precise writing definitely helps the viewer understand what’s going on so they’re not lost. Props to the writers for not making this confusing. I can see how it could’ve been extremely puzzling if the script hadn’t been written properly but they did a fantastic job keeping the viewer’s understanding.
I’d like to take a moment to praise the creature design. I’ve always loved the creatures/monsters of Greek mythology and Blood of Zeus did a phenomenal job with their design. Some of these said creatures include Chimeras, Pegasus and Griffins to name a few. Plus the big bad themselves, the Titans (or giants) look incredible. I’d like to have 10 Griffins please.
In conclusion, Blood of Zeus is just amazing. There isn’t enough praise in the world for this show and I hope that Netflix brings it back for another season because that ending was quite the cliffhanger. It’d be a shame if Netflix left it at one.
Blood of Zeus is now available to stream on Netflix.
Fandom Lair 