Dance in the Vampire Bund wasnt a terrible show for most of its run. But I do feel like it kinda got a bit rushed near the end. It seemed like they knew where they wanted to end the show but had to compress things a great deal to get to that point.
Story
For a large majority of the show I didnt have many issues but it isnt trouble free for me. The first couple episodes worked really well and made me really enjoy the show. Then the middle section just slowed way down and seemed to get stuck. Nothing much seemed to be happening. And the conflicts that were occurring were happening due to nobody talking with each other. And it came off as really forced and unnecessary in the long run. Then we get a rushed arc that only seems to exist to clean up a characters story they kinda just left hanging. But doesnt seem to play a larger role at any time after that and I dont understand the point of it. The final arc of the show was a rather large mess unfortunately. It really felt like a rushed mess trying to work through dozens of chapters and backstory and information in just 2 episodes.
You end up getting introduced to new characters and antagonists. New species of creatures or monsters and this strange assassination game. But then the one assassin just disappears must have died and I missed it because it had no name or introduction really. The other two continue to fight and injure Akira. Then the other assassin dies leaving one left with a twist on who the assassin is and why they are all fighting really. Overall though it just ends up feeling messy and confusing.
Characters
If you can get over the fact that Mina is a 1000yearold loli vampire who doesnt have an issue with nudity. Which is honestly really strange and slightly creepy but for some reason you just kinda accept it pretty quickly. She is a pretty enjoyable character and I ended up really liking her and Akiras relationship. It felt really complicated and complex but also something you could kinda get behind. Somewhat of a love transcends age and species time deal.
The side cast gets to shine from time to time with most of their time being towards the beginning of the show. Though I do wish they could have gotten more screen time throughout the show. Yuki and Nanami both feel like after their arc is over they just kinda disappear and periodically show up in the background or say 2 words. The maids get some time in chibi form in after credits but after the beginning they dont play much of a role. Really most of the side cast gets forgotten about during the last half of the show.
Sound
Another show where I dont feel like any of the music would make me listen to just normally outside of the show. It wasnt amazing or terrible just generic enough to play in the background and kinda forget about.
I also listened to the Dub for a little while and I dont think it was terrible. I could see watching the show in the Dub and not having any issues. Definitely wasnt one of the worst Ive ever heard.
Visuals
As a Shaft production you recognize many shots and camera movements very quickly. You just cannot miss the typical Shaft style. With some shots being identical to those in the Monogatari series. And if you said it came from that other show I wouldnt doubt you at all. The biggest difference with this show and by far the worst part of the visuals was the filter like effect on everything. I would describe it maybe like one of those old hdr filters maybe the ones that didnt really help the visual quality and just changed the colors. But it really did look distracting and pretty terrible and I have to question why they ever thought it would work well.
Overall
It wasnt an amazing show and had plenty of issues. The pacing wasnt amazing leading to a story that feels rushed some characters feel forgotten about and the visual style of the show was typical Shaft with some filter that made it look cheap and bad. I dont think I would recommend it as a standalone watching but if you are watching through Shafts old shows say and come across it. I dont think you would hate it and want to skip it immediately.
50
/100