Black Blood Brothers is based off of a light novel series written by Kohei Azano. In 2006, Studio Live and Group TAC produced the anime, with Hiroaki Yoshikawa serving as the director. Black Blood Brothers, which consists of 12 episodes, aired on Japanese television from September 8-November 24, 2006. In the United States, FUNimation holds the license for the property.

Ten years prior to the start of the anime, a vampire who became known as the Kowloon King emerged in Hong Kong and began to spread his lineage. His bloodline became known as the Kowloon Children. This bloodline differed from other vampire bloodlines because all humans bitten by a Kowloon Child would become Kowloon Children themselves, even without a direct infusion of blood from that bloodline. Also, any existing vampire bitten by a Kowloon Child would become one of them.

The chaos that ensued made the existence of vampires known to the world. The conflict culminated in the Hong Kong Crusade, a battle where humans and vampires worked together to exterminate the Kowloon Children. After the war, it was announced that all vampires had been exterminated; however, the vampires who had fought with the humans were sent to a place called the Special Zone (a secret city where the vampires live), and most humans are not aware of the existence of the Special Zone.

Jiro Mochizuki, the main character of the series, fought in the Hong Kong Crusade. He defeated the Kowloon King, earned the nickname of the Silver Blade, and became a hero of the Crusade. Unfortunately, Jiro lost his lover, Alice, and was betrayed by his friend Cassandra during the Crusade.

The anime opens ten years after the Crusade. Jiro and his little brother, Kotaro, are on their way to Japan with the hope of reaching the Special Zone. During their travels, they realize that the Kowloon Children survivors are plotting to infiltrate the Special Zone, and Jiro encounters enemies from the past and new threats that could threaten the Special Zone. When Kotaro is abducted by one of the Kowloon Children, Jiro is thrust even further into the battle.

Joining Jiro on his journey is Mimiko Katsuragi. She is a human compromiser who is sent to mediate the relationship between humans and vampires. She was an orphan that was raised by the Order Coffin Company (a company that mediates disputes between the humans and the vampires, as well as keeping vampires from illegally entering the Special Zone). During the course of the series, Mimiko develops feelings for Jiro.

With vampires being the main subject matter of Black Blood Brothers, I wouldn’t recommend this anime for young children. The youngest age I would recommend this anime for would probably be around 15-16 years of age.