FIF#74-Sirius the Jaeger

Unbeknownst to normal eyes, there is a secret war ragging in the darkness.  Vampires seek to assert their power and dominance, killing anyone to slate their thirst.  The only thing standing in their way: a small company of hunters known to most as the V Shipping Company.  But their true title is Jaeger.  Among this talented troupe is Yuliy, a deadly warrior known as a Sirius.  He is one of the last of an ancient bloodline with ties to a powerful relic that could grant unlimited power to the monsters that prey on the night.  But Yuliy has his own reasons for fighting this war and he wont stop until every Vampire is dead, here’s hoping the rest of his team can keep up.

Well, it’s not the most original piece ive seen in recent years.  But the first episode of Sirius the Jaeger is still a nice bit of fun thanks to some good artwork and some top notch action.  It’s hard not to get a familiar vibe off of the aesthetic.  1930’s setting; Vampires who morph into batlike monsters; a rag tag team of egocentric goofs who are good at killing.  If I didn’t know any better id say I was watching a mish mash of Fullmetal Alchemist, Blood: The Last Vampire and The Seven Deadly Sins or Akame Ga Kill.

For me, the action was the real selling point of Sirius’ debut episode.  While it didn’t play out in exactly this style, I was almost imagining things were going to kick off a lot like the first Blade movie: with the heroes infiltrating a Vampire feast about to commence and mowing down everything that has fangs.  It’s enough to excite ya if you really like that movie.  And while I feel a bit cheated that we only got to see Yuliy in action for less than a minute before jumping to right where the action is done, I think that Yuliys rapid fire despatching of Vamps is a good audition for the audience.  Now whether or not he actually needs the rest of his cohorts is beyond me.  Everyone did stand out, just most of them not in the best light.  The little blonde violinist was super annoying and the large Irishman (I think) felt like a knock off of Rider from Fate/Zero.  There is some added sexy factor with the sole female member of the crew but I don’t think she did anything of true note besides aid the aged leader of the Jaegers.  Thankfully, Yuliy got to shine in some fun action sequences in the latter half of the episode but it only raises the question of why he needs a team when he can do what they cant in amazing fashion and with a split chain staff weapon too.  Plus, does being a Sirius mean Yuliy’s a Vampire too or something else (maybe a Daywalker lol).

There’s an obvious big bad who looks like Dracula and a small team of secondary foes, one of whom is a beautiful temptress who spars pretty well with Yuliy.  As to what his endgame is, nothing is revealed other than that the Jaegers have been after him for a long time and havent been able to catch him (hmmm…that plus the fact that we find out he’s in Moscow at the end sort of gives me more Blade nostalgia).  I know I mentioned an artifact in the show synopsis but none of that is covered in Episode One.  There is a slight promise of globe hopping as we start of in China then jump to Japan and then the aforementioned Russia.  It’ll definitley spice things up, especially if the artwork continues as strong as it did in the premiere. 

At first glance, Sirius the Jaeger isnt the worst Anime on Netflix but it’s still just “ok”.  The action is strong and the show does look pretty.  But this cast needs to justify its existence when one super powered Jaeger can do what 5 seem incapable of (reminds me of Silent Mobius actually).  It would also be nice to learn more about the big bads motivations too.  Though if you’re just bored and looking for a very gory Vampire action show, Sirius could be the answer.  Might continue on with this one for a couple more episodes.  My gripes aside, like I said, it looks like fun.